Page 89 of Old-Fashioned

Yes, the rest of the car was all original thanks to a lot of so-called horse trading the Caine’s had to do, and yes, it could always be repainted.

The color I had chosen was Mint Green.

As soon as we got to the front of the car, and just to the right side of it, I leaned my head down and whispered, “Okay, are you ready?”

She nodded, “Yes.”

“Okay, on the count of one, two, three, take off you’re blindfold.”

And the moment she had the blindfold off, I heard her inhaled gasp.

She stood there as she marveled at the sixty-nine-corvette sting ray.

And then I took the papers from Drake’s outstretched hand and handed them to my Birdie.

“That’s not all Baby girl, look at the previous owners,” I whispered into her hair.

And I knew the moment she saw it. Her whole body got tense, and then she leaned back into me, and let out a sweet, happy, sigh.

There in black print were the words, Margaret Viola Swanson.

Miss Maggie owned this car before she got married.

And she had this car when she met Rich.

For some reason, as I was placing a kiss on the side of her neck, her whole body tensed. And before she could say another word, she looked down, and I frowned.

Why the fuck was the ground wet?

Oh fuck!

Did I make her pee on herself?

“Are you going to forgive me?” I asked, panicking.

She looked up at me, and then gritted her teeth as something was happening to her.

“Birdie? What the fuck is going on?”

She stared at me as if I’d just bashed my head in, and lost all common sense, “I’m in labor, Abel.”

Those four words were all I heard as I picked her up, uncaring in the least that not pee, but water was still running down, and hauled ass to my truck.

I got her inside, buckled up, and still those four words rattled in my brain.

And in thirty minutes, I was rocking the truck to a stop, after calling her doctor who was thankfully, on call today at the hospital.

She was in her room, all set up, I had carried the bags we had packed weeks ago in, and we were ready to have our baby.

Once Birdie settled in, with a band around her belly, she said, “You better be ready. Because my stupid self, since this is the only one, we are having, I want to experience it all and with no drugs.”

“Just remember I am going to be by your side through the whole thing. Any pain you’re in, you just squeeze my hand as hard as you can, I can take it.”

Five hours later, I was regretting my words, I wasn’t sure if she hadn’t broken my hand with her last contraction.

Jesus Christ.

This woman.

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