Page 429 of Bride of Choice

Grabbing the prep bag on the counter in the corner of the kitchen by its straps, spying Jeh-kal’s wedding ring still next to the drain board from when he’d tidied up after breakfast, making a mental note to hide it and torment him about losing it, because I’m fun like that, I dragged my bag behind me as I made my way to the spare room Dace used on the rare occasion we managed to talk her into a visit. It was as good of a makeshift delivery room as we were going to get.

We were not nearly as prepared for this shit, not for it to happen right now, as I’d have liked to be.

“When you snap out of it, Rektal, could you blow the horn for me?” I called out as I trudged down the hall.

A soft knock on the door had me sighing in relief. Thank god! “Come in!”

Dace popped her head in, her rail thin frame following. She hadn’t gained much weight since she’d been here, but she had more color in her cheeks and her hair was now to her ears—she was looking much better than before.

“I’m in labor,” I announced.

“What?!” Her loud squeak of an answer did not instill confidence in me. Had she not said she’d grown up helping her grandfather on his farm? Not to be crass, but is it so wildly different in the basics?

Fidgeting with the beanie on her head, she took a small, cautious step into the house but looked ready to bolt. “Should I- Are you sure?”

“Yeah, maybe I’m just blowing water out of my vagina,” I sassed through gritted teeth. “Kidney stones, maybe even.”

“I don’t know what to do about kidney stones,” she blurted, before realizing I was not in fact serious.

“Awesome,” I muttered, then groaned. “Now there are two of them.” Louder, I told her with a shake of my head, “You’re killing me, Squeaks.”

Dace’s eyes widened as she took in Rek mumbling, worrying a hole into the floor as he panic-paced back and forth across the large space.

Taking a deep breath, Dace muttered something to herself, nodded, and got her game face on. Even as she trembled, she hurried over to me. I thought I heard her mumbling to herself that she could do this as she drew closer. Once in front of me, she took another deep breath and took the straps of the bag from me. “What do you need?” she asked. She still sounded squeaky and unsure but the look in her eyes, she was determined.

“Help me to the guest room and then grab the horn near the back door, step out, and blow it as hard as you can, okay?” I was all belly and I was feeling it. One kid in there? Were they twelve pounds?!

Dace nodded and did what I asked to the letter. By the time she came back to me, Rek had snapped out of it, rushed into the room, and was helping me up into the bed.

“That- That looks awful… There’s- That’s- Uhm… blood,” Dace blurted as she stepped into the room, got a juicy shot of what’s goin’ on downstairs, and turned pale as a sheet.

“No shits,” Rek barked, then slapped the sheet down over my legs better as he glared at her to be useful.

“Be niiiiii-eeee-OHMYFUCKING- MOTHERFUCKER!” I howled as the mother of all contractions built and then hit me like a ton of bricks. There was no holding back on that one, even if I’d wanted to.

“Should I have blown the horn harder?” Dace whispered.

About to snap at her to blow it out her ass as another monster wave of pain washed over me, Rek pecked a kiss to my forehead, grabbed my hand for me to squeeze, and looked to Dace.

“Yes. Go blow horn harder. Blow hardest,” Rek grunted out at her as he ran to the kitchen to grab the water he’d put on the stove.

Dace didn’t need to be told twice.

The horn began to blow, pause, blow, pause, over and over as my labor quickly progressed.

“Is this normal?!” I squawked as my belly began to roil like there was a demon in there. Fuck me, what the fuck?

“Rothy no tell Rek that normal,” Rek grunted out. “Rek no know ask. Celuk no say neither.” Gently placing his hand over my belly, he began to make this insanely loud humming noise.

“What the hell is that?” I gasped out.

“Buu teach Jojomine’s mates. Say it help with babies time,” Rek paused long enough to tell me with a shrug.

The pain intensified. So much so I gave up crushing his hand, curled my legs up, grabbed my bent knees, and screamed.

An awful sound filled the air, goopy, squishing, followed by insane pressure and a rush of a gush of a release.

Rek was already there between my legs when I stopped screaming and opened my eyes.

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