Page 37 of His Wood Her Fire

My vixen was quite the firecracker pregnant.And I swear to God, I loved her more with every second that passed.

“Oh, Bo!The angel is falling,” she said.

I turned just in time for the thing to fall and conk me right on the head.Good thing it was stuffed with just a tiny string of fairy lights decorating the wings.

I turned around when I heard snorting and frowned at my wife who was laughing so hard and trying, unsuccessfully, to be quiet about it.

“You think that’s funny?”

“I-I’m sorry, I do.Oh my God,” she said and laughed harder.“Oh no, I think I peed!”

“Serves you right,” I said, but I was already running to help her.

“Dammit,” she moaned, but something wasn’t right.

I helped her stand, and started to frog-march her to the potty, but I noticed with every step, more fluid was leaking out of her.

“Oh, God!Owwww!”Gloria sagged against me, and I knew what was happening then.

“Baby, I don’t think you peed.I think your water broke.”

Wide velvet eyes met mine.

“I think you're right.Oh, my God.What do we do?”

“We go to the hospital in town.We timed it.I can get us there in twenty-two minutes.Okay?”

She nodded, knowing the game plan as readily as I did.With her age and this being her first, Gloria wanted to deliver the baby at a hospital.

She wasn’t due for another two weeks, but it was Christmas, after all.

“Hold on, Baby,” I said, lifting her in my arms and snagging the to go bag that sat by the door.

I ordered Moose to stay and winked at Frou-Frou before fastening my wife securely in her seat.

If you asked me later on how exactly I made it to the Hospital four minutes faster than my best time, I couldn’t answer you.I just knew that two minutes after I carried her through the Emergency Room doors, Gloria delivered our daughter, and I wept like a baby.

“She’s so perfect,” I told my wife, cradling them both in my arms.

“She is.Oh, Bo, look at her.”

“I am.Thank you, Gloria.Thank you so much.”

“Don’t be silly, I should be thanking you, this is the best present ever.”

“That she is,” I laughed.“I think we should call her Angelina, after that little angel that conked me on the head and spurred her mother into labor.”

“I think that’s perfect,” Gloria replied with a grin.

“Is there anything I can get you, Slick?”I asked my beautiful, tired wife after I watched her perform an absolute miracle in front of my eyes.

I would do anything for this woman.

Anything at all.

She turned to me thoughtfully and took my hand.

“Yeh, actually.I was wondering if maybe you could get me another one of these next year?”

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