Page 38 of Inked Craving

ChapterTwelve

Paige

Fear cascaded down my spine, and I gripped Lee’s hand. He looked over at me before he returned his gaze to the road, going the exact speed limit.

I breathed through the pain, grimaced, and couldn’t help but smile at him. “You’re not even going to go five over, are you?” I asked with a laugh.

We stopped at a traffic light, and he raised his brows at me. “Of course, not. I’ve seen those movies. They get pulled over, and then they have to explain to the cop that you’re having a baby. And then either you have the baby right then and there—and I’m not in the mood to deliver a baby in a car. Or we go speeding at seventy miles an hour around curves following the cop as he blares his lights. The traffic here is insane, Paige Montgomery. We are not risking that.”

I looked over at him then, my heart doing that little shuddering thing. It was so hard to think when he was so fucking perfect.

“You’re panicking.” My stomach felt like it twisted, and I did my best to remember my breathing from our classes. Annabelle had been so soothing during all of them. Had rubbed my back. Had explained to me how her birth had gone. She had started with an epidural, but it had only lasted for part of the birth. So, she’d been able to feel nearly everything both times, and my brain shorted out just thinking about it.

“Of course, I’m freaking out. You’re giving birth. It’s a big thing.”

I ignored that little clutch in my heart and squeezed his hand tightly. He was driving one-handed and doing well with it. I needed his touch, though, and I was greedy for it. In the middle of labor was the one time I would allow myself to be needy.

It was a decent excuse anyway.

“And you called your family?”

I smiled. “Yes, the only problem is they’re in Denver.”

Lee practically swerved off the road, and I winced. “Why are they in Denver? You’re near your due date. They should know to be here.”

I sighed, rubbing my belly as I did some slow breathing through a contraction. The contractions were coming closer and closer together, and I didn’t want to think too hard about that. I couldn’t help but remember the pain, the bleeding that had happened when we’d had that scare at the beginning of the pregnancy. Speaking with Sierra and Austin and even Leif had helped right after everything happened, but I still woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and scared. I’d only texted Lee once, and that had been after the first time. He had come over and held me. I hadn’t texted him after that.

It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. But he was so caring, so wonderful. He spoke to the baby as much as I did, and I had no idea what we would do once I held my baby for the first time. Once he did.

Because in my head, he was still going to walk away. He was always going to continue his life, and I would do this alone. Yet that was so stupid.

So freaking stupid. But I didn’t know what I was supposed to be doing.

“Why are they in Denver?” he asked again, and I brought myself out of my thoughts, the ones that wouldn’t leave me quite yet.

“It’s Austin’s birthday. I didn’t go because I had an appointment this morning, remember?”

I did. “Shit. I knew about the birthday. Wasn’t I invited?”

My lips twitched. “You were. But you said you had to work. Because you took time off to take me into the hospital earlier on Monday for my appointment.”

“Oh, right. Is your family on their way?”

“Yes, but there is tremendous traffic on I-25, and there’s an accident. They’ll get here.” Theyhadto get there.

I fisted my hands over my belly before I forced myself to relax and rubbed circles over my stomach. “Everything’s going to be fine. They’re going to get here. The baby will be fine, we’re going to be fine, and you are almost at the hospital. You’re doing great.”

He gave me a look. “You’re placating me, but I appreciate it. I didn’t realize I would be the one to panic here.”

“Honestly, neither did I.”

My phone buzzed, and I held it in one hand while Lee kept my other hand secure.

Annabelle:We’re driving as quickly and as safely as we can, but I-25 North is jammed. Traffic is blocked for miles. We’re going to make it. We love you.

Eliza:My brother Evan is at the house if you need him. I can text him. He can be there.

I laughed and shook my head.

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