Page 318 of Vegas Heat

And I couldn’t be happier.

EPILOGUE: GABBY

Five Months Later

My last day at work was August twentieth.

The week before that, Cooper and I celebrated our one-year anniversary on my twenty-second birthday. Three months before that, I graduated college with top honors.

All these celebrations have included lots and lots of sex with my future husband. Apparently seeing my pregnant body does unexpected things to Cooper, starting with the fact that he thinks it’s ultra-hot that he put that baby in me.

It’s been seventeen days since my last day at work, and I am already bored out of my mind…plus I miss Cooper. A lot.

Traveling with a professional baseball team has been quite the adventure. Most of the guys on the team have taken me under their wing. I’m like the team little sister to everyone except Cooper, who will call mewifeat some point.

He put a ring on it, but we haven’t set a date. We figure we’ll hammer it out sometime in the off-season when we can both sit down and think and plan together.

We’re grateful for the time we’ve had together through this first season. I’ve seen him more than I thought I would, but that all changed once I started my maternity leave.

And now I’m sitting at my dad’s house with Joanie, watching him on television as I wait for him to text or call after the game. I’ve slept here all week just in case the baby decided to come early, and the room Cooper once stayed in has now been converted to a nursery thanks to the help of the incredibly talented Kate Dalton.

The Heat has had a series out of town since September first, but they return later tonight. They get one night off before playing the eighth through the thirteenth. This little one is due the ninth—under a week away now—and I’m praying she gets here while he’s home just to make things a little easier on us.

Yes,she. My instinct was right on.

Our team wins, and I get a text from Cooper shortly after the game.

Captain:How are you feeling?

Me:Very large but okay. Good game.

Uncomfortably large at this point. I think the baby dropped and now every time I walk, she’s laying directly on my bladder and causing cramps.

Captain:Hard to focus tonight. I’m thinking about you.

Me:Right back at you. Love you.

Captain:Right back at you too. Boarding plane soon, should be home by midnight.

Me:I’ll make sure to keep this little one inside until then.

He sends a laughing emoji, and that’s when I feel it.

The first twinge.

Or, rather, the first rocket of pain as it shoots through my abdomen. “Oh shit,” I murmur.

A seven-month pregnant Joanie glances over at me. “You okay?”

I shake my head as I wince. “I think I just had a contraction.”

“Oh shit,” Joanie echoes. “Does it hurt?”

I chuckle. “It sure as hell doesn’t feelgood.”

“I’ll call Cooper,” she says, lifting to a stand.

I shake my head. “He’s just getting on a plane. I don’t want him flying worried when he can’t make it go any faster. He’ll be here soon, and I haven’t timed these out yet.”

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