Page 85 of Single Chance

“You’re lucky to have that kind of support,” I said, unable to imagine what my life would’ve been like if my parents had ever doted on Sam.

I’d been so hopeful, when Erin was pregnant with our daughter, that my parents would be won over. It’d taken them nearly a week after we got home from the hospital to stop by and meet their only granddaughter. That lack of priority had finally drilled into my head that my parents truly didn’t care.

“Faye and my dad are a godsend,” Holden said.

“They’re at seven minutes,” Chloe announced excitedly, reading from a message on her phone.

“Ava’s flirting with labor,” Holden explained. “Contractions started a couple of hours ago.”

“Cash is working tonight, trying to finish his shift before things get serious. Anna’s with Ava, sending me updates,” Chloe said.

“That’s… I can’t even imagine,” Rowan said. “Terrifying? Exciting?”

“All the above,” Chloe confirmed. “She’s doing a home birth, so at least her husband won’t have a chance to crash his car in apanic to get to the hospital.” The look she sent Holden was full of both love and laughter.

“Top of the list for things I’ll never live down,” Holden said.

“You wrecked on the way to the hospital?” Rowan asked.

“Not exactly,” he replied.

Chloe laughed. “It’s worse.” She explained how it’d been during Rusty Anchor’s first evening event, where we’d highlighted some seasonal brews. She’d had contractions throughout the day and had pleaded with their unborn baby to give them a few more hours so Holden could finish the event.

“Baby didn’t agree?” Rowan asked.

“Of course not. Sutton was stubborn even then. My water broke, so I had to tell Holden. He freaked out so much he put his precious car into gear instead of reverse and accelerated right into the concrete loading dock at the brewery.”

I laughed even though I’d heard the story multiple times before.

Rowan’s eyes went big, and she covered her mouth with her hand, holding in a laugh at the guy who signed her paycheck.

“Presley ended up driving us to the hospital for obvious reasons,” Chloe said.

“Presley to the rescue,” Rowan said.

“My brother only has to get from Henry’s to their house behind the inn,” Holden said. “Not even a mile.”

“I can’t believe he’s working.” I shook my head.

“Zinnia, the sous chef, had something in Nashville tonight,” Chloe explained, “so he’s at least trying to get through the dinner rush. So far their baby’s going along with it.” She checked the time on her phone again.

“Are you going over there to be with her?” Rowan asked.

“Ava decided just Cash and her midwife,” Chloe said. “A private family thing, which I totally get. Even if Iwillbe dying to see that baby!”

“They deserve their calm before the Henry-North storm, just like we had,” Holden said.

“So true.” Chloe pointed to an area against the wall, close to where we were. “There’s Gin. She’s Everly’s producer. She’s handling sound tonight.”

It took less than ten minutes for Gin to set up a microphone, a stool, and some other equipment. As she worked, I pulled my phone out and checked Sam’s location. When I saw she was exactly where she was supposed to be, I let out my breath. Maybe we’d turned a corner now that Lacey was out of the picture.

Everly made her way to the stool, introduced herself unnecessarily since everyone in town and most of the country knew who she was, and started singing and playing her guitar.

Within seconds, Rowan abandoned her stool and came to stand in front of me as the space filled up seemingly from nowhere with people gathering closer to Everly. Raphael, the manager of the Fly, stood to one side, ensuring people gave Everly plenty of space. Ben and Emerson joined us, only missing the first song.

A few songs in, Rowan leaned her back against me. Without thinking about it, I put my arms around her from behind, then kissed the top of her head. As soon as I did it, I wondered what the fuck I was doing. Trying to play it off, I kept my arms where they were and waited for any reaction from Rowan, holding my breath.

She turned her head to the side, and I thought she was going to say something. Instead she nuzzled it into my chest, just for a second, then rested her hand on one of mine.

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