Page 130 of Reclaimed

“Okay, what do we think about this one?” Cortney marches back over to the mirrors with a face for battle. She grips the light, flowy fabric and tosses it at her feet so that it swishes around her ankles.

Nancy ooo’s with a smile.

“You look beautiful.” I push myself out of my chair onto my feet.

“I love the neckline on that one.” Bree runs her fingers over the front of her shirt.

“I don’t know. It’s pretty. I think it’d be perfect for a beach wedding,” Cortney says wistfully.

“Then maybe you should get married on a beach?” Whitney’s question is cautious.

Cortney sighs. “I can’t. Sebastian doesn’t like to spend time in the sun and he loathes the sand.”

I go to step forward when my stomach pinches with a sharp cramp. “Oooh. That hurts,” I gasp.

Juniper and Frankie flank me in an instant. “What’s wrong?”

“Braxton Hicks.” I scrunch my face. “I think.”

Bree, Whitney, and Cortney exchange sympathetic glances.

“Those can be frustrating. I had them for weeks before Soren was born. You should sit down,” Whitney advises.

Cortney steps back off the platform. “Maybe this is too much for one day.”

“No, no, it’s okay. It’s—” I gasp as warm liquid gushes down my legs. “I don’t think these are Braxton Hicks anymore.”

“What, why?” Juniper looks me over.

“Because either I peed myself or my water just broke.”

Everyone jumps into action, including Cortney. She starts running toward me still wearing the wedding dress.

“Wait!” The bridal rep shouts after her, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You’re going to get it dirty!”

Cortney has a hand on my arm while the others clean up glasses and gather coats and bags. She throws her chin over her shoulder. “I’ll take this one. Charge the card on my booking.”

“Go get changed.” I bat at her just as another contraction hits. My swing turns into a grip around her shoulder.

“Call Aiden. Tell him he’s about to be a dad.” For the first time all day, Cortney wears a genuine smile.

Aiden

That Same Day

I flickmy pool cue into the white just as my phone rings. The green stripe I was shooting for spins in a straight line to the right corner pocket. At Isla’s name on the screen, I straighten.

“Ready to get out of wedding dress hell?”

“How do you feel about March 7th?” she says, ignoring my question.

I work over the date in my mind. “What’s special about March 7th?”

She gives a breathy laugh. “It’s about to become our son’s birthday.”

I lock eyes with Jack across the sea of green felt. “You’re in labor?”

“My water broke all over the floor at the bridal shop. Poor woman was about to have a heart attack at the mess.”

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