Page 100 of Catnip, Claws, and Chaos

His expression gets all soft. “Our bed,” he corrects me. “Our home. Our baby.”

Those simple words fill me with this warmth that has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with the life we're building together. It's not what either of us planned, but somehow, it's exactly what we both needed.

Pregnancy is weird as hell. Everyone says it's this beautiful miracle, but let me tell you, my body's been telling a different story. I spent the first few months puking my guts out any time I smelled coffee or anything fried. And morning sickness? What a joke! Try all-day-and-sometimes-three-a.m. sickness. I'm permanently exhausted, my ankles are swollen to twice their size, and my belly's so huge I can't even reach the computer keyboard when I sit at my desk.

But there've been some pretty cool moments, too. The first time I felt the baby move, I had this weird fluttery feeling inside me, like butterfly wings. Logan's whole face lit up when we heard the heartbeat at the first ultrasound.

We've come a long way since those early days. After the Great Fish Massacre at my parents' house, for which my brother still gives me the cold shoulder, even though Logan bought him this crazy expensive aquarium setup, we returned to New York. We started figuring out how to actually live together. Some days are harder than others. Logan still wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes, covered in sweat and freaking out, terrified of losing us like he lost Valerie and their baby. But we talk through it, hold onto each other when it gets scary, and he's usually back to being my grumpy veterinarian by morning.

“How can I help you?” I ask the last patient of the day, straightening the appointment cards just because.

I'm back working for Logan, even though he tried hard to make me stay home andrest. We had our first real knock-down, drag-out fight over it. Eventually, I made him understand that being pregnant doesn't mean I'm suddenly useless. I like comingto work, even if my relationship with most animals is still... complicated.

Plus, I'm not going to lie, I enjoy too much watching the looks on the clients' faces when they find out Logan and I are together. He's mine, ladies! I get this petty little thrill when Mrs. Hilton or one of the other desperate housewives in his fan club walks in and spots my engagement ring.

The woman standing at my desk keeps staring at me with her mouth open, not saying a word. Her eyes are fixed on something under my desk, and she looks grossed out.

“Um, ma'am? Can I help you?” I ask again, trying to figure out what she's looking at. Did I spill ice cream on the floor again? I can't see anything from my angle!

“Ew!” she mutters. “That's disgusting.”

“What?” I snap, about ready to lose it. These pregnancy hormones have made my temper super short. Last week, I cried because Logan bought the wrong peanut butter, then started laughing at how ridiculous I was being. “What's your problem?”

She doesn't say anything, just keeps pointing at something under my chair.

“Seriously?” I don't realize how loud I've gotten until the door behind me opens, and Logan walks in. His hair's all messed up, and he looks tired but happy. He's been working extra hours lately to make sure everything at the clinic is running smoothly before he takes time off when the baby comes.

“What's going on out here?” he asks. He's got his phone pressed to his ear, obviously in the middle of a call.

“No idea! Ask her!” Frustrated, I point at the woman, who's turned this weird greenish color. She keeps staring at the floor under my chair with this horrified look.

“I think I'll come back another time,” she says, turning around and running for the door. “Dr. Price, your fiancée needsyour help!” she calls over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her.

Logan looks at me, confused, and I just shrug. I don't have a clue what her deal is.

“Hey, Stephen, I'll call you back later,” he says into the phone.

Stephen's been super involved in our lives since that day in his office. He's been Logan's rock through this whole baby journey, always there with advice or reassurance when Logan freaks out. We already asked him to be the baby's godfather, and he got all emotional about it, which was sweet. Kate and Sarah are still bitching about it, but I couldn't choose between them, so Logan's friend was the easier choice.

“You don't have to hang up. I'm totally fine.” I start to get up from my chair when this sharp pain stabs through my belly. It feels like someone's wringing out my insides like a wet dishcloth. I can't help the little whimper that comes out.

Logan rushes over, almost dropping his phone. His face turns the same weird color as the woman who just left. “Putting you on speaker, buddy,” he says, setting the phone down on the desk. “Don't hang up. I need you!”

“What's happening?” Stephen asks through the phone.

“Hey ther—” Another super painful cramp grabs my belly, and I scream. It's like the worst period cramp ever times a thousand.

“Emily? Emily, what's wrong?” Stephen sounds worried now.

“Her water broke. I think she's in labor.” Logan's voice sounds weird, all high and tight. I look down and finally see what the woman was staring at: there's a huge puddle spreading across the floor under my chair. Well, that's embarrassing.

“I'm sending an ambulance right now. Get ready, dude. Your kid might be born today.” Stephen sounds calm but excited.

“What?” I gasp, doubling over as the cramping that started this morning suddenly intensifies. I thought I wouldn't even notice when labor started! These aren't the gentle waves I read about. This is worse than my nightmare about giving birth at the grocery store. I can't have a baby in a vet clinic!

“Shhh, just breathe,” Logan says, pushing my hair out of my face. His fingers feel cool against my skin, which suddenly feels super hot. “Everything's gonna be fine.” There's this weird look in his eyes like he doesn't quite believe it himself.

“What is it, Logan? What's wrong?” I grab his shirt, yanking him close to my face.

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