Page 101 of Paternal Instincts
Mom’s squeal pierced the air. “Did you hear that? The baby’s coming. Isn’t that marvelous, Ronan. We’re going to be grandparents again.”
“Marvellous… I can’t hear a thing now. She keeps yelling in my ear.”
“Because you don’t listen. I had to call you a dozen times before—”
“Good grief,” I murmured under my breath as my parents chattered over top of one another as they so often did.
I eyed my husband. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he choked a sob into the phone, saying, “Dad, it’s time. My baby is coming.”
I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him against my side, kissing his messy bed head. Still, my parents hadn’t come up for air.
“Mom, Mom! I have to call Amelia. We’re at Sunnybrook.”
“We’ll be there pronto. Ronan, start the car… Let me get my purse… Oh sweet Jesus, is that what you’re wearing?”
The call disconnected to Mom’s continuous rambling and Dad’s eagerness to comply with her every demand.
Amelia was far calmer, but her excitement bled through the phone. I was her big brother, and she was thrilled at finally becoming an aunt. “I’m coming alone. Chris can bring Graham and Kylee after the baby is born. You’re going to need someone to keep Mom and Dad calm.”
“Believe it. Do me a favor. When Mom mentions the shower, stand your ground. Tell her the restaurant is booked, and we aren’t changing anything.”
“She’s not happy.”
“She can get over it, and Amelia, no games.”
“No games. I know. I’m on my way. See you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Quaid hung up with his dad when I disconnected with Amelia. He buried his face in my neck and squeezed me in a tight hug as he silently sobbed. His body trembled as tears wet my skin. Quaid wasn’t one to openly express emotion, and he hated crying where anyone might see him. His inability to keep them at bay told me exactly how unstable the ground must feel beneath his feet.
“What is wrong with me?” he asked on a hiccup.
“It’s a big moment. Tears are allowed.”
“Good because I can’t stop them. Give me a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.”
We stayed like that for the next ten minutes, savoring the lull in our chaotic day, absorbing the news, and preparing for the next step inour lives. I breathed him in, dried his tears, and simply enjoyed my husband’s weight in my arms. From this day forward, I would share him with our son or daughter. We would no longer be two but a family of three. My heart knocked with anticipation.
When he pulled back, he wiped his damp cheeks on the bottom hem of my band shirt, revealing his tight abdomen and pale skin. Between his casual dress and mussed hair, he looked adorably befuddled. I took him in but said nothing, knowing how self-conscious my husband could be on a good day.
I cradled his cheek in my palm and stared into his gorgeous blue eyes, so much like the clear summer day outside. “I love you, Quaid. You’re going to be an amazing dad.”
“I love you. Am I dreaming?”
I pinched his thigh hard enough he yelped and swatted me away with a laugh.
“Nope. It’s real. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Quaid blew out his cheeks and glanced at the paper bag full of test kits and the brown folder he’d set on the chair beside him, containing warrants and the paternity test results sent to us by our unsub.
“I need to put that somewhere safe. I can’t walk around with it, or I’m afraid I’ll leave it somewhere unintentionally. I should have given it to Jordyn and Costa.”
“Let’s put it in the car. We can meet Bryn downstairs.”
Together, we headed to the elevators. Quaid glanced down the hall, where Benedict paced, a phone pressed to his ear, and Bess waited off to the side. A nurse exited Imogen’s room while another headed inside, wheeling a cart of instruments. By the look of things, labor was imminent, and the Davises’ baby was arriving early, like it or not.
