Page 73 of Paternal Instincts
“A worthwhile sacrifice.” He chuckled. “Volcanic eruptions?”
“What?”
“Poor Costa.”
“Poor Costa, my ass. That man only plays at being offended.”
“You torment him.”
“No more than you.”
When the elevator doors slid open, Quaid didn’t move.
“Come on, hot stuff.”
He relented and followed me. “Can you drive? I want to rest my eyes.”
“Sure.” I suspected his brain was spinning too much for him to focus on driving and thinking at the same time, and I didn’t mind.
I kept my arm around his shoulder as we aimed for the back exit and the covered parking garage. The building was quiet on a Sunday, so Quaid didn’t object to the intimacy, leaning heavily against my side.
We took a department Charger, but before I could turn it on or put it in gear, Quaid asked me to hang on as he found his phone again. “I’m calling Bryn. I know I shouldn’t, but I have to know how she’s doing.”
He put the device on speaker as it rang, holding it between us. Our surrogate’s perky, singsong voice came through the line a second later. “Hi, Quaid. Did you call to talk to me or the baby? I can hold the phone to my belly again if you want.”
Quaid’s cheeks pinked as he ducked his chin, side-eying me. It didn’t shock me one bit hearing he would request phone calls with his unborn child. More than once, he’d read me passages from books about how babies could learn to recognize voices in utero.
“Um… I called to see how you were doing. Aslan’s with me.”
“Hi, Az.”
“Hey. How’s my future soccer player?”
“Quieter today. A little squirmy this morning, like they were settling. I can’t explain it. Mom thinks it means labor is imminent. Iggy checked the baby’s heart rate, and everything sounded good. He agreed with my mother, saying babies often grow quieter when they’re getting ready to be born. They’re conserving their energy for their big entrance. We could be close.”
A stitch grew between Quaid’s brows, and he worried his lip.
I found his hand and held it.
“Are you still having Braxton Hicks?” he asked.
“Here and there. Nothing regular yet.”
“How areyoufeeling?” I asked.
“Peppy. Arden and I went for a long walk this morning. It felt good to move around and get some air. How are you two?”
“Trying to wrap up a case so we can start our leave,” I said.
“I’ll keep my legs crossed until then.”
I chuckled, and Quaid glanced at me before saying, “Hey, Bryn? Could we… for a quick minute?”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she responded. “Go ahead. I’m moving the phone.”
The sound muffled like someone was pressing against the receiver, and Bryn’s barely audible voice announced, “Ready.”
Quaid’s embarrassment sat on the surface, but it didn’t stop him from cooing into the phone. “Hi, baby. It’s Daddy. Remember me? I’m glad you’re giving Bryn a rest from all those somersaults. We’ll meet real soon, and I can’t wait to hold you in my arms. I have so much to tell you.”
