Page 82 of Baby By my Best Friend's Daddy

I shifted on the couch and scowled.

“What’s wrong?” Ava asked.

“My back hurts,” I said.

“It might help if you turn on your side,” Ava suggested. “That’s what I had to do, although that was just before I went into labor. I—”

“Ah!” I cried out, a spasm suddenly ripping through my stomach.

“What is it?” Jade and Ava asked in unison.

I leaned forward, knees wide around my belly, trying to ease the pain, but it just came again, a sharp pain and then an all-over pain.

“I don’t know, something’s wrong… I—Ow!” I gritted my teeth and breathed through them, trying to work my way through the next wave of pain.

“Oh, honey, nothing’s wrong,” Ava said. “You’re having a baby.”

“What!” I cried out. “My due date isn’t until—aah!”

“Yeah, let’s get you to a hospital.”

Jade and Ava jumped up together and collected the kids.

“Celine, you take her to the hospital, we’re right behind you,” Ava ordered.

“On it,” Celine said. “Come on, Mama. We’re doing this thing. Time to get—”

“My big girl pants on, I know, I know.”

She laughed. “You’re a fast learner.”

We left Ava’s apartment, and Celine rode the elevator down with me. Twice I had to stop and breathe through what I now realized were contractions. Why did they hurt so fucking much!

“I’ve got you,” Celine said when I doubled over in the lobby and held onto my belly as if I could physically stop the baby from dropping out of me. She took me by the arm and all but dragged me to the car.

When I sat in her Maserati, the engine growled to life, and she pointed the car in the direction of the hospital. She tore down the road, but not even her speeding could take my mind off the pain of the next contraction that threatened to swallow me whole.

“If your water breaks in my car, I’m making you walk home,” Celine threatened.

“Will you shut up about your car!” I cried out. “Landon will get you a fucking new one!”

Celine looked at me with wide eyes before she started laughing.

“I knew I liked you from day one.”

She floored the gas as if we weren’t going fast enough and tore through Seattle. We arrived at the hospital in no time. Celine jumped out of the car and screamed at the top of her lungs.

“She’s having a baby! She’s having a baby!”

Mindy was one of the nurses to run out to come get me.

“Hey, Beck,” she said with a grin. “Ready to do this thing?”

“No,” I wailed.

“It’ll be fine. I’m getting Sarah, and we’ll have her out in no time.”

“You’ve got her?” Celine asked. She looked panicked now.

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