Page 34 of Room 810

“Please don’t say fine again.” The corners of his eyes were tight.

Gabriel was officially letting go of his website, and he’d done what he could to get through the months of booked trips he’d already had planned. He hadn’t scheduled anything new since he found out about the pregnancy, and he’d dropped what he could from his calendar in order to be around as much as he could. This was the last of the obligations he’d been stuck with, an all-exclusive resort in Mexico.

“Don’t have that baby without me,” he said firmly, those hazel eyes drilling into mine with a fierce intensity. “You hear me? At the first sign of contractions, you call me—” he held up the satellite phone he’d insisted we buy “—and I’ll get on the first plane back.”

I rolled my eyes and took the phone from him. “It’s a non-issue. I’m not having this baby in the next three days. Now, would you get out of here already? You’re going to miss your flight.”

Ignoring me, he continued down his mental checklist. “Miguel is on chauffeur duty, if you need to go anywhere.” He looked over at where Miguel was patiently waiting by the shuttle, and he saluted. “Luna is on deck as doula if you run into any problems and can’t get to the clinic. Do you have your birth plan?”

“Um, yep. I plan to push that baby out.”

He gave my ass a light spank. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Looked like he was done with joking.

“Yes, Gabriel. I have my birth plan printed in triplicate, and my bag is packed and ready to go to the clinic at the first sign of labor. There are no storms in the forecast, I have all my meals taken care of by the kitchen, massages and aromatherapy lined up. But most importantly, I have a hammock with my name on it, so would you leave already so I can go take a nap?” While the words sounded like I was exasperated, I actually loved how he took care of me. He was going to be the most attentive father, I just knew it.

Gabe pinched the bridge of his nose, and I could practically hear him counting to ten inside his head. “Maybe I can bribe Dr. Saber with a tropical holiday to get him out here while I’m away.”

“Dr. Saber retired a month ago,” I reminded him.

“Perfect timing! He’s due for a holiday, and maybe while he’s here, he could deliver a baby for us.” His ridiculous plan was already in the works, and while he was distracted, I nudged him toward the shuttle, then Miguel took over, escorting Gabe up the stairs.

“Bye, honey, I love you!” I called, blowing a kiss. “Have a great trip!”

Gabe slid the window down and leaned out far enough to give me one last lingering kiss. “Seriously, though. Don’t have that baby without me. I’ll call you as soon as the plane lands.”

I stood there waving until the bus was out of sight through the trees, then I sagged with a long sigh. I was so done with being pregnant. “Phew, I thought he would never leave,” I said to Birdie as I walked through to the restaurant. “Can I get—” I began, but she was one step ahead of me.

“Here’s a bottle of cold water and your snacks, as well as the newest Jordan Kepler book that arrived with the last shipment of supplies. Your hammock is ready and waiting. If you need anything else, just flag me down.”

“Ahh, you are a lifesaver.” I took the bag of all-green gummy bears from her (green being the far superior flavor, according to baby) and cut across the patio to make it to the shaded spot Gabriel had set up for me. It was like my own personal oasis. The hammock, stretched between two palm trees, helped cut down on the pressure on my hips and back, and I would be within sight of whoever was working the restaurant. They kept an eye on me and restocked my water and snacks as needed throughout the day. I was bored out of my skull, but it could’ve been worse. I could’ve been waddling around in a suit attending board meetings all day. Ugh.

“Need a hand?” Pierre offered when he saw me struggling to roll into the hammock.

I smiled at him in relief. “Yes, please.” At this rate, I was going to need a forklift to get me in and out of this thing soon.

With one arm braced in Pierre’s grip, the other holding the hammock steady, I tipped myself sideways as gracefully as I could manage, and as I came down in the mesh sling, from somewhere inside of me came a little…pop. Nothing audible, but I sure felt it. There was a rush of liquid over my thighs, soaking into my sarong and dripping down onto the sand below.

“Um…” Poor Pierre looked incredibly awkward, his cheeks pinking up in a blush. He didn’t know where to look, except anywhere but at me. “Do you need the bathroom? I can help you back out of the hammock if you’d like.”

“Shit,” I mumbled as I assessed my situation. “Pierre, I need you to run inside and see if Birdie can get a hold of someone at the airport. See if they can catch Gabe’s flight. Tell him to get back here.”

“Sir…? Are you—”

“Run!” I barked.

He started but obeyed, dashing back toward the restaurant. “Shit, fuck, holy hell,” I cursed. I should’ve accepted his help out of the hammock before he left, because now I was stuck here. The breeze picked up, setting me rocking, and I tried to remember the breathing exercises Gabe told me. “Stay calm,” I recited the steps out loud. “Take long, slow breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Count it out, one, two, three…” I closed my eyes and willed my heartrate to settle, rubbing my hand in circles over my stomach. Baby gave a kick, and I whined. I should’ve listened when Gabe said he would stay.

I heard the soft shift of sand as someone walked over. “Toby?” Birdie said in her placating tone she saved for cranky guests making irrational requests, and I braced myself for the worst; she was about to say something I wouldn’t like. “I’m sorry, the plane took off. The flight’s only three hours, so we can get a hold of him as soon as he lands. We’ll have him back before dark. Okay?”

“Mm-hm.” I nodded. All the books said labor took way longer than six hours—the same books that said I wouldn’t be having my baby for another two weeks at least.It’ll be fine. Fine, fine, fine. But my stomach was doing somersaults, and I felt hot and clammy.

I wanted Gabriel. He would know what to do.

The contractions started twenty minutes later, while Birdie was off getting Luna. It started with a cramp, low in my back, with pressure building in a band around my low abdomen.

Miguel was pacing in front of me. He’d come back from dropping Gabe off at the airport and had found me in an awful state. He’d seen my face all scrunched up and had incorrectly assumed what was wrong. “Don’t worry, boss. It’s only a few days.” Then he’d taken a second look at the way my skin was flushed and my arm was wrapped protectively around my stomach. “Oh fuck,” he muttered. “Gabe isnotgoing to be happy.” Miguel wasn’t wrong. I would bet money on Gabriel never leaving my side again.

But for him to never leave, he first needed to get back.

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