Page 35 of Room 810

As we waited for his plane to land in Mexico, I did what I could to distract myself, and the entire staff decided to help. Eric brought out a ukulele and kept up a soundtrack of upbeat island tunes, which started to gather a crowd of guests. Soon enough, we had a whole impromptu party on the beach, with drinks and dancing and a bonfire with roasting meat.

The smell of the food soured my stomach, acid crawling up my throat, and I had to move upwind. My body didn’t seem to know what to do. First I was hot then cold, thirsty then nauseated. And no matter what I did, I couldn’t get comfortable. As the three hours ticked past, I clutched the sat phone in my hands and walked back and forth along the shoreline, kicking at the waves.

The contractions weren’t too bad yet, but they were for sure increasing. “Hang on, baby,” I whispered to my belly. “I promised your father I wouldn’t give birth until he got home, so please don’t make a liar out of me.”

At long last, the satellite phone trilled, and I brought it up to my ear before it had even finished its first obnoxiously high-pitched ringtone. “Come home,” I burst out. “Right now.”

He issued a string of curses, but at least he had the good grace not to say,I told you so. Instead, he said, “I’m on my way.”

Three more hours to go. Piece of cake… right?

21

Gabriel

“Sir,youneedtostay in your seat until the plane comes to a complete stop,” the flight attendant called down the aisle.

I pretended I hadn’t heard her and that I hadn’t been on hundreds of flights before, fully aware of the rules. As soon as the plane had landed on solid ground, they hit the brakes, and I was out of my seat and grabbing my bag from the overhead compartment. I staggered a little as the plane taxied toward the terminal.

“Sir!” she called again, and I waved my hand to show I’d heard her but had zero intention of stopping.

“Look. I’m terribly sorry, but this is an emergency. I waive all liability if I fall and hurt myself, but I’ve gotta go. My baby is being born at this very moment!”

She huffed in annoyance but didn’t say anything else. She must’ve seen the determination and desperation coming off me in waves. I never should’ve gone on this stupid trip. I’d known it was a risk, I’d felt it right down to my bones that I needed to stay.

The plane came to a stop, the engines powering down, and in the comparable silence, I pulled out the satellite phone. Even before the door was open, I was dialing. It rang once… twice… “Come on, answer,” I gritted out, my body flooding with adrenaline. I couldn’t think straight. I just needed to get therenow.

There was a click. “Gabe?”

“Toby! Please tell me you’re okay, that I’m not too late.” I marched to the front of the plane and waited impatiently for them to open the door and lower the stairs. I nearly pushed the attendants aside so I could do it myself.

“Not too late…” His words cut off with a groan. It sounded guttural, like a wounded animal.

“Where are you, the clinic?” I commanded, barreling down the stairs. “I’ll run if I have to.”

I heard him take a shaky breath, collecting his energy for the next contraction. “No, I’m at Luna’s. Miguel should be there. He’ll drive you.”

“Just hold on, Toby, I’m coming!” I didn’t want to hang up the phone, but I knew I would be faster without the distraction. “I love you so much. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

My carryon in hand, I dashed toward the terminal where I saw the usual staff, accompanied by a familiar figure. Miguel’s short-sleeve button-up shirt was so bright I probably could’ve seen it from 30,000 feet.

“I’ll start the truck,” Miguel said, jogging toward the parking lot. Meanwhile, I fumbled to get my passport out to hand over to the staff, but my fingers didn’t seem to be working properly in my panic. I needed to slow down, but I couldn’t, not when my omega needed me.

There were forms to fill out, but the staff here knew me well enough that one of them had already filled in most of the information ahead of time.

“Nothing to declare?” they said quickly, as we did all the necessary checks on the move, jogging through the airport.

“No, nothing.”

“Good! Now go!” I was practically shoved out onto the sidewalk, and Miguel was there waiting for me. I hopped into the truck, and he slammed on the gas, the tires squealing. He made the ten-minute drive in five.

Luna’s massage studio was down at the end of the beach, and I jumped out of the truck and sprinted down the boardwalk. I could see a party down on the sand, and I smelled roasting meat. My shirt was damp with sweat, and I was sure I stank something awful, but that was a later problem. Now, the only thing that mattered was getting there in time.

I burst through the door, taking in the scene before me. Luna had turned the room into a temporary delivery zone, with one of her massage tables propped up at the right angle and a yoga ball, which I’d heard could help with back and hip pain. Toby, however, was standing in the middle of the room naked, as Luna helped him into a giant birthing tub. He looked beyond exhausted.

The relief and love on Toby’s face was instantaneous. “You made it!” he gasped. “I’ll welcome you home in a bit, but hun, I really need to push now. Okay?”

The water sloshed as he climbed into the tub, and I dragged off my jacket, tossing it aside. I kicked off my shoes and pants, peeled off my shirt in record time, then stepped over the edge of the tub in my underwear. Toby looked up at me in surprise. “What are you doing?”

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