Page 77 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

“Can you give it to us to go?” I interjected a little maniacally. “We have a baby to get born.”

The bartender’s brown eyes wheeled. “We can’t do to-go cups for alcohol, man.”

“Fine, how’s a Coke?”

Cal appeared at his side, dark hair askew, bright flags of color in his cheeks and even one of his suspenders out of place. Normally, he was impeccably dressed and unflappable, not out of breath and with sweaty temples. He looked like he’d been…well, let’s just say not slinging drinks. Slinging something else entirely.

“I’ll take a Coke,” Bishop croaked.

Cal took over, producing a plastic cup nearly overflowing with soda and shoving it toward Bishop, sloshing some over the rim. “Man, drink up. On the house. Is she okay? Is the baby crowning yet?”

“Breathe,” Preston instructed as Bishop tried to speak, only to slump over the bar face first as if he was about to faint. “He gets panic attacks,” my brother explained to me behind Bishop’s back, indicating with his hand to keep everything calm.

As ifIwas the one freaking out.

I was just about the only one who wasn’t losing their shit.

I gripped a handful of Bishop’s hair and lifted his head from the bar. “Where is she? What hospital?” Even as I asked, I remembered the non-hospital birth nonsense. It seemed even more like nonsense now that I would likely be a party to it.

God help me.

“She’s at home.” Preston jangled his keys. “The midwife should be there. I’m sure she’s there.”

“She’s not there,” Bishop moaned miserably. “She went outlet shopping today with her mother and got caught in traffic on the way back.”

I grabbed the soda Bishop had yet to touch and tossed it back as if it was straight whiskey.

“Ginny will be there soon.” Bishop sounded as if he was clinging to the side of a boat by his fingernails and was about to leap into the drink. “She has to be. I can’t birth a baby.”

“The baby is yours,” I reminded him just in case he’d forgotten that small detail.

“I know. And it was even my idea. I just assumed there would be a doctor involved.” He buried his head in his hands. “I should’ve put my foot down about this midwife stuff.”

My brother rolled his eyes. “Sure. Okay. I heard you talking to her about it. Everything was, ‘it’s your choice, and whatever you want, love,’. No feet involved.”

“Ryan encouraged her! And Luna. Your woman is the one who’s into the all-natural stuff.”

“But she’s come to her senses. When we have a baby, she wants drugs.”

“Since when are you having a baby?” I asked.

“Not now. She’ll be wearing a ring first. It’s a process, but I’m wearing her down.”

“Sure.” He’d been trying to wear Ryan down since basically the first time they’d slept together. But that knowledge didn’t amuse me as much as it once had. “Hey Cal,” I called as he ambled back up toward our end of the bar, mopping up his forehead with a bar towel. “Do you see my phone back there by any chance? This one caused it to be thrown in back.” I grabbed the back of Bishop’s shirt and lifted him as evidence, although Pres had actually been the culprit. But Bishop’s act of violence had led to it.

Bishop moaned and dropped back down. “I need a ride.”

“He’s gonna need smelling salts soon,” my brother muttered.

Cal bent to root around on the floor behind the bar, his furrowed brow not making me feel confident about the current state of my cell. Then he finally lifted it above his head victoriously—and it was dripping. I didn’t even want to know where it had landed.

“This your phone?” He turned the clearly cracked screen toward me. “Orwasyour phone?” he added ominously.

SIXTEEN

My phone was trashed.My day thus far had been the same.

I’d figured if I hung out with Preston and Bishop tonight, they could advise me on how to proceed with Shelby.

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