Page 79 of Her Billionaire Bargain (Kensington Square)

“You think?” Preston flicked his signal on and zoomed up a hill. “At least you’re not in total denial. That’s positive.”

“Thanks. I think.”

A short while later, we took one of the winding roads between Turnbull and Crescent Cove, flying along with the wind in our hair and the acrid taste of fear singeing my throat. I wasn’t verging on terrified like Bishop, just…concerned.

I didn’t know what I’d see, and I didn’t like not having a working phone to call for help. Not that my brother and Bishop weren’t prepared if they needed to do exactly that.

I was sure the excited crowd was equally prepared in April’s bedroom. They’d just finished their home within the last month, stationed directly between the Cove and Turnbull. Turnbull was where Shelby’s parents lived and the location of the orchard where Shelby and I had our unexpected night of passion.

Okay, more like morning of passion. Whatever. There was passion of the naked variety. Had that only been today?

Was this the longest day of my life or did it just seem that way? I had a feeling it was just beginning.

Preston’s phone went off and he talked to our mom through his in-dash screen. “Yeah, he broke his phone.”

“Youbroke my phone,” I reminded him tersely.

He ignored me and kept talking. “He’s fine, really. He’s just seeing someone new and freaked out about it. You remember how I was the early days with Ryan.”

She laughed and mumbled something about tarot cards.

“No, I don’t need a tarot reading,” I answered aloud. “Neither does Shelby. We’ll figure it out on our own, Mom, thanks. Can we talk later? We’re about to birth a baby.”

My mom’s screech nearly popped my eardrum.

“Not us, literally,” I added as Bishop groaned and tightly clamped his eyes shut.

“I already did a reading for you with Isis and Naima a little while ago. The Queen of Wands came up. The most beautiful queen in my deck,” she added pointedly.

“Shelby is beautiful. Maybe the queen signifies her.” I started to ask questions then thought better of it. Once my mom started down that road, she wasn’t easy to divert. “Look, whatever that means, hope it’s a good sign. I’ll come over soon, I swear, and you can do a reading for me in person. Ice and her mom can join in then too if they want. Have a good night, Mom.”

I motioned for Preston to click off on the call, which he did very slowly. He met my gaze in the rearview. “You really are cool with coming to the baby birthing?”

“We’re almost there, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but you didn’t balk at all. You’ve really changed, Dex.”

His clearly confused praise rang in my ears until we arrived. We trooped inside April and Bishop’s home silently, the music coming from the bedroom seeming to fill the house. It reminded me of spiritual Tibetan tones. A lot of copper wind chimes and maybe even some bowls and shit.

I did not feel Zen at this moment. I hoped it was working well for April, however.

April’s women surrounded not the bed, but the large soaking tub in the en suite bathroom. It was filled with warm, fragrant water covered in rose petals. Pink ones.

April was moaning in what seemed to be a foreign language.

Bishop rushed to her side and knelt down, speaking softly to her. I half expected him to start foreign language moaning, too, but April just embraced him and they whispered lovey-dovey things to each other.

So, I had to interrupt with one of my questions.

“Do babies inherently know how to swim?”

Everyone turned to look at me, and I smiled to try to break the tension. Also so April wasn’t tempted to bash my head in with one of the gallon-sized shampoo bottles around the tub.

“I’m just kidding.”

“No, you weren’t,” my brother muttered, thereby killing the last of the fading glow from his car compliment.

“Okay, fine, I’ll admit this process seems counterintuitive to me. The whole water thing with a live child.”

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