“I hope so.”
“What does that mean?” Lucy asked.
“Don’t make a thing of it, but I think I might be in labor.”
“What?” Lucy’s high-pitched shriek probably woke up all the dogs in the neighborhood.
“Hush, Luce. I’m fine. The contractions are twelve minutes apart.”
Lucy stopped walking to stare at Cameron. “You’re having actual contractions, and you didn’t think you should mention that to anyone?”
“I refuse to ruin another wedding. Will is a groomsman, and he didn’t need to be worried about me. It’s all good. By the time the contractions get closer, he’ll be done with his wedding party stuff, and we can find a hospital.”
Lucy glanced at her sister, Emma. “She’s insane, right? Tell me she’s insane.”
“She’s insane,” Emma said.
“I need two more hours, tops,” Cameron said. “Go about your business, and don’t mind me.”
“We’re skipping the gardens,” Lucy said.
“No,” Cameron said. “We can’t. Molly wants pictures with the whole family. We have to be there.”
“Right after that, we’re getting a car back to the hotel,” Lucy said. “I’ll give you exactly one hour, and then you’re telling your husband you’re in freaking labor.”
“Fine,” Cameron said. “If you’re going to be that away about it.”
“I’m going to be that way about it.”
Lucy and Emma linked arms with Cameron, supporting her as they walked two blocks to the gardens.
“Holy crap,” Amanda whispered to Dani. “When I was in labor, I couldn’t think, let alone participate in a wedding.”
“No shit,” Dani whispered back. “Lucas told me her mother and grandmother died in labor, and that before she got pregnant, they visited Mass General so she could have a full workup. Everything was fine, but Will is going to flip out when he finds out she’s in labor and didn’t tell him.”
“Yikes. That’s scary.”
“Which is why Lucy is freaking out.”
Amanda was full of anxiety over Cameron being in labor but wanting to pretend otherwise for the time being. As a first-time mother, Cameron was about to find out that babies came into the world on their own schedules, not their mother’s. “When is she due?”
“Not for two more weeks, which is why they felt it was okay for her to come on the trip.”
“Holy moly.”
When they arrived at the gardens, which were in full, glorious bloom, the wedding party was arranged into a group photo. After that, photos were taken of Wade and the bridesmaids and Mia and the groomsmen. The Lodge family surrounded Mia and Wade, and then the Abbotts had their turn.
“Amanda.” Molly waved her over. “Join us, honey. You’re part of the family.”
She was determined not to tear up as she took Molly’s direction to stand in front of Landon, who wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to him.
“That’s it,” he whispered. “It’s official. You’re in the family.”
“Stop, I’m trying not to cry.”
“All right, Abbotts.” Izzy was positioned on a ladder with her camera directed at them. “Everyone say ‘wedding.’”
While the Colemans lined up for a family picture that Lucy took for Izzy, Amanda checked her phone to find no word from Stella. She’d give her another hour and then call to make sure she was okay.
“Walk with me,” Landon said, taking her hand.
“Wait.” Amanda glanced at Cameron, who was now with Will, Lucy, Colton, Emma and Grayson.
“What’s up?”
“Don’t make any sudden moves, and don’t ever let on that I told you.”
“Told me what?”
“Cameron is in labor, but she doesn’t want anyone else to know yet.”
Landon’s gaze shifted to his sister-in-law, who seemed fine until she visibly grimaced. Because Will was talking to Hunter, he missed it. “I don’t like it, especially in light of her family history.”
“She said she’s hours from delivering and doesn’t want to disrupt the wedding.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“That’s why I told you.”
“Will is going to lose his shit when he finds out she’s in labor and didn’t tell him.”
“She said she feels totally fine, and it’s all good.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
They watched as Lucy flagged down a cab and loaded Cameron and Will into the car for the short ride to the Four Seasons, where the reception would be held.
“At least he’s with her now,” Landon said as they strolled to the hotel, holding hands. “If you’re ever in labor, you’d better not hide it from me. I don’t care what we’re doing.”
His words, coupled with Molly’s insistence that she was part of their family now, were almost too much for Amanda to process.
He looked over at her. “You do want more kids, right?”
“I do. That’s right up there at the top of the list I made after the fire—having a baby I get to keep.”
“We’ll have cute kids, don’t you think?”
“Of course we will. How many do you want?”
“As many as you want to have.”
“So ten would be good?”
“Oh, um, well… Not sure I want ten, but more than two would be good.”
She looked over at him. “Are we really talking about our future kids?” She kept waiting for it all to go wrong, because that’s what she’d come to expect.
“That’s what I’m talking about. Whose kids are you talking about?”
“Ours.”
“Then we’re talking about the same thing,” he said.
“And that's what you want?”
“Hell yes, that’s what I want.”
“How long have you wanted that?”
“Since I met you and realized I’d found someone I could picture forever with.”
“I can’t believe we’re really talking about our kids.”
“Believe it. That’ll be us before too long.” He gestured to Wade and Mia, who were being delivered to the front of the hotel in a chauffeured Rolls-Royce. “Minus the Rolls.”
Amanda laughed. “I don’t need the Rolls. Just you. That’s all.”
“We’ll get there, sweetheart. I promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Don't rush into love. You'll find the person
meant for you when you least expect it.”
― Franzie Gubatina
Cabot Lodge threw one hell of a party, Landon thought as he watched Wade and Mia dance to “Always on My Mind,” which was the perfect song for two people who’d spent years yearning for each other before they finally got the chance to be together.
Wade was the “quiet” Abbott, which made it all the more incredible to see him so obviously head over heels in love and not afraid to let everyone know it.