“Okay, you two.” Karen rubs my back.
My gaze falls to Palmer, whose lower lip is trembling as cookie crumbs fall out of her mouth.
“I can’t do this. I just can’t.” I grab the stroller, tears cascading down my face, wishing I could disappear. Damn hormones.
“Sedona,” Jamison calls.
“You gotta give her time,” Karen says. “This is the worst moment you could’ve picked to walk back into her life.”
I circle around to push the diner door open with my back when a gripping pain hits my stomach. Liquid drips down my thighs. Not now. Not now. This cannot be happening.
“Karen,” I say.
She turns from telling Jamison off and her face pales. Another waitress takes Palmer while Karen leads me to a booth.
“I’m fine. When my water broke with Palmer, I didn’t deliver her for hours. Have Austin or Holly pick me up.” I sit down, imposing on a nice older gentleman eating his tuna on rye. “Sorry about this.”
“It’s okay. My wife was pregnant six times and I feel like I should warn you. The first baby, she was in labor for thirty-six hours. The sixth baby was delivered in my truck on the side of the road.” He eyes me.
I look down, half expecting the baby’s head to be poking out.
“I’m driving you to the hospital.” Jamison’s hand lands on my arm and he pulls me to my feet.
“Um… no.” I look past him at Karen, who has her cell phone to her ear. I hope Austin or Holly pick up.
“This is ridiculous. You’d rather wait for your older brother to show up than allow me to take you to the hospital? At least call the dad.” He eyes me as I grip my stomach for a contraction I didn’t think would come on so soon.
Maybe the man at my right is correct and this baby is coming sooner than I thought.
Palmer stops crying due to all the commotion, but she’s looking around, trying to understand what’s going on.
I wave my hand to get her attention. I’m good. Baby.
She signs back. Hurt?
I shake my head. I don’t want her to worry about me. Realizing that someone will need to come get her, I pick up my cell phone and text Liam, hoping he’s at the tattoo shop right now. He can at least get Palmer to one of my sisters.
Karen frantically hangs up and dials another number, staring at me with wide eyes.
Jamison is pacing, asking me if the person I’m calling is the father.
Thankfully, a couple minutes later, Liam opens the diner door and stops short, assessing the situation.
“You okay?” he asks me, and I nod.
I motion Palmer over to me. You go with Liam. Play with Brinley. Mommy is having the baby. I rub my belly.
Palmer presses her lips to my belly, but another contraction comes, and I hunch forward and blow out a breath.
Love you.
She signs back. Love you.
We hug, and Liam squeezes my shoulder before taking her with him out the door.
“Savannah will meet you at the hospital,” Liam says and walks out with Palmer in one arm and pushing the stroller in front of him.
“This is ridiculous. I could’ve had her at the hospital by now.”
I stand, and Karen is finally talking to someone. “Tell them to meet me at the hospital.”
“Why do you care so much about Austin and Holly?” Jamison asks.
I allow him to help me because at this point, I have no choice but to accept his strength.
This is a totally different feeling than I had with Palmer.
The tires of Austin’s Jeep screeches to a stop along the curb.
Karen sighs. “Thank goodness he made it.”
Jamison glances around. “Why is Austin so important right now? Where the hell is the dad?”
Karen laughs. “Austin is the dad.”
The other waitresses laugh, as do most of the people at the nearby tables because it’s not a secret here in Lake Starlight—except, of course, to my ex.
Jamison’s face pales. “Your brother is the father of your baby?”
Eight
Jamison
What the hell? Someone needs to wake me up. This must all be a dream. Sedona’s baby daddy is Austin?
Speaking of, Austin swings open the door, taking Sedona from me and leading her to the passenger side of the vehicle.
“I can walk,” she says, swatting him away. She glances back at me, then at her brother. “Where’s Holly?”
“She’s going to meet us. She was at a meeting up in Anchorage.”
I feel like an idiot standing here watching these two.
“I’m waiting for Nancy to come and cover, then I’ll meet you there,” Karen hollers out the door then disappears back inside.
“I think we have to bring Jamison on the off chance that the baby comes before we reach the hospital.” Sedona buckles over in pain, but I don’t react this time.
Austin opens up the back door for Sedona to slide in and turns to me. “Let’s go, Jamison. I guess you do get to experience Sedona in labor. Who would have thought?” Austin leaves the door open as he rounds the front of the Jeep.
“What?” I’m still so confused. I know my feet should be moving, but it’s as if they’re stuck in crazy glue.
“Let’s go!” Austin yells, hanging out of his Jeep.
I run to the back and get in beside Sedona. She’s breathing heavily.
“Remember your classes,” Austin says, peeling around the corner.
“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” I ask.
Austin glances at Sedona through the rearview mirror and she looks at me. Her hands are on her stomach and she’s breathing in and out—hard. Is this what it was like for her when she had Palmer? Damn it all to hell, I missed so much, lost in an empty bottle of self-pity otherwise known as Glenfiddich.
“You okay?” I put my hand over hers. She doesn’t immediately pull away.
“Ahhhh!” She moans when Austin turns a corner and hits the gas. “Hurry, Austin!”
“I am.” His phone rings in the center console, but he glances down and doesn’t answer it.
“Are you really pregnant with your brother’s baby?” I whisper.
She turns to me and nods, biting her lip. I blanch.
“She’s coming. I know it,” she says.
“Jamison’s going to need to check.” Austin’s Jeep stops. “A row of ducks is crossing the road.”
Sedona groans.
Someone honks their horn over and over before pressing on it for a long time.
“Okay, do you want to lie back?” I offer. I’m not really sure what I’m looking for down there, but I guess if a baby is coming out, it’ll be obvious.
“No!” She swats my hands away. “You’re not seeing me deliver a baby.”
“What? Why not?”
“Because.”
“I would’ve if I’d been here for Palmer,” I say. “I would’ve watched her come out of you. Hell, I’ve gone down on you how many times in my life?”
“TMI, buddy,” Austin says from the front seat. Once the ducks have crossed, he turns the wheel to go around the other vehicles on the road but stops short, rolling down his passenger window. “Grandma!”