“Don’t doubt that for a second, Lola,” I replied, pushing my shoulders back. “But it’ll never happen.”
“Good. Make sure it doesn’t.”
“Does that mean he’s back in the fold?” Cade asked. “Because I’m sure Asher is getting pretty tired of having to sleep on Belle’s bedroom floor when she’s at home.”
“What?” we all asked in unison.
“Huh?” Cade frowned. “What?”
“What did you just say?” Brody asked, standing from the sofa. He’d been relatively relaxed through the entire conversation, but now he was on edge.
“Asher has been sleeping on Belle’s bedroom floor when she’s at home,” Cade repeated, saying each word slowly. “Didn’t you know?”
“No,” Brody ground out. “Why is he sleeping on her bedroom floor?”
“Because…” Cade stared at me with wide eyes, begging me to step in.
“She’s been having nightmares,” I told them. “At least she has when she’s been staying at my place.”
“So, you’ve been sleeping in the same bed as her?” Lola asked, her eyes now thin slits.
I rolled my eyes and huffed out a breath. “I’ve been lying next to her because she doesn’t want to be alone.” I pushed my hands through my hair. “She killed someone, Lola. She shot him when he was inches from her face. Of course she’s going to have nightmares. You more than anyone should know that.”
Lola’s face drained of color, and she placed her hands over her chest. “I…I didn’t know it went down like that.”
Brody’s nostrils flared. “I wanted to spare you the details, darlin’.”
She made a noise in the back of her throat and moved past him. “You have some explaining to do, Brody.” She stopped a couple of feet in front of me. “And you—make sure you’re at the house on Thursday for Thanksgiving. Twelve sharp.” She took a step and then turned back to me. “I’m only forgiving you because you make the best pumpkin pie. Just so you’re aware.”
I gave her a salute. “I’ll make extra this year.”
“Don’t try and sweet-talk me, Ford.” I could see from the way her shoulders were relaxed and how her body turned toward me that she wasn’t as mad anymore. I had more to prove to them, but it would take time.
“So, you don’t want me to make extra, then?” I asked.
“I never said that.” She shook her head and gave me a small smile. “See you Thursday.” And with that, she left the house with Brody not far behind her. He halted in front of me, placed his hand out, and I shook it. And I knew then that there was no bad blood.
“Well…” Cade let out a breath. “That went better than I expected.”
“Yep.” Aria threw herself down onto the sofa. “And we all get pumpkin pie this year. Thank the lord.”
“Amen,” Cade responded.
BELLE
The house was bustling with activity, but I couldn’t find any energy to move off my bed. I’d been staring at the same spot for the last half an hour while holding my stomach. I’d woken up at six this morning thanks to another Braxton-Hicks, but hadn’t had one since. I feared they’d come more and more often now that I was only a couple of weeks away from my due date, and I gritted my teeth at the thought.
I rolled over and stared at a new spot on the back of my door, looking at all the jackets which hung off the hooks that I couldn’t get over my stomach. My wardrobe options had been severely lowered.
“Knock, knock.” The door opened, and Cade’s grinning face appeared. “Hey, PB.”
“You know saying knock, knock doesn’t actually count,” I told him, rolling my eyes without wincing. My face was clear of bruises now, and so was my stomach, but the ones around my throat were still lingering.
“Course it does.” He pushed my bedroom door open farther. “You getting up anytime today? It’s nearly twelve.”
I groaned and rolled over, pulling my covers over my head. “I don’t want to get out of bed.”
The bed dipped. “You don’t have a choice, PB. It’s Thanksgiving.” He paused. “I also hear there’ll be pumpkin pie too.”
I threw my covers off. “What?” Pumpkin pie was my favorite, but it wasn’t just that. It was tradition for Ford to make the pie and bring it here, which meant—
“Ford’s coming?”
“Yep.” Cade brushed off his shoulders, looking mighty proud of himself. “Your big brother made the rents see sense.” I snorted at his lingo. “So up you get.” He stood and offered me his hand. “Go shower and get ready. We have a feast to eat.”
I placed my hand in his and let him pull me up. The huge bowling ball-shaped size of my stomach made it harder than it used to be, but finally, I got to my feet and headed across the hallway to the bathroom. I hadn’t seen Ford in a few days, not since he picked Lottie up on Monday after she spent the day with me. He’d texted and asked if I was okay. Thanks to my dad, I had my old cell back, although I had a new number, one that only a handful of people knew.
Turning on the water, I stripped out of my pajamas and headed right under the hot spray. I washed my hair and my body, and it wasn’t until I switched the water off and went to step out of the shower that pain shot across my stomach again. It tensed so much I thought I was going to break in half. My breath caught in my throat, and my back collided with the tiles. But as fast as it was there, it was gone again. It couldn’t have lasted longer than fifteen seconds.
Sweat had beaded on my forehead, and I felt like I needed to take another shower, but hearing the front door open and close had me stepping out onto the mat. It was just another Braxton-Hicks, and if it was anything like this morning, I might not have one for another few hours, if at all.
I wrapped a towel around my body, brushed my teeth and hair, and then headed back into my bedroom. The only thing I had to wear was another one of Asher’s T-shirts, so I plucked one off the top of the pile he’d given me and read the writing on the front. I hadn’t realized the number of band T-shirts Asher owned until it was basically all I wore.
I pulled on a pair of leggings and then a pair of bright-pink fluffy socks because my toes were freezing, and declared myself ready for Thanksgiving dinner. I forewent taking a final look at myself because I knew my face was all puffy and I had dark circles under my eyes.
My feet slid along the wood floor as I moved toward the stairs, and once I got to the top, my stomach tensed again. I couldn’t catch my breath from the agony rolling through me. My head spun, and my eyes widened as I started to lose balance, so I backed away from the top step, scared I’d fall down the stairs.
I could hear everyone talking downstairs, getting louder and louder as time went on, but I was frozen, not able to move as the baby kicked me several times in response to the pain. Could the baby feel it too?
“Belle?” Mom shouted, just as the pain subsided. Her body appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and she frowned up at me. “You okay?”
I shrugged off the last bites of pain and stepped forward on shaky legs. “I’m good,” I told her. “Just coming now.”
She waited for me at the bottom of the stairs, her frown not moving off her face. “You sure? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine.” I halted at the bottom of the stairs and tried to smile. “Just hungry.”
She placed her arm around my shoulders. “I can fix that.”
I let her lead me into the living room and then into the kitchen where everyone was gathered. Food was already spread on the table, and Dad was carrying the golden roasted turkey over. There were three empty seats, one at the head of the table, and one next to it, which were Mom and Dad’s, and then one between Cade and Asher.
My gaze connected with Ford. He was sitting on the other side of Asher, and all the guys on Dad’s team were opposite us.
“Finally gracing us with your presence, lil sis?” Asher asked, his trademark smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder lightly as I sat next to him. We’d always been close, but thes
e last few weeks, we’d become inseparable. I had a feeling his girlfriend didn’t like the lack of time he was spending with her, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“I heard there was pumpkin pie.” I shrugged and turned my head to face Ford. “You know I can’t turn down pumpkin pie.” Ford grinned and winked at me, and I wondered what had changed in the last few days. Cade said he’d made Mom and Dad see sense, but no one had told me anything. I’d been left out of the loop again, but I had no doubt Ford would tell me. He never left me out.
Everyone started to pile their plates with food, and just as I passed Asher the mashed potatoes, pain shot across my stomach. I bowed my head and held on to my bump, gritting my teeth and hoping it would pass by quickly. It tensed, like a rubber band being pulled to its capacity. My cheeks burned as my entire body went hot.
I jerked as the pain got stronger, and screwed my eyes shut, just waiting for it to pass. And once it had finally subsided, I looked up, but no one was paying attention to me. My energy was zapped, and I wasn’t even sure I could pick up the fork to eat, so I just sat there for a few seconds and debated going back to bed.
The baby kicked several times, and my shoulders drooped. I couldn’t sit here, not when I was feeling like this, so I stood slowly, the legs of the chair scraping against the tiled floor.
“Belle? Where are you going?” Dad asked.
I turned to face him, holding my bump with both hands. “I don’t feel—” I cut myself off as I felt a trickle down my leg, and when I looked down, I could see liquid on the floor. Then a burst of it shot down and trickled again. “I…I…” My head whipped up, and I stared wide-eyed at my mom and then at Ford. “I think my water just broke.”
Several chairs moved, and then a set of hands was gripping my shoulders and moving me back to my chair.
“Holy shit,” I heard someone whisper, but I wasn’t sure who, and then the pain rolled over my stomach again, only this time, I couldn’t help but call out. They were getting worse and worse and lasting longer each time.
“Belle.” It was Mom. “Sweetie, how long have you been having contractions?”
I shook my head and gritted out, “They’re just Braxton-Hicks.”
Her hands cupped my face, and she tilted it so I could look at her. “They’re contractions. How many?”
“I…” I breathed in and out. “This is the third one since I got in the shower.”
“That was about forty minutes ago,” Cade supplied from beside me.
“Did you have one at the top of the stairs?” Mom asked, smoothing my hair out of my face, and all I could do was nod. “Ford, get your cell out. Keep time between each contraction and then how long they are.”
“On it,” I heard him say, and he was closer than I’d realized. The pain started to subside, and I glanced up, reaching for him. “I’m here, Baby Belle,” he said, his voice soothing.
“Don’t leave,” I begged him, tears springing to my eyes. I stared at him, trying to convey how I felt. “I’m scared.”
“You’ll be okay, I promise.” He crouched down beside me. “We’re here, and we’re not gonna let anything happen to you or the baby, okay?”
“Okay,” I sobbed out, losing control of my emotions. “I can feel another one coming.”
“That was three minutes,” Ford said, but I wasn’t sure who he was talking to.
“Breathe, Belle,” Mom told me, moving her hands up and down in the air as she breathed. “Just breathe through it.”
I tried to do what she said, but it was harder than she was making out. My body just wanted me to hold my breath so the pain wouldn’t be as bad, but that was making my head spin. “I can’t,” I cried out, my hands shaking. “It’s too much.”
“I know, sweetie,” Mom murmured, pushing some hair out of my face. “It’ll help, I promise.” I stared into her eyes and then followed her as she breathed in and out, and after another fifteen seconds, the contraction started to wane.
“Brody, call Doctor Lee, tell him we’re on our way to the hospital.” Mom stood, and I knew she was in teacher mode as she gave everyone jobs to do. People were rushing around me, but all I wanted was one person…
“Ford?” I whispered, and his hand landed on my shoulder. I hadn’t realized he was so close, and as I started to turn my head, he crouched down beside me, his hand resting on my thigh. His hazel eyes were full of apprehension but also a twinge of excitement. “I need you,” I told him. I couldn’t keep anything back, not now.
“Can you walk?” Mom asked me, and somehow she’d gotten ahold of a towel. What did she need a towel for?
“I think so.” I gritted my teeth and placed my hand on the table, then used it to help me stand. My legs wobbled, and my head spun, and I was sure I was about to faint any second.
“I got you,” Ford’s deep voice said, and a second later, his arm came under my knees and the other behind my back, and I was hosted in the air. He pulled me against his chest and stared down at me, whispering, “You’ve got this.” The determination in his eyes was enough to let me know I did have this. That was until another contraction started.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
FORD
She gripped me harder, her nails biting into the skin on my arm, but I didn’t care. Whatever she needed to do to feel better was okay with me. Her face screwed up as another contraction rolled through her, and I decided I wasn’t going to stick around. She needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible and get pain relief.
I darted out of the kitchen with Lola on my heels, and out of the house to my car. Lola opened up the back door and placed the towel on the back seat. I frowned. “What the—”
“Her water broke,” Lola said, cutting me off. “It’s not like in the movies. It doesn’t all come at once and then that’s it.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, and we didn’t have time to let her explain, not with Belle gripping me like she was trying to squeeze the life out of me. I gritted my teeth against the sharpness of her nails in my arm and slowly lowered Belle onto the towel, but she wouldn’t let me go. She held on tight, her blue eyes shining with terror. “Don’t leave me,” she begged, and my body jerked. She’d asked the exact same thing of me that day in her dorm, and I’d walked away anyway. But now it was different. There was nothing that would stop me from being with her. Nothing.
“I’m just gonna drive,” I told her, running the palm of my hand down her cheek to try and soothe her. “I’m not leaving, Baby Belle. Never again.”
She stared at me, searching my eyes, and whatever she saw there had her nodding, and then she let go and relaxed back on the seat. “Okay,” she whispered, and I heard her swallow. “Okay.”
I waited a beat, keeping my gaze connected with hers to drive my point home, and then backed away so Lola could get in. I didn’t waste time opening the driver’s door and then turning the engine on. I could see everyone else out of the corner of my eye darting around outside, but I couldn’t pay attention to them, not when I had a mission to accomplish.
“Which hospital?” I asked Lola, and she reeled it off to me a second before Belle called out from another contraction.
“That one was closer,” Lola told me, her gaze meeting mine in the rearview mirror. “Mine weren’t that close until I’d been in labor for at least ten hours.”
“What does that mean?” I asked her, speeding down the road. What was she trying to tell me? I’d never done this before. I’d only ever waited in the waiting room as a baby was born, so what the hell did it mean?
“It means this baby isn’t wasting any time.” My eyes widened, and I knew I had to get to the hospital faster. It would normally take me at least twenty minutes, but I had to try and half that time.
“I need to push,” Belle shouted, her voice higher pitched. “Ford! I need to push.”
“We’re ten minutes away,” I told her, feeling frantic. “Hang on.”
“I can’t,” Belle cried out. “Mom, I need to push. I have t
o push.” She groaned in pain, and I was really hoping she was trying not to push. She couldn’t have a baby in the back seat of my car.
I heard some rustling in the back and then the ripping of material, but it was nothing compared to Lola’s gasp. “Pull over, Ford.”
“What?” I took a turn and slammed my foot on the gas pedal. “We’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Just hang on.”
“Not sure we have that long,” Lola shouted. “I can see the baby’s head.”
“What?” The car swerved to the side, and I righted it. “What do you mean you can see the baby’s head?” I darted my gaze to the rearview mirror and realized Belle’s leg was up against the back seat. Holy shit. She was going to have our baby in the back seat of my car.
“I mean that I can see the head,” Lola repeated. “As in, the baby is coming right now.”
“Another one is coming,” Belle shouted out. “Ford! Ford!”
I could see the parking lot in front of the hospital entrance up ahead, so I sped up and parked at an angle, not caring if I was blocking anyone. I pushed open the driver’s door and then opened the back door Lola was leaning against. “Go get someone,” she told me, and I stepped back to do as she said.
“No!” Belle shouted. “I need Ford, Mom. I need him to stay.”
Lola turned to face me, her gaze meeting mine. I could see the swirling in her eyes, and I knew she wanted to stay, but so did I. “Okay,” Lola whispered, almost to herself. “Okay.” She moved out of the car. “Keep her breathing through each contraction. I’ll be two minutes going to get someone.”
“On it,” I told her, and as soon as she ran away, I crouched down and pushed my head and shoulders into the back of the car. One of Belle’s legs was up against the back seat, and the other foot was now resting on the passenger seat headrest.
“Another one’s coming, Ford,” Belle gritted out. “I need to push.”
“Shit,” I murmured and glanced between her legs. I could see the head of hair, and for a second, I wasn’t sure what to do. But as soon as she screamed out, I jerked into gear and placed my hands near the head. It felt like it had been hours since Lola went to get someone, but there was nothing I could do. The baby was coming, and I needed to be there to catch it.
Bonded Duet: Ford & Belle: Torn Bond & Tied Bond (Easton Family Duet Boxsets Book 3) Page 33