Rock Country

by K. Webster

  My body immediately freezes because the alarm in his voice chills me to my very core. June. Fuck me.

  When Bobby left me to go to the audition, I continued to have the back pains that would wrap around into my hips. Now, my pain levels are so high that I’m afraid to move from the bed, but when I have a pain so severe I think something might be wrong with the baby, I slowly roll out of the bed and hobble toward the bathroom to see if a hot shower might ease the pain.

  No sooner than I turned the water on and stepped inside, I have another agonizing pain. This one wraps all the way around into my lower belly. “Shit,” I hiss as I double over, clutching my belly. The hot water runs through my hair, curtaining around my face. I need to call Bobby, but I don’t think I can leave this shower.

  Another sharp stab slices through my belly and I begin to cry. I’m almost one hundred percent sure I’m in labor, but I think the pain is clouding my judgment, so I have no freaking idea what to do about it. Over the course of the next twenty minutes, I deal with these repetitive searing pains as the water gradually grows cold. My hands tremble as I turn off the water and try to catch my breath.

  “Ah!” I shriek as another mind-blurring ache slices through me. Stumbling out of the shower, I fall to my hands and knees. This can’t be happening now. I need Bobby!

  I start uncontrollably sobbing when I reach down between my legs and my fingers reveal bloody mucous smeared all over them. Shit. Sutton is coming and now. I just need to get to my phone. Crawling slowly toward the bathroom door, I mentally pep myself up, saying that I’ll call the ambulance and they’ll get me to the hospital to deliver my baby.

  “Shit!” I cry out as another agonizing burn tears through me. Burying my face into the bathroom rug, I try to ignore the intense pressure between my legs. I’m about to mentally give up when I hear my savior’s voice.

  “June? Where are you?” Donnie shouts from downstairs. I can hear him pounding up the steps. “You better be dressed unless you want me seeing you naked. I have a thing for naked, pregnant, hot chicks,” he teases as he comes into the bedroom.

  “Ahh!” I wail as another pain rips through me.

  In an instant, Donnie is in the bathroom with me, quickly assessing the situation. “June, what the fuck is going on? Are you hurt?” he demands as he kneels beside me.

  “Donnie…the…baby…is…coming,” I pant out as tears roll down my cheeks.

  His face morphs from one of worry to pure panic. “Shit!” he exclaims and yanks his phone from his pocket. I can hear Bobby answer on the other end saying something until Donnie cuts him off.

  “Get the fuck home now, Bobby!” he orders before he hangs up, immediately dialing 911.

  He helps me lie down on my back on the rug while the operator asks what the emergency is. “My best friend’s girlfriend is about to have her baby. Send an ambulance right away,” he demands. “No, she can’t move,” he says, answering a question she must have asked him.

  She says some more stuff to him that causes him to widen his eyes and turn pale as a ghost.

  “Lady, fuck that! He’ll fucking kill me,” he groans uncomfortably. She’s instructing him to do something else, but I’m crippled with another labor pain and can’t focus on anything but the mind-boggling pressure in my lower abdomen.

  He switches the phone to speaker and shoots me an apologetic look before easing my knees apart with his hands. His already white face pales even more as he lets out a string of curse words.

  “Lady! Tell me what to do! I see dark hair and June’s a blonde. Fuck me, I can see the top of the baby’s head! When is the fucking ambulance going to get here?” he demands.

  “Sir, you need to remain calm. How is the mother?” she asks calmly.

  When I cry out once more as another contraction throbs through me, she has her answer.

  “Listen here, you two,” she begins, “That baby is coming and you guys are going to have to work together to get he or she out. June, is it? Honey, you’re going to need to breathe just like you learned in your Lamaze classes. When you feel another one of those awful contractions, I want you to hook your hands under your knees and bear down to push that baby out.”

  I whimper but manage to confirm that I can try.

  “Now, sir, I need you to grab some towels and get ready to help her catch that sweet baby. Can you do that?” she asks Donnie. He looks pasty white but mutters out a yes.

  When the next contraction comes, I focus on what she instructs calmly on the other end of the phone. It is agonizing and I’m completely terrified and exhausted, but I manage to do exactly as she says.

  “Come on, June. You can do this,” Donnie urges with his attention between my legs. In any other situation, Donnie being between my legs would be awful and embarrassing, but all I can think about in this moment is getting this baby out of me. From the look on his face, he feels the same.

  “Donnie, it hurts,” I tearfully choke out.

  He’s about to say something else, but another contraction slices through me. The lady counts as I push with all my might. A gasp from Donnie startles me.

  “What is it?” I hiss through gritted teeth. Tears fill his eyes, and I panic. “Donnie, what’s wrong?” I sob.

  He pats my knee and blinks them away. “Nothing’s wrong. You’ve pushed out his head. I can see him. You’re almost there,” he encourages.

  My heart soars that Sutton is almost here. I can do this. Sutton needs me to do this. Another contraction rips through me and I grunt as I bear down, attempting to push him out this time. Donnie snatches a towel from the rack on the wall and holds it under my bottom.

  “Keep pushing, June! He’s almost out,” he says in disbelief as he positions himself to catch him. I take a deep breath and bear down once more, pushing with all my might until the intense pressure is gone.

  For two long seconds, my heart stops as I wait for my baby to make a sound. But his first cry is loud and strong and I’m overcome with joy.

  “Lady, what the fuck do we do now?” Donnie asks as he attempts to wrap Sutton awkwardly in the towel. “There’s a fucking rope stuck to him and it’s still inside June!”

  She chuckles on the other line, and I smile. The lady seems young, too young to be delivering babies via telephone. “Sir, just calm down. I want you to hand the baby to his mother. The paramedics are pulling into the driveway. Go let them inside and they can take over. You did a great job, sir.”

  Donnie beams at me as he places Sutton in my arms.

  When I finally see his little face, I gasp. “Oh, he’s so beautiful,” I observe, grinning at my baby. He’s absolutely perfect. Bobby is going to fall head over heels in love with him.

  Bobby. Poor Bobby is probably going nuts right now. I want him here with us.

  “Hey there, little guy. Daddy will be here soon,” I whisper and kiss his forehead. He’s got dark hair like Bobby, but I’m pretty sure he’s got my nose. Those pouty little lips might be mine as well. As I bask in the perfection of this moment, I can’t help but feel how blessed I am compared to just over a year ago.

  A year ago, I was working a shitty job in a shitty town. I was depressed and lonely, married to a man who abused me. My life was always missing a piece—I was never whole. That piece was—and will always be—Bobby. He fills a part of me that belongs only to him.

  When I kiss Sutton again, I think about Mr. Acer and how proud he would have been to have a grandson. Tears blur my vision as they always do when I think about the man who left this world well before his time. He too owns a piece of my heart.

  This whole time, I’ve been trying to figure out what it is I’m supposed to do with my life. As I look at the perfect being in my arms, I know without a doubt. This is what makes me happy—what completes me. Being a mother is that last piece that just slid into place. I’m going to be the best mom for this child whom I already would lay down my life for. The overwhelming joy I feel in the moment consumes me, and more tears fall from my eyes.

&nbs
p; I hear a commotion downstairs, and moments later, two paramedics enter the bathroom. I’m buck-ass naked, but I’m too involved in this moment with my baby to care about anyone seeing my body. The men set to work taking care of us and getting us loaded into the ambulance. I’ve asked Donnie probably twenty times when Bobby would get here. Finally, he just hands me the phone as the paramedics shut the doors.

  “Bobby? Where are you?” I ask with fatigue in my voice.

  “Shit, June Bug. I can’t believe I fucking missed it. There was a fucking car accident that took forever to get past. Tell me how wonderful he is. I know he’s beautiful just like you, right? I’ll see you soon, babe. I’m so proud of you,” he chokes out. I know he feels guilty for not having been here for the birth, but it’s not his fault Sutton changed all the rules by coming into the world early.

  “Honey, it’s okay. He’s perfect,” I promise.

  Donnie offers me a sympathetic smile, knowing that I’d rather have Bobby here in the ambulance than him. But honestly, I’m so grateful that he delivered my baby boy and thankful that I have someone with me.

  The ambulance begins to pull away when we hear loud banging on the other side of the door. We come to a stop and the paramedic opens the door to a wild-eyed Bobby.

  Donnie looks relieved that Bobby has come to take over. “Tag, you’re it, dude,” he says and scrambles out of the vehicle so that Bobby can come inside. Moments later, Bobby is sitting beside me, stroking my hair as we drive off toward the hospital.

  “June, baby, you did great. Look at him,” he says in amazement. His eyes are positively sparkling with a joy I’ve never seen before in them. Leaning over, he places a kiss on my forehead and then one on Sutton’s. Our family is complete, and I can’t be any happier.

  “I love you, Bobby,” I choke out. I’m still overly emotional about the whole thing.

  “June Bug, I’ve always loved you and always will,” he says softly, sweeping his beetle-tattooed thumb across Sutton’s forehead. “I remember that day I came back to be with Dad in his final days. You were so empty and vacant. But now, you’re full of life and love—just like the sweet June in blond pigtails running through those fields many years ago. I thank God every day for bringing us back together and allowing me to fill your heart with my love.”

  He presses his lips to mine, and Sutton sighs, causing us both to chuckle. We’re basking in this family moment when Donnie’s telltale ringtone, Wrecking Ball, echoes off the ambulance walls. Bobby gives me a half-cocked smile before putting him on speaker.

  “What’s up, Donnie Dickhead? Thanks, by the way, for delivering my baby, man,” Bobby tells him in greeting.

  Donnie rushes right into what he called for. “Dude. Three things, real quick. One, you’re welcome. You’re like my brother, and I would do anything for your family. Two, Ryan is fucking hot. Chaz was being a bitch, so I hired our newest bassist on the spot after I got in the car with them, which only further put his panties in a bunch. Three, your wife’s pussy scarred me for life. It was all stretched out and scary as shit. I think I might bat for the other team now—” He gets cut off when Bobby hangs up on him.

  “Stupid motherfucker knows how to push the shit out of my buttons every single time,” he grumbles.

  I giggle at their silly banter. “So you hired a guy named Ryan who Donnie thinks is hot? Shit, I really did turn him gay.” I smile.

  Bobby’s grin returns. “No, we apparently hired a girl who’s every bit as good as Manny. She’s got a mouth on her and she doesn’t seem fazed at all by our fame. She knows our shit and seems to be able to hold her own. Basically, she’s a bitch in a roomful of assholes. A perfect fit,” he laughs.

  He looks back down at Sutton and his face is beautiful as he regards his son with such disbelief and pride. Tears well in my eyes again. Having Sutton has really turned me into a softie. This little guy is the final piece of light in my little, dark heart. I will always be full of love for these two.

  “I love you,” I whisper, letting yet another tear roll out. “I can’t wait to be your wife.” I’ve made him wait to get married. I was still a little gun-shy about marriage considering mine to Markwayne was a bust. It felt like what Bobby and I had was more than a simple declaration during a ceremony and a recording on a document. Our union is deeper, more important than that.

  Bobby has been very patient with me. I told him I wanted a destination wedding after we had the baby, but it was really because I was scared. But not anymore. Now, I want to marry him the moment we leave the hospital.

  At the mention of me being his wife, his eyes darken. I know the look—the look that says he wants to spread me open and claim me with his mouth, body, and soul. Instead, he settles for slamming his lips to mine so forcefully that I nick my lip with my teeth. His kiss is brief yet possessive—it says that I always have belonged and always will belong to him. I meet his lips with my own urgency that says, without words, yes and yes.

  We finally break apart when the EMT clears his throat at us.

  “We’re June Bug and Bobby, a fucking force to be reckoned with,” he murmurs as if he needs to declare it aloud. He doesn’t need to say it aloud though. I believe it one hundred percent with my heart.

  A tiny cry, sounding very much like a hungry kitten, distracts us momentarily.

  Bobby strokes him again with his tattooed thumb. “You too, buddy. You too,” he whispers with a chuckle. And he’s right—this little Acer family is a force to be reckoned with.

  My Books

  The Breaking the Rules Series:

  Broken (Book 1) – Available Now!

  Wrong (Book 2) – Available Now!

  Scarred (Book 3) – Available Now!

  Mistake (Book 4) – Coming Soon!

  Crushed (Novella 4.5) – Coming Soon!

  Disgrace (Book 5) – Coming Soon!

  The Vegas Aces Series:

  Rock Country (Book 1) – Available Now!

  Rock Heart (Book 2) – Coming Summer 2014

  Rock Holiday (Book 3) – Coming Fall 2014!

  Apartment 2B (Standalone Novel) – Available Now!

  Love and Law (Standalone Novel) – Coming Soon!

  Moth to a Flame (Standalone Novel) – Coming Soon!

  Sweet Vengeance – Coming Soon!

  A special thanks to Ella Fox, Tessa Teevan, Krissy Jefferson, Beth Luciano, Pepper Winters, Rachel Brookes, Crystal Aurora Rose Reynolds, Harper Sloan, and Rochelle Paige. You ladies are always there to support and cheer me on. It means the world!

  And a huge thank you goes out to my Fanny’s. Alexander Godfrey, Nikki McCrae, Wendy Colby, and Heather Dahlgren—you ladies give me DAILY support and encouragement. Without it, I’d be a hot mess. I can’t thank you enough!

  I want to thank my beta readers, whom are also my friends. Leann Jester, Mandy Abel, Star Price, Holly Sparks, Wendy Colby, Heather Dahlgren, Alexander Godfrey, Nikki McCrae, and Erica Thompson, you guys provided AMAZING support. Pointing out areas that didn’t work and gushing over parts you loved, you helped boost the confidence I needed to finish what I’d started. I can’t thank you enough and look forward to sending you more of my stories in the future.

  I’m especially thankful for the Breaking the Rules Babes. We have a blast sharing sexy man candy photos and our sucks/sweets of the day. Without the daily support of my sisters in there, I’d be pretty lost. You girls rock my world!

  Mickey, my fabulous editor from I’m a Book Shark, thank you for being amazing. I love your edits because they strengthen my story but you let me keep my voice. With each comment about my overuse of words, you soften it with a smiley face. You know how to make me smile! Thank you Stacey Blake for turning my boring words into a beautiful work of art. You are the best in the biz and I am so lucky to have you helping me!

  A huge thanks goes out to my wonderful husband, Matt. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to make this dream possible as it took a lot of time and money. Not only did you write check after check when I “needed
” something else for my book, but you also kept the children fed and bathed. Tighten those apron straps because I don’t have plans of stopping any time soon!

  Lastly but certainly not least of all, thank you to all of the wonderful readers out there that are willing to hear my story and enjoy my characters like I do. It means the world to me!

  I’m a thirty three year old self-proclaimed book nerd. Married to my husband for eleven years, we enjoy spending time with our two lovely children. Writing is a newly acquired fun hobby for me that has now turned into a livelihood. In the past, I’ve enjoyed the role as a reader. However, recently, I have learned I absolutely love taking on the creative role as the writer. Something about determining how the story will play out intrigues me to no end. My husband claims that it’s because I like to control things—in a way he’s right!

  By day, I run around from appointment to appointment wearing many hats including, mom, wife, part-time graphic designer, blogger, networker, social media stalker, student, business owner, and book boyfriend hunter (It’s actually a thing—complete with pink camo. I lurk around the internet “researching” pictures of hot guys that fit the profile of whatever book boyfriend I’m reading or writing about).

  I guess you can blame my obsession with books on my lovely grandmother whom is quite possibly my favorite person on the planet. At an early age, she took me to the Half-Priced bookstore each weekend and allowed me to choose a book. Every single time, she caved when I begged for two. Without her encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to cope during some hard times without my beloved books.

  Most days, you can find me firmly planted in front of my computer. It’s my life. If the world ever loses power, I’d be one of the first to die—of boredom! But, I guess as long as I have books and a light, I might just survive.

  Looking forward, you can expect to see many more novels from me—my fingers are on fire to get these stories out of my head!