by Fiona Keane
Lizzie turned to me, wrapping her arms around my back with her chin pressed against my chest, blue eyes gazing up at me. “I love you.”
“I love you more because I’m older,” I teased, sticking my tongue out at her.
“I love you more because you have more tattoos.”
“You’re so competitive,” I laughed, lowering to kiss her.
Lizzie’s giggle vibrated against my stomach before she looked up at me once more. “Want to see who can get undressed first at home?”
I looked around the banquet lobby. People clung to tables and wine glasses, in suits and dresses, lost in chatter. Everyone was distracted in their own thing, Lizzie and Declan’s work, and their cocktails. Nobody would notice if we disappeared until the dinner.
I leaned forward, nibbling on Lizzie’s left earlobe. I could feel her skin blossom with goosebumps as I whispered into her ear. “Why do we need to wait until we’re home?”
She caught my grin when she moved to face me, pressing her hands against my chest. “Waiting is for idiots.”
My skin was burning within her touch as our fingers intertwined. Playing it cool was causing a migraine, but anticipation was half the fun with Lizzie. We casually walked through the guests, smiling curtly as we contained the throbbing impulse to devour each other right there.
“Stairs?” Lizzie nodded to the exit just a few feet away, playfully lifting her eyebrows with her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
“Elevator,” I replied, taking my knuckles to her jaw with a wink. “Faster.”
Lizzie pounded her thumb against the elevator button, as eager as I was to get lost in each other. Waiting was torture, but just because I didn’t want to wait. The doors separated, and I heard Lizzie’s sharp intake of breath at my side. An old guy who sort of resembled my dog lethargically exited the elevator, and we were quick as sin to get inside and get the door closed.
We smiled at anyone who watched the departure, our hands frantic against our bodies as soon as we were alone. I spun Lizzie around, pressing her against the wall.
“I take a lot of elevators to help people,” I breathed against her throat, gliding my tongue along the trail of goosebumps. “That means,” I paused, lifting her left thigh to my hip and tickling my fingers along her skin at the hem of her dress, “I know how to stop them.”
“You’re terrible, mermaid.” Lizzie’s laugh was a purr of seduction that, when finished swirling in my mind, left my skin heightened.
Grinning, and trying to contain the explosion brewing in my body, I pressed the button to stall the elevator. We had ten minutes. Ten glorious, incredible minutes together.
I lifted her other leg around my hips, pushing mine forward to stabilize her against the wall while her arms knotted around my shoulders. I nipped her neck, melting against her as she bit my lip, her mischievous fingers finding their way to my fly.
“Did I tell you,” she paused, eyes on the ceiling as she nestled on top of me, taking in a deep breath that followed a shiver, “I love you tonight?”
I thrust my hips forward, pressing my fingertips into her hips. I was already climbing to the top, each sway of her against me destroying my existence. “Tell me again.”
Small beads of sweat tickled her throat as I groaned into her ear, calling out for her to release with me. Lizzie’s arms tightened around my neck, lifting her body higher, moving faster. “I love you,” she cried, coming undone against me inside the stalled elevator.
I guided her down from above me, still sandwiched against the elevator wall, taking one hand to her thigh while the other held the back of her neck. Pressing my lips to hers, my tongue devouring what remained of our experience, I told her I loved her. I knew I always would.
Chapter Seventeen
WINTER
Lizzie grumbled, glaring at me while we waited for Avery to buzz us in. “I hate winter.”
“It’s only January. You’ve got at least two more months of this.”
“I hate you,” she scoffed. Thankfully, Avery unlocked the door, and we were in just as soon as Lizzie closed her gaping mouth.
“Oh, look.” I nodded at the elevator. “I wonder if this one ever gets stuck.” I rolled my eyes to the side, watching Lizzie blush. She pressed the button for Sean and Avery’s floor and nestled at my side.
“Pervert.”
I shrugged in reply, looking up at the ceiling and feigning innocence. They were only a few floors up, and even though we’d been there often, I still remembered the morning I first stepped into that elevator almost a year ago.
“Hi,” Avery greeted us with a smile on her face and her hair all over the place. She stood in the hallway, already waiting for us. Her face was flushed, and to me, she looked really uncomfortable.
“Bean!” Lizzie barreled toward Avery. “Backside huggle buggle so as to not compromise the belly! Mwah!” She kissed Avery’s cheek and left her arm wrapped around Avery’s shoulders from behind. Avery’s cheeks pinkened as she smiled, playfully rolling her eyes.
“I want to sit down,” she told Lizzie, escaping her clutches and walking inside. “There’s lasagna in the oven. Lizzie, do you mind?”
“Not at all.” Lizzie sped past Avery into the condo. I reached out for Avery’s elbows as she stopped to lean against the door frame.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, letting her weight fall into me with her quiet sigh of relief. It took a minute, but she finally answered as she wrapped her right arm around my waist.
“I’m okay,” she groaned, pressing her head against my chest as we walked. “Everything hurts. Especially today. Maybe it’s because Sean’s not here to spoil me.”
“Maybe.” I didn’t believe that, though. Avery’s weight was balanced on me while we entered their kitchen. We caught Lizzie fumbling with the hot lasagna pan and garlic bread, cursing when she almost burned herself. I guided Avery to the couch opposite their kitchen, fluffing a pillow behind her back.
“Thank you.” She smiled at me, reaching for my hand as I stood from the couch.
“Of course.” I glanced at Lizzie, confirming she had dinner under control, and sat next to Avery. She sank against my chest, so I wrapped my right arm around her shoulders, giving a squeeze while gently kissing the top of her head.
“Is this new?” Avery brushed her thumb over the small Malin tattoo between my thumb and index finger.
“Yeah.” I paused, peaking at Lizzie with a hopeless grin on my face. “We all have our bumps before we move ahead. Don’t we?”
“You two are so damn cute.” She giggled, but it was cut off with a slight moan. “But you’re absolutely right. Maybe we should all get that tattoo.” Avery hissed as she adjusted her position on the couch, and Lizzie was quick to join us, her cute face plastered with concern.
“What’s happening?” Lizzie demanded, her worried eyes flicking between mine.
“I’m trying to get up,” Avery joked. “Lizzie, help me. This is embarrassing.” Lizzie’s arms were instantly around Avery’s, letting her cling while pulling her from the couch and walking with her to the bathroom.
I went into the kitchen to gather plates and silverware, carrying a pile in my arms, when Lizzie leaned against the doorframe.
“She doesn’t look well. Maybe I should call Sean,” she wondered out loud. I kissed her forehead as I passed her, placing the silverware and plates on the dining table. Lizzie followed me in and linked her right arm with my left, leaning her head on my bicep.
“Isn’t he at some dinner for the medical foundation?”
We returned to the kitchen, and Lizzie quickly unscrewed the sparkling apple juice, pouring it in three glasses. “This is horrendous,” she grumbled, “but I’ll do anything for Avery.”
“I’ll get you your special grape juice at home, little one,” I baited, getting her perturbed glare in response. I walked to her, wrapping my arms around her from behind, and whispered in her ear. “I love you.”
“You’re lucky I feel the same way. Now
get out of here so I can finish getting this stuff out of here.” Lizzie nudged my waist with her hip and scurried past me with our dinner. Avery hadn’t returned from the bathroom, so I went to the couch, swirling the glass of apple juice in one hand.
“I should call him,” Lizzie declared when she came back into the room. I looked up at her, trying to hide my grin by biting on my top lip.
“You worry too much. Come here,” I ordered, winking at my secret fiancée, more than friend, love of my life. Lizzie’s shoulders dropped while she watched me, her blue eyes wide with worry as she fell next to me on the couch. She took the glass from my hand so I could hold her, and I felt her melt instantly within my arms.
Lizzie turned in my hold, placing a hand on my chest while she smiled. “I worry about you too, you know.”
I kissed her forehead. “I know.”
“Noah!” Avery screamed from the bathroom. Lizzie took one frightened glance at me before we were out of our seats and running across the condo, the glass of juice shattering against the coffee table. The floor shook beneath my steps as I pounded my way to Avery. She was toppled over, clinging to the bathtub with her left hand, her right cradling her belly.
“What’s wrong?” I pressed, holding my arms out to her. She looked at me with wide eyes, terrified, and I recognized that expression like a second impulse. I noticed her skirt pooled around her ankles, damp from her water breaking. “Lizzie! Get clean towels and sheets!”
I knelt to rub Avery’s back while quickly studying the bathroom. They had a wall of glass in their shower, so using a plastic curtain on the floor was out of the question. I heard Lizzie patter throughout the condo, shrieking with panic that was not going to help Avery.
“I’m going to call for an ambulance,” I told her, continuing to rub circles around her lower back, “but until they get here, it’s you and me. You’re going to be okay, the babies will be perfect, and I’ll stay with you the entire time.”
“O-okay,” she stammered, barely breathing with her word. “Get Sean! I need Sean!”
“I called him,” Lizzie gasped for breath in the doorway, handing me a pile of fabric. “He’s on his way. Noah, what can I do?”
“Well,” I placed my arms on Avery’s hips, trying to stand next to her and guide her posture, “Avery needs to be on her hands and knees. It’ll alleviate some of the pain. Lizzie, get the sheet spread out and wash your hands five times. Then come over here, help her get undressed, and I’ll wash my hands.”
“Five,” Lizzie uttered, repeating my word, her eyes like saucers as she watched Avery.
I took one hand from Avery and tugged on Lizzie’s thumb. “We’re all going to be okay. I do this every day. Now, wash your damn hands so we can meet these beautiful babies.” I put my head on Avery’s shoulder, listening to her breathe and timing her contractions. “Do you think they’ll have those big green eyes?”
“Yes,” she laughed between contractions.
When Lizzie was clean, I guided her to hold Avery and told her to time the contractions while I washed my hands. With the sheets placed onto the floor, Lizzie and I helped Avery onto her hands and knees.
“Do you…remember…when we first met…” Avery looked up at Lizzie, their eyes locking. Lizzie started to cry, squatting to be at Avery’s side. I felt guilty, like an intruder stealing a moment from them, so I was quiet.
Lizzie held Avery’s face, kissing her forehead until it was covered in a sheath of affection. “I think we were both swooning over your husband. God, he’s such a jackass! I can’t believe he did this to you.”
“Blame…Jesse…and Ella,” Avery whimpered.
“Ladies,” I chuckled, “it takes two…”
Lizzie pointed a finger in my face. “Don’t you start.” Point taken. I finished drying my hands, listening to Avery’s contraction stop. They were getting closer, and Lizzie could only do so much to console her.
“Lizzie, take off your shirt,” I barked, tearing off my sweater. “I’ll need you to hold whoever comes out first.”
“He’s bossy,” Lizzie chuckled, her face pressed against Avery’s, “and I really like it.”
I heard Avery laugh between sobs, shaking my head at Lizzie while I settled onto my knees near Avery. The sheets and towels bunched around Avery’s knees and hands as she twisted and grasped the fabric with each contraction. I knew she hurt; I didn’t let her courage and silence distract me. And Lizzie, well, it didn’t help that her hands trembled while trying to soothe Avery.
“Lizzie,” I whispered, nudging her with my toe. Her eyes snapped to mine, her pout tightly closed. “Breathe, darlin’. This is how we all came to be.”
“I was a cesarean,” Lizzie muttered, staring at me, expressionless. I shook my head, closing my eyes to avoid laughing at her.
“If everything goes as planned,” I informed them, examining Avery and feeling her belly, “these little guys will come out pretty close together. Lizzie, I need you to be my nurse here. You’ll need to take one of those towels and clean him off, wipe anything from his nose, give his tummy a gentle rub to help his breathing, and then you’ll need to wrap a towel around him while holding him against your chest. Skin to skin. Okay, Lizzie? You with me here, babe?”
“Skin to skin.” She nodded, her eyes widening with each directive. “I can do it.”
“If Sean or the ambulance don’t get here first, I’ll take the second one so Avery has a minute to turn over. But before that, she’ll deliver the placentas, and I’ll need you to hold both babies then.”
“B-both…”
I kept rubbing circles around Avery’s lower back as I lifted my left hand to pinch Lizzie’s chin, pulling her wide eyes to my gaze. “Elizabeth Jacqueline Lewis! Avery needs you right now. You can do this. I believe in both of you.”
Avery cried beneath me, her head dropping in pain. I reached over her back, gliding my fingers through her hair to pull it back into a tighter knot, receiving her whimper of appreciation before Avery started to sob. Lizzie took off her top and knelt next to me. She was petrified, and I was about to deliver her best friend’s twins; there was no time to even consider how damn beautiful she was in my periphery.
“I love you,” Lizzie told Avery. I wanted to tell her this was the scariest part and it’d be over so quickly, but I knew she’d be a force when the babies came. Both Avery and Lizzie would be.
“Bean,” I whispered Sean’s endearment to get her attention, knowing it would help and also that we didn’t have time for each syllable of Avery’s name, “you’re doing amazing. I know it hurts like a bitch, but you’re doing it. Push when it feels natural. These babies are going to come out on their own. I’m right here to guide them. You’re going to be fine. I promise.”
“Noah,” Lizzie breathed, and I looked once to catch her blue eyes wide with fear, “it’s…oh my god!”
The first baby was entering the world in a peculiar, yet enamored, silence. I reminded Avery to breathe, and both of them yelled at me. I crouched closer to Avery, slowly guiding her first baby into the world. We heard Sean’s pounding footsteps as he entered their condo while screaming all of our names with about seven profanities.
“Sean, take off your shirt!” I shouted before he entered the bathroom.
“Oh, yes,” Lizzie erupted in laughter. “I love it.”
“Elizabeth!” Avery seethed. I shook my head at Lizzie when she looked at me, her expression full of confusion. Sean burst into the bathroom, shirtless and quick to start washing his hands.
“Five times, Daddy,” Lizzie informed him as she rested her head on Avery’s shoulder.
“Bean,” Sean called behind him while drying his hands, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. I got here as fast as I could. I love you. I love you. Oh my god.”
“It really hurts,” Avery cried. She was a champion, though, but I knew telling her that would probably piss her off.
I couldn’t look anywhere but the small shoulders balancing in my palm while holding Avery’
s right thigh as she pushed. “Sean! I need you right now.”
The water turned off, and he was kneeling at my side, replacing my hand with his against Avery’s thigh, waiting for my direction. His eyes were wide and full of tears, locked on Avery. He leaned forward over Lizzie’s lap to kiss Avery.
“I love you,” he whispered over their mutual sobs.
“I can’t do this,” Lizzie uttered, staring at me blankly. I know the piercing look I gave her shocked her system because she turned away and started rubbing Avery’s back.
“We can all do this,” I responded, leaning over to quickly kiss her shoulder. “Sean,” I ordered, getting his attention. “Okay, Avery. This is the last one for this little nugget. Give us the biggest push you can. Keep breathing.”
“I can’t!”
“Yes, you can!” Lizzie challenged her. “Your stupid, gorgeous, billboard husband is an asshole who did this to you! You two fought time and death together. Don’t tell me you can’t do this, Avery!”
“Wow, Lizard.” Sean shook his head at Lizzie. “I don’t know whether to love you or really dislike you right now.”
“You showed up shirtless to your own kid’s birth,” Lizzie tried to tease him.
“So did you, auntie Elizabeth.”
“Would you…two…just stop…oh, god!” Avery screamed between us.
Their banter ceased with Avery’s agony, and Sean’s trembling shoulder pressed against mine in the small space as he followed my lead.
I slipped my other hand under the baby as Avery pushed once more, roaring her brief hatred toward Sean, guiding the little girl to life and quickly calling for Lizzie to get me a clean towel. As I turned away from Avery, rubbing her daughter’s belly while its new cries crackled into the air around us, Sean took my place and hovered over her. Their son came in a flash and fury not three minutes later, crying against Lizzie’s bare chest.
With the babies safe, I guided Avery to turn over and cheered her on for the rest of the delivery. Sean and Lizzie might as well not have been there, as not a peep came from their gaping mouths. I peeked once, catching them staring at each other with silent tears.