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Was it any wonder I was crazy about this woman? Although I wasn’t a man who blushed easily, my bride could definitely manage to make that happen, heating my face when I looked up at the grin of the nurse in the room. “I promise.” I leaned down and whispered in her ear only, “And you’ll need to stop talking about last night if you don’t want an embarrassing display in the form of your husband’s erection while you’re giving birth.”
She giggled. “You know I love it when you blush.”
We both watched as the nurses continued hooking her up to various machines.
I squeezed her hand, waiting for the next contraction to subside. “How was that one?”
“Getting more intense for sure.”
I was completely envious of how calm she was. “You sure seem ready for this.”
“Well I would hope so considering you made it your mission to knock me up on our honeymoon and there’s no going back now.”
Yeah, so we’d decided not to wait. Hell, I wasn’t getting any younger, and Kenzie loved kids so much that she’d been just as eager to get started on our family. Then we’d made a bet about being able to get her pregnant during the honeymoon which of course made it that much more fun to try. “And what a week that was. I guess I’m just wondering what your secret for being so unruffled by this is?”
She motioned me down for a kiss. My lips met hers as her fingers threaded lovingly through my hair. “I’m calm because you’re still my center. The world is about to tilt, but right here, right now, it’s us. It keeps—oh, shit—”
I watched her breathe through the next wave, grinning at the colorful language coming out of her mouth until she was through it.
She was my center too, and over the last three years of our relationship, there wasn’t a day that I ever took her for granted. After she’d returned from Bali, we made it a rule not to spend more than a week apart. It hadn’t been easy while she’d been on the road touring that following summer, but we’d made it a priority, with me meeting her on several of the stops. I’d proposed a year later by taking her to Vegas and having the diamond engagement ring spin on the roulette wheel instead of the ball when she’d placed a bet. By the time she’d realized it and turned my way, I was down on one knee. She’d practically tackled me when she said yes.
Now with one year left in school before she became a certified music teacher, she’d found her calling in working with the cancer foundation and taking her talents into area hospitals where she could bring music to sick kids. Between her and my sister-in-law, Haylee, they’d grown the organization to the point where it supported several hospitals throughout the country, offering everything from grants and scholarships to Kenzie’s favorite: musical performances that made the children forget, at least for a moment, what they were going through.
The doctor came in smiling. “Hi, Kenzie. Let’s check how you’re progressing. How far apart are your contractions?”
Kenzie had to think about it. “Every few minutes, I guess. My water hasn’t broken yet though.” She turned toward me. “Thank god that didn’t happen during the ceremony.”
I chuckled thinking that probably would’ve been a first for the Golden Globes.
Her doctor went about examining her. “Sometimes we have to break it for you. Oh, my, you’re dilated nine centimeters already. Were you opposed to natural childbirth?” she asked, glancing up.
“I’d prefer the drugs, actually. Why?”
I would’ve said the same thing. My wife might be strong, but she wasn’t opposed to a pain-free experience if given the option.
“The thing is, I don’t think we’re going to be able to get an epidural in you in time now. It would most likely take effect after you were done since you only have one more centimeter before I’m having you start to push.”
“Holy shit,” Kenz and I said at the same time. I knew there was a mix of panic and amusement on both our faces.
“Alright guys, I’ll return in a couple minutes and we’ll get started,” her doctor said, stepping out.
“Guess I shouldn’t have insisted on the drive-thru and eating in the parking lot, after all,” Kenzie said with a sheepish smile.
“Or not telling me you were in labor during the entire three hour awards show,” I gently chastised.
A surge of anxious expectation hit me. Once the doctor came back in, this was it. When I leaned down to kiss Kenzie, I said a little prayer internally for her and for our baby. Emotion clogged my vision for a second before she snapped me out of it.
“Don’t you go getting emotional. There’s only one girl in this relationship, and you aren’t it. If you start tearing up, then you know I’ll cry.” She was already speaking with a catch in her voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I feigned, burying my face in her neck and breathing deep.
“I love you, Colby.”
Damn. Those words weren’t making it any easier to keep it together. “I love you too, Kenz.” I wiped the hair from her brow and kissed her forehead. And because she was starting to look nervous, I added, “You have this, sweets. I know you do. And think of it this way: The faster you do this, the sooner I can go down to the snack shop and get you some Hostess snowballs.”
She squeezed my hand. “You always know what to say.”
Kenzie winced again in pain with another contraction. “Wow, that was a good one. I think your baby girl is getting anxious to come into this world.”
