She passes it to Lincoln, and I hear him give the doctor directions. Finishing with, “I’ll meet you there.” He ends the call and hands the phone back to Daisy. “I’ll wait for him at the private entrance.” And with that, he leaves the room.
Natasha groans. “Make the pain stop.”
“Soon, honey. It will be over soon.” I try my best to comfort her. I have no idea how much longer it’s going to take.
“Do you have any towels?” Daisy asks.
“Towels? What for?”
She points to the bed. “When the baby’s delivered, it will make a mess.”
“I thought you didn’t know how to deliver babies?” I say as Natasha grips my hand through another contraction. After this, I don’t think I’ll ever have feeling in my fingers again.
“I don’t. In the movies, when a woman is in labour, they always need towels.” She smiles, and damn, it makes my heart pound faster. The reaction is so foreign to me, I have to take a deep breath.
Nodding toward the bathroom, I say, “In there.”
Daisy leaves to get the towels. I take this time to pull my shit together and focus on Natasha, her face grimacing with pain. I wish I knew how to help her.
A moment later, Daisy rushes back with a pile of towels and dumps them on the end of the bed. Unfolding one, she gently puts it under Natasha’s legs.
Natasha squeezes her eyes shut and lets out a low groan. “It hurts.”
Daisy sits on the side of the bed opposite me and places a soothing hand on Natasha’s shoulder. “You need to breathe. Inand out like this.” And she demonstrates a breathing technique. “Got it?” When Natasha nods her head, she says, “Now do it with me.” Natasha’s eyes lock onto Daisy like she’s her lifeline. “You’re doing great. Keep going.”
“Movies?” I question.
She nods. “Yep.”
Right now, I don’t care where she’s getting her information from; Natasha is looking less panicked.
For the next twenty minutes, Daisy breathes through contractions with Natasha.
Natasha folds forward and clutches her knees. “I need to push.” Her voice is guttural.
My blood freezes. And a chill runs down my spine. “Watched any movies that tell you what to do now?”
Daisy’s eyes widen, and her face pales. “No.”
My blood turns to ice. How the fuck am I going to deliver a baby? “Where the hell is Linc and the doctor?” As the words leave my mouth, Lincoln comes barrelling into the room, the doctor close behind.
As I get to my feet to greet him, the hairs prick at the back of my neck, and I freeze. We stand face to face for the first time in twenty-four years.
His gaze scans my face, a slight crease carving between his eyebrows. “Kade?”
“Evan.”
Daisy glances between us. “You two know each other?” She sounds confused.
I don’t take my eyes off Evan. “He’s my brother.”
ten
DAISY
Kadeisnearlyahead taller than Evan. Broader shoulders. More muscular. His buzz cut so dark it’s almost black. His skin tone olive. His facial features are the main difference between the two of them. They’re hard, like smiling or laughing is something he doesn’t do often. His black eyebrows are knitted together. His jaw clenched. A muscle tics on the side of his jaw. He’s gorgeous, but not in your typical pretty boy way. Dangerous-looking. The type you warn your daughters away from.
Evan, although shorter and less built, still stands strong. His hair is longer, dark blonde, and it has an adorable way of flopping over his forehead. His deep dimple in his right cheek makes his features softer. He is someone who smiles and laughs a lot.
