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Lila looked at her watch and knew Nora was doing the same. They were coming faster now. It definitely wouldn’t be all that long.
“You didn’t tell me about the other baby your mom delivered.” Margo brushed a hand over her already sweaty hair. “C’mon, keep talking to me. Keep my mind occupied.”
“The other baby my mom delivered was my cousin Beck.”
As if she’d been summoned, Zoe stepped into the room, bearing a cup of ice. “I thought you might want this.”
Margo made grabby hands. “Bless you. I’m dying of thirst.”
Zoe hurried over to hand the cup carefully to Margo. “You’re so brave. When it’s my turn, I’m going to take every drug they offer me.”
“Brave or stupid.” Margo sucked on a piece of ice. “God, so good.”
“No, I think it’s brave. I considered natural childbirth for like five seconds.” Zoe shivered. “I know my limitations.”
“Try being on months and months of bed rest with twins and then we’ll talk.” Lila glanced at Zoe. “Not twins?”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “No. Definitely not. Just one.”
“Are you sure? It’s early yet.”
Zoe grabbed her nonexistent belly and eased into the empty chair beside Nora’s that Lila had not yet been able to relax enough to sit in. “Tell the story about my brother’s birth again and stop with this horror story.”
Everyone laughed, even Margo.
Lila recounted the story of how her aunt Sarah had wanted to do natural childbirth at home and through a series of misadventures, Lila’s mother, Laverne, had helped her nephew to be born. Which kept Margo laughing until the next contraction left her breathless and teary.
“Why isn’t Simon here? And oh God, she’s coming so early. I keep trying to tell myself she’s in the okay range, but the doctor felt everything looked good for full term or we wouldn’t have come.”
“You’re perfectly fine range-wise,” Nora said gently. “Raine’s on the early side, but she’s just in a hurry to get things started, that’s all. Everything is going just as it should.”
“You know her father. Can’t stay still for a second. Of course, she’s going to be the same way.” Lila nodded to Zoe as well. “Take notes. Bet you’ll have an early Kagan too.”
Zoe pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “I’m going to bask in being able to sit like a pretzel right now, thanks.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts.”
“I will.” Zoe pressed her cheek to her knee. “You really didn’t want any children?” Then she winced. “Oh, man, let me blame hormones for my rudeness. I’m sorry.”
Margo waved it away. “Not rude at all. It wasn’t that we didn’t want one so much as we never considered it. We loved our life as it was. Children change everything. I guess I used to think about the negatives, not the positives.” She patted her belly. “I can’t wait to meet her. To hold her and sing lullabies and put her into cute little bath towel footie-pajama thingies. But we’re still just having the one.” She smiled. “One is everything.”
“You’re right.” Lila smiled. She would forever be so grateful for her daughters.
“Just don’t visit that town near Happy Acres. The one with all the single dads and the babies popping out all over.”
Lila frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Crescent Cove.” Zoe snapped her fingers. “That’s the name. There was a human interest story on the news about how all these women are flocking there to get knocked up or to land a DILF. Dad I’d like to…fornicate with,” she added for Nora’s sake.
“Seriously?” Margo gasped. “Here we go again.”
Lila gripped Margo’s hand through the next contraction. Crescent Cove, huh? Had to be just some sensationalized news story. Probably. But she’d look into it, just in case.
A commotion sounded downstairs. All four women glanced toward the doorway at the thundering footsteps on the stairs. “Margo,” Simon bellowed. “Where are you? I’m sorry it took forever to get back here, but we were at the jewelry store and British forgot to grab his—”
Zoe sat up straighter. “Why were you at the jewelry store?”
Margo did too, then grimaced and gripped her lower back. “Push present?”
