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I gave her a reassuring smile. “On the way. He’ll meet us, okay?”
She nodded, but the color drained from her face. She gritted her teeth again as she pressed her hand onto the small of her back. “Fuck, I can’t believe she’s coming early.”
I laughed. Of course, she was coming early. Norah was my sister’s kid, after all. Avery was nothing if not a rule-following punctual lady. AKA the complete opposite of me. “She seems like your daughter already.”
Avery glared at me through another grimace, and I took that as a sign to hustle her outside and into my car. Drakesville didn’t have its own hospital, so it took ten minutes to drive to the nearest one.
I tried to calm my sister down, but she was freaking out for the entire ride. I opened my center console and pulled out a moonstone necklace, and handed it to her.
She tilted her head at me. “What’s this?”
Avery didn’t get my belief in crystals. I tried to give her some when she was dealing with morning sickness, but she scoffed at me and called it ‘woo-woo bullshit.’ Whether or not they worked, they helped me put out good vibes into the universe.
“It’s a moonstone,” I explained.
“Is this some woo woo bullshit?”
I rolled my eyes, although I wasn’t shocked in the least by her comment. “Avs, just take it and channel your stress into it until we get to the hospital. I promise you, as soon as we get there, Nolan will whisk you away and hold your hand the entire time.”
“Thank you.”
“I know you don’t believe in this stuff—”
She cut me off. “I know you do it because you want to help. I love that you do that, even though I think crystals are bullshit.”
I nodded and pulled up at the hospital. Just like I said, Nolan met us immediately. He rushed to my car and opened the passenger door to help Avery. He had her wheeled into the hospital before I could even put my car in park. I drove around the lot, searching for a parking spot while trying not to worry about my sister.
I messed up early in Avery’s pregnancy when she thought something was wrong with the baby and she couldn’t get a hold of me. I was supposed to meet her for dinner, but I was spiraling after Felix stood me up. I flaked out on her and fell asleep with a dead phone, so I never saw her pleading texts until it was too late. I never told her what happened because I felt so guilty about not being there for her. Since then, I had been trying to make amends.
After parking and walking into the hospital, I found Declan and my dad sitting impatiently in the waiting room. We sat for hours while Nolan was in the room with Avery. I paced so much that Declan had to push me down into my seat. Avery had been so afraid of something happening to the baby her whole pregnancy that I wanted the birth to be perfect.
I rubbed at my rose quartz necklace and tried to put happy thoughts into the universe for little Norah. I wanted my niece to be brought into the world surrounded by love.
“She’s gonna be fine,” Dad reassured me.
“She was scared,” I admitted.
“She’s got, Nol. You’re not the one giving birth,” Declan said.
I nodded in agreement, but I still wished I could be by Avery’s side. Nolan was holding her hand and telling her everything was all right, but I needed my sister to be okay.
It was late by the time Nolan came out, looking exhausted but with a big grin across his face.
I jumped up at the sight of him. “Can we see them?”
He nodded, and we all followed him into the room, where Avery lay in the bed with the baby in her arms. She looked wrecked, but wore the same happy smile on her face as when she married Nolan.
“Oh my god, she’s so cute,” I squealed.
Nolan glared at me.
“What?” I asked him.
“Be quiet. She’s fussing,” he said in a low growl.
Man, was little Norah going to have it hard as a kid. Nolan was going to be a total helicopter parent.
But then I watched Avery hand the baby over to him, and Nolan’s entire demeanor changed. The baby wrapped a tiny hand around his finger, and the big guy was glowing.
