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Lucas and Hunter blink at us. Both their mouths gape open and I don’t know whether to laugh or worry.
“Is this going to be an issue?” Seth asks when Lucas and Hunter don’t say anything else.
Lucas shakes his head. “No. Not at all.”
“Not an issue,” Hunter rushes out.
“Does Rachel know about this?” Lucas asks while Hunter brushes past us and into Rachel’s room.
Both Seth and I bob our heads.
“She’s totally cool with it,” says Seth.
“She’s been advising me on how to handle this one,” I say with an awkward chuckle and a head tilt toward Seth.
Seth gives me a teasing glare and we all follow Hunter inside Rachel’s room. Hunter is already sliding one large waffle onto Rachel’s paper plate. She beams back at us. Her face is still swollen and she looks exhausted, but I’m happy to see her smiling again. Hopefully, she’ll be able to return home with us in the next few days. I don’t think I could stand it if she has to remain in the hospital.
“So, what needs to be done before November?” Lucas asks once we all have our coffee and waffles.
“Crib, baby shower, baby room,” Hunter says while listing the items on his fingers.
“We need more baby clothes and diapers,” I say through a mouthful of food.
“I can get that,” says Seth excitedly. “And I can help with the baby room.”
“Honestly, I’m quite thankful the baby is coming early,” says Hunter while setting down his plate. “I have just been accepted as camp counselor during winter break. I would hate to miss the birthing and make you guys do all the work.”
I nod. “And it looks like I’m still going to Hamburg for all of December.”
“Okay, so it looks like it will just be me and Seth to help Rachel with the baby in December,” Lucas says with a shrug, earning a dark scowl from Seth. Yeah, their relationship is definitely not resolved. Part of me feels sorry for Rachel having to be stuck in the house with those two. Hopefully, they will be able to work everything out.
“And have we figured out how to do the paternity test?” Hunter asks while glancing Seth’s way.
“Yes,” Lucas says excitedly. “We can—”
“I don’t think we need to worry about that now,” says Rachel while setting down her wooden knife and fork.
Lucas nods. “Yeah. We can all be the kid’s father. And besides, we can worry about that all later.”
“I will probably want to know after everything has settled down,” says Seth. “Just so I know.”
Rachel nods and pats Seth’s hand. “That’s fine. We can do it in January when everyone is back and we have adjusted to life as new parents.” She takes a deep breath and smiles mischievously. “I also have an announcement. I’ve known the sex for a while, but I wanted to keep it a secret. Given everything that has happened, I can no longer contain myself.” She claps her hands excitedly. “We’re having a little girl.”
I can’t stop smiling. Lucas claps his hands while Hunter touches his chest. Seth doesn’t say anything. There’s fear in his eyes, but I suppose he has his reasons.
“We should name her Agatha,” Lucas says happily. “Or Ruth.”
“Ruth?” Seth says with disgust. “That’s a terrible name. We should name her Maria after my grandmother.”
Lucas rolls his eyes. “How is Maria any better than Ruth? Ruth is a strong name.”
“Ruth is a boring name!” Seth shouts.
I share a smile with Rachel. She covers her mouth with a hand, her face flushing bright red as she tries to contain her laughter. Hunter rolls his eyes and stabs a fork through his waffle, shoving the entire thing into his mouth. No matter what happens, I know we can get through it. We’ll get through this preeclampsia. And we will get through the birth and whatever else life throws at us. So long as we remain together.
Chapter 27
RACHEL
