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“Your sore feet will be having foot-gasms by the time I’m done.”
He meant a foot massage, not sex? She hugged him as tight as physically possible. “Now I’m sure I love you.”
“Good thing, because that ring is non-refundable.”
“Neither is this,” she said, rubbing the watermelon-size bump responsible for her growing list of aches and pains. “Oh…somebody’s awake.”
Mason’s hand joined hers on the top of her stomach. Some random baby part rolled under their palms. Together they watched, amazed.
The beautiful, straight-baguette-cut ruby on her left hand glinted in the late-August sunshine. Mason had bought it in secret at the estate auction of a couple married over fifty years. On his knees at the ballpark this spring, he’d proposed they give the ring another half century of happily ever after. She’d cried then, and dammit, the tears were coming again. She’d be blotchy as well as bloated for the party. Great.
A soft sweep of his hand brushed the moisture from her cheek. “Hormones getting you again, babe?”
“No,” she said, as the most incredible eyes smiled down at her. “Maybe.”
“Go wait in the truck. I’ll tell everybody you’re not feeling well, grab Dylan and we’ll all go home.”
And deprive Mason of this special occasion…not a chance. “It’s okay, I’m good.” She dabbed at her eyes and nose with the tissue he produced. Her man—always prepared, from condoms to snot rags. Next it’d be baby wipes. “Let’s go get showered.”
Mason held the squeaky gate as she waddled through it. The Lang’s backyard was as crowded as it had been for their annual Canada Day bash, which had also been Mason’s thirty-first birthday party. Pink and blue decorations replaced last month’s red and white. Mary and Katie had gone even wilder for this event, tying balloons to every conceivable item. There had to be hundreds of them. Streamers ran from the deck to the trees. A mountain of gifts sat on a large table.
The best present, though—everybody they cared about in attendance to celebrate with them. Both sets of parents, Katie and Logan, Lasha, Dylan, dozens more of assorted family and friends. And all of them were smiling.
“This is…incredible. The baby is so lucky to have all these people in his life.”
“Or her life.” Mason firmly believed they were having a girl. His gut feeling since the day she’d skipped her period thirty-seven weeks ago. “I wish she’d hurry up and get here.”
“Me too. I have three weeks left, but I don’t think I can stand being pregnant one more day.”
“Then let’s find you a place to sit and be pregnant, beautiful mama.”
No point in arguing the beautiful comment, so she rolled her eyes and accepted it in the spirit he’d given it. Katie waved them toward a hard-back chair brought out from the kitchen, bless her. Halfway to the target, Andie froze.
“Oh my god.” She yanked on Mason’s arm. “I think my water broke.”
His eyes dropped to the deck, then back to her face. “Maybe you peed.”
“All over your parents’ deck, in front of almost everybody we know?” Another gush of fluid escaped involuntarily, adding to the now-obvious puddle around her practical, flat-soled sandals.
“Okay, maybe not.”
“Oh…contraction.” Thirteen years since her last one, but suddenly she remembered it as if it were yesterday. And that memory scared the crap out of her. “I can’t do this—I’m not ready.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll send Lasha to the house for your bag. Katie and Logan are set to take care of the animals. Dylan can come to the hospital with us now, or stay with the family until later. It’s under control, babe.”
“It’s under control? It’s undercontrol?”Everyone was looking. At the crazed expression on her face and her hand digging into Mason’s arm. At his beaming smile. “Sometime in the next twenty-four hours, I’m going to pass the equivalent of a ten-pin bowling ball through my vagina, and you’re telling me not to worry, that it’s under control?”
“You’re early, she might not be ten pounds…” He ducked as she swung, then caught her when she nearly toppled, pulling her close enough to tickle her lips with his words. “As soon as you’ve got your center of gravity back, you can deck me. Hard as you want, to give me a share of your pain.”
“You know I won’t.”
“You know I’d take all your pain if I could.”
“You already have—I’ve never been happier.” Dammit, the tears were back.
“Get a room!” somebody called, bursting their private bubble while eliciting a laugh from the party-goers.
Pride boomed in Mason’s voice as he addressed the group. “We will…a hospital room. Baby is on the way.”
