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Later.
She’d tell him later.
* * *
It wasa little after midnight when the sound of Jackson’s phone ringing woke her up. They both sat up and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that this was the call they were all dreading.
“H’lo,” he answered gruffly.
Savannah couldn’t hear who was on the other end, but she was instantly on her feet and getting dressed.
“Yeah. We’re on our way.” He hung up and looked up at her, but she couldn’t meet his eyes. She just couldn’t. “That was Austin.”
“Mm-hmm…” Looking around, she found her shirt and slid it on, all the while praying he wasn’t going to say the words out loud. She knew they were coming, but…she needed a few more minutes to get her emotions in check.
“Mia’s in labor,” he said as she climbed from the bed and stretched. “Of course, my normally level-headed brother is freaking out, so…yeah. I told him we’d come and hang out. Emma and Garrett are on their way and so are my mom and Dominic.” Pulling on his jeans, he yawned. “I’m hoping someone’s bringing snacks.”
Without a word, she walked over and gave him a fierce hug as relief washed over her.
When she pulled back, he grinned. “I know. I’m excited about the snacks too.”
She was about to question it, but she realized that was his way of acknowledging the situation without coming out and saying what they were both really thinking.
Besides, they never did order dinner. At one point, they had snacked on some random stuff—cookies, popcorn, and a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches—but they’d been too eager to get back into bed to worry about a proper meal.
And now she hoped someone was bringing snacks too.
Within minutes, they were out the door and driving to the same hospital Cash was at. “Do you think we should go up and let Cash know what’s going on?” she asked.
“It’s late, but I guess it can’t hurt to call up to the nurses’ station once we get there and see what’s going on. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be several hours before the baby’s here. But then again, this is the first time I’m going anywhere near anyone actually delivering a baby, so what do I know?” With a shrug, he laughed. “I’ll bet Austin’s making poor Mia crazy.”
Unable to help it, she laughed too. In the last month, she had seen how protective Austin was of his wife and she had a feeling he was going to be a handful once active labor kicked in. “I’m sure the nurses will know how to handle him. They’ve seen it all before.”
“I know we’ve been listening to them talk about this baby for the last few weeks, but it’s still hard for me to picture my brother taking care of a newborn. If this were Garrett, I’d say no problem. He was always the more sensitive out of the three of us and just seems like he’d be an awesome dad. But Austin’s a little rough around the edges.”
“I don’t think that matters,” she whispered. “The fact that they’re together and in love and both want this baby is what’s important. And as long as it’s healthy…”
Jackson reached over and rested his hand on her thigh. With a gentle squeeze, he didn’t say anything, but that one action told her he knew what she was thinking about.
The rest of the drive was quiet and they happened to park right next to Emma and Garrett, who were also just arriving.
“This is so exciting!” Emma said when she spotted them and immediately came over and hugged Savannah. “I’ve never been there when a baby was born! This is going to be amazing!”
Garrett walked over and hugged her and together the four of them walked into the hospital. It was late and Garrett somehow managed to sweet talk the guy at the front desk so they could go up to the maternity floor and wait up there. Once they were in the elevator, he said, “I’ve been treating his two older Labs and saved one of his cats after she was hit by a car.” He shrugged. “I told him to expect Mom and Dominic too, so…”
“Such a smooth talker, babe,” Emma cooed as she moved in close. “I love it.”
“It’s way too late for this kind of behavior,” Jackson murmured, even as he pulled Savannah close to him and kissed her cheek.
The elevator doors opened on the third floor and they made their way to the waiting area. “I’ll text Austin that we’re all here,” Jackson said as they sat down.
“I know it’s late, but we have no idea how long we’ll be here,” Emma told them. “So, I brought some snacks just in case.” She held up a small cooler bag. “Just some cookies and pretzels and some fruit. I have a feeling Grace is going to bring more.”
“No doubt,” Garrett agreed. And sure enough, ten minutes later Grace stepped off the elevator with Dominic right behind her carrying two large cooler bags.
“Any word yet?” she asked.
“I texted him to tell him we were all here, but he hasn’t responded yet,” Jackson replied and instantly went to see what was in the bags.
