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“She was right,” Haley goads. “Don’t go getting all huffy on me now. Mom knew you had a thing for Sawyer.”
“Do you have a point, Hales?”
She laughs, and I cringe. “I do have a point. Are you listening?”
“Come on, Haley.” I bump my head back against the headrest as my frustration grows. “I’m exhausted and sitting in the car. Spit it the hell out, so I can go inside.”
“Fine. Here goes nothing. Don’t letmymistakes screw up your life. I’ve worked hard to get my shit together. But I did it. Please don’t let my mistakes screw with your future, Wren.”
“I’m not planning on it, Hales. I love you, but I realized something this week. I’m not letting anyone else dictate my life. I’m not letting Mom and Dad do it. And I’m not letting our pasts do it—yours or mine.” I might not have realized that until just now... or more like this morning at The Busy Bee, but I mean every word of it.
“Good. I expect to be your maid of honor one day, sissy.”
I laugh quietly. “You’re going to have to fight Quinn for that someday. Love you, Hales.”
“You too, Wren.”
The screen goes black, and I toss my phone into my bag and head inside.
I’m grateful I don’t run into Zeus or his human when I get out of the car. I’m feeling uncomfortably fragile and don’t know whether I could handle seeing either of them right now. Instead, I kick off my shoes and change into sweats before faceplanting onto my bed.
Okay... so they might be Kingston’s sweats, but nobody needs to know that.
I grab my phone and set my alarm for later this afternoon, then pull up my text thread with Sawyer. I guess he got busy last night because he never answered me. Maybe it’s time I answered him.
Wren
Ask me to go out with you again.
After staring at the chat for entirely too long with no response, I do what I told Quinn she should have done and turn the fucker off. I need to sleep.
* * *
I’m not sure what time it is when I wake up, but it’s not my alarm that drags me out of the best dream I’ve had in ages. No.
What is that noise?
It takes me a minute to pinpoint where it’s coming from before I jump out of bed and run down the stairs. It sounds like someone is trying to bang their way through my front door. “What the hell?” I move the curtain out of the way and see Sawyer standing outside, obviously shaken, then throw the door open. “What? What’s wrong?”
He grabs my hand. “Maddie’s in labor. Hudson wanted to take her to the hospital, but she said she felt like she had to push and didn’t want to have the baby in a car.”
Oh shit.“Okay. My car’s unlocked. Go pop my trunk and get my medical bag.”
“Wait.” He pulls on my hand. “Where are you going?”
I squeeze his hand, then lean in and kiss his lips quickly. “To get my shoes. Now move.”
The two of us run across my lawn and finally, through Hudson and Maddie’s front door. “We’re in here,” Hudson yells from around the corner, and Sawyer takes me through the massive house to the kitchen, where Maddie is lying on the floor in a flood of amniotic fluid.
“Madison.”
Her scared, red face pops up as she breathes through a contraction. “Oh God, Doctor Davenport. It hurts.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” I ask as I begin checking her vitals.
Hudson moves behind his wife, definitely a shaking mess.
“Braxton-Hicks,” she stutters. “All night.”
