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“Good, I think. River’s miserable, though.”
“Yeah, this summer’s been a bitch. Especially this month,” Dylan says.
“July is brutal. I feel bad she wasn’t able to watch the fireworks last week.” The central air has been cranked for weeks, and even though I offered to drive her out for the fireworks show and stay in the car with her, she was persistent on staying home.
“She’s gonna go stir-crazy if she stays holed up all day and night,” he tells me.
“Yeah, I know. On top of being hot as fuck, she can’t get comfortable sitting or lying down, so she’s not sleeping much. I read to the baby in hopes it’ll help her relax enough to fall asleep, but she always wakes up a couple of hours later with back pain.”
“That means it’s gonna be soon.” He pats me on the back.
“Doctor said she measured at three centimeters already, but that means it could be now or another two weeks. Honestly, though, I don’t think River has another two weeks in her.”
Dylan chuckles. “He’ll come when he’s ready.”
I snort. “Don’t say that ’round River. Natalie told her the same thing the other day, and she growled back at her.”
“Good to know.” He laughs. “Did you guys pick a name yet?”
“I think so, but we aren’t revealing it till he’s here.” I smile, thinking of our talk a few nights ago. River had a list of names she liked and asked for my approval on which ones I liked best.
“Well, good luck.” He gets into his truck, and I follow suit getting into mine. I need to shower badly. Once I’m cleaned up and eat, I plan to rub River’s back and feet and anything else she needs. She’s texted me about fifty times today, and even though the heating pad helps, it’s not enough. I feel awful.
“River?” I call out as soon as my shoes hit the floor of the kitchen.
“In here,” she shouts from her bedroom.
I quickly strip down to my boxers to avoid getting mud on the carpet. Setting my hat down, I brush a hand through my hair to remove the dust. When I round the corner and see her lying in bed, my shoulders fall.
“How ya doin’, sweetheart?” I walk over and kneel beside her.
“I went walking today.”
“In this heat?” My eyes widen.
“No, Benita picked me up, and we walked around the dining hall.”
“Why?”
“It’s supposed to help jump-start labor. Then I did squats and bounced on a big ball.”
“Oh man.” I suck in my lower lip to hide my smile. “Didn’t work, huh?”
She groans. “Well, do you see a baby?”
I bite the inside of my cheek and shake my head. “Sorry, darlin’. He’s just not ready yet.”
“I’m thirty-seven weeks. That’s technically full-term. He can come any day now,” she whines.
“I know, but according to the book, you could go as long as two weeks over your due date.”
She tightens her lips and scowls at me. “Fuck that book. I am not going another five weeks. I will pull this baby out myself if I have to.”
Swallowing hard, I realize there’s no reasoning with her right now. I know not to take it personally when she snaps at me like this. Hormones, I remind myself.
“I’m going to take a shower quickly, then how about I rub your feet for a bit?”
Her shoulders relax, and as she nods, she starts crying.
“River?” I hold her face in my hands and kiss the top of her nose. “Baby, it’s gonna be fine. We’ll get through this, okay?”
“Whoever said pregnancy was beautiful is a liar,” she grumbles.
“If I remember correctly, you said those exact words last month.”
She blinks and looks up at me, her scowl on point as she groans. Okay, probably not the best thing to say.
“Do you need anything before I hop in the shower? I’ll be ten minutes tops otherwise.”
“Could you get me some of that Butterfinger ice cream in the freezer?” she asks, wiping her eyes.
“Oh, um…I think you finished that off last night after dinner.” I cringe, regretting not buying another pint when I was at the grocery store.
Her head falls back on the pillow as she mutters, “Fuck.” I’d offer to run into town and buy her more, but I have a feeling she’d change her mind by the time I returned and want something else.
I quickly shower and scrub all the dirt off my skin. Being outside all day has me covered in sweat. I try to dry off throughout the day, but it’s not easy keeping up with the heat.
Once I’m washed and dried, I walk back to my room and grab a pair of gray sweats and a dark blue T-shirt. I shake out my hair, and when I walk back to River’s room, I see she’s finally fallen asleep.
Oh, thank God.
I know she probably won’t sleep for long, but she needs it.
