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I open my mouth, ready to tell him how I feel—
BANG.
The door behind him goes flying open and Langley ducks his head inside. “Guys—fuck, there you are,” he pants.
Caleb spins around, dropping his hand away from me. “What?”
“It’s Rachel. Get the fuck out here.”
My heart drops from my chest and I’m practically shoving past Caleb to get to the door. We wedge ourselves out at the same time, barreling down the hall and around the corner back into the café. It’s pandemonium.
“Move!” Caleb bellows, pushing forward.
Using my height, I look for her.
“There they are!” Tess calls. “Guys, over here!”
The crowd parts and I see Rachel standing, both hands on her stomach. Jake is next to her, his arm around her shoulders, a panicked look on his face.
“Oh, thank fuck,” he calls. “Get over here.”
“What’s wrong?” says Caleb at the same time I say, “What happened?”
“I’m freaking the fuck out,” Jake cries. “I can’t deal with this on my own!”
A few people laugh as Rachel rolls her eyes, patting his hand like he’s the one in distress. “Angel, I’m fine,” she says. Her ready smile eases my panic.
She’s fine. This is fine. This is—
“You’re not fucking fine,” Jake counters. “You’re having our baby in an IKEA!” He drags a hand through his hair. “Ohmygod, we’re gonna have to name it Flörp or Lörten or something, aren’t we?”
“Don’t be dramatic,” she replies as the wives around him laugh.
But Caleb and I are still in the dark, so none of this is funny. Caleb steps in at her other side. “Someone better tell us what the fuck is going on—”
“She’s having the baby,” Jake replies.
“No, I’m not,” Rachel counters. “Well—I mean,yes—Little Flörp Price is coming,” she teases. “But we’ve got time,” she adds, looking at me. “My water just broke.”
“Oh shit,” says Caleb, suddenly breathless.
“Best birthday present ever, eh, big guy?” says J-Lo, elbowing me in the ribs.
For the second time tonight, I feel frozen. This is happening now? We had weeks yet. I had weeks. To decide. To plan. To make my feelings known. I glance to Caleb, hoping he can see the desperation in my eyes. In a blink, the switch in his brain flips and I audibly sigh with relief, knowing he’ll take care of everything.
“Right,” he barks, stepping away from Rachel. “Party’s over, assholes. Novy, Morrow!”
The guys step forward.
“You’re on clean-up duty,” Caleb orders.
“Got it,” says Morrow with a nod.
Caleb steps around Rachel, fishing in Jake’s pocket. “J-Lo!”
“Yeah, boss?” he says, stepping forward.
“Get our car home,” Caleb replies, tossing him Jake’s car keys. “Get the bags by the front door and bring them to the hospital. And—”
