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Tyler
Three Months Later . . .
“What do you mean her water broke?”
I climb down from the loft of the barn and motion toward Ranger.
“She said it broke, but she had a change of clothes in her office, so she just changed. She won’t listen to me.” Trent sounds exasperated on the other end of the phone.
“I’ll be right there. And Trent? Don’t tell anyone yet.” I hang up the phone just as Ranger approaches.
“Looks like I’m having a daughter today, buddy.” I smack his arm. “Need you to hold down the fort today. Tell Decker and Carl they can handle moving the cattle to pasture four with Teller.”
“Holy shit, man. Congrats! Why are you so weirdly calm?”
“Because I’m actually about two seconds from losing my shit. That was Trent,” I hold up my phone, “who said Brook’s water broke but she refuses to go to the hospital.”
“Go meet your little girl, man!”
I jog over to my truck and head to the office.
“I already know why you’re here,” Brook says as I approach her office. She has several folders in her hands that she’s placing into different piles with her two assistants.
“Jackie, this one goes to you,” she says, continuing to work.
“Any particular reason you decided, of all times, that now isn’t the time to go to the hospital?” I take a seat in one of the chairs that’s been pushed to the edge of the room, kicking one foot over my knee as I lean back.
“Because I called my doctor, and since I’m past 37 weeks and I’ve had no contractions yet, he said not to rush.”
I shrug and fold my hands behind my head. “Okay.”
She eyes me suspiciously. “Why are you being so nonchalant?”
“Well, if you’re not worried and you’re the one about to give birth, then why should I be worried?”
“Then why’d you come down here?” She pops her hand onto her hip.
“Trent called me all panicked. I knew you were fine, but he sounded like he needed to be talked off a ledge. I told him, ‘She’s fully prepared to push this baby out. She’s not scared; she’s got this. She will deliver that baby in record time then probably take a meeting.’” I watch as her eyes shift back and forth. She’s begun to nervously chew on her bottom lip. “Anyway, I should get over to his office before he has a coronary.”
I stand up and give her a quick peck before walking back toward the doorway.
“I can’t do this!”
I pause and turn around. She’s wringing her hands as Jackie and Nilsa look at her then at me.
“I’m freaking out, Tyler. I can’t do this! What do I do?” Tears tumble down her cheeks, one falling onto the desk.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I walk over to her and rub her back. This is exactly why I pretended like I was okay. I knew that if she saw me freaking out, she would pretend she was fine. I guess I learned a lesson from her about reverse psychology.
“Baby, it’s okay to be scared. You should be—not because you can’t do this, but because this is new territory for both of us. I’m right here. You can squeeze my hand, kick me, punch me, call me every name in the damn book if you have to. I just want you to express yourself and feel everything right now, because holding it inside and pretending you’re okay isn’t going to help anyone.”
She nods her head. I gently place my thumbs below her eyes and wipe away more tears.
“You really think I can do this?”
I look over at the two young women staring at us with big eyes. “You ladies think she’s got this?”
“Are you kidding me? Brooklyn, you’re the fiercest, strongest, most badass woman we know. You are going to kill it in that delivery room.”
