Page 105 of Floored

And so far, the sheer maneuverability of sex was becoming an issue, if that was supposed to help.

I kissed the side of her breast, and Lia stretched herself out fully with a soft sigh.

"Still doubt me?"

"Entirely." She exhaled. "I'm huge."

"You're perfect," I murmured into the slope of her shoulder, just as I eased behind her. "Lift your leg over mine, love."

"Shit."

I froze. "No leg? Shall we try standing in the bathroom like last night?" My thumbs coasted lightly over her chest because I knew how sensitive she was, but she smacked my hands away. My eyebrows lifted. "Or not, that's fine."

Lia looked over her shoulder at me, eyes wide. "Either I've lost all bladder function and I just ... peed a little, or my water just broke."

Blinking, I glanced down. "You ..."

Lia sat up. "I think maybe I should put some clothes on." Then a brilliant smile dawned on her face. "And maybe you should too, champ. Nice work." She held out a hand for a high five.

I flew out of bed, stark-bollock naked, and grabbed her hospital bag from where it sat just next to the door. "What clothes do you need?"

Lia scooted to the edge of the bed, a small smile on her face. "That blue shirt on the dresser is fine. And the soft black shorts in my top drawer, please."

I tossed them at her and barely glanced at what I pulled over my own body.

Lia paused once, a strange expression on her face. "Oh, hey there."

I froze as I was shoving a phone charger into the side of her bag. "What?"

She grimaced. "Contraction. Weird."

It was that grimace that kicked my heart into a gear I hadn't previously known existed.

Through any doctor’s appointment I'd attended with her, the birthing class—which was terrifying—and all the books she read from, I'd never fully realized how bloody terrible it would be not to bear a single bit of this pain for her.

And with the realization came sheer terror at the reality of this new life we were bringing into the world.

Lia cupped the side of my face and smiled. "It'll be fine."

I clutched her in my embrace, pressing a fervent kiss to her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Her face straightened. "But I need you not to be a sissy right now, okay? It will be fine, and if you get that Lost Boy look on your face, I'm going to worry about you, and if you're going to do that man thing where you pass out at the sight of the epidural needle or my placenta or something."

"I'm not going to be a sissy," I said in a completely affronted voice. "Also, I don't plan on looking at your placenta."

"Great." She clapped her hands. "Now, let's go."

The drive to the hospital was a blur, and occasionally, she'd let out a slow, even breath when another contraction tightened her belly. With each one, though they were still fairly spread apart, my hands involuntarily tightened on the steering wheel.

Lia sent a text to her family and made a phone call to Claire, who was planning on being in the delivery room with us.

Quite soon, we'd be overrun with Wards, and in the approach to the hospital, I found that I was okay with it.

It was a surprise that this massive, chaotic group allowed me to slip seamlessly into their impressive ranks.

"Claire is on her way," Lia said, sliding her hand over my thigh. "She should be here in about an hour."

I smiled over at her. "Good."

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