Page 159 of All The Things: The Last Thing He Needs Omnibus

Ben snatched his hand back and laughed. “No counteroffers allowed.” He tapped Gavin’s ass and pulled back farther.

“But…” That was as far as his protest got. Ben was already off the bed. He didn’t get a chance to pout about it, though. A sharp knock on their bedroom door had Gavin sitting up straight, pulling the covers back.

“You two should probably get up,” Nora called from the hall. “We might have an issue out here.”

Ben pulled on a pair of shorts and was already halfway across the room by the time Gavin had gotten up and grabbed Ben’s robe. It was way too big on him, but it covered his ass.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asked, storming out of the room with Gavin on his heels.

Nora was nowhere to be seen, so they walked down the hall toward the kitchen. Ben always said life happens at the kitchen table. He was right. As usual.

Tina sat there, running through her breathing exercises, a look of pure concentration on her face.

“How long?”

Tina shook her head and let out another long breath.

“About a half hour,” Nora said from behind him. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and looked relaxed. “She’s fine, but you two should get something to eat, just in case.”

When Tina took another deep breath and looked up at them, she actually smiled. “That wasn’t too bad,” she said.

Ben sank down into a chair beside her, but Gavin noticed he still had a hand on her shoulder, as if he was ready to catch her if she fell.

Nora snorted a laugh as she scooped some scrambled eggs onto two plates. “Maybe it’s false labor, then. Or early labor. You’ve got hours of that before things get really exciting.”

“Still, though…” All these months, Gavin had been preparing with Tina for this day. Now that it was here—or possibly here—he wasn’t sure if he was up to it. Looking at his little sister, the wonder and the fear chasing each other with every breath she took, he wasn’t sure if she was ready for it either.

Gavin crouched down at Tina’s side, looking into her face. “You feel okay now, Teeny?”

She only nodded, but she shifted in her seat and turned around. “I’m not sure if I should eat or not. I can’t remember what they said.”

Neither could Gavin.

Ben had finally let his hand fall from Tina’s shoulder, but he moved his chair closer to her. He made Gavin think of a big guard dog, the way he hovered sometimes. He didn’t say it out loud, because he was sure Ben would take it the wrong way, but he loved Ben more for it.

Nora set a plate down in front of Ben and another one at the empty seat where Gavin should be sitting.

“Just eat light,” she said to Tina. When the toaster dinged, Nora grabbed two slices out and slathered them with butter. She set them in front of Tina with a jar of strawberry jam. “And drink some water,” she added as she put a tall glass of ice water down. “You could just be dehydrated.”

Tina nodded and reached for the glass, but she stopped in midmotion. Gavin moved to his seat and glanced at the clock.

“I forgot to check the time for the last one,” he said, feeling like he was already failing at this.

“It’s been seven minutes,” Ben said through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

Of course Ben would think to look at the clock. He’d been there with all three of Anna’s babies, right?

Ben took a sip of coffee when Nora passed him a mug. “I think I’ll call in today, just in case,” he said thoughtfully.

Relief washed through Gavin, but Nora said, “You will not. She’s got an appointment this afternoon, and we don’t need you underfoot before then.”

She was probably right. As Tina breathed through her contraction, Gavin could feel Ben tensing from feet away.

“How am I underfoot?” Ben didn’t sound gruff, or even annoyed, but maybe a little hurt.

Nora walked over to him and kissed his forehead. “You can’t help yourself, son. You just want to fix everything, and only time will fix this.”

“I’m fine,” Tina said finally. Her contractions weren’t lasting long, and they were pretty far apart. She looked to Ben and added, “You wouldn’t be underfoot, but we don’t even know if I’m in labor yet. You should save your days off for when we’re sure.”

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