Page 93 of Just the Wrong Twin

“You feel strongly about this,” Pierce noted quietly.

“She served, just like me, and she deserves the best life she can have.”

“Awww. A fur-ever home,” Angel said, making a little sigh before he grinned.

“I’d smack you so hard if we were in the same room,” Mack growled and Angel laughed.

“Guess you’ll have to wait,” he taunted.

“I’m keeping a list for when you come back to the office,” she threatened and he laughed again.

“Promises, promises, Mack. I look forward to it.”

Pierce raised a hand, silencing them. “Good. Solved,” he said. “Sixty-two minutes but worth the delay, I think. Good luck with the dog, Nate.”

* * *

Ty didn’t like it.

He sucked at waiting.

He stunk at letting anyone he loved take a risk.

Shannyn, of course, wasn’t having any of his protectiveness, even when she was so pregnant that she looked ready to burst. It was part of what he loved about her, that she stood up to him and made him reconsider his assumptions, but right here, right now, he wanted her home and safe, with her feet up while they waited for baby number two to arrive.

He didn’t kid himself. Even if she’d been home, she wouldn’t have been sitting with her feet up. She’d have been bustling around, hanging pictures in the baby’s room or doing something else that made him crazy.

Of course, when she’d insisted, he’d driven her downtown, with Michael, so she could work. He appreciated Shannyn’s dedication to F5F, the club he’d helped to found, and he wanted Sonia’s podcast to succeed, but he was worried.

Michael was exploring the lobby and Ty followed behind his busy son, catching him when he would have tumbled. He spun him around in airplane rides and the sounds of Michael’s delight echoed in the otherwise empty lobby. Shannyn wasn’t the only concern on Ty’s mind—he was worried about the future of the club in this pandemic, too. They were going to have to make some hard choices, and he didn’t want to think about that.

But he did.

The glass walls of the F5F lobby shop, now closed, turned out to be a godsend in entertainment value for a toddler. In the morning light, they reflected everything, like mirrors, and Michael was fascinated.

“Dada!” he exclaimed, pointing to Ty’s reflection, then spinning around to find his father behind him. He laughed at this, as if it was a great joke, and turned back to the mirror again. “Dada,” he repeated than leaned on the glass with both hands. He put his face against the glass, looking himself in the eye, then giggled with delight. He spun around to face Ty again and wobbled on his feet, almost falling. Ty closed fast to catch him. “Mama!” he said then and Ty almost corrected him.

Then he looked in the glass and saw Shannyn closing fast, holding her belly. Her expression was resolute but she was pale. Cassie was holding her arm and helping her move quickly across the lobby.

Oh no.

“It’s time,” Shannyn said, a familiar strain in her voice. Ty’s stomach dropped in panic, but he knew the drill. Her bag was in the car. The OB/GYN’s number was at the top of his contacts list. He crossed the lobby in half a dozen steps, planning their route to the hospital which was only blocks away. He had this, but his mind was filling with all the things that could go wrong.

“Take a breath,” Shannyn chided gently, touching his cheek. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.” She looked into his eyes and smiled reassurance. “We’ve done this before.”

They could do it a hundred times and it would never be old news for Ty.

He scooped her up in his arms, then looked at Michael, wondering how he’d carry them both.

“I’ve got him,” Cassie said, reaching to take their son’s hand. “Go, go, go. You know how fast this might be.”

“At least I made it through Jax’s wedding,” Shannyn said with a smile, but Ty was already on his way to the car.

“Get my phone out of my pocket and call Marcus,” he told her before he saw his SUV already in the front spot. Shannyn put on his mask and her own as he walked.

“I had a feeling,” Marcus said as Ty strode down the sidewalk toward him. Pedestrians parted to let him pass. He owned the parking lot beside F5F and had always been a great neighbor. He was the only one Ty ever trusted with his cars. Marcus swept open the passenger door and backed away, giving Shannyn a thumbs-up. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, Marcus,” Shannyn said, giving him a cheerful wave as Ty settled her into the passenger seat. He wasn’t feeling nearly so cheerful, but he didn’t say anything.

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