Page 122 of Riding the High

Nash nods and heads out.

Ivy’s face winces in pain. The expression tells me she might not be in the early stages of labor. I was trained for deliverieswhen I became a cop and I’ve witnessed a handful during my time. Including Mabel’s.

“Ivy, have you been experiencing discomfort today?” I ask, offering her a cup of ice Ginger has just handed to me.

“You said your back was sore,” Wade cuts in, looking down at her. “I thought that might have been the start of it.”

“Well, that’s a good thing. You could have been in labor all day,” I tell her. “Which means this should be faster than expected.”

“Doc told us that, since it’s her first, it might be on the long side,” Wade says.

I nod. Gemma was in labor with Mabes for twenty-six hours. But Ivy’s face is contorted in that strange way again and it’s only been five minutes. I pull Wade aside after another ten minutes goes by.

“As soon as Nash gets back, you should take her to the hospital,” I say. “She’s had three contractions in a row less than five minutes apart. Has her back been bothering her all day?”

“Since this morning,” he says.

“She could have been in labor the whole day then,” I tell him. “Gemma had back labor with Mabel.”

Wade’s face is half panic, half determination.

“You’re gonna be a father today, man,” I say, smiling wide.

“Yeah,” he says. “You’re all coming, right?” he calls to the room, then he looks back at me.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I say.

Forty minutes later and we’re all pulling into Pendalton Community Hospital in our respective vehicles.

“Never a dull moment,” Ginger says, looking so beautiful I can barely stand it. Who wears a pink sundress that fucking tortuous to a family dinner? I take a moment when we pull in to kiss her.

“I’ve been waiting to do that for hours,” I tell her, sliding my hand up her thigh. “We did good tonight, telling them everything.”

“They all seem, dare I say, happy about it,” Ginger says as I trail my lips down her delicious neck.

“Yep,” I murmur, not fully listening to what she’s saying because, fuck, she smells like goddamn dessert and the thought that we have the whole night alone makes my cock throb in my shorts.

“You better cut that short, Sheriff, or we’ll be in the backseat before we can get inside,” she scolds.

“Shouldn’t have worn this dress then.”

She laughs and turns her caramel eyes on mine. A look of warning before she opens her door.

“Fuck …” I say, selfishly hoping this baby comes quick so I can have my wife all to myself.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Ginger

“How is she?” CeCe asks Ivy’s mom, Glenda, as she exits the delivery room. We’re all piled into the small waiting room just outside and Jo gets up immediately to get her a coffee. Glenda hasn’t wavered; she’s been at her daughter’s side for hours.

“She’s eight centimeters dilated,” she tells us. “The doctor said she was six when we got here. Probably been in labor all day.”

Just as Cole thought.

“She wanted to have a completely natural birth, but she’s regretting that choice right now,” Glenda grins. “Keeps asking every intern that comes in for drugs. Though she’ll be glad she did it this way when it’s over.” Ivy’s mama sips her coffee. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a grammie,” she says with a sweet smile on her face. Jo pats her hand and we all sit in a sort of happy bliss.

The clock ticks on and a marathon ofProperty Brothersplays on the waiting room TV. We’ve watched a few episodes when Glenda comes out to give us the update that Ivy is about to startpushing. We sit for another thirty minutes as we watch the end of another episode, before Wade comes out of the delivery room, leans his hand on the wall and takes a deep breath.

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