Page 96 of The Rules

“I was in a meeting. I just got her voicemail. Did you bring her here?”

“Yeah.”

Dani nodded, then pushed through the door. He followed.

When Cat saw Dani, she burst into tears.

“Oh my God, Kit Cat. I’m so sorry I missed your call. Are you okay? Is Josh on his way?”

“I can’t get a hold of him.”

Dani reached around the spider web of wires hooked to Cat’s belly and gathered her in a hug. Then she turned to Dylan. Both of their pleading eyes on him sent heat surging up his neck.

“I’ve got people on it,” he said. He scraped a hand over his jaw, finding his skin clammy. He would handle it. He wouldn’t let them down. He’d already let Dani down enough and Cat was the most important thing in the world to his best friend. He would take care of her.

“Dylan will get Josh on the phone,” Dani said, the confidence in her tone pricking some dormant need for validation.

The doctor cleared her throat, and Dani tore her eyes away from Cat to listen. “So, I was explaining to Cat that she’s experiencing preterm labor. She’s thirty-one weeks which is too early for comfort in my opinion. We’re going to try to stop your labor, but if we’re unsuccessful, there’s going to have to be some quick decisions made.”

“I need to talk to Josh,” Cat said again.

“It’s okay, Cat,” Dani said, smoothing her hair.

Dani shot Dylan a glance that was no hate and all commiseration, and the knots in his muscles loosened. He shouldn’t take pleasure in the way it felt to meet her eyes again, to have her express confidence in him he wasn’t sure he deserved. Given the circumstances, he shouldn’t be happy about a forced moment with Dani, but after weeks of not speaking, he’d take what he could get.

The doctor was listing off some medications and their uses when Dylan’s phone buzzed in his hand.

Finally.He held a finger up to Dani and stepped into the hallway to answer.

“Is she okay?” Josh asked as soon as Dylan connected the call.

“The doctor said she’s in preterm labor. They’re going to try to stop it. How soon can you get here?”

“I’m pulling out of the hotel now. Two hours max.” He sounded like he was out of breath.

Dylan’s heart was racing. He couldnotgive Josh bad news over the phone if it came to that. He prayed to every saint his mother taught him that it wouldn’t, but Josh needed to get here and he also needed to stay calm. “Okay. Listen, Josh, drive carefully. Everything is under control right now. Just trust me and get here safe.”

“Dylan…”

“Trust me, man. It’s under control.”

“How are you doing, sweety?” Dani reached out to hold Cat’s hand, listening to the monitors beep all around them. Cat’s fingers were cold and clammy, and Dani pulled her chair closer and tucked the blanket around her belly.

Cat let out a breath that shook and shuddered. “I’m scared.”

“I know. Josh will get back here, and everything will be just fine.” The doctor had given Cat a cocktail of meds in her IV. With the pain easing, the adrenaline had deserted her, leaving her looking exhausted and emotionally wrecked.

“What if this is my punishment?” Cat whispered. She slipped a hand under the sheet and cradled her stomach, her already puffy eyes spilling again. “What if this is what I deserve?”

Dani’s heart sank. “For what, Cat?”

“For not wanting this. For crying over it. For not celebrating the way I should have. I said it was a mistake.” Her words trailed off into a sob and Dani’s eyes burned.

“Cat. No.”

“That was only a few months ago and now the thought of not having her is ripping my heart out.”

Dani climbed onto the bed and laid her head on the pillow beside Cat. “Priorities change really quickly sometimes. Sometimes you wake up one day and something you’d never even considered becomes a reality, and it feels like a smack in the face. It’s okay to be sad that it didn’t go the way you planned, and it’s okay to admit you were wrong and that the new plan brings you a joy you hadn’t expected.”

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