Page 20 of Calling from the Heart
Not even a little, to be honest. The entire ballroom was full of his friends.
“No, and your mom will be there in a few hours. I’m leaving now. I love you.”
“Love you son,” Dad called. “We’ll be there in a bit, like a few hours bit. I’m going to pack bags!”
He chuckled, the sound cut off as he breathed through a contraction. Okay, that one was real.
Someone handed him a bunch of towels, someone else cleaned up the floor, and Jen was gone like smoke, heading to pick up his bag and some extra dry clothes.
Jeb held him, rocking him gently as he stared.
“I didn’t mean to ruin the party.”
“Are you kidding?” That was Debbie from school. “This is the best baby shower ever. Now we all know who’s going to win the baby raffle.”
The room filled with laughter, and he just rolled his eyes. Of course, of course he would go into labor a month early.
Shit. A month. That was a lot.
“What if it’s too early?”
Jeb pulled out his phone. “We’ll call Devon.”
Jeb’s mom came and sat next to them, her eyes just like her son’s, warm and comforting. “Devon told you that no one was sure exactly when you got pregnant, right? He said that either she was going to be a small full-term baby, or she was a great big early baby. You told me that yourself.” She patted his hand. “I bet she’s not as early as all that. February is a lovely time to have a birthday.”
“Right. Oh, shit. Debbie, can you call the school and tell them that I’m not going to be coming back this year? They’re going to have to find a sub for the next month too.” At least they were mostly all here to see he wasn’t exaggerating.
“No problem,” Debbie said. “The new student teacher is more than happy to sub in and get her experience. We’ve got this worked out bud, so don’t stress. You just focus on raising a happy, healthy infant that you can come show off to your class before the end of the school year, and then next year you’ll be back with bells on.”
He nodded. “I will. You know, I couldn’t give up my kiddos.”
But first, he had to focus on having a baby. A healthy baby who was gonna be perfect. Their Carrie.
He blinked at the sudden rush of tears, and Jeb leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Wow, baby. Now. Right now. You’re having our baby.”
“I think that I ought to wait until we get to the birthing center, love.” Another contraction started, and he groaned.
“Maybe sooner than later.”
Seven
"Happy almost Valentine's Day. Do you think it'll happen today or tomorrow?" Owen asked, those gorgeous eyes lit up with excited nerves. "Do you think it's too early? Do you think she's all right?"
Devon grinned and hugged Owen gently. There was something about this man that soothed everyone he came into contact with. Maybe it was the calming vibe, maybe it was the fact that the man never seemed to be in a hurry. Maybe it was some essential oil that drugged everyone into peace. "She'll come when she comes. Babies don't care. We'll get you in, get her checked out, okay? Don't stress."
"Don't stress." Jeb cracked up, because he really liked Devon. "Spoken like someone who's delivered a shit ton of babies."
"Don't you know it? Come on, Owen, let's get you settled and checked. Raven's on his way in, so that we can make sure that everything's ready for your family and all that. Let's have a baby."
Jeb thought the birthing center was amazing. There were tubs for water births. The chairs and beds were both sized to fit more than one person, and the lights were dimmed so that it felt like a home, not a hospital. It was comfortable and quiet andcozy, but each room had a theme -- this one was decorated like a Victorian bedroom -- cabbage rose wallpaper, a tea set, a basket of yarn and an electric fireplace with an ornate mantle covered in knickknacks.
Jeb turned on Owen's birth playlist while Devon did the business side of making sure their Carrie was healthy and ready to meet the world. He loved how all of the machines for monitoring and emergencies were hidden away when they weren't being used so that no one had to see them.
It just felt like the perfect place to bring someone new into the world, and it was happening to Jeb. It was happening to Jeb right now.
"So, my dears," Devon said, with a warm, relaxed smile. "She is in position. She is a great birth weight, and everything looks like we're going to have a baby. You have some time, so settle in, enjoy each other. I'm going to see if Raven can stop and grab us a pizza."
Owen gave him a warm smile when they cozied right in, all that fear gone now, replaced with anticipation. Right now the contractions seemed to be hard but not terrible, and he almost immediately asked to go into the tub, which Jeb was happy to oblige.
