Page 47 of The Cowgirl's Chosen Love
Josiah leaned in, his face close to Lisa’s. “Like I said, your dates are definitely way more exciting than mine.”
Lisa stared down at the incredible scene in front of her, fingers meshed with Tamara’s as she tried to offer support while a stranger with a Coleman face worked at Brad’s side…
Yeah. Josiah was right.
In the tangled,mixed-up minutes that followed, Josiah was glad he wasn’t going to miss any of it.
While there was stress involved, he knew everyone in the room was competent, far more than him having to be a human baby catcher. Plus, there was something very special about getting to watch the miracle of birth without being the guide.
It took longer than he’d expected, considering he’d figured the baby was pretty much ready to pop.
But Brad and Julia talked Tamara through breathing exercises and slowed everything down enough to keep the delivery safe. Instead of the room being filled with a sense of panic, a strange peacefulness shifted in.
Heck, Lisa untangled her fingers from her sister’s for long enough to punch up a music mix on her phone.
“Ha.” Tamara managed a smile. “Now you can tell meI told you sofor having that ready early.”
“Music always helps,” Julia said.
The door swung open, and Lisa jolted upright. “Caleb.”
Josiah’s friend looked a little wild around the eyes. His gaze went straight to Tamara as he hurried out of his winter gear. “Figured you’d do something to shake up the place. Hey, darlin’.”
Tamara burst into tears. “Oh my God, you’re here.”
“Hey. Deep breaths,” Brad reminded her. “Ditch your boots then get over here, Caleb. Slide in behind your wife and act as a backrest. We’re ready to roll.”
Lisa moved aside for Caleb as he followed Brad’s directions.
An instant later Caleb had Tamara between his legs, resting against his chest, his cheeks pressed to hers. He held on as if he were holding his heart in his arms. “I’ve got you. You can do this.”
Lisa stepped away, tugging Josiah closer to the living room which put them still in the middle of the event, but offered the illusion of privacy. She slipped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest, and when he curled his arms around her, something perfect turned inside her.
There wasn’t time to talk. There wasn’t time to do anything except watch with wonder as new life came into the world.
Fifteen minutes later, a brand-new baby boy was bundled up in a soft cotton blanket, lying in his mama’s arms as she stared at him in awe.
Caleb looked shocked. Happy, but totally blown away. He pressed a kiss to Tamara’s cheek, his arms cradling the two of them, before leaning in to kiss his son. “Hey, Tyler. Thanks for showing up safely.”
Tamara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “His name fits him perfectly.”
“Of course, it does,” Caleb teased. “You chose it.”
They smiled at each other and the room was filled with a kind of magic Josiah had never dreamed of getting to share.
He waited until the moment was interrupted by the cleanup taking place beside the new parents before speaking.
“Congratulations,” Josiah offered softly. “He’s beautiful.”
Two faces swung toward him—tired satisfaction on Tamara’s, pride and worry on Caleb’s.
“Thanks. Thanks for being our emergency backup,” Caleb said.
“Thank you for getting back so fast,” Lisa added. Her gaze drifted again to Julia.
This wasn’t the time or place to dig for that story, but oh boy, something was going on.
Julia kept glancing at the other two women as well. Discreetly, in between sessions of working briskly with Brad, but it was obvious she’d seen the same thing.
