Page 47 of A Cowboy Home for Christmas
Jesus, if they’d stop talking it would be for the better. “That’s not going to happen,” I assure her as I rush my dead brother’s mistress past her. The odds currently don’t look in my favor.
“That’s what I said,oucccch!” Another contraction.
“You didn’t have to say it at all,” Lauren huffs beside me.
“Agreed.” There was no need to put that idea in Lauren’s head.
“I want to push!” Alison screams.
“No!” Lauren turns to Savi. “Run to the front desk and get them to page the EMTs to meet us there and call an ambulance.”
“On it.”
“Lauren, Lauren.” Alison repeats her name. “I really wanna push.”
“You can’t push. Not yet. We’re almost there, I promise.” She strokes her arm while running to keep up to my pace. “What did you decide for a name?” She’s trying to distract her.
“Jackson.”
“Jackson is nice.”
“I wanted to name his Gunnar, but what will the town say? The kids will tease him. They’ll all talk and gossip about his mistress mommy.” The waterworks are starting again. I stay the hell out of the conversation.
“Don’t listen to what other people say. They’ll forget.”
“They never forget.”
“Not if we tell them the truth. Not if we tell them Gunnar and I had been separated when you two hooked up.”
“Hooked up?” More tears.
“No, no, no,” Lauren rushes on. “Got together.”
“You’d do that? For me? For my baby?”
Lauren sighs. “It’s the truth, Alison. We’d been separated long before you came into the picture.”
“Does that mean you forgive me?”
Lauren says nothing.
I nudge her side.
“That means I’ll tell the girls about their half brother and not want to rip your hair out.”
“I’ll take it.”
Finally, the last door comes into sight. Beyond, the EMT are waiting for us. They rush across the lobby and take over. I’ve never been so happy to get a woman out of my arms.
I step back, but Alison begs Lauren to stay at her side. When the ambulance arrives, Lauren is loading inside with her.
“I’ll meet you there. Savi and I will take the truck.”
“No.” Lauren stops at the edge of the ambulance. “Please, tuck the girls in bed and be their Santa. Savi will drive me home when we’re done. It could be a long night.” She looks at me different. A look I can’t make out. Don’t understand. But I fucking hope it has nothing to do with Alison’s blabbing about me falling in love with her. I will never love anyone the way I love Lauren.
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LAUREN
