Page 46 of Targeted By Temptation
There was a commotion in the corridor, with Lake glaring at a vending machine. “Come on. Give me what I paid for.”
When I asked what he was doing, he told me his chips were stuck. I fumbled in my pocket for some coins, but my youngest brother smacked the side of the machine with his palm using his shifter strength.
The contents of the vending machine tumbled out. Oh gods, it was a tsunami of chips, candy bars, and sodas. They clattered and plopped onto the floor, and everyone in the vicinity stared.
“Oops.” Lake put on his best innocent expression when a nurse strode over, but he pulled money out of his wallet and stuffed it in her hands before scuttling into the waiting room. He was the most popular person in the hospital as he handed out snacks.
I raced back to Reign and regaled him with what happened. Another contraction gripped him, and he grunted that he wanted to smack something, just as Lake had done.
An hour passed, and the contractions were getting closer together. But a loud voice outside demanded to know how Reign was progressing. That was Boaz, and Reign and I shared a glance. He giggled at my brother thinking his Alpha authority extended to a hospital.
“Sir, if you're not immediate family, I can't help you.” That sounded like the midwife who’d examined Reign when we arrived.
“I’m doing fine, Boaz,” my mate yelled.
“So glad to hear it.”
“Owie.” Reign started breathing through another contraction.
“Are you okay, Reign? Do you need our help?” Now Riggs was outside the door.
“I’m good, thanks.” My mate started the hee-hee-hoo breathing.
I cracked open the door. “Go back to the waiting room. Lake has a mountain of snacks to keep you occupied.”
The pair shuffled away.
Reign laughed, and a groan followed. “Your family is something else.”
“They’re your family too.”
He tilted his head. “Yeah, and I’m so glad they are, despite them all being completely bonkers.”
There were many more hours of contractions and breathing. We paced, squatted, and groaned together. Reign liked it when I grunted with them and said it helped ease the pain to pretend I was taking some of it from him.
“Your brothers have been suspiciously quiet. Why don’t you check on them again?”
I protested, saying I had to be at his side, but he said I’d be a few yards away, not in the next state.
Riggs was trying to piece together an armchair when I walked in.
“Are you taking up metalworking?”
“I was anxious about Reign and I kinda broke it.” He held up two pieces of metal but looked over my shoulder and jerked his head. Thiago was pacing, much as Reign had done, except he was moving too fast for a human, and a man was staring at him.
“You should get that looked at,” the guy said, waving his hands at my brother’s legs.
“Sorry, it’s the caffeine.”
I scooted back to my mate and left my brothers to it.
Reign was on the bed, trying to get comfortable and complaining that it wasn’t possible. “The bed, that bouncy ball thing, warm water, none of it makes me feel better.”
“How about I rub your back with the rolling pin?”
He nodded, and we enjoyed a few minutes of calm before the next contraction.
There was a knock at the door. I rolled my eyes and wanted to ignore it, but Reign yelled, “What now?”
