Maya would know better than I would. She’d read every baby magazine on every shelf front to back. I knew she was due in a week, but beyond that, I was clueless.
She exhaled loudly and leaned back on the couch with her eyes closed. “I’m sure. I’d rather stay here and labor as long as I can before I go in.”
I worried, but agreed to wait to contact Cam. No doubt he’d totally freak out as soon as he knew she was in labor.
I ate a quick snack, packed up my supplies, and spent the next two hours comforting her through every contraction until they were close enough that we could call Cam.
As expected, he was at the apartment in record time, rushing through the house for last-minute things to throw in the hospital bag. He drove all of us, and I held Maya’s hand through the contractions that came and went on the journey.
Once they were settled in their own hospital room, I quietly excused myself. I could have held Maya’s hand until the baby came, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to witness childbirth. Beyond that, Cameron was the one who should be with her. Until I’d fallen in love, I hadn’t known two people to love each other so hard. I knew they were destined to be together. Nothing could shake that belief.
I paced around the waiting room, hoping to get an update sooner rather than later. I shot off texts to Will and Ian, letting them know I’d be staying at my apartment in case Cam and Maya needed anything. I texted Vanessa and Darren too and promised to update them when I heard anything. Darren hadn’t contacted me since the ribbon-cutting, but a second after I sent the text, he sent a short reply.
Awesome! Keep us posted.
I smiled, thrilled that before the day was through, I’d likely be an aunt. The fact that Darren had acknowledged my existence after nearly two weeks of silence was icing on the cake.
After about an hour, Cameron emerged from the room. I rose and met him in the middle of the waiting room.
“How’s she doing?”
“Great. She’s between contractions, so I can’t stay long. They’re coming pretty close, but they say she’s got a little bit to go. Her water hasn’t broken yet. You can head back home if you want, and I can let you know when the baby comes.”
I nodded quickly. “Okay, just let me know if you need anything.”
He smiled. “I will. Thanks.”
I hugged him tight before he could leave and then shooed him off two seconds later. “Okay, go back to her.”
He rushed back to their room with a jog, and my heart twisted for the love they had.
I took the train back home, feeling jittery and high with anticipation. Back at my apartment, I considered finishing the baby’s mural, but my brain was all over the place. I was too excited, too anxious to stay focused. I needed a more mindless occupation while I waited for news from Cameron, so I started packing up some more things to take over to the penthouse.
Even though most of my nights were spent there, I’d resolved to keep the apartment furnished for another month, just in case.
The life we were building together seemed almost too good to be true, and that was what made it overwhelming at times. Day by day, our bonds grew deeper. I was happy and so ready to start living again. Because for so long, I hadn’t been. I hadn’t been especially unhappy, but something was always missing. Until Will and Ian had come into my life, I couldn’t clearly see it.
Having love in my life had reignited a passion long lost. Now I had a future to look forward to, and I was determined not to let anything or anyone get in the way of that.
I was in the middle of sorting through my staggering shoe collection when the phone rang. My doctor’s office number showed up on the screen.
I’d paid them a visit following Ian’s request so they could run the gamut on labs. I’d never had unprotected sex, but if he and Will were going to submit clean bills of health, I wanted something official to offer too. More importantly, I needed to get on the pill. My love life had been uneventful enough over the past year to justify skipping the daily ritual, but I didn’t want anything between us anymore either.
My doctor’s voice greeted me. “So we got your labs back. Good news, everything came back fine. Everything’s normal, except for one thing.”
I dropped a red-soled nude pump into the box I’d been filling.
“What’s that?”
“Well.” She cleared her throat. “You’re pregnant.”
My jaw fell. I wasn’t sure how many seconds passed before she spoke again.
“I can’t say exactly how far along you are, but based on your HCG levels, I’d say you could see us again in a couple weeks for an ultrasound, and we can get you going from there.”
“I don’t understand.” I forced the words out, because nothing made sense in this moment.
“You’re pregnant, Olivia.”
I shook my head. “That’s not possible.”
“The blood work doesn’t lie. It’s not like a home pregnancy test, where there’s room for error.”
I hung up without another word.
Chapter Seventeen
WILL