She turned her face away from me, and I was struggling to find words when her phone started ringing from the pocket of her coat.
“Kimber,” she whispered when she checked the screen. Her mouth opened slightly in worry. She picked up the phone right away. “Hey! What’s going on? Is everything okay?” There was silence as I waited for an answer. “Yes. Yes. I’ll be right there. Do you need anything? Okay. Don’t worry about it.”
She hung up, and I knew what had happened.
“She’s gone into labor?” I asked.
“Yes. I need to get home, so I can drive over to the hospital.”
“What about Lilyanne?”
“My mom is watching her.”
“Then, I’ll have the limo drop you off.”
“No—”
“We’re going straight there,” I insisted.
“Okay,” she said.
She didn’t argue at all, which was a sure sign of how worried and excited she was for Kimber.
I told the limo driver where to go, and we sped off to the hospital. The rest of the ride was silent. She was brimming with nerves about her sister, and I couldn’t bear to bring up what had happened with us and what we were going to do next.
The driver stopped in front of the entrance to the hospital wing where the maternity ward was.
“Thank you for dropping me off,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome. Tell Kimber good luck.”
“I will.”
She reached behind her, unclasped the necklace, and held it out to me. “You should keep this.”
“It was a gift.”
“It’s your mother’s. I only want you to give it to me if this works out. And, right now…”
She dropped the necklace into my palm, and I suddenly felt cold.
“Right now what?”
She started to slide away from me, but I reached out and pulled her in close.
“What does this mean for us?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I can’t think right now. I just need to be with my sister.”
“I understand. That’s what’s important.” I placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “We’ll figure the rest of this out another time.”
“Yeah,” she said, sad and distracted. “Another time.”
With a weight on my chest, I watched her disappear. I’d thought tonight would be the start of everything new. I’d thought, tomorrow, she would meet Colton and see why I loved him so much. And, now, I was left wondering if we were even going to make it to tomorrow.
Thirty
Emery
Tears streamed down my face as I stood in front of the elevators. The hospital ward was empty. I was sure the ER was packed with drunken accidents, but here, in this part of the hospital, it was deserted. And I was grateful.
I couldn’t seem to stop crying. My breaths were coming out in short spurts, and my chest constricted. I felt like I was hyperventilating, unable to get enough air in and hiccuping to try to recover.
My heart ached. My chest ached. My head ached.
Everything hurt.
Walking away from Jensen hurt.
I hadn’t wanted to do it. But I’d meant every word that I said. He didn’t trust, period. And I couldn’t be with him if he didn’t trust me. That left us at an impasse.
After the mess back in Austin, I’d thought moving home and trying to figure out what I wanted in my life would be easy. I’d spend time with Kimber and Heidi. I’d find a real job. I’d discover what I wanted.
Instead, my heart, mind, body, and soul belonged to Jensen Wright.
I should have stayed sworn off of men.
I should have stayed far away from the Wrights.
Then, I wouldn’t be standing here with a heart threatening to shatter.
“Fuck,” I whispered, jamming the button to go upstairs. I scrubbed at my face.
No more tears.
No more.
Kimber would notice. I was sure of it. But I was here for her now, and that was what was important. Meeting my new niece.
I took the elevator up to the fourth floor and was directed to my sister’s room.
“Knock, knock,” I said, entering the room.
Kimber was lying in the bed with Noah hovering next to her, holding a cup of ice chips.
“Hey!” she said with a genuine smile. “You made it.”
“I made it.”
“Are you okay?”
“Totally. I’m so excited to finally meet the little one!” I put on a big smile and pushed the last couple of hours out of my mind.
“Well, it’s still going to be a while,” Noah said. “Water hasn’t even broken, but she’s dilated and having contractions at a regular interval. Same as last time.”
“I’m here for an all-nighter then.”
“You look like you came straight from a party. Did you give up your midnight kiss for me?” Kimber asked.
I glanced up at the clock and realized it was only ten thirty. We’d totally missed our New Year’s kiss. Not that I was exactly up for a steamy kiss right now.
“Meh. Don’t worry about it. I know you brought a couple of extra outfits. I’ll just steal your clothes and send Mom back with more when I take over for Lily.”
“You are going to send Mom here?” Kimber asked hysterically.
I cackled, finally feeling an ounce of buoyancy. “Now, you admit your true feelings! She’s crazy, right?”
“I don’t need coaching! I already have two doctors. Sorry, Noah.”
“No offense taken.”
“Ohhh!” Kimber yelled. She doubled over as a contraction hit her full force.
And then I went into full-on sister mode. Kimber gave me something to focus on. I was able to be helpful and be there to make her smile and laugh through the worst of it.
Right after midnight, my phone started ringing and I saw that it was Heidi. “Is it okay if I take this?”
“We’re going to be here a while,” Kimber said. “Go ahead.”
I walked out of the room and found a quiet place to answer. “Hey Heidi.”
“Em! Where are you?” Heidi asked. “I found the hottest guy for my New Year’s kiss, and I want you to meet him.”
“I actually left.”
“Oh, you and Jensen left early for some sex,” Heidi said. I could tell she was drunk.
“Actually, no. Kimber went into labor, and Jensen and I got into a huge fight.”
“Kimber went into labor!” Heidi cried, sobering up. “Should I leave? And wait, what fight? What happened?”
“No, don’t leave. We’re going to be here all night. I can text you when the baby comes.”