Beat of the Heart (45 page)

empty chair tucked into an alcove. But after I got off my feet and took in a few deep breaths, pain still

radiated through my lower back and abdomen.

“Mia?”

I glanced up to see Brayden standing before me. When he realized it really was me, he quickly

extinguished the cigarette he’d been smoking. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.”

“What are you doing out here by yourself?”

“I just needed some air.”

He dug a pack of gum out of his pockets and offered me a piece. When I declined, he popped three

pieces in his mouth. He gave me a sheepish grin. “Would you do me a huge favor and not tell Lily I

was out here smoking? You know, considering I allegedly quit three months ago.”

I laughed. “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell Lily about the smoking if you won’t tell AJ that he was

right, and I really shouldn’t have tagged along to all the parties tonight. The ceremony was enough.”

Brayden crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head suspiciously at me. “What do you

mean?”

I sighed. “I’m tired, that’s all.”

“Mia,” he implored.

“Fine. I’m having some…pains.”

Brayden knelt at my side—his expression clouded with worry. “What kind of pains?”

“It’s nothing. Seriously. It’s just my back and feet.” When he pursed his lips at me, I caved. “I

started cramping out on the dance floor. But I’m sure I just overdid it tonight, and I need some rest. If I

sit here a little longer and put my feet up, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m going to get AJ,” Brayden said, popping up from the ground.

I grabbed his sleeve and jerked him back. “No, please don’t do that.”

“Mia, as a husband, trust me when I say that when your wife is pregnant and in pain, you want to

know it. To AJ, you’re more than his fiancée—you’re already his wife”

“But this is the most amazing night of AJ’s life—one he has worked so hard for. He’s been on

cloud nine all day, and I want him to savor each and every moment. I can’t bear to ruin one second of

it by causing him unnecessary worry as the nagging fiancée.”

“He needs to know, and I’m going to tell him.”

“Not if I get to him first!” I countered. When I shot out of my seat, all hell broke loose below my

waist. A twisting, wrenching pain ricocheted through me, and I moaned.

“Mia?” Just as Brayden stepped over to me, my water broke with such a force that it splashed

down my legs and onto the top of Brayden’s shoes before spreading on the floor.

As Brayden and I gazed down at the puddle we stood in, my hand flew to cover my mouth. “Oh

God, I can’t believe that just happened. All that ‘what to expect’ crap doesn’t quite prepare you for

Splash Mountain.” When I dared to look up at Brayden, I shook my head. “I’m so, so sorry about your

shoes.”

He laughed. “Mia, honey, I could give two shits about my shoes right now. I’m a little more

concerned about the fact you’re in labor.”

“Oh damn,” I muttered.

“We need to get you to the hospital.”

Tears stung my eyes. “Now I’m really going to ruin AJ’s night.”

As I sniffled, Brayden’s hand came to cup my cheek. “Mia, I promise you when it comes down to

it, awards and parties won’t mean shit when he holds Isabella in his arms for the first time. Nothing

will ever compare to that moment when he sees the life he helped create.”

My lip trembled at his sweet words. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome. Now why don’t you just sit back down here while I go find AJ, and

then we’ll get you to the limo.”

“Yeah, that should be—” My voice choked off as pain ripped through my abdomen like a steam

locomotive charging through it. I doubled over and cried out. Around me, I could hear Brayden

talking furiously to someone, but I couldn’t make out his words through the agonizing pain. It seemed

to go on forever before it finally let up.

“Mia!” AJ cried.

I glanced up to see him tearing down the veranda—his face ashen with worry. When he got to me,

he wrapped me in his arms. “Amorcito mio, it’s okay. I’m here now.”

Before I could stop myself, tears stung my eyes. “Oh AJ, I’m so sorry about going into labor

tonight.”

His eyes widened. “Don’t you dare say that! You and Bella are my world.”

Another pain rippled through me, and I cried out. “Come on. We gotta get you to the limo.” AJ

wrapped one arm around my waist while the other he used to push us through the crowd. Brayden

started ahead of us, shoving people out of the way to clear a path. By the time we got outside, Jake,

Abby, Lily, and Rhys were pacing beside the limo.

“Oh my God, Mia,” Abby cried, rushing up to me.

“I’m okay…I’m just in labor.”

“And we’re going to get you to the hospital ASAP,” Lily replied.

“No, no, you guys need to stay and have fun,” I protested.

Jake grinned and shook his head. “I think there’s a new party to go to—‘Miss Bella’s Introduction

to the World Party’.”

I laughed. “Yeah, it’s going to be a rocking one for sure.”

“All right, enough talking. You need to get inside the limo. Now,” AJ commanded.

“Eesh, so bossy,” I muttered before I dipped inside. AJ threw his tux jacket across the seat. Just as

I sat down, another pain gripped me. AJ immediately appeared at my side and grabbed hold of my

hand.

When I finally came out of my pain haze, I saw that Abby and Jake had ducked inside as well.

“That was intense,” I croaked.

“I’m so sorry,” AJ murmured, kissing my cheek.

I was adjusting myself on the seat when the limo driver appeared at the door.

“Why aren’t we moving?” Jake asked.

His face paled. “We seem to be having engine problems.”

“Excuse me?” I demanded through gritted teeth.

“It won’t start.”

“You gotta be fucking kidding me!” AJ exclaimed.

Jake shook his head. “Maybe we can borrow someone else’s car or limo?”

The limo driver shook his head. “I just called the paramedics on dispatch. They were right around

the corner, and they should be here any minute.”

“Shit,” I muttered as another terrible contraction ricocheted through me. Looking back, I realized

all the pains I’d had yesterday and today weren’t just the usual pregnancy pains or Braxton Hicks.

Even though I was a Cardiac nurse, how the hell could I not have realized the signs that I was in

labor?

I gripped AJ’s hand tight as I rode the agonizing wave of pain. When it finally subsided, I relaxed.

But it was at that moment that I felt something had shifted below my waist. “Um, this is probably

totally in my imagination, but it feels like she’s coming out already.”

Abby peered down at her phone. “Your contractions are coming faster and faster together. Do you

want me to…” She glanced between AJ and Jake before looking back at me. “You know, check on

things…down there?”

“Yeah, it probably wouldn’t hurt. I mean, between the two of us, we probably have just enough

nursing training to be dangerous when it comes to labor and delivery.”

When Abby reached to ease up my dress, Jake threw up his hands defensively. “Wait, I’m sorry,

but I have to get the hell out of here,” he said, before ducking out of door. I caught a glimpse of Rhys

pacing outside with Brayden and Lily before Jake closed the door.

Abby gently reached under my dress to remove my soaked panties. She tossed them to the side, and

then pushed the hemline up. “Oh my God!” she screeched.

“What?” AJ and I demanded in unison.

“You were right. Bella’s head…it’s like…right there.”

“Oh, shit, I’ve already crowned?”

“Whoa, what the hell is crowning?” AJ questioned.

“Didn’t you read any of the baby books I gave you?”

A sheepish look entered his face. “I skimmed some of them. Those birthing pictures were way

intense.”

“Well for your information, crowning means it’s time to push.”

He shook his head wildly back and forth. “But you can’t push yet. The paramedics aren’t here.

Can’t you just hold it in?”

The death glare that both Abby and I shot him caused him to shrink back into the seat. He held up

his hands defensively. “Sorry, that was a really stupid question.” He swallowed hard. “Okay, then

what do we do?”

I opened my mouth but was interrupted by the wail of an ambulance’s siren. At AJ’s horror stricken

face, I squeezed his hand. “It’s okay now. The EMT’s will know what to do.”

Just as they knocked on the window, another pain seized me—this time it felt like a giant’s hands

were squeezing my abdomen. I couldn’t help but pinch my eyes shut and push, regardless of whether

the paramedics were there or not. Voices echoed around me, but all I could do was focus on the

contractions as they came harder and faster.

As I crouched down at Mia’s side in the back of the limo, the irony of the situation wasn’t lost on

me. We’d come together sexually as a couple for the first time on a limo floor and now our daughter

was going to be born in one. Mia was advancing so fast that the EMT’s refused to move her.

When I’d dared to protest that maybe having a baby in a limo wasn’t the best idea, they had ignored

me. Instead they’d jerked up Mia’s dress even further and widened her legs for the delivery. Shit was

getting epically real, and I wasn’t sure I could handle it.

But when I got my first sight of Bella’s crowned head, it was like a lightning bolt zapped me. Even

from my vantage point, I could see she had a head full of jet black hair. Something about seeing that

tiny head sent wonder and instant adoration rippling through me. This was
my
baby girl. I no longer

gave a shit that we were having her in a limo and not a sterile delivery room. All I cared about was

that my daughter— mi niña—was about to be born.

While I whispered soft words of reassurance in Mia’s ear, she huffed and puffed out breaths of air

as her face contorted in pain. I hated that she had to do this shit without any good drugs. The entire

time she was pregnant she had never once advocated for natural childbirth—she’d even refused those

classes where they teach you to breathe because she knew she wanted drugs. But now she was being

denied that all because of me, and her stupid honor as my loyal fiancée to tag along with me to my

Grammy party shit.

An electricity crackled in the air as one of the paramedics began moving faster between Mia’s

legs. A flurry of activity was going on below her waist, but I focused on her. I held her gaze as she

rode the waves of pain, and then finally I resorted to singing Spanish into her ear. I knew she’d

always said that Spanish turned her on and that was the last thing she was thinking about now, but I

figured it might be a little soothing. It seemed to help a little.

And then almost like magic, one minute Bella wasn’t there, and the next she appeared, bloodied

and wailing in the paramedic’s hands. Tears stung my eyes at the sight of her, and I didn’t bother

trying to hide them.

As the EMT suctioned Bella’s nose and mouth, Mia squeezed my hand. “Is she okay?” she

questioned.

The EMT smiled. “Looks fine—great, actually, considering everything. Of course, they’ll check

her over at the hospital.” Turning to me, he asked, “Would you like to cut the cord?”