BRIAN (The Callahans Book 1) (115 page)

Laura cuddled in close to him to watch the sun setting outside her window. This was enough. She was so stupid for fighting herself, fighting her feelings. Her worries about Mason, from committing fully to this misguided idea she would lose herself if she did, had vanished. Losing herself in him didn’t feel like such a bad idea anymore.

She pulled Mason’s hand around her as the baby started kicking around again. She felt him shift to look. “Want to see something really cool?” Laura asked.

“Sure. What?”

Laura untangled herself from him and shifted around to lean against the headboard. “Hand me that water bottle, please.”

Mason passed her the near empty plastic bottle, wondering what the hell she was doing.

“Observe.” She set the bottle on the fullest part of her belly and waited. It wasn’t long before baby Decker had knocked the offending object off. “Wait, there’s more.” Laura and Mason stared as her skin started to wave and dance as little arms and legs pressed against her.

“Whoa,” Mason said softly. “That is the weirdest thing.”

“I know, right?” Laura grinned. “I call it morphy belly.”

“Laura, we’re home!” Joanie’s voice called from the bottom of the stairs. “We brought dinner home, too.”

Laura glanced at Mason. “Looks like we’re busted. Let’s get dressed and go downstairs. I can’t wait to see the look on Ma’s face.”

Mason paled. All he could think about was what her father would do. “Your dad won’t try to kill me, will he?”

“Pfft. Doubt it. He might try to maim you a little.” Laura struggled back into her jeans. “Ugh, I cannot wait to not have to Crisco my legs to get my pants on. I’m so swollen!”

Mason inhaled the delicious, greasy smell wafting up from the dining room. “I think your parents might have brought home Chinese. I don’t think that will help your swelling situation any.”

“Balls. I’ll have to wear nothing but a t-shirt all day tomorrow until the salt runs out of my system.” With a sigh she preemptively removed her rings. “Hello, sausage fingers.”

Laura went down to dinner first. She thought it might be best to prep her parents before just springing Mason on them. “Hey, guys. How was the art show?”

“Oh, honey, it was wonderful. The aluminum sculptures were so beautiful and told such a story.” Joanie chatted for a few more minutes before Laura noticed her dad rolling his eyes.

“I can do the same thing with the scrap in the garage and a spare weekend. I can’t believe one of those con-artists wanted a hundred grand for one of his junk mobiles!” Robbie commented. He had never been one to understand the modern art scene.

“Oh, Daddy. I hope you had fun anyway,” Laura said, shaking her head.

“Of course! They had a food truck bazaar going on across the field. I had the best slice of pizza I’ve ever eaten. Have you ever heard of putting marshmallows on a pepperoni pizza? It’s amazing!”

Much to Laura’s surprise, her mouth started watering. Any other time she’d have turned her nose up, but apparently her hormones wanted salty, sweet, and meat.

“Robbie,” Joanie began, “you know what your problem is? You just don’t have any culture. If you get out and do more than just watch the Red Sox all day, you might learn something.”

Robbie looked at his daughter. “This coming from a woman who collects ceramic cats. Culture.” He turned to face his wife. “And, for your information, I watch more than the Sox games. There is overlap into hockey season, and I watch all the Bruins games too.”

Laura watched the playful banter continue between her parents for a few more minutes. She was thrilled they were in such good moods; this would make breaking the news about Mason go a little bit smoother.

“Whose Mercedes is that parked on the curb, Laura? Does that slutty neighbor of ours have another male visitor?” Joanie asked while peeping through the back door blinds.

“What? Ma, no. Sit down and eat.” Laura waited until her parents got situated before explaining. “The Mercedes out front belongs to Mason Decker. He’s come up from the city to see me.”

Both her parents stared at her wide-eyed and then looked at each other. A mile-wide smile broke across Joanie’s face. “That’s wonderful! Oh, Laura, I’m so happy for you. Where is he?”

“He’s waiting upstairs. I’ll go get him.” Laura rocked herself out of her chair and waddled herself upstairs. A pain shot through her pelvis as a Braxton Hicks contraction hit her. She paused to let it run its course and finished the climb upstairs.

“Come on down. I think we’re in the clear. Ma is psyched to see you.” Laura grabbed Mason’s hand and walked down the stairs together.

“It’s not really your mum I’m worried about.”

Joanie leapt up and ran to embrace Mason as soon as he and Laura entered the dining room. “Mason! It’s so good to see you!” She held him at arm’s length. “Look at you. What a strapping man you’ve turned out to be. I haven’t seen you since you two were in college. I hear you’re a big software guy now. Sit, eat.” She nudged him towards a chair. “There’s plenty for everybody.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Ross.” He may be speaking to the mother, but his eye was trained on the father for signs of trouble.

“Please, you’ve never called me Mrs. Ross. Boy, you’ve been hanging around this house since you were fourteen years old. You know better than that. Call me Ma. All of Laura’s other friends do.”

“Ma, you’re insane!” It had been a long time since Laura’s mother had embarrassed her. It was nice to see she hadn’t fallen out of practice.

Robbie quietly observed and ate his food. He didn’t really want Laura to tell him all the gory details of her relationship. The biggest one had been in plain sight for a while now, but he had heard enough to still remain cautious. “So, how’d you find out Laura was here, son?” Robbie asked.

“My mum rang and told me. I guess she ran into her downtown right before the baby shower. Before that I had no idea she was here.”

Robbie turned to his daughter. “Laura, is that true?”

Laura nodded. She had to swallow a mouthful of egg roll before speaking. “I did. I figured she’d spill. No offense, Mase, but your mom is a gossip hound.”

“None taken. I know I had never heard a proper British woman sound so giddy about anything in my life. But I’m glad she called.” He placed his hand over Laura’s on the table.

“As long as you found her in a legal way. I heard about the stalker guy.” Robbie pointed his fork at Mason and squinted. “I’m pretty sure we had this conversation when you two started dating in high school, but just to remind you, this is my baby doll, and if anything happens to her… Well, just remember I work with men that bury things for a living.”

“Daddy! Oh my God!” It was like being a teenager again and Mason was taking her to prom. The déjà vu was frightening. “I’m a grown woman now, Daddy. We’ll work this out.” She turned to Mason and mouthed an apology to him.

“Don’t worry about it, sir. I love your daughter more than anyone or anything in this world. She’s safe with me.” Mason gazed adoringly at his woman. He meant every word.

“All right then,” Robbie grunted. “Now that that’s done with, did you happen to catch Game Seven of the Stanley Cup? Can you believe how dirty those Blackhawks played?”

Laura relaxed against her seat and finished her food. She was enjoying watching her boyfriend and father go back and forth about hockey. They seemed to be getting along and having a good time, at least for now. When her dad found out Mason was a Rangers fan he might hit the roof. It was Bruins or death in his house.

Letting her thoughts drift, she ran down the last minute baby checklist and tried to ignore her mother’s stares. She had been watching Laura with a shit-eating grin on her face for several minutes.

“Are you happy, baby?” Joanie asked. “I know you wanted something different, but I hoped you two would come back together somehow. And he’s so handsome! You two will have the prettiest babies!”

“I am happy, Ma.” Laura stood to clear the empty takeout containers. “I told you that I didn’t want him around, but I was kidding myself. This is exactly where I want and need to be.”

Joanie stood and kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I’m glad. Now just so you know, I expect you to have a big Irish Catholic wedding down at the cathedral–”

“Ma! Seriously?” Laura felt herself blush again. “What is with you tonight?” Laura asked with a laugh.

Laura and Mason lay in bed watching a movie. They both felt more relaxed and at peace than they had in a long time.

“Do you plan on staying here after the baby comes?” Mason asked as he played with the loose tendrils from her ponytail.

“Most likely. I wouldn’t want to be more than an hour or so from our parents, and the thought of raising a child in the craziness of Manhattan doesn’t appeal to me at all. I’m sure Daniel will let me work from here as long as I want, as long as I drop in for visits once in a while.” That was, if she wanted to even continue working after the baby. She had toyed with the idea of just doing part-time freelance work instead.

“I agree. I’m pretty sure my mum and dad would chain me in their basement if I tried to go too far away with their grandchild. What would you say if I sold my portion of the business and we bought a home out here?”

Laura thought for a minute before answering, “First of all, I’d think you were crazy. You love your work. And second, I’d probably be okay with it.” Laura sat up. “You didn’t sell your half of the business already, did you?”

“I had to. Remember that Page Six article you mentioned earlier? That was just a small part of my quick trip into insanity. For three or four months I was a mess, mostly drinking myself until I couldn’t feel feelings anymore, and my work became sloppy. My conduct wasn’t stellar either.” Mason turned the TV off. “So my partner and I sat down together after I sobered up and drew out an agreement. My behavior was bad, and I was burnt out, so instead of ruining the reputation of the company, I sold my half. I’ve spent the last couple of months putting my shit back together.”

Laura was surprised. Mason was getting good at doing that to her. “So, hold on. You sold your part of the company. Now what?”

“What do you mean ‘now what’? Now you and I patch things up. I want to find something to do that won’t require me to travel two weeks out of the month or tie me to a computer all day. It’s a strange feeling, though. I’ve never had this kind of freedom before.” Like a magnet, Mason’s hand was once again drawn to Laura’s belly. This time when he touched it, it was as hard as a rock. “Is that normal?”

Laura took a couple of deep breaths as the contraction passed. “Yeah. I’ve been having these Braxton Hicks contractions for a week or two now. They’ve been getting stronger the closer I get to go time. Today and yesterday have had a few that have taken my breath away.” As she spoke, she was seized by another one and just breathed through it. “They’re less painful if I’m not tired. Can you turn the movie back on? The sound has been helping me fall asleep.”

Mason clicked the power button on the remote and settled in with Laura tucked in close to him.

***

              Laura shot up in pain around midnight. Up until that point she hadn’t experienced anything so painful before. After laying back against the pillow she pulled iTunes up and played the “Hypnobirth” track to help her focus.

She had been practicing her breathing for weeks and usually fell right to sleep when listening to it. However, that night, it wasn’t happening. As she listened to the soothing voice piping into her ears, another intense contraction happened, followed a few minutes later by another.

In case it wasn’t time to go to the birth center, she let Mason sleep while she timed her own contractions. There was no point in waking him up if it wasn’t go time, and it likely wasn’t, since she had almost three weeks left.

A nice long break happened, just about long enough for Laura to drift off a little. Until she felt a gush of wetness between her legs, followed by another squeeze. “Mason,” she whispered. “Mason, wake up.” She nudged the sleeping man next to her. If she couldn’t wake him up, the cooling wetness in the fabric of the sheets would. “Wake up. Ah!” She felt like all the air had been sucked out of her.

“What? I’m awake.” Mason rolled over into the wet spot. “Is everything all right?” He was instantly awake as anxiety took root. What the hell was going on?

“I’ve been having some pretty strong contractions for over an hour now, not falling into a pattern yet, but getting stronger. And I think my water broke.”

Mason ripped back the sheets, and sure enough, the wet spot was steadily growing. “Uh, what do I do? What do I do!”

“Relax and don’t wake my parents. It’s only…” She checked her bedside clock. “It’s not even 2am yet. Just calmly get up, get dressed, and grab my robe and my bag. I’m going to call my midwife.”

Mason nodded and raced around the room to do everything Laura asked. She told him to stay calm, but he couldn’t do it. Excitement, anxiety, nerves, and fear were wrestling around in his head as he collected his things.

“My contractions are still a little off, but they’re getting more regular and closer together. I would say like five to seven minutes apart, maybe?” Laura had her back to Mason as she brought her midwife up to speed. If she looked at him she would get crazy and anxious too. “Great, see you soon.”

“What’s going on?” Mason paused with his toothbrush in his mouth.

“She said to come on dow–” Laura doubled over and grabbed her nightstand. “Get to the birth center. I’m going to give you the name. Just plug it into your GPS, because with this amount of pain, you don’t want me navigating.”

***

Laura’s midwife, Ann, had met them at the birth center and let them in. Ann was a sweet woman in her late forties with dark skin and graying, curly hair. Laura loved that she was a nice balance between medical and crunchy. “Let’s get you into Birth Room Three. Do you want me to fill up the tub?” Ann asked.

“Yes please.” The next contraction came from her back. The hot water in the tub was going to be so nice.

“Great. And is this Daddy?” Ann eyed Mason with a look that said she hoped not.

“Yes. Mason, this is Ann, my midwife. Ann, Mason is my boyfriend and, yes, the father.”

Father.
Just hearing the word attached to his name made him giddy. Over the course of less than seventy-two hours he had gone from ignorant bachelor to finding out about his child, and now he was so close to actually meeting it.

Laura almost buckled with the next one. “Ah! Fuck!” She white-knuckled the back of the black leather sofa in the waiting room. When she could walk again, she hurried to her birth room to get undressed before the next one came.

Mason looked around at what appeared to be a room in a bed and breakfast. “Where’s the doctor? Shouldn’t someone be by to administer an epidural or something?” The hardwood furniture and cozy quilts offered nothing that felt like it should be part of a birth. “Is this place even sterile?”

“Yes, it’s clean. There is no doctor and no epidural. There’s also no surgeon, Pitocin, and hopefully no episiotomy,” Laura answered. She grunted and curled her fingers into the bedspread.

“Ann! What exactly do you need me to do?” Mason asked. He felt impotent and totally useless.

“What you can do is rub her back when she’s experiencing a contraction. Hold her hand if she needs you to. Just touch her as long as she wants to be touched, and support her. It helps a ton.” Ann hustled to shut the water in the tub off.

“Help me get my shoes off, Mase.” Laura couldn’t reach her laces.

As Mason was untying, the midwife returned to help Laura into the tub.

***

For the next several hours, the hot water was refreshed countless times, and Mason felt totally lost: he was in a situation where he couldn’t call the shots or force the outcome. It had to happen naturally. He was incredibly proud of Laura, though. She appeared to have slipped into a trance and just breathed through her pain.

Ann reached into the tub with a gloved hand and felt between Laura’s legs. “Oh! You want to come feel this, Mason? The head is crowning.”

He cautiously approached the tub and put on a glove. He sank his hand in and touched the top of a fuzzy little head. He stared at the midwife in awe.

“In a couple of pushes, we will have a new little miracle. Laura, you are doing so well.” She patted Laura on the shoulder. The gesture didn’t even disturb her, she was so in the zone.

She did reach for Mason’s hand and grunted as her last effort pushed the baby out into the waiting hands of the midwife.

“It’s a girl!” Ann announced.