Michael squeezed her hand and smiled. “It’ll be okay, Lauren. Can you do me a favor, please? Can you call Seth and Dillon and then call my mom and the dads? Let them know what’s going on, and tell them to hurry. I need to go check Lily and see just how close she is.”
Lauren nodded vigorously and was already reaching for her cell phone when Michael strode away toward the bedroom where Lily lay.
Michael entered the bedroom to see Lily struggling to get out of bed. She was prying the wet sheet away with a grimace and then she bent over, holding her stomach, her entire face beaded with strain.
“Baby,” Michael said lovingly as he went to her, holding and supporting her as she breathed through a contraction.
She glanced up, her eyes wide with fear. “I wasn’t afraid before, Michael. I wasn’t! But oh God, it’s real. It’s here. What do I do?”
The panic in her voice hit him right in the chest, and he went absolutely soft with love. For her. For their child.
He hugged her to him, placing his splayed palm over her still-rippling belly.
“We’re going to have a baby,” he said cheerfully.
She looked at him with such relief in her eyes that it gutted him.
“First thing we need to do is strip these sheets off the bed and get you into something dry and warm. Then I’m going to see just how far along in this process you are.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Lauren asked from the door.
Michael turned to see a very worried Lauren standing there.
“I called everyone. They’re freaking out but they’re on their way. All of them.”
Michael nodded. “Can you help Lily into a new gown while I strip off the sheets and replace them?”
Lauren rushed forward and took Lily’s arm, guiding her toward the chest of drawers where her nightclothes were folded. Michael made quick work of the bed and then positioned the pillows so she’d have plenty of back support. When the others got there, he’d put Dillon and Seth on point to give her all the support she needed.
Right now he was going to do everything in his power to ensure that Lily was calm, even if he was about to lose his fucking mind.
Give him an animal? He could deal. But delivering his own child? Suddenly he wished like hell the dads were already here. They’d delivered three of their children. He could use some reassurance, because all he could think was what if something went wrong? What if he screwed up? He could never face Lily again if he did anything to harm her or their child. And Lily simply couldn’t bear another loss.
“Michael?”
His wife’s soft, sweet voice filtered through his panicked thoughts. He turned to see her watching him, her eyes shining with love. She put her hand on his arm and then leaned into him, nestling her swollen body close to his.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered.
How like her to be the one comforting him when he should be doing everything in his power to offer her reassurance.
He smiled and squeezed her close just as her body went tense and a low moan slipped from her lips.
“Let’s get you comfortable,” he said in a husky voice laced with emotion.
“I’ll go watch for the others,” Lauren said anxiously. “Seth and Dillon seemed . . . stressed.”
Lily smiled as Michael guided her toward the bed. “I just bet they did. Poor guys.”
Michael kissed her forehead and then helped her settle down. He gently pulled her gown to her waist so he could see if she was crowning. God, he hoped she wasn’t. Not yet. He at least wanted the others present before their baby slid into his waiting hands.
She bent her knees and spread them, giving him access. When he got a glimpse, he sucked in his breath. Oh shit. She was crowning. Not hugely, but the baby’s head was right there.
He felt light-headed. His hands shook. Hell, he didn’t have anything.
“Lauren, get me my med kit! It’s on the counter. And blankets. I need blankets and some water to clean Lily and the baby when we’re done.”
“Is it time?” Lily asked, her body tensing once more. “Oh God, Michael, I need to push. What’s happening? Is the baby coming now?”
He lifted his head so she could see him over her belly. “Yes, honey. It’s time. But I don’t want you to push yet, okay? I need to get a few things. It’s going to be all right. I swear it. Okay? Trust me?”
Her eyes glowed warm as she blew out the rest of her breath in a whoosh. “I do trust you, Michael. You won’t let anything happen to our child.”
“Or to you,” he said softly. “You’re my life, Lily. Our life. I’ll go to hell and back to keep you with me. Never doubt it.”
She smiled and nodded. “I love you too, you know.”
“Yeah. I do.”
Just then a commotion sounded in the living room, and Michael breathed a huge sigh of relief. Reinforcements were here.
Seth and Dillon burst into the bedroom, a crazed look in their eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” Dillon demanded. “Lauren said she’s having the baby now.”
Seth went immediately to Lily’s side, his forehead creased in concern.
“That she is,” Michael said calmly. “I need you both to not freak out and give me a hand here. There’s no way to get her to the hospital in time. The baby will be born right here in our bedroom.”
Dillon looked deranged, but then he made a concerted effort to collect himself. His hands were shaking violently, though, as he went to Lily’s other side.
Seth took Lily’s hand and curled his fingers around it. Then he kissed her temple, fear stark in his eyes.
“What do you need us to do?” Seth asked hoarsely.
“Lauren is getting my med kit. I need a suction, scissors to cut the cord and something to tie it off with. We also need some blankets to wrap the baby in and something to clean up the baby and Lily afterward.”
“I can do that,” Dillon said. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll do this. Okay?”
Despite the contractions wracking her body and her fighting the urge to push, Lily laughed. “I’m fine, guys. Really. I can do this. We can do this.”
“Where the fuck are the dads?” Seth muttered. “They’re the ones with all the childbirth experience.”
Lily laughed again. “That’s so funny. One would think you’d be looking to your mother at a time like this, and instead you want to know where the hell the dads are.”
“Mom didn’t deliver three babies at home,” Dillon said in a disgruntled voice. “The dads did.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “She didn’t? What exactly do you call pushing a kid the size of a small watermelon out of her womb?”
“How can you joke at a time like this?” Seth asked, the panic rising in his voice.
“It’s either laugh or cry,” Lily said. “I’m scared to death!”
Dillon and Seth immediately looked contrite. They gathered in close to her, kissing her and offering reassurance.
“We’re assholes,” Seth said. “Sorry, honey. But don’t be scared. Between the family we’ll get this baby safely here.”
She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I know we will.”
Another sound came from the living room, and Michael realized that his mom and the dads were here. Relief soared. Hell, he had a medical degree. He’d delivered every kind of animal imaginable, and yet he was relieved that his fathers were here. But they’d always been his rocks. Mom and the dads.
“Need help, son?” Adam said from the bedroom doorway.
Holly Colter shoved Adam aside and hurried for the bed, where Lily sat propped against the pillows. She took Lily’s hand from Dillon and squeezed reassuringly.