“Sienna!” My mouth drops open. She’s the last person I expected to see here. “How did you know I was in labor?” She’s been joking she was going to hop a plane and visit the second she heard I was going to deliver, but I didn’t take her seriously.
“Oh, a little bird told me.”
Bash? But he doesn’t have her number. Who else could’ve told her, though?
I don’t get a chance to ask because the next contraction makes me cry out.
She takes one hand, and my mom has the other as the doctor tells me to push.
“No! Olly will be home in a few hours. Can’t we wait?” He’s going to be so upset if he misses this. Why didn’t I call him?
Dr. Zavala pats my knee. “Sorry, the babies are coming. Your boyfriend will understand.”
“But Olly’s not back yet!” The hysteria rising in me has me wanting to get off the bed so I can press my knees together.
The door flings open, banging against the wall. “I’m here!”
I must be hallucinating, because there’s no way Michael is standing in my hospital room, huffing and puffing, sporting his dirty uniform, like he just ran all the way from Chicago.
Another wave of tears hits me as he drops his duffle bag and races to my side. He grabs my face and kisses me. “I’m here. I’m back.”
“How?”
He smiles over at Sienna. “Mr. Escalante told Coach what was going on and offered to let me ‘borrow’ his private jet. It was pretty trippy.”
Sienna laughs. “I’m glad Dad’s using his powers for good.”
I’m so stunned, I just stare at him. My mom and Sienna tell Olly to call them if they’re needed and head to the waiting room to give us some privacy. Well, as much privacy as a room with a doctor and two nurses can have.
“It’s rare to see you speechless,” he teases.
“How did you get back so quickly?” I pause to breathe through the contraction. “Even if you flew back on a private plane, I still… I still don’t see how this happened.”
The doctor interrupts us. “It’s time for liftoff.” Motioning to Olly, he says, “I suggest you stand behind her and grab her shoulders if she needs help sitting up.”
I grab Olly’s jersey and bring him close, until we’re nose to nose. “Do not look at anything south of the border.” Huffing, I add, “I can’t handle you watching my lady bits explode.”
“Whatever you want.” He kisses my forehead and then looks into my eyes. “You got this. You’re the toughest woman I know.”
My nurse taps him on the shoulder. “Gonna need you to change into these, Daddy.”
Olly heads to the bathroom and returns a minute later decked out in blue scrubs. I swallow, the fear receding now that he’s here.
“I’m still mad at you,” I whisper when he reaches my side.
His eyes grow remorseful. “I deserve that and more, but maybe we can call another truce.”
I nod. “Let’s table the argument until the boys get here.”
He grabs my face tenderly. “There’ll be no argument. No matter what you have to say. You did what you had to do, and no matter what it was, I know you’d never deliberately hurt me.”
The tears spill over at the wave of relief that hits me. “I’m sorry we’ve had a shitty few months. I’m sorry I didn’t just come out and tell you about that stupid billboard. I’m really glad you’re here.” I hiccup and wipe the snot away with the back of my hand. “If anything goes wrong today, if it’s the worst-case scenario, I just want you to know how much I love you, Michael. I’ve been in love with you since I was in high school, maybe before that, and I don’t want to be at odds with you anymore.”
I’m babbling, but what if this is the last chance I get to tell him?
“Fuck, Maggie. Don’t talk like that. You’re my whole damn life. I need you for another seventy years.” Eyes shiny, he kisses my forehead. “The moment I found out you were in the hospital, I knew that as much as I love football, you and our babies mean more.”
Oh, my heart. “Did you win your game?”
