“I say twenty-four hours.”
“What’s the wager?”
“Winner’s choice.”
He waggled his brows. “I’m already thinking about my prize.”
She groaned. “Stand down, stud.”
“Are we shaking on this wager?”
She raised her hand.
He shook it and then kissed the back of it. “My queen. The mother of my child. The love of my life. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.” She looked up at him with big eyes. “It’s a lot more painful than I thought it would be.”
“You want the epidural?” The thought of a shot in the back had freaked her out more than the fear of pain, but that was before reality set in.
“I think I might.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’ll tell Katie.”
* * *
David Lawrence sat on the edge of the bed and kissed Daisy’s cheek.
His wife’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled when she saw him there.
“Sorry to disturb you.” Now in her third trimester with their first child, she was tired all the time and had taken an early-afternoon nap that’d stretched into dinnertime. “I got called in to work for multiple deliveries.”
“Oh, who is it?”
“I can’t tell you that, but you’ll know soon enough. Nothing stays secret around here for long.”
“I hope whichever of my friends is giving birth has the best possible experience.”
“We’ll make sure of it.” He kissed her. “Will you be okay on your own tonight?”
“Somehow, I’ll get by, but I won’t be happy about it.”
David smiled. “I’ll call you when I can.”
“I’ll look forward to that.”
As he drove quickly toward the clinic, he called Victoria for an update.
“Tiffany is crowning six weeks early.”
“Put Life Flight on notice that we may need them.”
“Already done. Kara Torrington is stalled at seven centimeters for four hours now. We’re going to move her along.”
“Good plan. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“See you then.”
Soon enough, it would be Daisy’s turn to give birth, a thought that filled him with unreasonable anxiety. He’d spent years watching expectant fathers pace the floor while their wives or partners were in labor and had found it funny that they were so stressed out about one of life’s most natural things.
