Maya Banks - Colters’ Gift

“I’m so glad you came over!” Lily exclaimed. “I’m about to go out of my mind. Bed rest is for the birds.”

Lauren laughed and slid onto the edge of the bed to sit next to Lily.

“You’ve had your husbands to entertain you, surely.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “They’re driving me crazier than the bed rest is.”

But even as she said it, her eyes softened and glowed with so much love.

“They’re so determined that I not feel one ounce of worry,” Lily said softly. “They’ve been wonderful. Everyone has been wonderful. Holly and even the dads come over at least once a day to reassure me that I won’t lift a finger after the baby comes. I feel guilty, actually.”

Lauren lifted an eyebrow. “Guilty?”

Lily sighed. “They’re so worried that having the baby will bring back all the memories of when I had—and lost—Rose. And the thing is, I don’t have those worries anymore. They’ve proved to me time and time again that I can count on them. That I’ll never be alone. That I don’t have to go through it alone. I wish I could make them see that. That I trust them implicitly. That I don’t have any worries that what happened with Rose will happen this time.”

Lauren squeezed her hand. “They love you.”

“And I love them,” Lily said softly. “If I hadn’t acted like such a freak when I found out I was pregnant, they wouldn’t be so stressed over how I’m coping. But the truth is, I’m so excited to meet our child, that I’m wishing away my days, counting down to when he or she will be here. The very last thing on my mind is concern that things will be like they were before.”

“You weren’t a freak,” Lauren said fiercely. “You’re human. And it was a shock. When you had time to digest it all, you were wonderful. And Christmas. We’ll never have a more wonderful Christmas than we did last year.”

“Oh yes, we will,” Lily said, her smile blazing across her face. “This year we’ll have the first Colter grandchild, and we’ll all be together. You and Noah and Liam too! What could be more perfect?”

“Maybe when we have a child as well,” Lauren said with a grin.

Lily laughed. “Listen to us. Saying each year will be better than the last when the ones we’ve had have been pretty darn spectacular.”

“But they will be,” Lauren said. “Just think. Each year. More surprises. The family growing. Us all so happy.”

Lily squeezed her hand. “You’re right. We only have it getting better and better to look forward to. That’s pretty special.”

“So, how are you?” Lauren said, directing the conversation back to Lily.

Lily sighed. “Still having contractions off and on. I try not to say anything to the guys because they’ll just worry and try to convince me that we need to move to Denver until the baby is born.”

Lauren’s brow wrinkled, her troubled gaze finding Lily’s. “Maybe that’s for the best. We don’t exactly have the best medical care here.”

Lily smiled, a warm glow overtaking her eyes. “But I want it born here. Right here in this house. Just like Seth and Michael were born in Holly and the dads’ cabin. What could be more special than bringing the next generation of Colter children into the world right here in these mountains?”

Lauren looked at her in shock. “Do they know that’s what you plan?”

Lily slowly shook her head. “They are adamant that we leave this next weekend. They already worry we’re cutting too close to the delivery date in two and a half weeks.”

“So what are you going to do? They’ll flip!”

Lily smiled. “I’m just taking it one day at a time and hoping the baby decides to come a little early.”

She broke off, a grimace tightening her face momentarily. Her body seemed to spasm, and then she relaxed, sinking back into the pillows.

“Lily, was that a contraction?” Lauren asked in concern.

“Yeah,” Lily breathed out. “They’ve become stronger in the last several hours. But still very irregular. I’ll be glad when this is over.”

“But if they’ve gotten stronger, isn’t that something that should be of concern?”

Lauren couldn’t keep the anxiety out of her voice. She wanted to go and get Lily’s husbands, or at least one of them, but she didn’t want to rat Lily out. Even if Lauren was very concerned over these contractions.

Lily shook her head. “I don’t think so. With Rose, I definitely knew when it was time. They were stronger with time and more regular.”

“Uhm, Lily, I hate to be the one to point this out to you, but you just said they were getting stronger. If they were Braxton Hicks, they wouldn’t be stronger. And you know not every pregnancy and birth is the same. Haven’t you listened to Holly’s stories of when her children were born? No two were ever the same, which is why of the four, only one was born in a hospital!”

Lily started to speak, but then her eyes widened and they both looked down as moisture seeped into the bed, dampening the sheets.

“Oh no,” Lily breathed out. “I think my water just broke.”

LAUREN raced from Lily’s bedroom and into the living room, where Michael was sitting. Seth and Dillon were both still in town but thankfully, town was only a few minutes away.

Michael looked up with a frown when Lauren screeched to a halt in front of him. “Lauren? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Lily,” she said breathlessly.

Michael was on his feet before she got it all out. She put her hand out to his arm to restrain him. She hated the fear in his eyes. The instant panic. And she wanted to reassure him. She shouldn’t have freaked out but oh my God, Lily was in labor. Here. Not in a hospital, but here.

“She’s in labor, Michael. Probably has been for a while. Her water just broke. But she didn’t know. Don’t be angry with her.”

Michael stared at her in stupefaction. “Angry? Why the hell would I be angry with her?”

His expression softened and he purposely bit back a further response. She ducked her head because she knew none of the Colters were anything like Joel. They’d never hurt a woman. But her instinct was to protect someone she cared a great deal about. She didn’t want any of the Colters angry with Lily over the fact she’d be granted her fondest wish. To give birth to their child in her home.

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.