by Christa Wick
"I get a plastic one, right?"
"In about four weeks," the woman answered as my phone chirped from my back pocket.
A second later, Caiden's chirped. We looked at each other, our faces drawing into the same lines as we raced to pull our phones out.
Water broke.
"Should we call a plumber?" Caiden asked as he read Delia's text.
I stared at him hard for a second, uncertain whether he was making a joke or serious. He winked.
"We should get home," he said, grabbing me by the elbow and steering me toward the exit. "Are you sure you were in the FBI?"
I choked out a laugh, shook my head. "Today, I haven't been sure at all."
"Maybe I should drive?"
I studied Delia's message. There were calm texts and then there were panicked texts. This one had normal capitalization, no exclamation marks, and no misspellings. I would judge it as calm.
So was the kid.
Nodding, I clapped him on the back and headed for the passenger side of the car.
Delia redirected our route halfway through the ride home. The contractions were getting shorter, so Mama was driving her to the clinic. We arrived about fifteen minutes later. Mama hustled me and Caiden into a changing room.
"Remember," I warned before I put the mask over my face. "Your mom wants you up by her head."
"No worries," he cracked. "I don't want to go blind from standing anywhere else."
Laughing, I led him into the hall where Heather Gardner, the Nurse Midwife, consulted with Thorne. Spotting me, they simultaneously flashed a thumbs up. Thorne slapped me on the back when they finished speaking then nodded in Caiden's direction.
"Ready to become a big brother?"
"I am. I can even drive the baby to her appointments."
Heather laughed. "I don't remember wanting to drive my siblings anywhere."
Lifting a hand, she motioned for us to follow her into another room. Delia was in the new birthing bed the clinic had acquired after our last fundraiser. As much a dentist chair as it was a bed, the piece of furniture had about twenty different settings and my lovely Delia seemed intent on trying each on as Mama watched on with a grin and her camera at the ready.
"Everything okay?" I asked, placing a stool next to Delia's left shoulder and directing Caiden to take a seat.
"Feel like I'm giving birth to a race car driver," Delia answered between breaths. "Because she's coming out fast!"
The midwife rolled into place as she snapped on a fresh pair of gloves. Foot controls on the bed overrode Delia's remote control and she gave Delia a warning that she was about to widen the spread of her legs.
Delia nodded but issued her own warning.
"Just don't tilt me downward unless you're ready to catch!"
"Hey, batter, batter," I teased, whispering it in Delia's ear as I took hold of her hand. Pressing my lips against her temple, I sent a prayer up to keep her and the baby safe.
"Baby is crowning," the midwife announced. "Black hair like her daddy."
Still holding Delia's hand, I stretched sideways to look.
"Big head like her daddy's," Delia laughed then sucked a sharp breath in. "Can I push yet?"
"I promise I'll tell you when," the midwife answered.
"You're doing great, love," I said as Delia squeezed my hand.
Across from me, Caiden held Delia's other hand against his chest.
"Okay," the midwife said. "Push in three…two…one…push."
Delia bore down.
"Again in three…two…one…push."
Fresh sweat dotted Delia's forehead as she bore down again. Feeling her hand shake in my grasp, I grazed my lips across her knuckles.
"You're doing so well, love."
A glance at Mama's face told me everything looked fine on the business end. Catching my gaze on her, Mama smiled.
"Again," the midwife directed. "Three…two…one…push."
I craned sideways again just as my daughter arrived. The midwife cleared the mucus. The baby took her first breath and released it with a hearty wail.
The midwife centered her in a warming blanket and directed me to come close and hold my arms out. As I cradled the baby, she clamped the cord and cut it, turned her attention back to Delia for a minute then took the baby from me and over to a table.
"She looks great," the midwife reassured us. "I'm just going to page Dr. Nygård in for a little look while I finish with her momma. Does that sound good, Delia?"
Delia bobbed her head, squeezed my hand then bobbed her head again.
I planted a kiss against her palm. "How are you feeling, baby?"
"I want to hold her," she answered.
"You will," I promised as Nygård came into the room at the same time the midwife finished with Delia and pulled the sheet back down her legs.
"Perfect," Nygård pronounced, wrapping my daughter in a fresh warming blanket and bringing her over to Delia.
"Have you settled on a name?"
Delia nodded, her head turning toward Mama.
"We want to name her Malinda."
Mama hadn't started crying yet. Hearing the baby would be named after her changed that.
"That would be lovely," she rasped, wiping at her cheeks with one palm as she held the camera with her other hand and kept on filming. "Really lovely."
Caiden brushed my hand as we both lightly touched the baby. His face contorted with a rare display of strong emotion. He swallowed it down before smiling up at Delia.
"She's beautiful."
She cupped his cheek, stroked her thumb once before ruffling his hair.
"There's so much love in this room," Mama said, coming to stand by me, her hand against my shoulder. "Your daddy would be so proud to have all his boys home with families of their own."
"From the oldest grandchild," she said, her gaze landing on Caiden before moving on to Baby Malinda, "to the youngest. He would be so proud."
"He would," I agreed, moving to capture Delia's smiling face. She smiled, tears hanging from her long lashes like small diamonds. Leaning close, I whispered right before I kissed her.
"Thank you, love, for making this my home again."
The End
You fans asked, and here she is! Siobhan’s long-awaited story is now available!
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It took the stubborn pair a few years, but the feisty deputy and her brooding sheriff are finally getting their HEA. With schmexy times galore.
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EVERY LAST CALL
(Gamble & Siobhan’s novella)
— Available Now —
Book Description
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I didn’t mean to bid on him.
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I’d attended my meddling Great Aunt Dotty’s local bachelor auction with every intention of winning a date with the handsome doctor in town I’ve had my eye on for a few years now. And even if that hadn’t been the case, believe you me, Sheriff Gamble is the absolute last man that should’ve been on my radar when the bidding began.
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It’s tough enough being a female deputy in a small town and a big family with way more overprotective males than any single girl should have. Last thing I need is gossip flying about me and my admittedly hot, mysteriously brooding boss.
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Still. Something happened when that auction got under way. Things got heated, and somehow I ended up outbidding every damn woman in the place.
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Now, I’ve officially won buff, gruff Jude Gamble for eight hours next week.
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And I don’t have a clue in hell what to do with him…
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— Get Every Last Call HERE —
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The HIS TO CLAIM Series
Book 1: Every Last Touch (Walker & Ashley)
Book 2: Every Last Look (Barrett & Quinn)
Book 3: Every Last Secret (Sutton & Maddy)
Book 4: Every Last Reason (Emerson & Delia)<
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Book 5: Every Last Call (Gamble & Siobhan)
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BONUS FREEBIE (big brother Adler & Sage’s story: Every Last Doubt) available for download at christawick.com/free
Also by Christa Wick
the Far Too Tempting collection
Tempted Beyond Reason (Wake & Lacey)
Tempted Beyond Relief (Wylie & Rhea)
Tempted Beyond Return (Logan & Lily)
the Untouchable Curves collection
Curvy Attraction (Aiden & Cecelia)
Curvy Seduction (Owen & Gemma)
Curvy Perfection (Cayce & Ashley)
and
His Curvy Temptation (Declan & Melanie)
[an extra curvy Untouchable Curves standalone novel]
the Irresistible Curves collection
Chasing Her Curves (Hawk & Ginny)
Claiming Her Curves (Blake & Pippa)
Capturing Her Curves (Shane & Velda)
and
Keeping Her Curves (Ian & Juno)
[an extra alpha Irresistible Curves standalone novel]
the His to Claim series
Book 1: Every Last Touch (Walker)
Book 2: Every Last Look (Barrett)
Book 3: Every Last Secret (Sutton)
Book 4: Every Last Reason (Emerson)
Book 5: Every Last Call (Siobhan)
* * *
Bonus Freebie (big brother Adler & Sage’s standalone novel: Every Last Doubt) available FREE at christawick.com/free
the Until You series
Unraveled (Corwin & Belle)
Unveiled (Lucas & Theresa) *all new story!*
Untapped (Teague & Charlie)
a standalone crossover novella
Hot Nights Winter Lights *all new story!*
[with character cameos from 3 different series]
Check out Christa’s DARKER, DIRTIER Side
Writing As C.M. WICK
* * *
The Contract (Beckett, Jace, and Gabby)
[a standalone ménage]
Tempted By Trouble (Austin & Gina)
[a standalone erotica]
the Savage Trust series
Wrecked (Luke & Marie)
Scarred (Mikhael & Alina)
Frayed (Trent & Daniella)
the Savage Hope duet
His Trust (Collin & Mia, Book 1)
Her Heart (Collin & Mia, Book 2)
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***OCT 2019 Update***
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About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Christa Wick has been hybrid publishing since 2012 (yep, she’s one of the O.G. indie authors). She’s written 50+ romances starring curvalicious heroines and alphalicious heroes whose stories span the spectrum of: steamy & sweet, steamy & emotional, steamy & suspenseful, steamy & paranormal, steamy & dark, and…well, you get the idea. She also writes sci-fi thrillers and suspense novels under other pen names.
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