by Vella, Wendy
So far she’d been here an hour, and in that time she’d met people whose names she would never remember and some she already knew. It would be fun if Lani belonged, but she didn’t, so she wanted out. Besides, it brought back too many memories of the parties her parents had held.
Twice she’d headed toward the steps, and both times someone had engaged her in conversation. Putting down her drink, she thought her easiest escape route would be going back inside, then out the side door she’d seen.
“Come on, Lani, we’ll teach you to play ball.” Buster appeared before her.
“What? No way. I was just leaving.”
“We’ll go easy on you, and we need another woman. Faith wants to play.”
“Ah, no, thanks. I’ll pass; besides, I have something to do.”
“What?” Buster stood directly in front of her, blocking her escape route.
“What?”
“What something do you have to do?”
“A—a thing.” She had nothing.
“Things always keep. You’ll pick it up just fine. Let’s go.” He wrapped his hand around her wrist and towed her behind him.
“I’m not dressed for it.”
He looked at her jeans.
“Did you want a helmet or something?”
“Seriously, Buster. I’m not good with any ball games. I shouldn’t even be here. I’m not part of this.”
“Why, are you infectious?” Ethan Gelderman came to her side.
“No! Do I look infectious?”
He smiled.
“I need to go. This is not my thing, it’s yours.” Panic was the only word for what was going on inside Lani right at that moment.
“We have a thing?” Ethan looked at Noah, who shrugged.
“Look, you’re all friends. I was just dropping off a cake. I need to go and not intrude.”
“You don’t think we have room in our lives for more friends?” Tex and Buster were standing in front of her now, and she just knew the others in the game were listening.
“No… yes.” Lani exhaled slowly. She was going to pack up her Bronco, which to be fair she never unpacked, and leave Lake Howling tonight. This place wasn’t like any other she’d visited. The people were in your face, and it was… nice, she had to silently concede. But dangerous also, because she wasn’t part of this and never would be.
“Well, which is it?” Noah appeared. Now there was a wall of men in front of her. Handsome, disturbing men.
“No,” Lani said, turning to go. “Besides I quite like where my internal organs are situated.”
“Wrong answer.” Noah grabbed her this time. “Now, you come with me. Faith is on the opposition team, because we’d kill each other if we were on the same one. I promise we’ll go easy on you.”
“True,” Faith agreed, unperturbed by her brother’s words.
“I don’t know the rules.” Lani tried to dig the heels of her sensible boots into the dirt but she still kept moving.
“Okay, I see where you’re going wrong there,” Ethan Gelderman said. “We don’t play by any rules, so you’ll be sweet.”
“Make them let me go,” she hissed out the side of her mouth to Noah.
“Loosen up. It’ll be fun, I promise.”
She turned from the crouch position he’d bent her into and looked at Noah. His eyes held a wicked glint. “I don’t want to have fun.”
“Everyone likes fun, sweet cheeks. Now, focus.”
“You people are bossy.”
“True,” Jake McBride said, “but in a well-meaning way.”
“A-and you’re all far too involved in each other’s lives.” Lani went for insults. Maybe they’d let her leave then.
“Also true,” Newman said from farther down the line.
“Here’s a thought, maybe you’ll enjoy it?” Noah said.
She looked at the others before her in a line. Some were baring their teeth, others had a steely look in their eyes. Her stomach sank. “I haven’t done this kind of exercise in years,” she tried, since clearly the insults weren’t working.
“But you used to do this kind of exercise?” Noah asked.
She nodded, keeping her eyes on Ethan, who was across from her.
“What did you do?”
“What?”
“What exercise?”
“Track and cheer squad.”
“Nice. Let me know if you want me to flip you any time.”
For some reason, she giggled. Nerves, fear, whatever it was, she couldn’t seem to stop.
“That’s a nice sound, but you need to listen to Buster’s countdown now, Lani.”
Noah talked to her calmly, explaining what was going to happen, and she battled the panic and tried to remember each word. She knew how this game worked but hadn’t watched for years.
“Run now!” he urged her. She took off, passing by Faith, then Jake.
“Catch, Lani!”
I have to catch as well as run? Turning, she lifted her hands as she saw the small oblong ball heading her way. It was coming in fast; she adjusted, first right, then left. She then took two big steps and jumped into the air. No one was more surprised than her when she looked down at her hands and there sat the ball.
“Nice work!” Noah arrived first. “That was impressive.”
“I caught a ball.”
“So you did, clever girl. Don’t tell me you enjoyed it too.”
“Maybe.”
Lani couldn’t stop smiling as they went back to join the others.
“So we’re not going easy on her this time,” Faith said, although she was smiling too.
The next pass she dropped, and she was more often in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was fun… more fun than Lani could remember having in years, which was a dangerous thing, she realized when Jake called a halt to the game.
“Why the frown? I thought you enjoyed the game,” Noah said, walking beside her.
“Thank you for letting me play, and now I really need to go.”
“Go where?”
“Away from here,” Lani muttered, walking into the house.
Chapter Eleven
Once inside, she made for the bathroom and locked the door. Lani stared at her sweaty-faced reflection in the mirror.
“What the hell are you doing?”
This wasn’t her. She didn’t get involved, couldn’t afford to. Getting out of Lake Howling had to be her next move, and yet she’d promised Mrs. C she’d work there for at least a few weeks.
“Distance,” she muttered, splashing water on her face. “Keep your distance.”
When she came out, she found Annabelle Gelderman alone, standing with her hands braced on the wall.
“Ouch!”
“Are you all right?” Lani hurried to her side. Annabelle gripped and squeezed her hand hard enough so that in seconds the blood had left Lani’s fingers.
“Damn, I wanted it to be tomorrow, after Rose’s birthday. It’ll complicate things if I have this baby today.” Her face was pinched, and through the bravado, Lani saw fear.
“Are you going into labor, Annabelle?”
“Yessss.”
“Okay, I’ll get help.”
“Ethan’s going to be worse than me,” Annabelle gritted out. “He’s squeamish. Shit, I’m getting another contraction. It’s too quick.”
Her hand was gripped tighter, and Lani felt helpless in the face of the woman’s pain. Yes, it was natural, and yes, she’d seen it before, but still, it was difficult to watch.
“You need to let go of my hand now, Annabelle.”
“Okay.”
Lani eased her fingers out of the grip and ran outside. She’d met Dr. McBride senior earlier so it was to her she headed.
“Annabelle’s by the bathroom, and I think she’s going into labor.”
The woman calmly put down her glass. “Go and get Ethan now, Lani, and I’ll go to Annabelle.”
“Okay.” Jumping off the step, she ran to where Ethan stood with his friends.
“You need to come now. I think Annabelle is in labor.”
“What? God, really?” Color leached from his face.
Lani grabbed his hand and started running back into the house.
“Belle!” Ethan roared.
“She’s all right,” Dr. McBride said calmly when they reached the two women. “Just starting labor.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m pretty good at detecting these things.”
“Right.”
“Well now, Annabelle, is it party time?”
Annabelle moaned around another contraction as Jake arrived. She grabbed Ethan’s hand, then snagged Lani’s before she could escape.
“You want to yell or bite, Annabelle, you do that to the man you married,” Jake said. “Not the doctors, okay?”
“Got it.”
“Okay, so we need to make it to the bedroom, as I’m sure you don’t want to have this baby in my hallway,” Jake added.
“She’s having it now?” If possible, more color left Ethan’s face.
“Not sure till we’ve checked her over, bud.” Jake gripped his friend’s shoulder.
They moved slowly, with Lani still holding Annabelle’s hand. She’d leave as soon as they were settled in the room.
“Pull back the covers, Lani,” Jake said. “Then go and tell Branna what’s happening and get some clean linen from her.”
“I don’t want to ruin Rose’s party,” Annabelle said around another moan.
“Don’t be silly, Annabelle, having a baby will not ruin it. She’ll love it. My daughter will be able to boss your child around on their special day. What’s not to like? Plus, double the cake and ice cream.”
“Another contraction!” Annabelle screeched.
“That’s close,” Dr. McBride senior said, far too calmly as far as Lani was concerned.
“Go tell Branna now, Lani.”
She hurried out of the room and found Branna. “Annabelle’s in labor, and they’re checking her over now but Dr. McBride senior said the contractions are close.”
“Trust her to have the baby quickly. I was in labor for days.” Branna was smiling. “I’m so excited.”
Lani told her what Jake needed.
“Okay, come with me, and I’ll give you the clean sheets and towels.”
“I should really go now.”
“If you could just run this linen in first, please, Lani.”
Annabelle let out a scream that rattled the walls, and Macy appeared, looking breathless. “Is it true about Annabelle?”
“You didn’t hear that?” Branna nodded to the room behind them.
“No, is she screaming already?”
“We all knew she was going to be one of those, to be fair,” Branna said. “If you can watch over the party, Macy, I’d be grateful, and I’ll just get the things they may need.”
“Okay, no worries, you let me know if you need anything else.”
They all seemed so calm. Surely the party should be canceled?
She followed Branna and held out her arms for the linen.
“Take that in, and I’ll check back soon to see if they need anything else.”
Lani tapped on the door behind which Annabelle was moaning, and then entered. “Where do you want this?”
Jake waved to a side table. He was at the end of the bed with his mother. Lani looked away to give Annabelle privacy.
“I don’t know if I want you between my wife’s legs.” Ethan stood holding Annabelle’s hand.
“We played doctors and nurses plenty as children, so we’re good,” Jake added.
“He’s a bit bigger than you,” Annabelle gritted out between pants.
“I cannot believe you said that when our child could hear!” Ethan roared.
Jake started laughing so hard he was soon crying.
Lani couldn’t believe they were still teasing each other at a time like this.
“We’re not into mushy words, but this works,” Jake told her, seemingly reading her mind.
“I need you to concentrate on your breathing for me now, Annabelle. Ethan, you go on and get some ice chips and water. Also a damp cloth,” Dr McBride senior said.
The harried Texan left at a sprint.
“He needs to feel like he’s doing something,” Jake said. “I don’t want him passing out, and he hates blood, so this will give him a focus.”
“I’m just going to check things again now, Annabelle,” Dr. McBride said.
A tap had Jake going to the door; he came back with his doctor bag.
“Now you need to make sure she stays hydrated, Tex. Sips of water, or a mouthful of ice,” he said when the pale-faced Texan returned.
“Right.”
Lani slipped back out of the room, determined to leave this time. No way did she want to be in the room when the baby arrived. She was a stranger, for pity’s sake. What was the matter with these people, accepting her so easily.
“Hey, how’s it going in there?” Noah was leaning on a wall, looking as pale as the Texan.
“She’s doing great, Noah, really.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“What? Me? Nothing’s wrong. I was just worried about her… Annabelle.” He looked jittery. Something was off.
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
“Right. Excuse me, I need to leave.”
“Shouldn’t you stay in case you’re needed?”
“For what? I’m not a doctor, or a nurse, or a friend even. I shouldn’t be here.” Her voice rose on the last word.
“But what if something happens?”
“I don’t see why it would, but if it does, there are two doctors in there. What’s going on, Noah? You’re acting weird.”
“Nothing’s going on. I’m just worried, as any friend would be.”
“Noah.” Faith arrived. “Annabelle is going to be just fine. Women have babies daily, in fact every few seconds, so let’s go back outside now.”
He was tense. She could see the muscles in his jaw bunching.
“All right.” And suddenly he was gone, walking down the hall and out of her sight. Faith stayed.
“Is everything all right?” She was a feminine version of her brother. Softer features, less harsh lines.
“It is. Annabelle’s doing great. Is Noah all right?” She had no right to ask, but wanted to.
“Sure. He just gets scared when the women in his life are going into labor. Bad memories.”
She wanted to ask what memories, but that wasn’t her business and she never wanted it to be. Instead, she left, grabbing Buddy as he sprinted past with Noodle. She put him in the car and was soon driving away.
What bad memory did Noah have around childbirth, and why did seeing him worried and, yes, vulnerable make her chest ache?
Chapter Twelve
Noah picked up the ball because he needed something to do, so he fired it at Buster. Out the corner of his eye, he watched Lani slink away to her Bronco with her dog that wasn’t her dog. She was gone before he could stop her. Not that he wanted to; after all, she wasn’t comfortable here. To be honest, neither was he now he knew Annabelle was in labor.
She would be just fine, like Branna had been, and a trillion other women around the world. Why, then, did he feel sick?
“Shit!” The ball got him in the gut.
“Uncle Noah said a bad word.”
“Sorry, Rosie.” He picked up the birthday girl and swung her around, making her squeal loud enough to pierce an eardrum. “Uncle Buster threw the ball when I wasn’t looking, which was s sneaky thing to do.” He put her down, and she ran to where Billy was talking to Mikey.
“Noah.”
He tensed as Faith arrived.
“Catch.” He lobbed the ball at her. She caught it with ease and sent it long to Brad Gelderman.
“I thought you were over this now.”
“Over what?” He tracked back as the ball came his way. Faith followed. His siste
r had always been determined.
“This baby birthing thing.”
“I believe the correct term is labor. Left, Gelderman!” he roared. Noah let go and he had to admit it was a good take for a Texan.
“Samantha had complications, Noah. That is not happening here with Annabelle.”
He didn’t like talking about his ex. That was a dark, ugly time in his life that he tried not to think about.
“What are you two discussing? It looks serious.” Newman asked.
“Nothing.”
“Samantha,” Faith replied.
“Ahh.” Newman made a noise in his throat. “I thought we were done with that time in your life.”
“Apparently not.” Faith was standing before him now with Newman at her side, and they were eyeballing him.
“I’m over it. Now can we get back to the game?”
“The game is done, and now that the guests are leaving, we’re going to tidy up and await the arrival of another baby.” Faith said.
“I need to get back to the Howler,” Noah told his sister.
“Why? We have a manager on, it’s not busy, and we both took today off.”
“It’s our business, Faith. Things happen all the time that need one of us to deal with them.”
“He’s running scared because of what happened, and he doesn’t want to be here in case something happens to Annabelle,” Faith said.
“Don’t say that!” Noah snapped. “Nothing is happening to Annabelle!”
“No it’s not,” Newman said calmly. “Now calm the fuck down and have a wedge of cake.”
“I’m calm.”
“This is you being calm, is it?” Faith put her hands on her hips.
Noah clamped his lips together.
“Lani’s gone, and that’s probably because you were grilling her.”
“I was not grilling her. I was just asking politely how Annabelle was doing. Lani would have gone anyway, she’d been trying to do that since she arrived,” Noah said, which was true. The only time Lani had let her guard down was when she’d played ball. Watching her jump for that pass had been something special. Okay, maybe the move and the band of flesh she’d exposed around her middle.
“What’s her deal?” Newman asked.