She gave a quick shake of her head. His frown grew. The ceremony drew his faltering attention back to the bride and groom. As Mike took Laura’s hand, the contraction passed.
Thank goodness. Nothing must spoil this day for Laura. Rowan refused to let the arrival of one tiny baby set the couple back. In a few hours, everything would return to normal. Mike and Laura would be married, her house would be her own. Another contraction seized her.
Rowan tensed and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth.
On either side of her, Ellen and Claudia leaned in close. "Are you all right?" they whispered in unison.
Rowan forced a nod, but the smile refused to come.
"I know I said I wanted to be with you when the baby came, but I didn’t mean literally. If I had known you were going to pull a stunt like this, I would have stayed at Emma’s with Ian and the grandmothers." Claudia’s normally cool voice bordered on panic.
Rowan could hear the hidden plea, "Please don’t have it here."
"I can’t help it," she whispered back. "He’s not due for another week."
Ellen raised her eyebrows. "Surely you must have had a back-up plan just in case—"
"No, I don’t have a back-up plan just in case," Rowan snapped.
"Testy, too." Ellen tsked.
"She’s been that way for a week," Claudia added.
"Baby must be coming quick."
Rowan prayed that wasn’t so. It couldn’t be. Her labor with Ian lasted a good twelve hours. But with the priest’s first reading, her water broke.
Mortification paralyzed her as the puddle beneath her grew. She wanted to burst into tears, and would have if she wasn’t afraid doing so would draw attention her way.
The pain intensified with each minute that passed. Only through sheer will did she manage to get through the two-hour mass. The wedding was beautiful, but she saw it all through a haze of pain.
She waited until Mike and Laura processed back down the aisle, studiously avoiding Phillip’s questioning gaze. Once they passed, she clutched Ellen’s arm.
"Phone 911. The baby’s coming—now."
What came out as a whisper rippled through the guests like wildfire, reaching Phillip before he arrived at the receiving area outside the church.
A crowd swarmed around Rowan. She saw Phillip pushing his way back up the aisle, but the exiting guests were blocking his way.
She was conscious of the priest plucking at her sleeve, urging her to a side room while Ellen begged her to lie down on the pew. It was a tug-of-war with Rowan as the rope and the guests as spectators. Madness. Insanity. All she wanted was Phillip.
She heard his barked command. A path cleared and strong arms slipped around her.
"It’s okay, honey. I’m here now."
With a nod, she relaxed against him. Yes, all was right with her world. Phillip was with her just as he had been since the day they were married. Her partner, her love, her life.
He wrapped his fingers around hers. "Hold on, sweetheart. The paramedics are on the way."
"Tell that to your son."
Phillip placed his hand on her belly. Tears glistened unshed in his silver eyes. "Patience, little guy. Your mom and I would like a doctor present."
Sirens blared from outside. Seconds later a paramedic rushed in.
"Give her room! Everyone back!" He skidded to his knees beside Rowan. "How close, Ma’am?"
"Real close," she said in a rush of breath.
"Think you can make it to the hospital?"
Rowan nodded, despite her misgivings.
Phillip smiled and brushed a kiss against her temple. "Then let’s go bring James into the world."
They made it as far as the ambulance.
She grabbed Phillip’s hand and yanked the gurney to a stop. "I can’t. Not in there. It’s too closed in."
"It’s no different than getting in your van." He motioned the paramedics on, gripping her fingers tight as they lifted her into the ambulance. "Look at me, honey. Just look at me, and everything will be all right. Remember…I’m your coach. I’m supposed be the boss."
"Not on your best day." Any further remarks or claustrophobic fears were wiped away by the force of the next contraction. Following his lead, Rowan breathed. Five minutes later, James McKinley Stuart slipped into the world, red-faced and squalling.
Exhausted yet elated, Rowan let the paramedic tuck her newborn son into her arms. One look at the shock on Phillip’s face forced a giggle from her throat.
"What’s the matter, sweetheart?"
"He’s so…tiny." Phillip’s eyes were riveted upon the squalling red bundle.
"And already stubborn. I imagine we’ll have our hands full with this one."
Phillip relaxed. "Maybe… You know that was easier than I expected."
Rowan rolled her eyes, and gave an exhausted sigh. "Then next time you can give birth."
He smiled, dropped a kiss to James’s head, then hers. "Anything for you, love. Anything."
Tears overwhelmed her. "Then I’d like a little girl next time. Okay?"
"My pleasure."
"I love you, Phillip." Her answer was choked, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the tears of joy or the loving kiss he pressed to her lips. Always faithful. No doubt about it.
Catherine Snodgrass
Anything Is Possible! That’s Catherine Snodgrass’s motto. Blessed (or cursed) with a vivid imagination, Catherine has learned to turn that "talent" inward. She grew up reading Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and others, and loves to "go places" in her writing. Readers should expect different locales and deep emotions in Catherine’s books. She also believes that life is to be lived not watched, and has done some inner exploring of her own—hiking a new path, learning a new skill, and even conquering a life-long fear of singing in public to take a turn or two on the stage of the local community theater. Her work as a paralegal in family and tax law has helped her tune in to the emotions of others and further deepen that aspect of her writing. Having set her children off in the world to explore their own paths, Catherine lives in the beautiful desert of Southern California with her husband (a genealogist) and the animals she loves.
Bryndis Rubin
Bryndis Rubin was born in Michigan, and her first name is Icelandic for "Iron Maiden," a difficult legacy to live up to! Her marriage to a United States Marine has allowed her to live in many states, including California, her current residence. A reference librarian and Internet instructor by profession, she has always loved books and writing, but her first published works were articles of instruction for her students. Her first professional publication was "The Internet: Where No Trainer Has Gone Before," an article published by the American Society for Training and Development and designed to help corporations teach their employees the basics of Internet use. After moving to Southern California, Bryndis met author Catherine Snodgrass, who encouraged her to write towards her true interest, romance novels. Together, Bryndis and Catherine coauthored Always Faithful, a novel of love and intrigue set in the world of the Marine Corps. To their delight, it was accepted for publication and they began working on the sequel, Ice Princess. Additionally, this writing team has also contracted a third book, Judging Ellie. With her USMC attorney husband and their son, Bryndis enjoys writing in the arid beauty of their desert duty station and dreams of green grass and snow.
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