Room For Just A Little Bit More (Cranberry Inn Book 2.5)

by Beth Ehemann

  “Yeah, I think tonight is the night. I can feel it.” I said confidently, rubbing my belly again.

  “You’ve said that the last two nights, babe.” He patted my butt as I turned out the family room light, and we headed upstairs to our room. We’d been in our brand new house for less than a month and it still smelled like fresh wood and new carpet. I loved it. We had decided on a large five-bedroom craftsman-style model with clean lines and a cozy, woodsy interior. Brody had been such a trooper about helping me decorate and get everything ready before the birth of Little Murphy, even when I was too tired to go to the stores myself. He was constantly texting me pictures of furniture and lamps, schlepping home items that I’d given the thumbs-up to. And now, we were down to the wire.

  “No, I mean it, I’ve been very crampy today and my back is killing me.” I eased into bed, trying to convince myself that this would be the last night with this tiny alien in my belly. “Plus, I went on an extra long walk with the girls today, even though I almost froze my tush off, and I ate two bowls of mom’s chili at dinner.”

  “Two bowls of chili?” Brody teased. “Maybe I should sleep on the couch.”

  “Very funny. Get over here and snuggle me.”

  My due date was only one week away, but I was not-so-silently begging this baby to come out tonight while Brody was home. He’d be leaving in the morning for a three-day road trip with the Wild, and while I knew it was a possibility, I really didn’t want to have our baby without him.

  “You know,”—he pulled the covers back and crawled in next to me, his arm muscles flexing with each movement—“I’ve heard that vigorous sex sometimes triggers labor.”

  “I’m a labor and delivery nurse. You think I don’t know that?” I rolled my eyes at him. “Plus, you used that last night and nothing.”

  “Nothing?” Brody sounded dramatically pained by my answer. “You called God’s name so many times last night that either you were enjoying yourself or you were having a massive prayer session while in bed with me.”

  I smacked his chest and rolled onto my left side, facing him, so I could breathe easier.

  “If you change your mind, you let me know.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “I love you, baby.”

  “I love you too.” I sighed happily.

  He lifted my T-shirt and kissed my belly. “And I love you, baby.”

  He had done that every night he’d been home, and I swear the baby knew when he was there, responding with lots of little kicks after Brody talked to him, or her. It would be nice to know what we were having, but karma came around and smacked me in the face for teasing Alexa about not finding out. Brody refused. He wanted it to be a surprise. I would never admit it, because everyone knows I like to be prepared, but I was excited for the surprise too. My whole relationship with Brody had been surprise after surprise, right down to this pregnancy, so it just seemed fitting that the sex of the baby be a surprise too.

  The next morning, Lucy, Piper, and I sadly kissed Brody good-bye, and I switched from begging Little Murphy to come out to begging it to stay in. Brody would be home in three days. I could keep my legs together until then.

  The first two days were a breeze. Lucy and Piper went to school during the day and I lay on the couch over at my mom’s, keeping her company while they finished their own construction. With the money from the land she’d sold to Brody, she’d slowly redone all of the guest rooms and completely gutted the bathrooms on the guest wing of the inn. Now, she was working on her and Fred’s end. She knocked down a few walls and reconfigured the apartment, downsizing from three to two bedrooms by combining two of the rooms into a large master suite. She was elated that construction was almost done and she’d soon have her apartment back. She was keeping the smaller bedroom as a playroom/guest room for Lucy and Piper, and eventually Little Murphy, to come and play at Gigi’s house.

  The third day was a little tougher. Braxton Hicks contractions were kicking my butt, making everything sore. Mom took the girls to school for me while I once again parked it on her couch.

  Zach would be picking Lucy and Piper up from school and taking them to his house for the weekend, but he was on notification that if Little Murphy decided to come out, we wanted the girls to come to the hospital.

  “How ya feeling?” Fred asked, bringing me a blueberry bagel with plain cream cheese—my favorite.

  I sighed. “Like I have an eight-pound bowling ball trying to drop out of me every second.”

  “Wow.” Fred shook the image from his head and disappeared back into the kitchen.

  After scarfing my bagel down like I was in a race with somebody, I decided that maybe a shower would be a good idea. I carried my plate to the kitchen. “All right, Fred. I’m gonna head home and shower.”

  He turned around from the sink and pulled his brows in tight, peeking at me over his glasses. “Want me to walk you?”

  “Nah, I’m okay.” I turned to leave and felt a big sneeze coming. Leaning against the island, I crossed my legs at my ankles and squeezed tight, prepping for the sneeze in advance. “Ah-choo!”

  “Bless you.”

  “Thanks.” I started walking out of the kitchen and exactly what I didn’t want to happen, happened. Pee started dripping down my leg like an upside down fountain.

  “Uh…” Fred froze as he walked around the corner to inspect the splat noise he was hearing on his kitchen floor.

  Wait.

  That was a lot of pee. I clenched my muscles together to make it stop, but it didn’t work. Holy crap, that wasn’t pee—my water just broke!

  “Fred!” I panicked, my eyes flashing to his.

  “Do you need help to the bathroom?” He stuttered, reaching for some paper towels.

  “My water just broke!” I yelled, waving my hands around like a completely insane first-time mom, not the calm and cool nurse I was supposed to be.

  Fred’s face turned red as he rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the puddle underneath me. “Uhhh… I don’t know what that means.”

  I rubbed my eyes with my hands, praying this was all a dream and that I’d wake up and be sleeping on the couch. “It means that my water just broke and the baby is coming today.”

  Fred started running in circles from the island to the kitchen table, back to the island, back to the table.

  “Fred!” I didn’t want to move and slip and hurt myself or the baby. “Grab the phone and call my mom.”

  He took his phone out of his pocket, but before he could dial, the front door opened.

  “Soph!” Fred called out, still staring at the puddle on the floor like he was afraid it was going to get up and start running after him.

  “What’s all the yelling about—” Mom froze when she walked around the corner. “Did you pee?”

  “No. My water broke.”

  She gasped. “Holy shit!”

  My mom never swore. I wanted to laugh, but I was afraid the pressure on my belly would force poor Little Murphy to slide out and land in the puddle on the kitchen floor.

  “Here’s what we have to do: Mom, you grab a towel and lay it on the seat of your car. Then we’re going to drive to my house and grab the bag in the closet by the front door, and you’re gonna drive me to the hospital. Fred, I know he’s practicing before his game, but can you try and get a hold of Brody?”

  “Sure thing. Do we know where he is?” Fred asked.

  I sighed. “Chicago.” All I could do was pray that the stars would align and he’d be able to get back in time.

  Everyone started moving all at once. Mom grabbed a wad of paper towels and cleaned up the floor so that I could walk to the front door safely. Fred helped me down the steps and into the car while mom ignored my plan and instead sprinted along the trail through the woods to my house and grabbed the bag. She sprinted back, threw it in the car, and we were off.

  “Well look at you.” Dr. Newman grinned at me as she came into the room and grabbed a set of latex gloves out of the box on the wall.

  �
�Hi.” I sighed. Using my arms, I tried to adjust myself to sit up in the bed.

  “Relax, relax.” She touched my shoulder, stopping me from getting up. “What’s wrong? I thought you were ready to get this baby out of you.”

  “I am, but Brody’s out of town. We can’t get a hold of him.”

  Mom, who was sitting in a chair next to my bed, reached out and squeezed my hand. “Fred has left a few messages and we’re gonna keep trying.”

  “Relax back. I’m just gonna check you real quick.”

  Dr. Newman’s hand slipped under the blanket on my lap. A quick pinch as she was pulling her glove off, frowning slightly.

  “What?” I asked, panic swelling up in my chest.

  “How long ago did you say your water broke?”

  “Uh…” I looked at my mom and then at the clock on the wall. “About six hours ago?”

  “And you had your epidural three hours ago?”

  I nodded.

  “Okay, because you’re at nine centimeters. This baby will probably be here in about an hour, maybe less. We’re gonna start prepping the room.”

  My heart sank. “Okay.”

  My mom stood up and draped her arm over my shoulders, leaning her head against mine. “Oh, honey, I know you’re sad, but I’ll be here and we’ll see if we can keep trying to get a hold of him. Maybe he can come home earlier and at least be here tonight sometime.”

  Everything from that point on moved very quickly. They had the room prepped in no time, my legs in stirrups, and Dr. Newman was in her gown with her clear face guard on, sitting at the end of the bed.

  Taylor, one of my coworkers and good friends, stood next to me, watching the monitor and holding my hand.

  “All right, Kacie. As soon as you feel the next contraction, go ahead and start pushing.”

  Tears streamed down my face, but I felt no pain. I didn’t want to push. I wanted to keep this baby in until Brody got here and could see it. I wanted him to hold my hand and kiss my forehead. I wanted him to be the first one to hold his baby.

  My stomach tightened up as a contraction started. I squeezed my mom’s and Taylor’s hands and closed my eyes tight, pushing as hard as I could as Taylor counted down for me, “Five… four… three… two… one. Relax.”

  My head fell back against the bed and more tears fell.

  Taylor gasped above me.

  I looked up at her, but she was looking somewhere past me, over my shoulder. I followed her eyes and my breath caught too.

  Brody.

  A sob escaped me as he whipped his coat off and threw it on the chair in the far corner of the room, still wearing his practice jersey.

  “What are you— How did you—” I started to ask questions, but another contraction started. My mom stood up quickly, with tears streaming down her face, and moved out of the way, allowing Brody to have the seat next to me. “Here, take her hand. It won’t be long now,” she whispered as she kissed his cheek.

  I squeezed his hand tight and pushed again.

  “Five… four… three… two… one. Relax.” Taylor sniffed.

  My head fell back again and I gasped for air.

  “You’re doing so good, baby.” Brody leaned over and kissed my temple but didn’t remove his lips, instead resting them against my head as if he somehow knew that I needed physical contact with him.

  “Good job, Kacie. The head is right here. I can see it. A head full of dark hair.” Dr. Newman’s eyes popped up over the blanket. “One more good push oughta get the head out.”

  “You got this, Kacie. One more good one,” Brody whispered into my ear. “Come on. Let’s meet our baby.”

  A contraction started and I bore down as hard as I could, digging my chin into my chest, using every cell in my body to try and get Little Murphy out.

  “Here we go!” Dr. Newman called out. “You wanna come down and look at this, Dad? It’s pretty cool.”

  Without letting go of my hand, he squatted and slid down my legs just a bit, peeking over the blanket.

  “Holy shit.” He breathed heavily. “It’s here. I can see it.”

  Two more seconds of pushing and I felt the head come out, sending a tidal wave of relief over me as I struggled to catch my breath. I couldn’t see Dr. Newman, but I knew exactly what she was doing as she squished and wiggled the shoulders to fit them through.

  “Okay, Kacie. One more tiny push and you’ll know whether you have a boy or a girl,” she instructed.

  This push wasn’t nearly as tough as the others. I barely had to struggle and the baby slid out into Dr. Newman’s arms. I waited a couple seconds and heard the best noise ever—a screaming newborn.

  “It’s a girl!” Dr. Newman called out, palming the baby’s chest as she wiped her down and quickly cleaned out her mouth. That pissed her off, making her scream even louder. I lay in the bed, completely exhausted but mustering up just enough strength to squeeze Brody’s hand. He sat back down next to me and it was the first time I noticed the tears streaming down his face too.

  “She’s so beautiful, Kacie. Just like you.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead over and over. “Thank you. Thank you for taking such good care of our little girl. She’s the luckiest baby on the planet and she doesn’t even know it yet.”

  “Of course she is,” I said softly. “She already has a castle in her backyard.”

  “Here you go, Dad.” Dr. Newman handed her to Brody. “I have to clean Kacie up a bit, but I’ll give you guys a minute.”

  My mom walked over and kissed my cheek, then the baby’s cheek, then Brody’s cheek again. “I’m gonna step out. I’ll come back in a little bit. You guys need time, okay?”

  “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

  She blew me a kiss and slipped out the door.

  My heart swelled as I watched Brody look at his daughter for the first time. His eyes took in every detail of her little face. He put his pinkie finger in her tiny hand and her fingertips turned white as she squeezed as hard as she could.

  “She’s got good reflexes.” He sniffed, grinning at me. “Gonna be a hockey player.”

  I laughed and grimaced in pain.

  “Sorry,” he apologized. “You okay?”

  “Just sore.” I smiled.

  “If you want to come over here, she’s gonna get her first bath as I clean Kacie up, okay?” Taylor put her hand gently on Brody’s shoulder, directing him to the warming table.

  That was the last thing I remember before dozing off.

  After a quick yet rejuvenating nap, the baby got a bath and it was time to nurse her. She latched on immediately and ate for a solid half hour before passing right out as they were moving us to our private room.

  “This place is pretty swanky.” Brody laughed as he inspected the room, opening and closing all the cabinets and checking out the pull-out bed for him.

  “Knock, knock.” My mom peeked her head in the door. “Can we come in?”

  “Of course.” Brody waved her in.

  She came in, her eyes darting around the room, looking for the baby, with Lucy, Piper, and Fred right behind her. “I know it’s almost dinner time; we won’t stay long. They just wanted to meet her, and of course, I wanted to hold her one more time.” Mom snickered.

  “Where is she?” Piper started interrogating us before she was all the way in the room.

  “Right here,” I answered, nodding my head toward our new daughter, asleep in my arms.

  Lucy and Piper circled around me, standing on their tippy toes to see her, as Brody videoed with his phone. Their eyes were wide, grinning at their new baby sister.

  “What’s her name?” Lucy asked.

  I looked up at Brody and smiled. “Go ahead.”

  “Her name is Emma. Isn’t she cute?”

  “She has a tiny head.” Piper craned her neck to the side, trying to get a better view of Emma’s head.

  “It didn’t feel so tiny a few hours ago,” I mumbled under my breath.

  Brody chuckled at my joke. “You guys
wanna hold her?”

  Their heads nodded up and down like bobblehead dolls as they climbed up on the couch excitedly. Brody took Emma from my arms and gently set her in both Lucy’s and Piper’s arms, right in the middle. “Okay, smile.” He took a step back and snapped the first picture of all of our girls together. “Three more and I can start my own hockey team.” He winked at me.

  “Try telling me that when I’m not high on narcotics, okay?” I joked.

  “She smiled at me,” Piper squealed proudly.

  “It’s probably just gas, baby,” my mom said to her. “It’s too early for her to be smiling.”

  “Gas?” Piper curled her nose up. “Like… farts?”

  Everyone in the room laughed.

  “Yes, like farts,” my mom answered.

  “Sometimes I smile when I fart too,” Lucy quipped.

  Brody laughed and held his hand out to Lucy for a high-five. “You and me both, kiddo.”

  After an hour-long visit, I’d had all I could handle and needed a nap.

  “I’m sorry, Mom.” I felt bad kicking everyone out, but I was so far past tired I felt like I could sleep for three days straight.

  “No, don’t apologize. We’re gonna take the girls out to dinner and then go home and hang out. Zach said he’d take them next weekend instead, if that’s okay?”

  I nodded, trying to keep my eyes open. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

  Lucy and Piper gave me careful hugs on the way out.

  Fred came over and peeked down at Emma, who was passed out in my arms. “You done good, kid. She’s pretty cute.” He slapped a kiss on top of my head, shook Brody’s hand, and was out the door.

  “Here, let me take her.” Brody lifted Emma out of my arms and sat down with her on his pull-out bed. “Close your eyes for a bit.”

  “I will. I’m just enjoying the quiet right now.” I blinked slowly, taking in the sight of him snuggling with our daughter.

  The evening news was on the TV and Brody stared up at it, a sneaky smirk appearing on his face. His smile was contagious, and I couldn’t help but grin right along with him.