Page 52 of Charm

I glance down at the can in my hand and pass it off to him, taking his away. “I’ll drink this. You take mine.”

“That works because you’re not as sweet as me.”

I crack a smile. “You got that from Kirbs, didn’t you?”

“It’s part of a joke she made up,” he says as we walk toward the waiting area in the maternity ward. “I’m too damn tired to remember the entire thing, but the punch line was something about her being sweeter than me.”

“That’s a truth, not a punch line.” I sip from the soda, cringing at the sweet note of it. “Is this cherry flavored?”

He tilts his head to get a better look at the can. “So it is. It’ll get you through the night. First babies are notoriously slow to arrive.”

We round the corner of the waiting area to find Declan’s brother, Sean, his wife, Callie, and four very eager grandparents sitting in chairs.

“Uncle Holden has arrived,” Rook tells the room. “Ignore the fact that he looks like he just stepped out of a boardroom. The bastard is always trying to one-up me.”

I greet everyone present with hugs and fist bumps before I take a seat next to Rook.

I dig my phone out of the inner pocket of my suit jacket and check it again even though I glanced at it in the rideshare on my way here.

Unsurprisingly, there’s nothing from Greer.

Why would there be? It’s the middle of the night and she’s likely tucked in a comfortable bed somewhere in this city. Hopefully she’s alone.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Greer

“I had a nightmare, Mommy,”Olive pokes a finger into my cheek as I struggle to open my eyes.

“What time is it, sweetheart?” I whisper.

“Late,” she snaps back with a giggle. “I looked out my bedroom window. It’s dark out. I heard Grandpa snoring when I listened at the door of their room, so I let him sleep.”

My eyes pop open. “Your grandparents are up on the third floor, Olive. You went up there?”

My sweet little princess yawns. “Grandpa told me if I ever had a bad dream, he’d tell me a good story. He said that balances it out in the brain.”

She taps the center of her forehead to make her point.

I glance toward my bedroom window. It is indeed dark out, but there’s light filtering in from the massive motion-activated light the neighbors installed on the fence. It’s supposed to light up only their yard at night so their dog can find his way around after dusk. It’s set to light up both yards.

I don’t mind, though. It offers me an extra sense of security, and for that I’m grateful.

Olive looks at my phone on my nightstand next to where she’s standing. She quickly taps the screen with her finger. “It’s two fifteen. That’s like late late.”

“Super duper late,” I add with a grin. “Let’s get you back in bed.”

“I think a piece of cake would make me forget my nightmare,” she says with a fake sniffle.

My daughter knows my weaknesses, including when she pretends she’s about to cry. I usually jump into action to ward off her tears, but this time, I pop up into a sitting position and watch her carefully.

There’s not a tear in sight, but I do see a slow smile creep over her lips. “We’re dressed the same, Mom.”

I glance at her pink and white pajamas. The material is cotton, and it’s a checkerboard pattern that Olive picked out herself. Martha made Olive a set first, and when I commented on how cute it was, she surprised me with a set, too. They match Olive’s perfectly, right down to the pink buttons on the shirt.

“We are.” I pat the spot next to me. “Sit and tell me about the dream.”

She climbs onto the bed, dragging her purple elephant stuffed toy with her. Once she’s comfortable, she runs her hand down my forearm. “I don’t exactly remember it all, but I do know there was a scary pumpkin and a big zebra.”