Page 56 of Leave Before I Love You

Henry

My phone vibrates against the console as I pull into the parking garage behind Luxe. Another text from Ethel.

Ethel: Henry, dear, Avery still hasn’t come out of the bathroom. We’re getting worried.

I take the stairs two at a time, my heart racing.

Luxe’s fifth floor comes into view, and it’s chaos.

Blanche, Dottie, Joanne, Sarabeth, and Ethel are all pacing near the fitting area, their glittering gowns forgotten.

Laura, Avery’s assistant, stands stiffly by the bathroom door, her expression a mix of fear and panic.

“Tell me she’s not going to have her baby in our bathroom,” Laura blurts the moment she sees me.

Fucking hell, I’d prefer not.

“She’s fine,” I assure her, but my gut twists.

“She’s not fine!” Ethel protests, waving her arms. “She’s been in there forever, Henry. Forever!”

“Relax, ladies. I’ve got this.”

I knock gently on the bathroom door. “Hey, baby, it’s me.”

“I’m fine,” Avery’s voice calls back, but it’s strained, and I can hear her breathing through another contraction.

“Of course you’re fine, honey,” I say lightly. “I just wanted to stop by and say hey. Give you a kiss.”

“I’m fine,” she says again, her tone sharper now. Classic Avery.

“How about you open the door for me, then? Just for a second?”

There’s silence on the other side, and then, finally, the door unlocks and cracks open .

Avery is leaning against the sink, her face damp with sweat, her normally flawless makeup smudged. She looks exhausted, but she’s still stunning. Even in fucking labor, this woman takes my breath away.

“Hey, beautiful,” I say softly, stepping inside and shutting the door behind me.

“Don’t start with the sweet talk, Henry,” she snaps, clutching the counter as another contraction hits. “It’s fine. Just practice contractions.”

“Are you sure, baby?” I question the obvious. “Because those look pretty intense.”

“I’m fine, Henry,” she snaps. “I can handle this.”

“Sure you can, baby,” I say, walking over to her. “But you don’t have to handle it alone.”

“I’m not alone. I have five busybodies and a panicked assistant waiting for me outside.” She groans as the contraction eases. “And now you.”

“Lucky you,” I tease, but my heart aches seeing her like this.

“I swear to God, if you start being all cute and supportive, I will scream.”

“Noted,” I say, suppressing a smile as I reach out and gently rub her back. “But let me just be a little supportive, okay? I’ve got you, Avery.”

She leans into me, and for a moment, she lets herself melt into my arms. “I’m scared, Henny,”

she whispers, her voice cracking. “I’m really scared.”

“I know, baby,” I say, pressing a kiss to her temple. “But you don’t need to be. I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or our baby. I promise.”

Her wide hazel eyes meet mine, filled with tears. “You promise?”

“I promise,” I say firmly, brushing her hair away from her damp forehead.

Another contraction hits, and she grabs a fistful of my shirt, groaning through the pain. “Henry…I need drugs. Get me to a hospital now.”

I grin despite myself. “How about we get out of this bathroom first?”

“Henry.” Her tone is all Avery—sharp, demanding, and a little bit desperate.

“Okay, okay,” I say. “Let’s go have a baby somewhere other than a bathroom.”

I don’t waste time lifting her into my arms. “I’m too heavy for that!” she tries to refute, but I ignore her.

I’ll fucking carry this woman all the way to the hospital if I have to.

“I’ve got you, Avery.”

And as I carry her out, past her worried entourage, I feel nothing but pride, love, and the thrill of what’s about to come next— we’re about to meet our baby.

Part Four

Avery

I’m going to be honest; I don’t think anyone fully prepares you for what it feels like to push an entire human being out of your body. If it weren’t for the epidural, I’m positive I’d be screaming bloody murder right now. Because, really, who wants to feel their vag being ripped to shreds?

Henry is holding one of my legs, and a nurse has the other. His face is lit up with this stupidly handsome grin that has no right being so distracting right now.

“Henry,” I manage between pushes. “I really don’t think you need to be all up in it, you know?”

He just smiles, leaning down toward me. “I love you. You’re beautiful. And I say this with all the love in the world, but shut up, Avery. I’m going to be all up in watching my beautiful wife bring our baby into this world.”

I glare at him, but I’m too focused on the task at hand to argue.

June is standing on one side of me, holding my hand, her other hand resting on her still-slightly-rounded belly. She just had Caleb a few months ago. My little nephew with his fat cheeks, bald head, and the most pinchable smile you’ve ever seen.

My mom is on the other side, brushing sweaty strands of hair away from my face, whispering, “You’re doing so good, sweetie. Just a little more.”

Dr. Moretti glances up from the foot of the bed. “Avery, the baby’s crowning. On the next contraction, I need you to push.”

“Got it,” I pant, bracing myself as another contraction tightens my body like it’s in a vise grip.

Henry gives my leg a reassuring squeeze. “You’ve got this, baby. Strongest woman I know.”

My heart squeezes at his words. But then, because I’m me, I decide to multitask. “Henry,” I start, between breaths, “I think we can both agree that, right now, I’m doing the most out of the two of us.”

He narrows his eyes, grinning like he already knows where this is headed.

“I mean, I’m pushing our baby out of my body,” I continue, giving him my best doe eyes.

“Uh-huh,” he says, laughter in his voice.

“So, I think we can also agree that I should get the final say on the house.” We’ve been house hunting for months now but haven’t found anything we’ve agreed on or loved enough to buy.

And while Henry’s condo is nice to live in, it’s a bachelor pad.

Sure, it has a spare bedroom for the baby’s nursery, but it’s not where I want to raise our baby.

The man actually chuckles. “Okay, Avery. You get the final say.”

“Good.” I wince as another contraction builds.

“Because I already told our Realtor this morning to put a bid in on that house on Maple.” By the way, it’s a gorgeous two-story home that has five bedrooms and four bathrooms and the most perfect gardens and terrace I’ve ever seen—aka the ideal place for our family.

His grin falters for half a second. “The one overlooking the water?”

I nod, gripping his hand as the contraction slams into me. “They accepted it, by the way,” I say through gritted teeth.

Henry just laughs and presses a kiss to my knee. “Of course they did.”

Before I can retort, Dr. Moretti chimes in. “Avery, the baby’s head is out. One more big push, okay?”

It’s like the room holds its breath as I push with everything I’ve got. And then, the most beautiful sound fills the air—our baby’s first cries.

“It’s a girl!” Dr. Moretti announces, and the room erupts with emotion. I already knew—Henry made sure of that with my perfect pink Kelly bag, but hearing it from the doctor’s mouth is like an out-of-body experience.

Tears stream down my face as the doctor places our daughter on my chest. She’s warm and squishy and perfect. I can’t stop crying as I run my hand over her soft head, already covered in a patch of dark, silky hair.

June is crying. My mom is crying. And Henry… Henry has tears in his eyes as he leans down to press a kiss to my forehead.

“I love you,” he whispers, his voice thick with emotion.

“I love you too,” I whisper back, my heart bursting.

He kisses our daughter’s tiny head, his hand brushing her little cheek. “And I love you, Coco Callahan.”

I blink up at him, my heart skipping. “We’re naming her Coco?”

Henry nods, smiling down at our baby girl. “Yeah. Our little Coco.”

Coco was my top pick—a la Chanel—though Henry pretended to be unsure until now. And as I look at our little daughter, at her big eyes and adorable cheeks, I know he’s right. She’s our Coco .

Tears spill down my cheeks as I cradle her closer. I’ve never felt so much love in my life.

Henry kisses my forehead again. “I love you, Avery. And I can’t wait to raise our little Coco in our new home.”

I laugh through my tears, looking up at him. “You’re the best, Henny.”

He smirks. “I know.”

And as I look at him and our beautiful baby girl, I know one thing for sure—I get to spend forever with the two most important people in my life. My very own family.

Sad you’ve made it to the end of Henry and Avery and missed out on June and Beau’s book? Read Meet Me at Midnight !

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Mabel “Maybe” Willis died a virgin at the very young age of twenty-four. She leaves behind her parents, Betty and Bruce, her brother, Evan, a laptop filled with one too many Jason Momoa memes, and a Kindle library with more books than one human being could ever finish in a lifetime.

Cause of death: a text message.

Okay. So, I didn’t die. But I did send my brother’s best friend the most embarrassing text message possible.

Deflower me, please? I said.

Yeah. Send help.

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