Page 20 of Missing Pieces (Brantley Walker: Off the Books #12)

“How’re you doing?” the nurse called as she strolled into the room like it was any other Tuesday.

All right, fine. Maybe Marybeth was having a good day, but JJ could not say the same.

Rather than use her words, JJ was being ornery, so she grunted.

These people did not get to stand around all happy like while she was going through …

this . Jesus. How in the hell was she going to do this?

It wasn’t possible to squeeze a watermelon through a straw hole.

Maybe her vagina wasn’t the size of a straw, but the mental image was still effective.

“Dr. Tinder’s checking on a couple of patients, then he’s heading this way. He’ll check your cervix, and we’ll have a better idea how long you’ve got.”

JJ’s gaze snapped to Baz. She noticed he was shaking his head very subtly. It was a warning for her not to go off on this nurse the way she had the other one who’d come in earlier. It took tremendous effort and might’ve cost her a little blood, but she managed to bite her tongue.

“We’re watching the monitor so we can see when you have a contraction. They’re consistent and getting closer together. That’s a good sign.”

JJ’s eyes darted to the woman. “A good sign?” she snapped.

Baz was instantly at her side, taking her hand, squeezing more than gently. “Take a breath, baby.”

“If I wasn’t breathin’, I’d be dead,” she bit out.

Baz inhaled long and slow, a silent request for her to do the same.

JJ glared up at him. “I know what you’re doin’.”

His response was a sexy smirk and she wanted to slap it right off his handsome face.

“Dr. Tinder will be in shortly,” the nurse repeated as she headed for the door.

Before JJ could shout something obscene at the woman, Baz leaned down and kissed her.

“This is not a good sign,” she hissed against his mouth. “It’s not time yet.”

“It’s gonna be fine,” he said, sounding far too confident.

JJ wanted to believe him. She wanted to think that her babies would be born and everything would be fine.

She wanted to believe that, come tomorrow or the next day, they would get to go home.

She’d read so many horror stories about premature babies, and it terrified her.

She just wanted to cross her legs and keep them there for a few more weeks, just until she knew for certain.

Right.

Certain.

Like anyone could ever be absolutely positive about anything.

“Is Brantley here?” she asked.

“He’s on his way.”

“What about Iris and Frank?”

Baz smiled. “I texted Iris myself. She said they would break all the speed limits just to get here.”

JJ exhaled, a modicum of relief inching out some of the panic. Iris and Frank had been the closest thing she had to parents since her own parents pretty much forgot about her. She wanted them to be there. No, she needed them to be there.

A soft knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” Baz called.

The door opened slowly and Wes’s handsome face appeared. “Wanted to let y’all know we’ll be down the hall if you need us.”

“Don’t go yet,” JJ told him. “It’s not time.”

The door opened more and Wes held out his hand, urging Jules to come in. She had a beaming smile on her face, and her brown eyes didn’t reflect an ounce of worry. The woman was far too kind to let JJ think she was worried.

“How far apart are the contractions?” Jules asked, moving to the side of the bed.

“Right about eighteen minutes,” Baz answered. “And lasting close to forty-five seconds.”

“You might have a ways to go,” Jules acknowledged.

“They started about two hours ago. Almost an hour passed before we realized they were consistent,” Baz told his mother.

“Well, we’ll just let those babies take their time, and we’ll all be here to take care of anything that comes up.”

JJ fought the urge to cry when Jules brushed her hair back from her face.

“From here on out, your only job is to breathe,” Jules said, her tone soft and soothing. “You let the rest of us worry about everything else. You breathe for yourself and for those beautiful babies who’re ready to see their mama.”

A tear trickled down her cheek, but JJ didn’t wipe it away. It was pointless. She was flipping between white-hot rage and bone-chilling sadness for absolutely no reason whatsoever, all thanks to the hormones flooding her system.

Another knock sounded, this one louder and more authoritative. JJ didn’t have to guess who it was, and apparently neither did Baz because he didn’t call out. He didn’t have to. Dr. Tinder strolled into the room, a smile on his face.

For a doctor, the guy really was attractive. JJ figured it was a damn good thing the man was gay; otherwise, she might’ve been too freaked out to let him see her girly parts—medical degree be damned.

“I won’t ask how you’re feeling,” he said, holding her gaze. “I can see by the glare that it’s the wrong thing to say.”

He knew just how to make her smile.

“But I will tell you, I’m here and ready to go as soon as the little ones are. How about you?”

JJ nodded, although she definitely wasn’t ready.

It was easier to nod than to explain how freaked out she was.

Plus, she didn’t want Baz’s parents to know.

They might think she was a horrible person, and the last thing she needed was to piss off another set of parents to the point they wanted nothing to do with her.

“We’ll start with an exam. Why don’t we get a little privacy here?” Dr. Tinder said. “You’re welcome to stay, but you’ll probably want to move that way.” He pointed toward the head of the bed.

“We’ll step outside,” Jules said, grabbing Wes’s hand.

JJ didn’t bother telling them they didn’t need to.

“Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Dr. Tinder said, grinning.

“Looks like they won’t be makin’ it today,” Archer told Simon.

Rather than sit at the apartment, they had gone back to the B&B to wait for Brantley and Reese to arrive.

Or rather, Archer had come back to the B&B and plopped his ass right on the couch to watch TV in the common room.

Simon had snuck over to the bookstore to have lunch with Violet.

He’d walked in a few minutes ago, his smile amped up a few million megawatts.

“Why not?”

Archer held up his phone. “If I’m gettin’ it right, JJ’s in labor.”

At least, that was what he assumed the text from Reese meant. He’d been surprised to get it, but it appeared they’d added him to a group text they had for the team.

“Is that good news?”

Archer shrugged. He honestly didn’t know. From the bits and pieces he’d picked up, she’d been in the hospital for a while, so he wasn’t sure what the hold-up was.

“You gonna go to the hospital?”

Archer frowned. “I wasn’t plannin’ on it. I don’t think one conversation with her makes us best buds. Why? Are you goin’?”

“Probably not.” Simon pulled out his phone and began texting. “I’ll let Violet know I’ll meet her at the house if she wants to go up there, but I don’t want to get in the way.”

Yeah, that was kinda how Archer felt. Plus, he wasn’t a fan of hospitals.

“If she doesn’t go, you wanna grab dinner with us tonight?”

“Can’t. Got a date.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yup.”

“With whom?”

Archer replied with a roll of his eyes because Simon already knew that Archer was interested in Violet’s best friend.

Hell, he was more than interested. He was intrigued.

Now, it was a matter of getting to know the man on more than a primal level.

That would come eventually if their kiss that morning was any indication.

And when they did, it would be so fucking good.

But he had to take things slow with Spencer.

If he was being fair, it was partly because of Spencer’s revelation, but only a small part.

He could still recall the conversation like it was just last night.

But it wasn’t. It had been a couple of weeks since the night Archer interfered, making it his business to come between Spencer and the woman he’d been arguing with at Moonshiners.

“Excuse me,” the woman all but hissed. “I’d like to take my friend home if it’s all right with you.”

“It isn’t,” Archer told her.

“What?”

“I’ll take him home.”

The woman shook her head. “That’s not necessary.”

“I’ll talk at you later,” Archer called to Paige, hating to leave her but eager to figure out what the hell was going on between Spencer and the woman.

He urged Spencer forward and out into the humid September evening.

“I’ve got a room at the B and B,” he informed the man attempting to walk a straight line but failing. “You think you can walk?”

Spencer nodded.

“Good then. It’s a nice room. Not all that big, but it’s got a bed. You can have it. I’m used to sleepin’ on the floor.”

“I can call an Uber.”

“And risk that woman showin’ up at your place?”

Spencer didn’t respond.

Shortly thereafter, Spencer revealed the horrifying news that his ex-sister-in-law had raped him nearly a decade ago.

Archer figured a revelation like that deserved a slow stroll rather than a sprint.

He was sensitive to the situation to the point he would take his cues from Spencer, but he damn sure didn’t feel obligated, as Spencer had assumed that morning.

Archer also had some selfish reasons for wanting to take things slow.

He was hoping to build something, and he knew from experience that racing to the finish line would not provide the foundation he was looking for.

Coyote Ridge was the first place he’d been where he felt like he fit.

It was weird, but he felt a spiritual connection to the small town, and he was eager to discover who he could be there.

“I know they’ve got personal stuff to deal with,” Simon said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“But I’ve got to get movin’ on this. I’ve stalled as long as I can.

I’ll reach out to Brantley and Reese for a better time, but if they can’t do it soon, I’m gonna meet with Max Adorite and get the ball rollin’. ”

Archer looked over at his friend. “You can’t go alone.”