Page 34 of My One and Only (Blackhawk Security #10)

Three years later

Jo stood up at her desk in the PK Construction company office and pressed her hands against her lower back. She was nine months pregnant and couldn’t wait to hold this baby in her arms. He was playing havoc with her back, dancing on her bladder all the damn day, and kicking every time she tried to fall asleep.

She took a deep breath and headed for the door. She needed to eat, and she’d curl up with Cam in his office and re-heat some of the mac and cheese she’d brought from home this morning. Fiona had packed it for her, along with an apple, and she’d hugged her daughter tightly. Fiona had laughed when Jack kicked her in the belly, and Jo had smoothed her hand over her baby bump.

After locking her office door behind her, she walked toward Cam’s office. Rolling her eyes, she corrected herself -- she waddled down to Cam’s office.

Once she reached it, she stopped to catch her breath, then knocked.

“C’mon in,” Cam called.

She opened the door and stepped inside, hurrying toward Cam. They’d both been busy that morning, and she hadn’t seen him since they arrived at the building and kissed each other goodbye.

“Jo,” he said, his eyes lighting up. “You come for some lunch?”

“I did,” she said, rubbing her belly. “Jack’s hungry.”

“Can’t have him getting cranky. Sit down and I’ll heat up your mac and cheese.”

“I can do it myself,” she said.

Cam turned and rolled his eyes at her. “Yeah, I’m gonna sit at my desk and watch my very pregnant wife make us lunch? Hell, no.” He pointed at the desk beside his. “Sit down and tell me what you did all morning.”

As Cam heated their lunch, she told him about how she’d done background checks on two people he’d interviewed for jobs the day before. “Both of them are squeaky clean,” she said. “Couldn’t find one speck of dirt between them.”

“Good,” Cam said. “Will liked both of them.” He carried her bowl over to where she sat behind the desk and she dug in. She wasn’t terribly hungry, but she knew if she didn’t eat, she’d be a disaster later this afternoon.

She ate about half the bowl, then pushed it away. Cam glanced at her and frowned. “You okay? You never turn down mac and cheese.”

“Just not terribly hungry. Only ate so that Jack would give me some peace.” She heaved herself out of the chair and headed for the bathroom. “Be right back.”

She stopped before she reached the door and stared at her feet. Then she turned to Cam. “Um, my water just broke.”

Cam leaped to his feet. “Are you sure?”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s a big puddle on the floor, and I still have to pee.”

“Go to the bathroom while I clean up the floor. Then you can call Dr. Gulling and we’ll head to the hospital.”

“You should probably call your mom and tell her that she’ll have to pick up Fiona from school.”

“I’ll do that.”

As soon as Jo vanished into the bathroom, Cam grabbed some towels and cleaned up the amniotic fluid. He made sure the floor was dry so Jo wouldn’t slip when she came out of the bathroom.

Cam threw on his coat and said, “Stay here. I’ll get your purse and your computer and lock your office, okay?”

Jo nodded, putting both hands on her belly.

“Contraction?” he asked

“Yeah.” She waited a moment, then blew out a breath. “I’ve been having them all morning. Thought they were just Braxton-Hicks contractions.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?”

She shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t know they were the real thing.”

Ten minutes later, they were on their way to Delnor Hospital. Jo had called her Ob/Gyn and the woman had assured her she’d meet them there. While she was doing that, Cam called his mom and told her that the baby was on the way and they were heading for the hospital.

“Fiona’s gonna want to visit,” his mom said.

“Yeah, I know.” Cam shoved his fingers through his hair. “Why don’t you let us get settled in the hospital and we’ll see what Dr. Gulling says. But for sure you and Fiona and dad need to visit as soon as the baby’s born. Jo’s mom, too.”

“I’ll give her a call and let her know that Jack’s on the way, and that you’ll keep her in the loop.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Cam said. Jo shifted in her seat, and Cam said, “Gotta go. Talk to you soon, Mom.”

Fifteen minutes later, they pulled up at Delnor. Cam parked in the ER lot, and he helped Jo into the hospital. The staff moved quickly to get them up to the labor and delivery floor, and in no time she was in a hospital gown and on a bed. A nurse got Jo hooked up to all the equipment, and ten minutes later, Dr. Gulling hurried in.

“How’re you doing, Jo?” she asked.

“Started having contractions early this morning,” she said. “My water broke at the office, so here we are.”

“Let’s see where you are,” the doctor said, sitting on a stool at the end of the bed and examining Jo. Finally she looked up at Jo and Cam. “You’re eight centimeters dilated,” she said. “I’m shocked you waited so long to come in.”

Jo shrugged. “Thought they were Braxton-Hicks.”

The doctor laughed. “Well, they weren’t. Your contractions are going to get worse, but your baby’ll be here soon.”

Jo looked at Cam. “Better call your mom and tell her not to bring Fiona until after Jack is born. I don’t want her to hear me calling you ugly names.”

Cam grinned. “Personally, I can’t wait to hear what you come up with. But you’re right. If Fiona witnesses that, we may never have any grandkids.”

Four hours later, Jack Pierce came into the world screaming at the top of his lungs. The doctor examined him, then wrapped him in a towel and laid him on Jo’s chest. “Hold him for a few minutes, then we’ll clean him up. His APGAR was a perfect ten.”

Jo looked down at the baby on her chest and her eyes filled with tears. “He looks just like you, Cam,” she whispered. “He’s beautiful.”

“Poor kid,” he joked. “I was hoping he’d be a looker like his mom.” He bent and kissed her. “Maybe the next one will.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “The next one? You’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Pierce.”

One of the nurses took Jack from Jo’s arms and whisked him out of the room. Cam pulled out his phone and called his mom. “Jack is here,” he said. “Seven pounds, five ounces and a good pair of lungs. Come on over whenever you want.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we get everyone into the car.”

An hour later, Fiona was sitting on the bed next to Jo, staring down at her brother. “He’s so tiny,” she said.

“He’ll grow fast,” Jo said. “How does it feel to be a big sister?”

Fiona touched Jack’s cheek with her finger, then let him curl his tiny fingers around her larger one. She looked up at Jo and Cam, grinning from ear to ear. “It feels real good. Can I hold him?”

“Of course you can,” Jo said. She looked around and spotted a chair with arms. “Sit in that chair, and your dad will bring him over to you.”

Fiona scrambled off the bed and ran to the chair. Then she stared at Cam, waiting for him to bring her brother over.

Cam cuddled Jack against his chest and walked over to Fiona. She’d gone to the childbirth classes with them, so she knew how to hold a baby. Cam put him carefully into Fiona’s arms, then watched as she smiled down at her brother. “I’m Fiona. Your big sister,” she whispered to him. “We’re gonna have so much fun. I’ll show you all the good hiding places in the house, and,” she glanced up at Cam, then bent to whisper in Jack’s ear, “and where they hide the cookies.”

Cam glanced at Jo and saw tears running down her cheeks. He had to blink a few times himself. Finally, he took Jack from Fiona and gave him to Jo’s mom to hold. Everyone got a turn, and Fiona was reaching for him again when Cam gave the baby back to Jo.

“Jo needs to feed Jack, and then she needs to sleep,” he told his parents and Jo’s mom. “We’ll probably go home tomorrow, then you can all come over, bring us tons of food, and hold Jack all you want.” He lifted Fiona into a hug, gave her a kiss, then kissed his mom, his dad and Jo’s mom. “Give us tomorrow to get settled in, and we’ll see you the day after that.”

As soon as everyone filed out the door, Jo dropped the shoulder of her gown and put Jack to her breast. He began nursing immediately, and she relaxed into the bed. Looked up at Cam and smiled.

“I love you, Cam,” she said. “We made a beautiful baby.”

“I love you right back,” he said, brushing a kiss over her mouth. “You’re everything I ever wanted, Jo, and Jack’s a great bonus. How did we get so lucky?”

“We both paid our dues,” Jo said, clinging to Cam’s hand. “Walked through fire and came out on the other side with a fabulous daughter and a brand-new son. This is our happily ever after, and I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

“Are you going to be saying that when you’re up every few hours feeding Jack every night?”

“Of course, because you’ll be with me. And I know you won’t roll over and go back to sleep. You’re going to be right beside me.” She smiled. “I can’t say it too often, Cam -- you’re my one and only. My forever love.”

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Enjoyed this book? Read an excerpt from the next book in the series – Nowhere to Hide .