Page 42 of Reluctantly Ever After (The Oops Baby Club #2)

"Where are you?"

"Still at the office. In the parking garage elevator." Well, sort of. I waddle toward my car as we talk.

"Stay right there. I'm calling Reed, and I'll be there in five minutes."

The call ends, and another cramp hits. This one makes me cry out. When my phone rings again, it's Reed.

"Wren, Kasen just called. Tell me what's happening."

"Contractions, I think," I gasp. "Stronger than the Braxton Hicks. They really hurt."

"How long has this been going on?"

"The last fifteen minutes, maybe? They were mild before, but now..."

"When Kasen gets there, I need you two to meet me at the hospital," Reed says, his professional calm somehow more frightening than panic would be. "At twenty-four weeks, we don't mess around with regular contractions. I'll meet you there."

I hang up and slide down the side of my car until I'm sitting on the concrete. The garage is cold, the fluorescent lights flickering overhead, and for the first time since this all began, I'm truly scared.

Twenty-four weeks. That's barely viable if something goes wrong. That's a baby who needs months more time to develop, who isn't ready for the world yet.

"Please," I whisper to my belly. "Please be okay."

I don't know how long I sit there before I hear Kasen's truck roaring through the garage. He screeches to a stop beside me, and then he's there, pulling me up into his arms.

"I've got you," he murmurs against my hair. "Everything's going to be fine."

"What if it's not?" The words come out strangled as I grip his flannel shirt so hard my knuckles turn white. "What if I've been pushing too hard? What if I've hurt him?"

"Hey." Kasen cups my face, making me look at him. "This is not your fault. You've been taking care of yourself. Sometimes these things just happen. And it’s probably nothing."

"I can't lose him," I whisper, tears threatening. "I can't lose him, Kasen."

"We won't." His voice is fierce, certain. "I won't let you. Nothing’s going to happen."

He helps me into his truck, buckling me in, and we speed toward the hospital. I grip his hand, trying to breathe through the fear, trying to ignore the way my back aches and my stomach feels tight.

"Talk to me," Kasen says, his thumb rubbing circles on my palm. "Tell me what you're feeling."

"Scared," I admit. "More scared than I've ever been."

"Physical symptoms, Pink."

I check in with myself. "Back pain. The contractions are coming every four or five minutes now. He's moving, though. I can feel him between them."

"Good. That's good." Kasen's jaw is tight, but his voice stays calm. "Reed's the best. If anyone can handle this, it's him."

"Why were you being even more over the top than usual today? How’d you know?"

"Because you've been working longer hours, and when you get stressed, you react differently now. I've been watching and fucking worried." He glances at me. "I had a feeling something was off today."

The simple fact that he knows me this well, that he's been paying such close attention, makes warm little grasshoppers hop around in my stomach.

"Thank you," I whisper. "For taking care of me."

"Always," he says simply and squeezes my hand.

At the hospital, everything becomes a blur of monitors and nurses and Reed in full professional mode, examining me while Kasen doesn’t move an inch from my side and never once lets go of my hand.

"Everything looks good," Reed announces after what feels like forever.

"All your tests are normal. The baby's heartbeat is strong and regular.

What you're experiencing appears to be pre-term labor that's resolved on its own, likely triggered by stress and fatigue.

We'll monitor you for a few hours to make sure everything stays quiet, but I think you and the little guy are going to be just fine. "

The relief is so intense I start crying. Not pretty tears, but ugly, exhausted sobs that seem to come from somewhere deep inside me.

"Hey," Kasen murmurs, wiping my face with his thumbs. "You're both okay."

"I was so scared," I hiccup into his chest after he sits on the bed next to me and wraps his arms around me. "I thought... if something happened because I was being stubborn about work..."

"Nothing happened," he says firmly. "And from now on, you're listening to your body and to me when I tell you to take it easy."

"Yes, sir," I manage, half-laughing through my tears.

Reed clears his throat. "I'm recommending modified bed rest for the next week. No long hours at the office, no late nights, and lots of rest. And Wren?" He waits until I look at him. "Let him take care of you." He smirks. “Doctor’s orders.”

Hours later, after they release me, Kasen drives us home in silence. I'm exhausted, emotionally drained, but there's something settled inside me that wasn't there before.

At home, he helps me into bed, messing with the pillows and blankets until I'm comfortable. I watch as he strips down to his boxers and crawls in behind me, his body curving around mine. His arm slides around my waist, his hand coming to rest on my belly where our son moves around like he’s trying to kickbox his way out of my stomach.

"This okay?" he murmurs against my neck.

"So okay," I tell him, already feeling safer with his warmth against my back. I can let go and all my muscles relax while I melt into his strong body.

I study our joined hands in the dim light, the way his tattooed fingers spread protectively over my stomach.

This man who called my doctor because he noticed I was working too much, who held my hand through every contraction and test tonight without question, who's now cradling us both like we’re his whole world.

"I love you," I say, and for the first time, there's no fear in it. No hedging or qualifying. Just truth.

He leans up and over until his eyes find mine. "I love you too, Pink."

"I want this to be real," I continue, the words tumbling out easier in the dark. "Not just for the baby. I want us to be real."

"We are real," he says, his thumb tracing patterns on my palm. "We have been for a while now."

"Yeah." I take a deep breath. "And I'm sorry I've been working so late. It wasn't about the work. It was about being scared of how much I need you."

His expression softens. "You don't need me, Wren. You're the strongest person I know. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to want me.”

"Very wise words, James."

"I have my moments." He leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. "Now, how about that lasagna?"

"It's midnight," I point out.

"So?"

I laugh, feeling lighter than I have in weeks. "So bring on the lasagna. And then you're telling me everything about your day, including how you ended up trading texts with my assistant."

"It's not a big deal," he admits with a grin. "Kieran and I have a group chat. Reed’s in it too.”

"You're all ridiculous," I say, but I'm smiling.

"And you love us anyway."

"Yeah," I agree, settling back against the pillows as he heads for the kitchen. "I really do."

As I lie there, listening to Kasen moving around downstairs, I realize something fundamental has shifted. Not just in how I feel about him, but in how I see myself. I'm still Wren Callan, CEO of Cascade Craft Distribution. I'm still independent, driven, capable of anything I set my mind to.

But now I'm also a woman who's chosen to let someone in. Who's building a family with a man I never expected to love. Who's discovered that trust isn't weakness, and partnership isn't surrender.

When Kasen returns with two plates of something that smells amazing , I'm ready for all of it. The uncertainty, the joy, the terrifying beauty of sharing my life with someone else.

"Verdict?" he asks, watching me take a bite.

"Delicious," I admit, moaning around the perfect blend of cheese and sauce. "You nailed it this time."

"This time?" He smirks. "I nail it every time, Pink. You just love to make me work for it."

"Humble as always," I tease, but I'm already going back for another bite. And he brought me a crispy corner square because he’s the best.

As we eat together in bed, talking and laughing, our son rolling and kicking between us, I think about Kieran's words from earlier. There's a difference between needing someone and choosing someone.

I choose Kasen. And for the first time in my life, that choice doesn't feel like giving up anything.

It feels like coming home.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I reach for it automatically. Miller's name appears on the screen with a text.

Miller: Heard you had some excitement tonight. Stress is so dangerous for expectant mothers. Hope you're reconsidering our offer.

I go cold. "Kasen."

He looks up from his plate, immediately reading my expression. "What’s wrong?"

I show him the text. His face darkens to something murderous.

"He wouldn't," I whisper. "Would he? Seriously try to take advantage of my health issue? In the middle of the night?"

"Forward that to me," Kasen says, his voice deadly calm. "And text that coalition group chat. Emergency meeting tomorrow morning. Miller just fucked with the wrong people."

"Whatever he's planning," I say, setting my phone aside after sending the text, "we'll stop him."

"Damn right we will," Kasen agrees, pulling me closer. "Nobody threatens my family and gets away with it."

Family. The word settles around us like a promise, like a battle cry, like the thing I've been afraid to want my whole life.

But as I let Kasen wrap me up in his arms, I'm not afraid anymore.

I'm furious.

And god help Nolan Miller, because a pregnant woman with a protective husband and a righteous anger is not someone he wants to fuck with.

He’s about to enter his find out era.