2. Scarlett #2
“What!” I shouted. “It’s too early. She still has three more weeks. She can’t be in labor yet.” Sweat coated my skin, and my heart rate spiked before I applied all of my training as a police dispatcher. Staying calm in a crisis was a skill set that I was well versed in.
I hit the gas, turning toward the local hospital. Maeve had become one of my best friends over the past year. I needed to be there for her, especially in the event that something went wrong.
“She’s full term. The baby has been growing at a normal, healthy pace. There’s no reason to think anything is wrong.”
“Yeah. Yeah. That’s true. At thirty-seven weeks, baby Wilder should be pretty well developed,” I mumbled, more to myself than to Luke, my heart rate slowing incrementally. “I’m on my way over there now.”
“Okay, good. I’m sure she’ll want to see you. Wyatt is in the delivery room with her. Me and my dad are here. Reid and Claire are on their way.”
“Where’s Juliet?” I asked. His wife had been frosty with me ever since I met her, but there was absolutely no way I was going to avoid my best friend’s childbirth because of her. But if she was there, I just wanted a little heads-up so I could prepare.
Luke’s silence pressed on a beat too long before he replied, “She’s not here.”
The hospital was just outside of town limits. Fifteen minutes later, I was jogging into the building. The woman at the front desk told me where I could find the labor and delivery ward.
“Scarlett, hey,” a voice called from behind me. I spun around quickly, my red curls tangling in my face.
“Hi, Jackson. Josie.” Maeve’s brother had arrived at the same time as me, along with her mother. “Ready to meet the new baby Wilder?”
“More than ready. And it seems like the baby is sick of waiting around to meet us too,” Josie laughed.
They followed me up to the ward. The waiting room in labor and delivery was small. Luke, Charlie, Reid, and Claire were already there, taking four of the six seats. Reid pulled Claire from her seat between him and Luke, positioning her on his lap.
Luke tipped his head toward the seat, motioning for me to sit there.
“Has anyone got an update?” I asked.
Luke quirked his brow at me with a grin. “In the twenty minutes since I called you? No, no update.”
So snarky. I stuck my tongue out at him, crinkling my nose up.
Luke lowered his voice, tilting his head to speak solely to me. “How was your date with the cheese connoisseur?”
“Oh, I am now highly educated in the fermenting of milk curds,” I told him haughtily.
This time, it was Luke’s nose that scrunched. “No. No curds talk.”
“Cheese curds are a thing.”
“I don’t want to talk about those either.”
Luke always made me laugh. I couldn’t help it. Whether he was serious or silly, stoic or cocky, he never ceased to make me smile.
Eddie. Yes, Eddie was a safer conversation. “Honestly though, my date went well. Eddie was sweet and nice.”
“Sweet and nice? Your bar is awfully low, Hart. What about spark and connection?”
“He asked me questions about myself and listened when I spoke,” I added.
“Okay. So will there be a second date in Eddie’s future?” He rolled his eyes when he said Eddie’s name.
“He seems like a good guy, Luke. I can’t afford to just toss those aside. They don’t come around very often.”
The doors to the labor and delivery rooms flew open. Wyatt strolled out, tears spilling from his eyes.
“It’s a girl!” he shouted.
Everyone jumped up at once. My hands came to my face as tears of my own leaked down my cheeks.
Luke, Reid, and Charlie were the first to hug Wyatt.
Jackson shook his hand with a congratulations of his own while Josie offered Wyatt a quick embrace.
Claire and I both pounced on him as soon as we could, hugging Wyatt like we wanted to hug Maeve, making a Wyatt sandwich between us.
I turned around and witnessed all the joy on everyone’s faces.
“I can only take two in at a time. Dad and Jackson, come meet your new grandbaby and niece, Veda Rebecca Wilder.”
Jackson looked shocked to be called in first, but it was Charlie’s reaction to his late wife’s honor that captured my heart.
“She’d be so proud of you, son. Congratulations.” He slapped Wyatt on the shoulder before bringing him in for another hug.
“I’m going to go to the gift store for something pink,” Josie said.
Figuring it was going to be a while, Reid and Claire decided to take a walk and grab something to drink, leaving me and Luke alone in the waiting room.
“You doing alright over there?” Luke kicked my foot lightly.
“Yeah. Big emotions…”
“Make you cry. I know. Come here.” Luke stretched out his arm, inviting me into his space.
I sniffled, trying to clear my nose before I leaned into him.
His strong arm cradled my shoulder while I snuggled into his chest. The scent of his soap and a hint of woodsy cologne tickled my senses.
I breathed him in for just a moment. Just long enough to gather myself from my emotional cryfest. Any longer and my emotions would be taking on a different type of hit.
I pulled back before I got too comfortable being comforted by him.
A look passed across Luke’s face, disappearing as quickly as it came. It almost looked like interest, but that was ridiculous. My brain was trying to make something out of nothing. He was married.
It didn’t stop tingles from flowing through my body though.