CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rubbing her bump, Kiara slowly walked toward the kitchen. It was tightening again. It had been doing that off and on for the past couple of days, but over the last few hours, it had been happening more regularly.
At her appointment earlier in the week, Doctor Misha had said everything was looking good. She had two and a half weeks until her official due date, but the doctor had cautioned her about pinning all her hopes on that date because she could go beyond it.
But now Kiara was wondering if she could also deliver the baby early. According to what she’d read, it was possible she was just experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions.
Standing in the kitchen, she stared out the window but didn’t really see the scenery as she rubbed her stomach.
She wasn’t sure she was ready to have the baby yet, especially if this was something more than just Braxton Hicks.
Angie was in New York with Jude, who had flown there to help deal with the security issues that had come up because of what had happened in Singapore.
Annie and Cole had traveled to LA to finish cleaning out his house there, which had just recently sold.
And Julian was still in Singapore. The security issue had taken longer to resolve than he had anticipated because the situation had turned out to be a real mess. She felt for him because in the messages they’d exchanged and the brief calls they’d had, she’d sensed how stressed he was.
Unable to focus on anything, Kiara left the kitchen and walked to the nursery, settling into the rocker. Laying her hands on her stomach, she set the rocker into motion with her foot.
After another brief period of abdominal tightening, she pulled her phone out and opened the app she’d downloaded to prepare for tracking her contractions. She just hadn’t anticipated needing it so soon.
They were coming fairly regularly but weren’t very close together. And thankfully, they weren’t painful. Just a bit uncomfortable.
Her thoughts wandered as she rocked, going as they often had over the past ten days to those moments before Julian had left. The way he’d held her hand, then kissed her forehead…
She couldn’t put it out of her mind, but she also didn’t know how to interpret it.
It was hard not to hope that there was something more behind his actions. As much as she’d tried to keep her feelings for him buried, they had only grown as he’d become more caring. And he’d also seemed to become more invested in the pregnancy and their son.
But the more she allowed those thoughts to surface, the more she had to remind herself of their arrangement. He had made it clear from the beginning that this was temporary. That after the baby was born, they would get a divorce and move on with their lives, only connecting because of their son.
The thought left her with mixed feelings. As anxious as she was to meet her son, she wasn’t looking forward to the end of her marriage. She’d come to enjoy Julian’s presence in the house… in her life.
Another tightening gripped her abdomen, making her pause in her rocking. This one felt a bit stronger than the others. She checked the time and entered it into the app, worrying a bit as a pattern began to form.
"Not yet, little guy," she murmured, smoothing her hand over her belly. "You need to stay in there for a couple more weeks."
When she heard a soft knock, Kiara looked up and saw Lucy standing in the open doorway. The bodyguard had taken to coming to check on her several times throughout the day now that pretty much everyone in the family was away from the estate.
Kiara hadn’t thought she’d come to appreciate Lucy the way she had.
Early on, Annie had mentioned she’d clashed with Lucy whenever she’d guarded her, but Kiara had been so thankful for the woman, especially during the pregnancy.
She’d offered information and encouragement that had helped put Kiara at ease.
"Everything okay?" Lucy asked, leaning against the doorjamb.
"I'm just having some Braxton Hicks," Kiara said, no longer entirely convinced that's what they were. "They're not painful, but they’re pretty regular.”
Lucy’s brow furrowed a bit as she pushed away from the door jamb and came further into the nursery. She hovered her hand over Kiara’s stomach. “May I?”
“Sure.”
Lucy moved her hand around, pausing when her stomach tightened again. Kiara picked up her phone and added it to the app.
“Have you had contractions like this before today?” Lucy asked.
“Not like this,” Kiara admitted. “They weren’t this regular.”
“I’ll probably stick around for a bit, just to see what happens.” Lucy walked toward the door, then turned back. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“I wouldn’t mind some berries and lemon water,” she said. “Everything is in the fridge.”
When Lucy left her, Kiara leaned her head back, wishing that Julian and Angie were there. If she was in labor, she was going to be facing it alone.
She’d prepared herself for that, though. Angie had insisted that it was Julian’s responsibility to be in the delivery room. Kiara hadn’t told her yet that Julian had declined to be there with her.
For some reason, Angie seemed to think that Julian would want to be there for the labor, and in her mind, it wasn’t just because he wanted to meet his son.
Angie had been dropping hints that she thought Julian might have developed feelings for her.
Kiara wasn’t sure what had led to that assumption, but it was wrong.
When her belly began to tighten again, Kiara frowned. What if this was for real?
She wasn’t ready.
The contraction had ended by the time Lucy returned with a bowl and glass. “Here you go.”
“Could you make a hotel reservation for tonight in Coeur d’Alene?”
Lucy froze. “Do you think it might be time?”
“I’m not sure, but I’d like to be closer to the hospital in case it is.”
“Okay. I’ll get it sorted out,” Lucy said. “How soon do you want to leave?”
“Half an hour?”
Lucy nodded, then left the room. Kiara ate the berries and drank some water, all the while thinking of what she needed to add to the bag she’d packed just a few days earlier.
When Lucy came back, Kiara took her offered help to get out of the chair. “I know that you probably have to tell someone where we’re going, but can you make sure that whoever you tell doesn’t pass that info on? I don’t want anyone to get worried in case it’s a false alarm.”
“I can do that,” Lucy assured her. “Now, where’s your bag?”
“In my bedroom,” Kiara said as she headed toward it after leaving the nursery. “I just need to add a couple of things.”
“I’m going to run to my place and pack a bag really quick. I’ll be back with a car to pick you up in a few minutes.”
“Okay. I’ll be ready.”
As Lucy left the house to go to her apartment above the security building, Kiara went into her bathroom.
She packed the toiletries she used each day into the bag she’d bought to hold them for the trip to the hospital, then went to pack a few more items of clothing, just in case they ended up hanging around the hotel for a couple of days.
She wasn’t sure why she’d decided that going to Coeur d’Alene was the best decision right then, but there was just something in her gut that told her it was time to go. If she was wrong, there was nothing lost.
Once she was confident that she had everything, Kiara sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, feeling the familiar tightening return for the second time since she’d entered her room.
She gazed down at her phone, wishing she could send a message to Angie or Julian. However, without knowing what was going on, she didn’t think it was a good idea to raise the alarm with both of them being so far away.
If the contractions or whatever they were ended up being insignificant, she would have worried them—especially Angie—for no reason.
If they did end up being significant, maybe she’d text them. But there wasn’t anything they could do, even if it was really labor. It would be better to just not bother them until all was said and done.
Angie would only worry, being so far away. And Julian… well, he hadn’t planned to be there for the birth, anyway.
“Ready to go?” Lucy asked from the doorway a few minutes later.
Kiara nodded and got to her feet. Lucy picked up her bag, and after detouring to the kitchen to fill a water bottle, Kiara followed her out to the vehicle. It was one of the smaller SUVs, but thankfully, just as comfortable as the larger ones.
“How are the contractions?” Lucy asked as she guided the SUV away from the house. “Getting any stronger?”
“Not really.” Kiara rubbed her stomach, then sighed. “I’m probably overreacting.”
“It’s better safe than sorry,” Lucy said.
“Do you remember how your mom’s labors started?” Kiara asked.
“I remember the last one most clearly. It was with my brother, Davy. She was overdue with him, and her water broke.”
“Was she overdue with all her pregnancies?”
“Nope. Only me and Davy were overdue. Two of the others came within a day of their due date. The other three were early to varying degrees, with one early by over three weeks.”
“And she had that one at home?” Kiara asked.
She was worried that since she was over two weeks away from her due date, the baby might be too small. All the measurements the doctor had taken over recent weeks had shown that he was growing well, even a little ahead.
“Yep. She was perfectly healthy and didn’t need any time in the hospital.”
“So if I am in labor, he might still be okay?”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Lucy said. “But even if he has to stay in the hospital, it likely won’t be for long.”
Kiara hoped Lucy was right, because as time passed, she was beginning to think she was going to be delivering her baby soon.
After they had dinner at the hotel, Kiara decided to take a shower and lay down. But as she got undressed, she experienced a mighty gush of water. Staring in shock at the puddle of water on the floor, Kiara knew her pains were about to get intense.
~*~