CHAPTER 62
Asher
O livia looks down at the floor, her face contorting.
“What the fuck?” she bites out, cringing and gripping her belly. “It … feels like Braxton Hicks, but fuck, it’s a lot worse.” She’s gripping onto my arm, her nails leaving little crescent moons in my skin. “I’m over three weeks from my due date. Dr. Allen said I’d probably be late, not early!”
The contraction seems to subside after a few more moments, and she takes a deep breath.
“The pain in your back today, has it been constant?” I ask, pissed at myself for not asking this before now.
“Well, no, it’s been coming and going for most of the day … oh. ”
“Fucking Christ, I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection,” I mutter, scrubbing my face with my hand.
“What?”
“Your back, you’ve probably been in labor all day.”
“But I haven’t even had any contractions.” Olivia grips the underside of her belly.
I calmly move toward her, running my hands down the soft sweater covering her arms.
“Gotta read the baby books, Livi girl. Now we need to start timing these. I’m gonna call for an ambulance to Pendleton.” I glance to the snow outside. “But I gotta be honest, it’s not looking the best out there.”
It was why I left the damn gates to my property open to begin with—the snow was just coming down too fast. Olivia sucks in a sharp breath as another contraction hits, which means they’re definitely coming less than two minutes apart. Fuck sake.
“Fuck!” she snaps, squeezing her thighs together as her hand clamps down on my arm again. “Ash, they’re too close together … That was only a minute! I’m supposed to have lots of time. Everyone says— owwww …”
You’re already in hard fucking labor … that’s what it is.
Her contraction ends and she walks over to the sofa and leans over the armrest. I rub her lower back with one hand.
“I’ve got you, baby. It’s gonna be okay,” I tell her as I look outside. Even if an ambulance can make it here, the way she’s going, it’s a very real possibility she’s having our baby right here at home.