Chapter Twenty-One #3
That the rift between the two families could be healed once and for all.
No matter what Victor’s mood, today was a good day. A great day. Kash was home, safe and healthy, his sisters-in-law were pregnant, he was engaged, and to top it off, the sun was shining, warming up their little slice of Maine.
Life had a tendency to be turbulent and unpredictable, but he’d learned that with the right person at your side, you could weather any storm, and come out smiling on the other side. Cheesy, but Linc knew it to be true. He was living proof.
Harper realized that for the first time since she’d figured out Kash was missing, she was happy. Truly happy. She was surrounded by people who didn’t judge one another for their differences. They simply enjoyed good company and lived each day as it came.
Seeing Kash interact with Ginger made her heart soar. He reminded her of how she and Linc were now. The former bully with the bullied. Not that she thought Kash would end up with Ginger, but life had a funny way of doing the unexpected.
Ginger’s boyfriend was cute. He was very polite, calling everyone sir and ma’am, and getting Ginger food or drinks when he wasn’t glued to her side.
He held her hand and couldn’t seem to stop staring at her with stars in his eyes.
He was besotted, and it wasn’t hard to see why.
She was a gorgeous girl. And as the day went on, she loosened up, seeming to fit in with the Young family as if she’d known them for years.
Kash was having the time of his life, showing his robotics friends everything Lobster Cove had to offer, from the lobster swing to Fort Bad Assery, and even giving them a tour of the auto body shop with Walt. They also played hide-and-go-seek among the boats in the storage yard.
Her dad came over for a couple of hours, and while he hadn’t exactly seemed comfortable, he also hadn’t frowned at everyone, sitting like a grump in the corner.
But he’d left immediately after Linc had pulled him aside to talk, and Harper worried a little about that.
She guessed Linc had told him about them being engaged, and assumed that, once again, her dad wasn’t happy.
Linc confirmed her guess, then reassured her, promising that her dad would come around if they just gave him time.
Beyond that, the day was stress-free. And they’d all just finished stuffing themselves with seconds of Zach’s amazing tacos when it happened.
Zach cleared his throat and said, “I’d like to make an announcement.”
Harper turned to catch Linc’s eye. Her heart started beating faster with excitement.
It was all she could do throughout the day to keep the huge secret that Linc had proposed earlier, and she’d said yes.
Especially when she, Britt, and Marit had stood on the back deck watching Kash and his friends run around on the rocky beach.
“Marit and I are married. We didn’t want a huge thing, so we went and did a civil ceremony. Sorry, Mom, I know you probably wanted to be there, but we just wanted it to be done. To make things official before our baby was born.”
Evelyn looked confused. Then surprised. Then sad. “You got married without your family there?”
“We did,” he confirmed.
Evelyn opened her mouth to say something else, but she never got the chance.
“Um . . . I hate to interrupt . . . but I think someone needs to call nine-one-one. The baby’s coming.”
Everyone turned to stare at Britt in shock—then every person spoke at once.
“What?”
“It’s too soon!”
“Has your water broken?”
Chad was on his feet, looking absolutely terrified and panicked.
“I’m sorry! I think I’ve been in labor all day.
I’m pretty sure my water broke when I went to the bathroom earlier, but I didn’t want to be a pain in the ass.
This is Kash’s party, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess it up,” Britt said between quick breaths.
She had a hand on her belly and was hunched over on the couch.
“Britt, you want me to drive you to the hospital?” Knox asked, sounding calm but urgent.
“Uh . . . I don’t think there’s time. I think I feel the head.”
“Holy shit,” Linc muttered from next to Harper.
The next few minutes were chaotic. All the adults were on their feet, doing what they could to try to make Britt more comfortable.
Zach called 9-1-1 and was reassured the ambulance was on the way.
Chad was at Britt’s side, encouraging her to breathe like the videos they’d watched had instructed.
Kash and his friends had been shooed out to the deck, but they were all standing at the windows, watching what was going on inside with huge eyes.
Marit and Evelyn were rushing around, gathering blankets and towels and trying to be useful.
On the front deck, Harper looked at Linc in shock. They’d gone outside to meet the ambulance. It would take ten minutes or so for help to reach them, and that was even going over the speed limits with lights and sirens.
“So much for our distraction,” Harper said under her breath.
Linc let out a huff of laughter. “I was about ready to drop to one knee in front of you when of course my little brother had to upstage me.”
Harper hugged Linc. “First babies usually take a while to come,” she said. “She’ll be fine.”
“Of course she will. How long were you in labor with Kash?”
“Twenty-seven hours, forty-two minutes, and thirty-one seconds,” Harper said.
“Holy shit! That long?”
“Yeah.”
“And you were by yourself.”
“Uh-huh. It sucked. I’m glad Britt won’t be alone. We’re all going to the hospital with her, right?”
“Of course. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone, Harp. But you aren’t alone anymore. No matter if you have a splinter in your finger or something more serious, you’ve got a whole tribe who will gather in the hospital, annoying everyone else, anxiously waiting to see if you’re all right.”
She hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder as they stood there waiting, until they finally heard sirens.
“Here they come,” Linc said.
“I’ll go in and let Britt know,” Harper said.
Linc nodded. “I’ll run out to the road and flag them down.” He kissed Harper hard and fast before turning and jogging across the property.
When she got inside, Harper was surprised at how tense everyone seemed. Britt was lying on the kitchen floor now, with Chad at her back, holding her up. She was panting and looked scared to death.
“It’s coming,” Britt said to no one in particular.
“Don’t push!” Evelyn ordered.
“The ambulance is almost here,” Harper informed everyone.
“Hear that? Hold on for another minute, hon, the paramedics are almost here.”
“Not . . . sure . . . I . . . can,” Britt said between breaths.
The next few minutes were chaos as the paramedics arrived and ordered everyone to back away from the kitchen. They huddled together in the living room instead, staring at Britt with concern as a paramedic checked the progress of the baby’s arrival.
“Stretcher!” she barked at the EMT who’d come inside with her.
Before Harper knew it, Britt had been transferred to the gurney and was being wheeled out of the house. She was put into the back of the ambulance, and Chad climbed in after her. The doors shut, and now everyone stood in the driveway, staring at the back of the emergency vehicle.
It didn’t leave.
Everyone held their breath.
It only took another minute or two before they all heard the sound of a very pissed-off baby screaming.
“Holy shit!” Evelyn breathed.
For the woman who very rarely said a bad word, it was a huge deal.
“The newest Lobsterite sounds angry as hell,” Walt said with a chuckle.
That seemed to break the ice, and everyone chuckled.
“Does that mean Britt had her baby?” Kash asked, coming up beside Harper and putting his arm around her waist, leaning into her.
“Sure does,” she told her son.
“Is it okay?”
“Not sure, but by the sound of it, I’d say probably.”
Another tense few minutes went by as everyone waited for news of how Britt and the baby were doing. Then the back door of the ambulance flew open, and the EMT exited with a huge grin on his face.
“Mom and baby are doing great. Baby is just a little premature and underweight and will probably spend a few nights in the hospital, but lungs sound okay, color is normal, and so far so good!”
A huge sigh of relief went through the entire family.
Harper hugged Kash to her side, and she felt Linc relax against her other side.
“Is it a boy or girl?” Evelyn asked, taking a step forward.
Chad’s head popped out of the open door, and he was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s a girl!” he announced. “Apparently she wanted to be born literally on Lobster Cove. We’ve named her Carleigh Evelyn Young.”
Harper looked at Linc’s mom. It took a moment for the name of her first granddaughter to sink in, but when it did, her lip trembled and she burst into tears.
Zach moved to her side and took her into his arms.
“These are happy tears,” she said with a shaky smile.
“We couldn’t think of a better namesake than you, Mom,” Chad said. “You’re the glue that holds all of us crazies together, and we knew if we had a girl, her middle name would be Evelyn.”
“I love you!” Evelyn said. Knox and Linc had joined their brother around their mom, and the four of them remained in a huddle as they watched Chad wave, then disappear back into the ambulance.
“See you at the hospital!” Britt called out, just before the doors shut.
“Everyone divide yourselves up,” Knox ordered. “Mom, you’re with me. Brad and Chuck, do you want to come to the hospital, or should we drop you off at home?”
“Hospital!” both boys said without hesitation.
Harper smiled. Apparently, a birth was way more exciting than anything they could do at home.
“They’ll come with us,” Linc said.
Everyone else quickly got themselves sorted. Marit’s coworkers, Ginger and Alistair, and Barry and Walt all offered their congrats—and their thanks for an exciting party—before heading home.
Minutes later, Harper was in Linc’s SUV, and they were headed to the hospital in a mini caravan of cars.