Remember Me: Oakville Series:Book Two (33 page)

“No. I’m waiting for my husband to put on some pants,” I tell her. She gives Paul a look and he immediately heads up the stairs. Is my husband so flustered that he’s going to need help dressing himself? The thought makes me laugh. If I wasn’t in labor, I would have to go watch that.

“Let’s get you out to the car,” Holly says as she helps me up. As we pass the stairs, she stops and yells, “Get the lead out boys! Woman in labor down here!” We walk out to the car and Holly helps me get into the back, then slides in next to me. The guys come running out of the house like it’s on fire. The only thing missing is Angel, then we’d have the Three Stooges. Paul and Kyle climb into the car and we are finally on the way our way to the hospital.

I’
M A
nervous wreck. I can’t believe I didn’t even realize I was about to leave here half-naked. How can Amber be so calm? She’s the one about to give birth and I’m the one acting like a fool. By the time Paul gets upstairs — laughing his ass off at me — I am just pulling on my boots.

“Are we a little freaked, Daddy? You do realize your wife is in labor and waiting on you to go, right?”

“Yes to both, asshole,” I tease. Holly yells up to us and we both haul ass down the stairs and out to the car. I can’t believe I’m going to be a dad soon. On the drive to the hospital, I can't help but think back on the day we found out Amber was pregnant again.

Three months after the incident with Jax, we decided to take the honeymoon we were never able to take. I planned the exact same trip I had before. I made all of the arrangements to Bora Bora just like before, but instead of two weeks, I booked a full month. After all we'd been through, we both deserved thirty days to ourselves with nothing on our minds but each other. Renting the same huge villa on the ocean, a private waterside balcony, a glass floor with viewing panels, and a private swimming pool, I just knew she'd love it.

The two weeks prior to leaving, she drove me crazy wanting to know where we were going. I can't remember the last time I'd seen her so excited, and that made me very happy. Finally, I was making her feel the way I should — happy and excited, not sad and miserable. Even our friends were hounded day and night for information. It was quite amusing. I finally told her our plans once the shuttle dropped us off at the airport. As expected, she was over the moon.

Our first two weeks were absolute heaven, just as I'd always imagined it would be — long walks on the beach at night, making love to her on the warm sand under the bright stars with the sounds of waves breaking around us. During the day, we would sun bathe, sight see, and snorkel in the warm, clear water. I couldn't have dreamed it any better, it was perfection. We seemed to be more in love than ever before. This trip was helping us put the past in our rearview mirror where it belonged and start fresh.

At the start of our third week, Amber came down with what we thought was either food poisoning or the flu. When three days passed without any improvement, I started to get worried.

"Princess, maybe we should call a doctor?" I suggested although I wasn't taking no for an answer. I knew I was most likely over reacting, but I wasn't taking any chances. She looked at me with loving eyes and a nervous smile.

"I don't need to see a doctor. At least not until we get home," she said with a wink. Now, I was panicking. Something was wrong and she knew it. "Don't get all worked up. I know why I've been feeling so lousy. Maybe you should sit." She patted the spot on the bed next to her. How bad is this going to be if I have to be sitting to hear it?

"You're killing me, princess. Spit it out." She looked into my eyes and took a deep breath. I could see she was a little nervous to tell me.

"I'm pretty sure that I'm pregnant," she almost whispered. I was immediately on top of the world. That's the best news I could've gotten. Then, I wondered if she was as excited as I was. Is that why she looked nervous, because she doesn't want to try again? We've only talked about it a few times since we lost the triplets. The doctor told us it was okay to try again, but be prepared for a difficult pregnancy with months of bed rest. Maybe she doesn't want to chance losing another baby and honestly, I don't blame her. I'll stand by anything she wants. Whatever makes her happy, makes me happy.

"How do you feel about this?” She thought and chose her words carefully before answering my question.

"I won't lie...I'm scared to death, but I'm really excited too. I was worried you might not be ready for this again so soon. We are just starting to get us back, I don't want to throw a wrench in that."

"Baby, I couldn't be happier," I told her as I pull her onto my lap and hold her close. "I'm scared too, but I swear right here and now, I will be right beside you every single step of the way. We’ll do this together. I promise, I won't let you down this time."

"Hey, dumbass! Wake up and help your wife out of the car before she has that baby in the backseat!" Paul yells as he slaps me upside my head. Quickly, I stumble out of the car to help Amber out. I cannot believe I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even realize we were here already.

K
YLE HELPS
me out of the car and onto the sidewalk. When I look up, I'm stunned. All of our friends are all here waiting. Angel, Marcus, Taryn, Clark, Becky, Chelsie, and Beasley. I can't control the tears that start to fall from my eyes. I love this group so much. Most of them were here with us when the triplets were born. They stood by and comforted us when we needed them the most. Now they’ll get to experience this happy miracle with us too.

“Those better be happy tears baby girl,” Angel says as he walks up and wipes the falling tears from my cheeks. "My offer still stands...I'm here whenever you're ready to ditch that dud for this stud." We all burst out laughing. Just the way he says it along with that cocky, sexy grin on his face is hilarious. Even Kyle is having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Just because my wife's in labor doesn't mean I won't kick your ass," Kyle teases as he pushes him away from me. "Can we go have our baby now?" Kyle helps me into the wheel chair that Becky has rolled out for me. I don't really need it, I'm not in that much pain, but I get into it anyway.

"I've got you all checked into the maternity ward and Dr. Monty will be here shortly," Becky informs me as she begins to push me inside. Everyone falls in line behind us. By some miracle, we all fit into the tiny elevator and we're on our way to the fifth floor. As I look around the very crowded space at all of the people I love so dearly, I think back to how this day wouldn't be possible without them. They all played a part in helping us get through the last eight and a half months.

When I was a seven weeks along in my pregnancy, Dr. Monty put in a cerclage. Kyle and I were scared to death about having the procedure again, but knew it was the only way I would have a chance of carrying to term. Luckily, there were no complications this time. It also helped that I hadn't gone into labor beforehand like the last time. I was in the hospital for two days so they could monitor me, then placed on complete bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. I had no idea how I was going to survive the next seven months in bed. There was no way Kyle could stay with me twenty-four hours a days, he had the bar to run. Thankfully, I had Chelsie fully running the center by then, so at least I didn't have that to worry about. I assumed we'd have to hire a nurse to come in and help when Kyle wasn't around. I had asked Becky if she knew of anyone I could hire and she was going to check on it for us. The day I got home from the hospital, our driveway was full of cars. Really knowing our friends like I do, I didn't expect anything different. What did surprise me, however, was what they had all been planning while they awaited our arrival home. Apparently, Becky told them I was thinking of hiring someone to help take care of me while on bed rest and no one was thrilled with that idea. Holly was downright pissed off that I would even consider having a stranger help out when I had all of them. It's not that it didn't cross my mind to ask, but I didn't want them to say yes because they felt obligated to do so. That wouldn't have been fair. They had a schedule made up already for the first month. Someone would be here with me whenever Kyle couldn’t.

These people kept me sane through all of those months when I thought I would go crazy. Lying in bed or on the couch all the time was excruciating. The limitations I had were a nightmare, but I should’ve been used to it after already going through it once. However, the limitations weren’t the worst part, it was the fear. The fear that no matter how well I listened to the doctor’s orders, something would go wrong again. That I would do everything right, take every precaution and in the end, have to bury another child. It’s something I couldn’t escape, not after what we’d already gone through. Every little pain would put me on high alert. A whisper between nurses or a strange look on the face of an ultrasound tech, had me panicking. I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t stop it. Our friends understood and did everything in their power to keep me positive and mostly distracted. Not once did they ever fault me for my paranoia.

When Becky would come over, she’d bring a fetal doppler with her so I could listen to the baby’s heartbeat. I could listen to that beautiful sound for hours. Sometimes Kyle would come home just to hear it. Holly being Holly kept me occupied by planning what she said was the hottest baby shower of all time. Then, there was Marcus and Taryn who’d bring their son, Chase, over when they visited. Not only is he the cutest and funniest kid ever, but he also showed me what I had to look forward to. What I had to hope and pray for. Angel’s visits were never the same. They were as unpredictable as he is. Clark would move the couch close to the kitchen and give me cooking lessons. I really loved his visits, although everyone made sure I ate well. I’m really going to miss that. When Chelsie would visit, she would keep me well informed on what was happening at the center. She has quickly become a permanent member in our little makeshift family. She’s also amazing at her job, the perfect choice to run the center. I don’t worry about the place at all with her in charge.