Wild Zone (Rough Riders Hockey 4)

Now out of pain, Charlotte’s emotions went haywire and tears streamed from her eyes. “What about the baby?”

Eden’s smile remained, warm and authentic. If she was faking it, Olivia couldn’t tell. “Your baby has an excellent chance of being perfectly fine as well. Baby’s are born every day much younger than thirty weeks, and you couldn’t find a better hospital in the country to have yours early.”

The ambulance personnel entered through a back door with equipment and a gurney and Quinn shooed the kitchen staff out for the time being. While the emergency personnel unpacked, Eden continued to guide Charlotte through contractions.

On the way out the door, Charlotte called, “I’m so sorry about the party…”

Then she was whisked away, and Olivia was left standing in stunned silence with her mother, her sister, and two strangers whose engagement party for about three hundred people was on the edge of falling apart.

Eden had one hand on her hip, the fingers of the other hand against her lips as she stared out at the now-empty driveway. Her fiancé, Beckett, sighed and slid his arm around her shoulders.

And Olivia prepared for a melt down of epic proportions.

She pulled in a breath and took a step toward them just as Eden looked up at Beckett and started laughing. That stopped Olivia’s forward momentum.

“Oh my God,” Eden said between giggles. “This could only happen to us.”

Beckett was laughing too. He dragged her into his arms and gave her a squeeze. “You know the best part about this whole thing?”

Eden wrapped her arms around Beckett’s waist, “That it will be something that we look back on in fifty years and still laugh about?”

“That,” Beckett agreed, “and that we could order a shit-ton of pizzas, and not one person in that other room would complain.”

That drew a fresh round of joy-filled laughter from Eden and made Olivia break out in a grin so big, her cheeks hurt and her eyes burned with happy tears. Eden looked up at Beckett and sighed. “God, I love you.”

Beckett cupped Eden’s face as if no one else existed, as if they weren’t standing in a room with three virtual strangers, and looked at her with so much love it made Olivia’s heart ache. Made something deep inside her tug. Something she barely knew even existed. “Love you too, babe.” He kissed her. “Love you too.”

Quinn leaned close. “I’m going to touch up my face before they turn around and see a raccoon.”

When Olivia cut a look at Quinn, she saw the smudged mascara from her tears. “I’ve got this.”

Quinn nodded and slipped out a side door.

When Beckett and Eden turned out of their embrace, Olivia finished what she started and offered her hand, first to Eden then Beckett with a big smile. She took the jovial route, one that obviously fit their personalities.

“Hi, I’m Olivia Essex, and I’m here to tell you no pizza delivery will be necessary. I’ll be taking over for Charlotte. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve handled parties all over the world of every size. The food will be a smash, I promise.”

Eden’s hand pressed to her chest. Her eyes were wide with surprise. “Oh my God. Are you serious? Teresa,” Eden glanced at Olivia’s mother, “where have you been hiding this gem?”

Teresa put an arm around Olivia. “Paris, most recently. In fact she’s just off the plane for a visit. If Olivia says she can handle it, you can absolutely be assured it will be done right.”

That was an interesting comment coming from someone who’d never taken Olivia’s culinary ambitions seriously. At least as seriously as Olivia did.

Eden’s gaze returned to Olivia and her breath whooshed out. Then in one step, she enveloped Olivia in a hug. Correction—a bear hug, the strength of which made Olivia laugh. “I can’t thank you enough.”

Warmth suffused her and Olivia hugged Eden back. “You just did.” She released her, accepted the handshake and gratitude Beckett offered then teasingly shooed them toward their guests. “Get back to your party now. Nothing to see here.”

Once the couple was gone, Olivia was besieged with hugs by her mother as the kitchen staff started wandering back in. When Quinn returned, Teresa hurried back to the party.

Olivia turned to Quinn and searched her face—still so ee

rily identical to her own even at twenty eight—for signs of melt down, but her sister had done a good patch job. “You okay?”

A smile quivered on her lips, but she nodded. “Just threw me, you know? She shook her head. “The stress…its just been…”

“No more stress tonight. I have everything in here under control. You’ve done a fabulous job out front. All you have to do is hover and relax.”

“Okay.”