Brady was the epitome of my perfect man, and I could barely believe that he was now mine. That I could look at him like this, touch him like this, whenever I wanted.
“I like having you in my house,” he said suddenly, causing my lips to turn up with satisfaction.
“I like being in your house,” I replied, then my arm got tired, so I lowered myself back down to lay on his chest again.
It was nice … peaceful. It seemed like we needed a little peace after how crazy our lives had been recently. I couldn’t even remember the last time I just allowed myself to be with another person. Without needing to do something, or fill the air with chatter.
I started drifting off, the feel of his hand rubbing my back lulling me into a light sleep.
I’m not sure how long I dozed, but the sound of a phone going off pulled me back to the surface. I felt Brady shift beneath me as he reached over to the table by his bed to grab his phone.
“‘Lo,” he said groggily, and I realized he must have fallen asleep too. “Yeah, Bren … slow down. Okay. Yeah, okay. We’re on our way … Calm down, she’ll be great. Yeah. Drive safe.”
I tilted my head to look at him, and saw him blink rapidly while he shut off the phone, then his eyes found mine.
“Bronagh’s in labor. They’re heading to the hospital now.”
And just like that, all sleepiness evaporated and I leapt out of the bed. I searched around for my shoes, then remembered they were by the front door and I shot out of the room at a full run.
I was tugging my shoes on when I noticed Brady strolling in casually, a smile playing at his lips.
“What are you doing?” I asked, frustrated at his slothiness. “We have to go.”
“You know these things take a while, right? We have time.”
“No, I don’t know that, Brady, because Nonie is the first one of us to have kids, I don’t have any siblings, and I’ve never been to the hospital while someone I love is in labor. I don’t want to miss anything, not a second … so get your ass in gear and let’s go!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a chuckle, and the only reason he didn’t get a shoe thrown at him was because I wanted to get the hell out of there.
Chapter Thirty-Seven ~ Brady
When we walked into the waiting room … that dreaded waiting room … Brock was in there by himself, sitting in a chair, eyes half-mast and trained on the TV showing the news in the corner of the room.
“Hey,” I said when we walked in. “Tori staying home with the kids?”
“Yeah, ‘til morning, then they’ll be by,” he replied, standing to give Ming and me each a hug.
Once he was settled back down, I looked at the floor in the corner, where I usually parked myself to stress and wait out these painfully long labors.
Why do we always have to be here for the entire time, I wondered, not for the first time. Why can’t they just call me once the baby is born and we know that both mom and baby are fine?
Then Brendan walked in, his face full of excitement and a little fear, and said, “She’s doing great. Already dilated six centimeters ... I can’t believe this is happening.”
I watched him rush back out, a little spring in his step and remembered, Oh yeah, that’s why. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss that moment with my brother for anything.
I started to think about Bronagh, and the fact that she was already six centimeters … Isn’t that kind of fast? I felt the familiar burn of panic rising, and started toward my corner, when I felt Ming’s smooth hand slip inside of mine.
I turned my head to see her smiling, then she gave my hand a little tug and moved toward where Brock was sitting. She left a seat open in between herself and my brother, then nodded at it.
Taking a deep breath, I sat, my knees bouncing restlessly as I tried to settle into the seat. Ming squeezed my hand with hers, and Brock placed one of his big mitts on my thigh and patted it lightly. I looked up at my big brother, who grinned at me sleepily, then did my best to relax.
I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t want to run out of that waiting room a million times while we waited to hear some news, but as dawn came, and more and more people began to arrive to help welcome the newest O’Malley, it did get easier to keep myself from freaking out.
Victoria arrived with Dec and Rose, Cass walked in, her arm tucked in Geo’s, then eventually the whole gang was present. Cal, Shelly, TJ, Sasha, Scott, Gaby, Gwen, and Craig. And, of course, Bronagh’s dad, Mr. Callaghan, who’d taken to pacing the hall at about six in the morning.
It looked like he’d taken over my role of freaking out, and since he was about to be a grandpa, I let him have the honor.
Still, my heart was in my throat until Brendan came rushing into the room, his face split with the biggest smile I’d ever seen and said, “It’s a girl!”