Sitting at the table, I watched him put two pancakes on each of our plates. I was just about to go to the kitchen to bring our coffee cups when my phone chimed with a text from Jace.
“Holy shit,” I exclaimed.
“What?”
My hands were trembling slightly. “Val just went into labor. She’s not due for another two weeks.”
My voice was shaking too.
“Okay. We’ll get you to LA right away,” Reid said calmly.
How had he known that this was exactly what I was thinking? Exactly what I wanted?
“Yes.... I have to....” I came up blank. “My niece is on the way. I can’t think. At all.” I leaped to my feet, pacing the room. Reid was hot on my heels, then stepped in front of me.
He gripped my shoulders, looking me straight in the eyes. “One: pack whatever you need for a few days. Two: email Cameron and Annalise to tell them you’re having a family emergency. I’ll take care of everything else.”
My face split into a huge grin. My heart rate was out of control. And my fears just vanished into thin air, replaced by utmost clarity: I was not going to lose this beautiful, perfect man.
“Yes, sir.”
He moved around me to pinch my right ass cheek. “Off you go. Come on.”
“Reid?”
“Yes?”
“You can kiss me now.”
He mirrored my grin, right before he brought his mouth down on mine. Oh, heavens. This kiss. My entire body responded to it. My pulse was lightning quick. His fingers pressed on my arms, his hips against me as he moved me through the room and then pinned me against the wall, kissing down my neck. He stopped when he reached my shoulder. His hot breath against my bare skin was the sweetest torture.
“Come on, pretty girl. Let’s stick to the plan. I’ll kiss you later all you want.”
***
“Easy there, or you’ll drop your phone,” Reid said on a chuckle when the plane touched down at LAX. I’d spent the entire flight trying to connect to the internet, to no avail. Why did airlines brag about offering internet if it didn’t work?
Now I was staring at the screen, willing it to connect to a service provider, holding my breath.
When the first connecting line appeared, my screen lit up with a notification and a picture of Val and a tiny, tiny baby. Oh my God. How could she be so tiny?
Jace: The newest member of the Connor clan. Both Carla and Val are healthy.
“Congratulations. You’re an aunt again,” Reid whispered.
“She’s adorable.” My voice was throaty. I was honestly not quite able to think clearly, and I was one hundred percent certain Reid knew this because he took my hand and didn’t let go.
If it weren’t for him, I wasn’t sure I would have made it to the hospital in one piece.
Jace and Will were in front of Val’s room when we arrived. Both in a frenzy, but that didn’t stop them from giving Reid murderous stares.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jace demanded. Will stood next to him, quiet but sending off equally overprotective vibes.
I narrowed my eyes. “Want to rein in those brotherly instincts until after I meet my niece?”
“No, I don’t think I will,” Jace replied.
“He was with me in Houston.”