Southern Devotion (Southern Heart 4)

“Well, in this case it’s two babies at once, so all this”—I point to the gift bags, baskets, and piles of gifts—“is going to come in handy for sure.”

“Def—” McKinley starts but stops, placing her hand on her back.

“You okay?” Evan asks her.

“Y-yeah. But I think we need to go to the hospital,” she says, calm as ever.

“Is it the baby? What’s wrong?” I ask.

She looks up at me, her face pained. “Yeah, my water just broke.”

“What?” This has Whitney climbing to her feet with Aaron’s assistance. “You’re in labor? Are you okay? What can we do?”

“Yes, and my water broke.” She looks down at her lap and back up at her brother and his wife. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Whit assures her.

“I’ll take the kids. Go, have your baby. We’ll bring Lex and Walker over once he’s here,” I say, rubbing her shoulder, trying to soothe her in some way.

“We’ll drive,” Mike offers, ushering Jamie out of the house to get the truck.

“You sure you don’t mind keeping the kids? I don’t want Mom to have to deal with them and the shower,” McKinley explains.

“We got it,” David assures her.

“Thank you,” Evan says. Then he yells out for Lexi.

“Hi, Daddy,” she says, hugging his knees.

“Hey, sweetie, Mommy and I need to go to the hospital. Your baby brother is being born. Can you be a big girl and help Olivia and David take care of Walker while we’re gone? I’ll call them as soon as he’s here and have them bring you to the hospital.”

Lexi nods, her little head bobbing up and down. She studies McKinley, who’s struggling through another contraction. “Don’t worry, Mommy. Daddy will take care of you. He’s really good at it.”

“I know, sweet girl. You be good for Olivia and David, and take good care of Walker for us.”

“I will, Mommy.” She skips off, yelling for her little brother, who isn’t old enough to understand what’s going on but she’s telling him anyway.

“Thank you,” Evan says again as he helps McKinley stand. He and her mother walk her out to the car where Mike and Jamie are waiting to take them to the hospital.

Instead of going back to our place, we got a spare key from McKinley’s mom and took the kids to their house. Lexi and Olivia are playing dress-up—well, Lex is. Olivia is letting her fix her hair. Me, I’m just hanging out on the couch with my man Walker. He fell asleep on the way here, and when I tried to lay him down when we got into the house, he started to cry. I picked him back up and he fell right back asleep, so I’m lounging on the couch with him sleeping on my chest, watching my girl and Lexi.

“It’s so pretty, Aunt Livy,” Lexi tells her.

I’m an only child, so being an uncle will come only from my wife’s family. That means that Mike and Jamie need to get busy. Not that I don’t claim Lexi and Walker, because I do, but I’m more of a stand-in uncle. With Mike and Jamie’s kids, it’ll be the real thing. I can’t wait to be an uncle, and if I’m honest, a father. I’ve imagined Olivia pregnant several times, and it does the same thing to me as thinking about her being my wife does. I’d be concerned that I’m some kind of creep, but it only happens with Olivia. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s okay, not creepy at all since that woman owns me heart and soul.

Walker whimpers, turning his head to look the other way. Lexi jumps to her feet and runs her little hands up and down his back. “This is what Mommy and Daddy do when he cries.” She climbs up on the couch, rests her head on my shoulder and continues to rub her little brother’s back, soothing him.

“You’re a great big sister, Lexi,” I tell her.

“That’s what my daddy says,” she says, yawning.

“Hey, Lex, I have an idea. Why don’t we watch a movie?”

“Okay,” she agrees, not bothering to move.

“What should we watch?” Olivia asks her.

“Walker likes Cars. Tow Mater is his favorite.”