Chapter 48

48

I hear the panic in Charlie's voice as she says those two little words, and my phone slips out of my hand, crashing to the floor. I pick it up, slicing open my trembling finger on the glass as I hold it back up to my ear. Nothing. "No. No, no, no, no!"

"Isla! What's wrong?" Theo yells after me as I take off, running toward the castle.

"No time!" I pound up the steps and tear inside, running from room to room, looking for them. I finally give up and scream Charlie's name, hoping she'll hear me.

"Jesus Christ, Isla," Theo pants, catching up with me. "Jack texted me. They're at the hospital already."

"What! This wasn't the plan! I was supposed to go with them. I was supposed to be there for her."

"He said they were out on errands when her water broke, and they went straight there. He said it's progressing fast. They're getting ready to have her start pushing."

"They what?!??" I run back to the foyer to grab the keys to the farm truck off the table. "Fuck. Fuck!"

"Give me those," Theo says, snatching the keys from my hand .

"What about Dylan and Henry?" I ask as he buckles me into the truck.

"Let me worry about them. For right now, let's focus on getting you to the hospital before she has that baby."

"Right. God. I didn't realize my brain would shut down like this. What will I do when it's me having a baby? I'll be a total mess!" I look over at him just in time to see his eyes soften, the corner of his mouth pulling up. "What?"

"A baby? With us?" he asks, hope sparkling in his eyes.

Alarm bells go off in my head. Did I just say that out loud? Did I really imply I'm going to have kids with them when we haven't even had that talk yet?

"Yes?" I drop my head into my hands, peeking up at him through my fingers.

His grin sets my heart racing, a curious fluttering starting in my stomach—like butterflies, but deeper, more profound.

"I love you, Isla MacLeod," he whispers, emotion thick in his voice as he gently closes the door and rounds the truck to the driver's side. The tires squeal as we pull out of the driveway, his foot heavy on the accelerator. "Hang on, baby.”

I shriek as he drifts around corners, my heart in my throat. Ten exhilarating minutes later, we pull into the small community hospital. Theo drives right up to the emergency entrance, ignoring the no-parking signs. "Go!"

"Thank you, Theo." I give him a quick kiss, but he captures the back of my head with his palm, deepening it for just a few moments, like he can't bear to let me go.

"I'm going to go get Dylan and Henry," he says roughly. "We'll be in the waiting room when you need us."

I nod, giving him one last kiss before jumping out of the car and racing inside. The woman at the counter recognizes me from the gym, slaps a visitor sticker on my shirt, and points me toward the correct room. I push open the thick wooden door, poking my head inside the room. Charlie sees me before I see her.

"Isla, you better get your ass in here right now. I need you." Her auburn hair is plastered to her face, her cheeks rosy, blue eyes sparkling with excitement and fear. I rush to her side, ignoring everyone else as I squeeze her hand.

"The guys are useless," she says, wincing as a contraction starts.

"Good, Charlotte. Breathe through it. The doctor is almost here, and then you can push."

I glance over, noticing the nurse standing between her legs for the first time.

"Push?" I feel the blood rush out of my head, and I sit heavily on the edge of the bed. "How long did you wait to call me?"

"We only got here thirty minutes ago," Lach says from where he's standing by the window. " Somebody thought it was Braxton Hicks contractions when she was actually in active labor."

"Jesus Christ, Charlie. What do you need me to do?"

"Just stay by my side and don't faint."

I look up at the guys then, taking in their pale faces, absolute terror mirrored in their eyes. "You three better get it together," I say, giving them hard looks.

"Fuck!" Charlie gasps, her chest curling forward as a contraction grips her in its clutches. I push her hair away from her face, keeping my eyes locked on hers as I guide her through her breathing. Once it passes, I pull her hair to the top of her head, tie it into a messy bun, and then hand her the cup of ice sitting on the table by the bed.

"What else do you need?" I ask her, wanting to do anything possible to ease her discomfort, trying not to think about everything that could go wrong.

"All I want are the four of you by my side when this baby takes its first breath."

We all turn toward the door as it opens, staring down the older woman wearing a white coat who hurries in.

"Hello, everyone! Hello, Charlie! Today is a great day to have a baby!" the doctor sings, a wide smile on her face. The snap of her gloves echoes in the room, and I let out a startled giggle, which promptly results in all of us laughing until the doctor sobers us up by sitting between Charlie's legs and telling her she can push with the next contraction.

Charlie nods, squeezing my hand in a hulk grip.

"You have this, beautiful," Jack murmurs, taking her other hand. Lach approaches my side of the bed as Cam stands next to Jack. We all stare at the monitor in complete silence. It feels like the whole world is waiting for this baby with bated breath. As that little black line starts to climb, we all turn back to Charlie, watching as she takes a deep breath and pushes with everything she has.

"Good," the doctor says. "Again." Charlie takes another breath, holding it as she bears down. "Perfect. Now rest until the next one. You're so close, Charlie."

I swear my heart grows tenfold as I watch Charlie trade loving glances with all three of her men. This baby is going is going to be the luckiest kid alive.

"You're fucking amazing," Lach says, dropping to his knees by her head and tracing the sweep of her jaw with one finger. The next contraction starts, and we all tense as she pushes, like we can somehow lend her some of our strength.

"Perfect, Charlie," the doctor beams. "You'll meet your baby with the next push."

Tears start running down Charlie's cheeks, and then I'm sniffling, blinking quickly, trying to hold myself together.

"Who wants to put the baby on Charlie's chest once he or she is born?" the doctor asks, looking between us.

"Isla, will you do that, please?" Charlie asks, giving my hand a tight squeeze.

"Yes, of course."

"Go with the nurse; she'll get you ready," the doctor instructs, turning back to Charlie as I follow the nurse into the hallway. She rushes me to a room with a huge washtub, instructs me on how to wash up, and then helps me into a gown and gloves.

"All you're going to do is take the baby from the doctor and gently lay him or her on the mother's chest. Then you can take the gloves and gown off and put them in the red wastebasket." The nurse leads me back to the room, motioning for me to stand on the left side of the doctor while she takes the right.

"This is it, Charlie. Take a deep breath and push."

The guys bend toward her like the petals of a flower, words of encouragement flowing from their lips. Charlie takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as she makes that last final push.

"Good, Charlie! Harder!" the doctor encourages, her voice echoing in the room.

A cry erupts, and my gaze flies to the doctor's hands and the wee little creature cradled between them.

"This is your big moment," the doctor says, standing and handing me the most precious baby girl I've ever seen, eyes already open, face scrunched up, mad as hell. The nurse tugs down Charlie's gown, and I step forward, gently laying their baby girl on her bare skin.

"What's her name?" I ask, looking between the four of them, gently tracing the slope of the cutest nose I've ever seen with the tip of my finger.

"Summer," Charlie says softly, looking down at their baby with wonder. The guys cover Summer's back with their hands, giving her skin-on-skin contact with all four of them.

"I'm so fucking proud of you, Charlie," Cam says, breaking out of the stupor first.

"I can’t believe you made her inside your body," Lach says, stunned.

Jack struggles to hold back tears, his chin wobbling, his eyes bright. He presses a kiss to Charlie's temple, then tilts her lips up to his. “Incredible,” he whispers, catching one of her tears with his thumb.

There's too much emotion for me to keep it together, so I murmur something about taking off the gown and step out of the room. I break down the second I close the door behind me, uncontrollable sobs wracking my body.

"Isla, what's wrong?" Henry jumps up from a chair in the hallway and wraps me in those strong arms I've come to rely on.

"Nothing's wrong, Henry. She's perfect."