Exactly four minutes later, Evan came down the stairs quickly but much more calmly. He must have given himself a pep talk. He looked at me, chagrined. “I’m good now. You’re the one having the baby, and here you are comforting me.” He helped me stand from the deep red and gold paisley couch where I had been waiting. “You figured the jacket out, I see.”

“Yep, I’ve been able to put my own jacket on for several years now.”

He grinned and kissed my cheek. “Such a smarty butt.”

We stood staring expectantly at each other for a few seconds before I raised one eyebrow at him. “Suitcase?”

“Shit! Sorry. I’ll go get it.” He dashed back upstairs and came back down with my bag and my favorite pillow as I picked up my purse and headed for the door. Once we got in the car, I called my brother and told him we were on the way to the hospital. Much commotion ensued in the background when he yelled to his friends that the baby was coming.

“Okay, we’re on the way!” he yelled into the phone.

“Beau, don’t bring all the guys with you,” I yelled back, but he had already hung up. I cut my eyes at Evan and said, “I think he’s bringing the guys.”

“Good Lord, this should be interesting,” he said with an exaggerated eye roll.

“Ungh,” I said, and Evan’s head whipped around. “Contraction,” I grunted in explanation as a tight band squeezed my midsection, and he stepped on the gas.

We arrived at the hospital, and I was immediately put into a luxurious VIP birthing suite, which Evan had insisted on. I settled on the extra-wide bed and looked around at the wood-paneled cabinets, the subtle recessed lighting, and the flat-screen TV. The room smelled of fresh, soothing lavender and was three times the size of any labor room I had ever seen, which was probably a good thing since my brother was bringing his five gigantic friends, and their presence could make a college gymnasium seem cramped. A darling blonde-haired nurse named Julia hooked me up to all the necessary machines and monitors before saying she needed to examine me.

“Blaire, do you want me to, uhhhh…” Evan said, gesturing worriedly to the door. “Because you know I don’t do vaginas.”

Julia looked at him strangely, and I couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped from my lips. “No, it’s fine. Just stand up here by my head.” I explained to the nurse, “He’s just nervous about seeing it in that condition.”