Stay With Me(37)

Logan’s expression darkened. “You say that as if everything will change as soon as you’re no longer pregnant.”

She smiled and shook her head. No, she knew better. Whatever doubts she may have harbored before, the last months had proven to her that she could count on Logan and Rhys to keep their promises this time around.

They’d worked hard to keep their business viable and thriving, but they’d worked harder to make sure she knew how important she was to them.

“Besides, there will be other babies,” Rhys pointed out.

Her chest tightened. Other babies. A dreamy smile poured over her lips.

“Let’s have this one before we start thinking about knocking her up again,” Logan muttered.

Rhys grinned, and Catherine laughed. It was a well-known fact that her pregnancy thrilled and terrified Logan in equal parts. The closer she came to her due date, the more brooding he became, and the more psychotic he got about their plan for when she went into labor.

He’d nearly driven her and Rhys insane when he made them do a test run. He’d almost fired their driver for getting them to the hospital two minutes behind what Logan perceived to be a reasonable time.

Never mind the harried driver would have made it with ten minutes to spare if they hadn’t been pulled over by a NYC police officer.

“Which one of you is making breakfast?” she asked as her stomach protested the fact she hadn’t eaten dinner the night before.

“Finally hungry?” Rhys asked.

“You shouldn’t skip meals,” Logan said tightly.

She rolled her eyes and shoved at Logan so she could get out of bed. A graceful departure it wasn’t. By the time she heaved her cumbersome body over the edge, with much assistance from Logan and Rhys, she was already out of breath. And despite her hopes that her back would feel better, the nagging ache hit her as soon as she took a step.

Refusing to give in to the urge to wince and maybe whine a little, she walked slowly toward the bathroom. A long, warm bath sounded as close to orgasmic bliss as she’d come for weeks. Not that the guys wouldn’t have been more than happy to accommodate her desire for orgasms or bliss, but hell, did anyone even think of sex when they were as big as a house and grouchy as a rattlesnake?

She closed the bathroom door, her desire for some peace and solitude, not to mention time away from their prying, over-concerned eyes, outweighing her usual joy in them fussing over her.

When the water was drawn, she stepped in and gingerly lowered herself down into the bath. Oh sweet Jesus, had anything ever felt so good?

She lay there, her head tilted back, eyes closed, until the water started to cool around her. Unwilling to give up the comfort of the bath yet, she flipped the stopper with her toe to allow the water to run down. Then she reached up with her other foot to start the hot water running again.

Ahhh. Much better.

She settled back down and grimaced as a tight pain constricted her belly. At least the baby wasn’t doing her usual kung fu moves.

A knock on the door interrupted her absolute zero train of thought, and she frowned.

“Honey, breakfast is almost ready, and if you don’t get out soon, you’re going to look like a prune for a week.”

She growled and heard Rhys chuckle in response. With a contented sigh, she relaxed back into the water only to tense up as another odd ripple tightened across her belly. This one was harder than the last and it started low in her back then reached around her lower belly into her groin.

Hell. Surely not now. She still had two weeks to go. She didn’t have a watch, so she couldn’t time them, but there was a clock by the sink.

All lazy dullness gone, she took notice of the time on the clock and then tried to make herself relax as she waited to see if there was any regularity to her pains.

A half hour later, she’d timed three contractions, all precisely ten minutes apart.

Okay, nothing to panic over, and she damn sure wasn’t going to rouse Logan’s freak-out tendencies. Not yet anyway. She gripped the tub to try and haul herself upward just as another contraction hit. Damn it.

“Logan,” she called out, knowing damn well he was lurking outside the bathroom.

Sure enough, almost before she could get his name out, the door opened, and he burst in, a scowl on his face.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “What’s with closing the bathroom door? You could have fallen, and we wouldn’t hear you.”

She smiled and kept her tone purposely light. “Help me up?” she asked, extending her hand.

His expression eased as he bent over the tub. He gripped her hand and put his arm behind her back to help her stand. Keeping his fingers curled tight around her hand, he helped her over the side then handed her a towel.

“Thanks,” she said, even as another contraction centered in her abdomen. Damn, that one came out of sync with the others. Her gaze crept to the clock. Three minutes. That didn’t make a lot of sense.

“You can go now,” she said to Logan, trying not to sound too hopeful. “I just need to do girly stuff, and then I’ll be out to eat. Tell Rhys to keep it warm for me, please.”

He brushed his lips across her cheek and then headed out of the bathroom. She grinned at the obvious way he swung the door wide open and left it.

She took her time brushing out her hair and securing it in a ponytail. When the next pain hit, she looked at the clock. Seven minutes. Her face scrunched into a frown. Well hell. Ten minutes, three minutes then seven minutes.