Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“Why would you do that?” I ask him. “You need to do it after my shower. I’m all gross, and we did it this morning, so it’s like all up in there,” I tell him, making my way to the bedroom, but then stop when a pain rips through me, and I put a hand out to hold on to the wall. “Oh, that hurts,” I hiss as I try to control my breathing like they taught me in the class we went to.
His hand rests on my lower back. “Sweetheart.” He looks down at me. “I mean this in the most sincere way, but if you don’t get your ass into the truck, I’m going to put you over my shoulder and do it for you,” he warns, the last little bit in a hiss.
The front door opens, and it sounds like a herd of horses rushing in. “Where are they?” Ethan shouts.
“They should be in the truck already,” my father says. “He’s supposed to be taking care of her.”
“It’s been one minute,” Ethan defends Gabriel as they walk into the house and spot us standing by the wall.
“What the hell are you guys doing?” my father asks. “Why the hell aren’t you in the truck?”
“Your daughter,” Gabriel says with clenched teeth, turning to my father, “apparently needs to shower before going to the hospital.”
“Gabriel,” I hiss his name, who totally ignores me.
“I was giving her a minute before I carried her out,” Gabriel declares. The door opens, and I hear heels. All four of us look over to see Emily and my mother round the corner.
“What is going on?” my mother says, coming toward me. “Why are all of you just standing around doing nothing?” She looks at the men. “What is happening?”
“Your daughter”—my father now uses the same tone Gabriel used—“apparently needs to take a shower.”
“What?” Emily shrieks. “Why?”
“Did you guys do it this morning?” my mother asks me, and I close my eyes, wanting the floor to open up and swallow me. I mean, I’m obviously pregnant, so we had sex, but to admit to literally everyone in the room you did it this morning. I want to die.
“Oh that.” Emily chuckles. “Honey, there is going to be so much guck coming out of you. No one is going to notice.”
I want to say something, but then a sharp pain rips through me, this time much sharper than the last one, and it feels like someone stabbed my vagina. “Ugh,” I grunt, trying to breathe but literally holding my breath until it passes.
“You have to breathe.” My mother rubs my back, and I look over, glaring at her. “It helps with the pain.”
“Okay, I hate to break up this reunion,” Ethan says, “but can we get to the hospital, and then we can talk?”
“I’ll start the truck,” my father offers, about to rush out.
“I’ll grab the bags,” Emily adds, “and grab a plastic bag for her to sit on.”
“Wait!” Gabriel shouts, and everyone stops in their tracks. “We need to do something before we go,” he says, rushing to the bedroom. I think he’s going to just grab the bags, but instead, he comes back and looks at me. “This is not the way I wanted to do this.” He gets down on one knee. “But there is no fucking way you aren’t going to be wearing my ring when you give birth.”
“Gabriel.” I put my hand to my mouth, the tears coming down my face, and he just slips the ring onto my finger.
“Now we can go,” Ethan says.
“She didn’t answer,” my father notes, “and he also didn’t get my blessing.”
“Well, he has mine,” my mother says. “So on a technicality that we are a team, he has yours.”
Gabriel gets up from his knee and holds my face in his hands. “Sweetheart, you are the love of my life, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” His thumbs rub the tears away as they pour down my cheeks. “Nothing else in this world I want more.”
“That is so sweet,” my mother swoons, and I just smile.
“I don’t want a big wedding,” I finally say. “Just our close family.”
“So two hundred people.” Emily makes a joke. “That sounds small.” We all laugh, but I close my eyes when another pain rips through me.
“Can we please get the fuck in the truck?” my father urges. I look at him, and his face is pale. “Like now.” I look down and see my white dress has bloodstains on it. Gabriel’s eyes go down also, and his face goes even paler than my father’s. He doesn’t say a word to me; he just walks me to the door. Neither of us says anything as we make our way to the hospital. By the time we get there, half of our family is already spilling out of the waiting room.