She and Dex might not be Isabella’s parents, but they were still very much a part of her life. Frankly, Lucy couldn’t ask for more.
“You’re allowed to be a little jealous of the new baby,” Dex was saying to Isabella. “But just remember, he’s going to be your cousin. It’ll be your job to show him the ropes. And keep him in line. Just don’t be too much of a bully.”
Not wanting Dex to see how cute she thought his concern was, Lucy turned her face into his neck so he wouldn’t see her smile.
A moment later the doorbell rang.
“I wonder who that is.”
“It’s Mrs. Hill,” Lucy told him as she stood. “I—”
“Why is she here?”
“Well, we need someone to watch Isabella,” she pointed out gently. “We—”
“I hope you’re not planning on going somewhere. Do you have any idea how long it took me to convince Derek to let us have Izzie for the whole evening?”
After a very rocky start, Derek had eventually taken to fatherhood, approaching it with the same steel-jawed determination with which he approached everything. It was more than a little amusing to watch. However, at the moment, she had more pressing matters on her mind.
Lucy exhaled slowly as the contraction faded and the muscles of her belly began to relax. “Remember, we talked about giving birth at home, but the last time I checked you were adamantly opposed.” She paused, waiting for comprehension to dawn on Dex’s face. When he still looked confused, she continued. “Since I’m pretty sure I’m in labor right now, we probably want to head to the hospital.”
“You’re in labor?” Dex’s face went white.
“Yep.”
“Right now?”
She nodded. “It’s still early, but you’ve been so worried about getting to the hospital…”
He stood so quickly he knocked the chair over. Isabella let out a delighted peal of laughter. Lucy held back her own chuckle as she watched a mixture of anxiety, excitement and wonder drift across Dex’s face.
They’d already shared so much together and still had so much more to experience. They had a whole lifetime to look forward to. And Lucy planned on enjoying every minute of it.