How can she be so insensitive?
It was only a little more than six months since Cole’s mother, Lydia, had passed away. While it had been peaceful, it was still such a difficult period to watch her slowly fade.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Cole reached down and squeezed her thigh as she snuggled up against him.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. Today is a good day, Rachel. Today, you become an aunt.”
Rachel looked up at him as he leaned down and laid his lips against hers.
“And you become an uncle.”
Cole lifted his mouth from hers and patted his palm over his chest. “Yes, I do, and I’m ready.”
Rachel laughed, shaking her head. “Of course, you are armed with the celebratory cigars.”
“Well, Joshua was freaking out about getting the crib complete before the baby got here, so it seemed like the right thing for me to do. Mason has been so stressed out these last couple of weeks. It’s the least I can do.” Cole paused and chuckled. “Maybe I should have bought him a bottle of scotch?”
Rachel slid farther down into the waiting room chair as she took Cole’s hand. “He has been a little insane, hasn’t he?”
“I don’t think ‘a little’ covers it. Did you see the way his eyes were almost bugging out of his head when he wheeled Lena in here?”
Rachel let out a loud laugh, and when other people in the waiting room turned to look at her, she quickly covered her mouth. “The best part was when Lena told him if he didn’t quit asking her how she was, she’d order him out of the room.”
“Well, if anyone has Mason’s number, it’s Lena,” Cole said.
Rachel smiled fondly. “He worships the ground she walks on, and he acts like a lovesick dope the rest of the time.”
Cole’s eyebrow winged up as he turned his head toward her. “Is that how you talk about me when I’m not around?”
Rachel giggled and bit her bottom lip.
Two years.
She had now been Mrs. Madison for a little more than two years, and she had loved every crazy, sexy, happy, and sad moment of it.
“Nope. I tell everyone you’re obsessed with how sexy I am, and you have issues leaving the bed in the mornings because you are sooo in love with me.”
Cole slid his palm over her thigh and down between her knees, enjoying the smooth leather under his palm. “That seems accurate enough. Although, I would like to point out that it was you who would not leave our bed this morning. You were the one trying to persuade me with dirty tactics to take the day off of work.”
Leaning into him, Rachel reminded him on a sultry whisper, “You didn’t seem to mind my dirty tactics when you told me to wrap my lips around your—”
“Has it happened yet? Did we miss it?”
Rachel looked up at the interruption and stood as Shelly practically ran down the corridor toward them. Following behind his wife was Josh with their eighteen-month-old daughter, Savannah.
“Nope, not yet,” Rachel told her, moving past Shelly to reach the little girl in Josh’s arms.
Savannah was adorable in every way. With her platinum blonde curls and big brown eyes, it was obvious which part of each parent she had inherited.
“Hello, angel,” Rachel cooed as she reached out. She was happy to see Savannah give her a big, gappy smile as the toddler lunged toward her.
“Me go!” she announced, her chubby little arms reaching out to Rachel.
Josh passed her over and tapped his daughter on the rump. Rachel took her favorite little girl in her arms as she winked at Josh.
“Pwetty!” Savannah declared as she took a fistful of Rachel’s blue hair.
Josh reached out and flicked a piece of Rachel’s hair over her shoulder as he kissed his daughter’s cheek. “Pretty, for sure.”
Rachel leaned in and pressed sloppy kisses to Savannah’s cheek. “You’re the pretty one. Pretty, pretty, pretty.”
Savannah started giggling and squirming in her arms.
Josh made his way over and sat down beside Shelly, who was now currently tapping her foot incessantly beside Cole.
“How are you so damn calm?” she demanded, turning to face him.
Cole shrugged and pointed out logically, “I’m not the one giving birth.”
Rachel couldn’t help the snort that escaped her as Shelly narrowed her eyes on Cole and shook her head.
“Typical male answer delivered in a typical lawyer tone.”
Cole had become quite used to Shelly’s mouth, and instead of taking offense, he nodded and pointed out, “One could say yours is a typical woman’s reaction, but then one would be accused of being sexist.”
As Josh chuckled, Shelly turned her head quickly to pin him with narrowed eyes. “And I suppose you agree with that?”
Josh leaned back in the seat and stretched his long denim-clad legs in front of himself. He crossed his work boots over and stretched his arm out behind his wife. “Hey, I didn’t say that, Georgia. As far as I’m concerned, you have every right to be nervous for Lena. You’ve been through this all before.”
“And got an angel in return,” Shelly replied as she lovingly looked toward her daughter.
“Kiss ass,” Rachel piped up.
Josh looked over at her and let his eyes move to his daughter before bringing them back to Rachel’s. “Uh, do you mind not cursing around my little girl? I would prefer she grow up a lady.”
Rachel glared over at the man who was as much her brother as the one currently waiting for his first born to be delivered. “I’m a lady.”
Shelly scoffed, “Out of the bedroom?”
“Well, definitely not in it,” Cole added, giving Rachel a wicked smirk.
Standing, he made his way over to where she was swaying back and forth with Savannah, who had rested her head down on Rachel’s shoulder.
“Really, Madison? Keep that to yourself, would you?” Josh complained. “She’s practically my little sister.”
Cole ignored his friend as he reached Rachel and the gorgeous little girl in her arms. Rachel looked up into his eyes, and as he raised a hand to run it over Savannah’s hair, he gave Rachel a smile so warm that she felt it all the way down to her toes.
“I like how you look right now,” Cole admitted.
Rachel raised a brow in silent question.
“With a baby in your arms, you look very—”
“Very?” she pressed, feeling her heart start to beat a little harder.
He was about to answer when the waiting room door flung open, and a weary-looking Mason walked toward where they all stood and waited patiently.
His black hair was all over the place, like he had been running his hands through it several hundred times, and his shirt was buttoned incorrectly.
When he finally stopped in front of them, Rachel stood frozen, waiting for whatever news he was about to deliver.
Surely, if it were bad and something had happened to Lena, he would be crying and be unable to come out here.
What the hell is wrong with me? This is giving birth, not open heart surgery.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Mason’s face finally broke into a smile so wide that it looked like it was going to fall right off his face.
Rachel felt Cole’s arm come around her waist as Mason continued beaming at them.
“Well, spit it out, Mase,” Shelly finally piped up.
“He’s speechless. Leave the man alone,” Josh joked as he hugged Shelly in close.
As Mason looked at them all, he nodded, and Rachel could see tears welling in his blue eyes.
“Lena and Catherine are both beautiful and perfect.”