the oddly uncomfortable couch. It was a pretty seafoam green, but there was no give to those cushions. I led Kayla back to them anyway and sat down.
“So, tell me what kind of menu you are going to put together for baby Mills?”
Kayla was an amazing chef, minus the degree. One of those natural cooks I wished I could be. I was a serviceable one when I took the time to deep-dive into Pinterest. And when I convinced Mitch to let me add something crazy to the menu just to spice up the sameness of my life.
Now?
No sameness. And definitely no boring moments anymore.
But asking the question let Kayla spin out. She started babbling about the waffle breakfast she was going to create if it was a girl, and a burger bar with pretzels and pub cheese for a boy. Obviously, she’d been thinking about it for a while.
Then again with Jake being a firefighter—and a code enforcement chief to boot—there was going to be much partying after the baby came.
Kayla suddenly jackknifed up. “Ben.”
I looked over my shoulder. A very muscular man stood in the doorway to the waiting room with a CCFD hat in his hands.
“Hey, Kayla. How’s the Chief doing?”
She crossed to him and went on her toes to hug the big guy. “He’s shitting himself.”
I laughed. Kayla certainly knew her brother.
Seven more guys appeared wearing various states of firefighter gear. The dimpled Ben seemed to only have eyes for my sister-in-law though.
Not so surprisingly, the nursing staff kept finding reasons to come and check on us.
I knew a few of the firefighters by sight from the diner, and a few more by name from various town functions. The CCFD worked closely with Brooks, so he was finally entertained. An iPad was propped up on one of the corner tables to watch some shouty sports show the guys always seemed to like.
My dad sneaked over to watch with them.
The Ramos men knew they had to stay put, but that didn’t mean they weren’t bored out of their minds with the waiting game. My brother was stuck on a site, but he would be along after work.
Suddenly, Brooks broke off from the crowded corner and went to the window. He took his phone out. I braced for him to tell me he was called back for some emergency. He turned to face the outside, his other hand up to his opposite ear so he could hear his conversation.
Like a magnet, I crossed the room to him and touched his back. Usually, he’d hold a finger up to me to give him a second, but this time, he pulled me under his arm.
“Yes. I can definitely be there. There’s a lab here, actually. I’ll have the report sent to you and to me. Right. I can make it next week. Perfect.” He smiled down at me. “Thanks, Preston.”
Oh, his lawyer.
“Well, looks like the paperwork is a go. The judge agreed to go ahead with the official paperwork to make Sami mine.” He tucked a lock of hair around my ear. “She could be ours. She already is.”
Before I could reply, Jake burst into the room. “It’s a boy!”
The chaos that ensued had everyone jumping up and swarming around him for details.
Brooks hauled me in for a hug, lifting me off my feet. “Well, look at you, Tia Bee.”
I couldn’t even think. I was being passed around from family member to family member, friend to friend. Large firefighters gave me slapping hugs, and in the middle of it all, Jared was standing by the window with a smile on his face and his fists tucked under his arms.
All official-looking in the insanity.
An older nurse appeared. She hadn’t been nearly as flirtatious and amused by the waiting room explosion. “Excuse me, I realize this is amazing news, but we still are a hospital and have other mothers-to-be trying to—ohh.”
Ben and Adam Parish, one of the newer firefighters that had just moved to town, took turns spinning the nurse around in a celebratory twirl. Ben started it and Adam finished it with a huge smile, twinkling ridiculously blue eyes and with a hint of the devil in his dark curls.
He dipped the nurse and laid a kiss on her lips before lifting her back up. “We have a new little boy in our midst. Time to celebrate.”
Jared slipped an arm around my waist and drew me back against him. “Your people sure know how to do it up. Imagine what a wedding