Chance Encounter - Jerry Cole Page 0,21

We can go to lunch.” I heard him start snoring, feeling rejected even though I knew that he was just tired. So was I.

We only managed to have a short lunch before he got called to work, and it was that way for the next few weeks. We had dinner with Gram and the girls like clockwork on Sunday, but Mari and Becca talked most of that time. Gray and I were both distracted with work, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Ryan and his words at the bar.

I headed to the bar again one night after work. Becca was meeting Mari at some event at the gallery. I knew Gray wasn’t home. I walked in to see Jake and the guys at the bar, smiling as I joined them. “You’re back.” He hugged me, and I nodded slowly.

“I just finished work, and thought I’d stop by.” We made small talk until I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I saw that it was Gray. “Hey, babe. Are you okay?”

“Vivian is in labor. They think everything is going to be fine, but she wants someone there for her. Her mom is sick.” My heart dropped at his words. We’d kept in touch with Vivian over the weeks as she waited for the baby’s arrival.

“Are you at the hospital?” I asked, and he told me that he took her there. I got the room number, calling Becca since the girls got to know her. It was past the point of pregnancy that they were concerned about, so the delivery should be fine. “I have to go. I’ll come back.” The guys could see that I was in a hurry, telling me goodbye as I ran out of the door.

I hopped in my car to drive to the hospital, parking and making my way to the area that we first visited her in. Gray stood against a wall, meeting me in the hallway. “She’s close. She told me that we don’t have to be in there with her, but she’s also scared to be alone.” My face paled, and he smiled. “We could be beside her, not actually helping.”

“Okay. I guess.” I always swore that the only person I’d be there for was Becca in this situation. I felt close to Vivian, just not this close at the moment. “What’s wrong with her mom?”

“The flu. She can’t even get out of bed, much less be here. Vivian is devastated.” His face fell, and I knew that Gray was speaking the truth. The father never attempted to support her, and we were her family now, along with the girls.

“Becca and Mari are at a gallery thing. They’re going to be here as soon as they can,” I told him as he nodded. They had a small baby shower for Vivian at their apartment with some of her friends from the coffee shop. People worked together to get her the things she’d need the most, even helping to set up a small nursery in Vivian’s room at her mom’s place. It was close quarters, but cute, nonetheless. I enjoyed seeing Becca bond with someone else. I just hadn’t spent a lot of time with my best friend lately and missed her.

Life wasn’t working out as expected. Moving into the building was supposed to bring us together, but everyone seemed to be working too much. When we weren’t, Becca was with Mari, and they spent a lot of time with Vivian. I’d let myself fall into a sad pattern of spending time by myself at home when I wasn’t at work. Going to the bar tonight was a nice break from that, but here I was at the hospital.

I made my way into the room to greet Vivian, who looked scared. Her light blue eyes were tired and dark circles marked her skin. I kissed her hair and told her that we were there for her, not going anywhere. The nurse who popped in to check on her regularly, announced that it was time.

The doctor appeared, and we each took a side as they prepped her for delivery. I looked at Gray, meeting his tired eyes as he forced a smile. Vivian insisted on doing this on her own, so the pain was hard for me to take. I just held her hand as she pushed, assuring her that she was doing great.

An image of Gray holding our baby flashed across my mind, making me look at him. Did he want