Grace Anne - By Kathi S. Barton Page 0,86

Poor Michael looked ready to run from the room. He didn’t blame him, he was a little surprised by the venom in Gracie’s voice too. He nearly said something to calm her when she grabbed his arm.

“Damn it, Gracie, that hurt. I told you that you needed to get her when the contractions started not when you were almost ready to deliver. Now there isn’t any time for an epidural.” He stepped back before she could touch him again. “You’ll be fine. Women have been giving birth for centuries and—”

“I don’t give a good flying fuck about anyone else right now. And I couldn’t leave earlier. Trace had a football game tonight and I couldn’t miss it. His team is going—fuck that hurts.” Michael paled again.

Cain looked at the monitor and smiled. She was peaking every two minutes now. It wouldn’t be long before she’d be able to push. He wondered what they were going to say when the baby was born. Or babies, in this case. Cain thought about all the babies now that were in his family.

Quinn and Drew had five children, a set of triples and a set of twins. They decided that enough was enough and five was the limit. He wondered how long that would last and thought by this time in a couple of years, she’d be pregnant again.

Jazzie and Nathan had two. Both single births and both boys. They were beautiful and every bit as rambunctious as their mother. She took them with her on every book signing. She claimed they were the reason her sales were through the roof. The movie was going to be released in one week.

Lilliane and Shamus had one with another on the way. Cain was happy for them both and when Shamus told him that they were expecting again, he looked like he might have invented procreation. Cain didn’t think Shamus’ feet had touched the floor since he’d found out. They would soon have three after their own set of twins.

Sin and Payton had five children. They had adopted another infant after Tonya had started walking and had been taking in older children since. The last child, Charlie, had been a problem boy since his mother had dropped him off at the police station one day and never returned. He’d been with Sin and Payton for a little over a month and seemed to be coming along just fine. Cain secretly thought he was afraid of Sin, but didn’t blame him. Cain was a tad afraid of her himself.

He and Alyssa had three children. Connor now had a pair of identical twin sisters. He loved them so much Alyssa had had to put him in preschool twice a week so she could spend time with them. Connor was very protective of his sisters.

And now Gracie Anne was having a baby. He looked at the monitor again and realized that she was having contractions about every minute. Soon now, he thought. Soon.

“All right, Grace, let’s get this show on the road,” Donald Paschal said. He was her doctor, as Cain couldn’t…well, he didn’t want to deliver his own niece and nephew.

“What the hell do you think I’ve been doing, dork-ass? Playing with myself?”

Michael burst out laughing and earned a glare from his wife.

“Ah, love, you do have a way with words when you’re trying to meet a deadline.” Michael kissed her full on the mouth. “Come on, let us show this good man how we put something together. When he says push, you push. And if you’re a good girl and do it in less than five pushes, I’ll take you to Paris for Christmas this year.”

“I hate you, you know that, right? I don’t want to go to Paris. I want you to get this monster out of me. And if you think I’m having another one, well you can just get that thing cut off. You’re not touching me again.”

Eight really good pushes later and both babies were born. The little boy came first and was named Derrick James, and the little girl was named Kimberly Guinnie. Both were very healthy and had all their fingers and toes. Cain went to the lobby to tell all the families. The cheering could be heard all over the floor.

~~~

Trace looked down at his brother. He certainly didn’t look like he’d ever be able to play with him. He glanced over at his sister, wondering if he’d be considered a sissy if he told somebody he wanted to hold