to let him in.
He looked up from what he was doing as if she had called him. Their eyes met across the distance. He grabbed his things and stood, moving toward her with effortless grace.
“You came,” he said.
“I promised my friends I'd see you one last time,” she choked out.
He nodded, barely disguising the sadness in his eyes.
“What's that?” she asked, motioning to the papers clutched in his hands.
“It's a manuscript of a book I'm helping my brother write.”
“What's it about?”
“It's a political thriller about a man who's trying to save his family from terrorists. It's loosely based on the hyena situation over the last twenty years.”
“That sounds interesting,” she said. “I didn't know your brother was a writer.”
“You don't know very much about me at all.” His tone was flippant, but she knew he had a right to be.
She'd never bothered to get to know him, and that fact was completely on her. They walked toward the baby store and stepped inside. She could smell the subtle scent of his skin, and something deep inside her screamed to be close to him. Even her own body was betraying her.
16
All the months that Dylan had been waiting and hoping that Annie would come to him and let him into her life had culminated in this moment. The sight of her ripe with child beside him filled him with a primal need to cover her with his protection and love so overwhelming that he could barely think of anything else. His inner wolf was howling frantically for him to make her his. But there was no way for him to get any closer to her.
They were walking down the aisles of the baby store, and they both reached for the same item. Their hands touched, creating a spark between them. She didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she slipped her fingers through his, not looking into his eyes. His heart was pounding.
“Annie,” he said, his voice low and husky.
“Dylan, I'm sorry.” She snatched her hand away. Her expression turned from worried to stricken. Her mouth dropped in a gasp, and she clutched her stomach, letting out a long moan.
He gripped her shoulder, every fiber of his being crying out to protect her. “What's wrong?”
“I think I'm in labor.”
“It's too early.”
She moaned with pain as a gush of fluid ran down her legs onto the floor.
“Call an ambulance,” Dylan yelled, and the clerks rushed to the phone.
The woman at the front counter looked up at him a moment later. “They’re on their way.”
“Just breathe. It's going to be okay.” He helped her walk out of the store and sit down on one of the park benches near the fountain in the mall. The EMTs were there only moments later, helping her into a wheelchair. He hurried out the door with the EMTs, and they asked if he was the husband. All he could say was yes. He wasn't going to let her go through this alone.
As they rushed to the hospital, he held her hand.
“It's too early,” she kept saying.
“It's going to be okay, ma'am,” the EMT said while he took her vital signs.
“How many weeks along are you?” the female EMT asked.
“It's only thirty-six weeks.” Annie groaned.
“It's going to be okay. Our baby is going to be okay.”
“Dylan,” she said, tears in her eyes. Then another contraction ripped through her, and she screamed.
Dylan's heart was breaking. He should have tried harder. He should have done more to protect her all this time. In some way, he felt it was his fault. If she had felt safe, secure, and loved, maybe this wouldn't be happening.
They arrived at the hospital, and Annie was taken out on the stretcher. He followed right behind her as she was taken into a delivery room. Doctors and nurses swarmed around. All he could do was stand on the sidelines against the wall.
“She's nearly fully dilated,” the doctor said. “This baby is coming now.”
“But it's too early,” Annie said, tears in her eyes.
The tears slid down her cheeks, and she looked so alone. She turned to Dylan and reached out to him. And he hurried to her side, taking her hand. He wiped her forehead with the damp cloth and tried to reassure her that everything would be all right. She squeezed his hand through a contraction.
“Annie,” the nurse said. “It's almost time to push.”
“Is my baby all right? Is she going to be okay?”
“Everything's going to be fine. Her vitals are good and strong. You need to