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“I want to give you money for dinner,” I said, trying to hand him some cash.
“Get out of here. Go,” he insisted.
I planted a quick, soft kiss on Brad’s cheek and dashed out of the restaurant. The street was slick from the rain, and I nearly slipped as I raised my hand to hail a cab. Thankfully, one was passing by just as I stepped outside. I jumped in, begging the driver to hurry.
While we sped through the city, I tried calling Oliver, but it kept going to voicemail. I left an urgent message, guessing he was probably still in the air.
Twenty minutes later, I was rushing through the front entrance of Lenox Hill Hospital. The bright lights and stark white walls and floors hurt my eyes, but I quickly found the front desk and got directions to maternity.
When I found Sadie’s room, she was already being wheeled out to give birth. Finley stood nearby, dressed in green scrubs with a white mask over his face and a white cap covering his sandy hair. His eyes looked scared.
“Already?” I asked, breathless.
“It came fast. We were going to wait to go to the hospital, but Sadie insisted. I’m glad she did. I have to go,” he said, his voice trembling.
My brother followed Sadie as her bed was pushed down to the delivery room. There was nothing I could do but wait.
"She’s gorgeous,” I murmured, stroking my new niece’s soft cheek. Teagan Ivy Stewart had made her grand entrance at 8:22 p.m., arriving with a fierce scream. My brother, hands trembling, had cut her umbilical cord. Now she lay peacefully in a small crib next to Sadie’s bed.
“Thank you. I can’t believe we’re parents,” Sadie said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. Though her labor had been mercifully short, less than two hours, she looked worn out. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was pale.
“You did great,” I reassured her.
“The doctor said I need to be careful because my next labor could go even faster,” Sadie added, a mix of awe and concern in her eyes.
“I hope not,” my brother muttered, worry creasing his brow.
“You’ll just have to get her here as fast as possible. Lucky you were home,” I said.
“I wasn’t,” he admitted. “I was just leaving the office.”
“Do you need help? I could take a few days off,” I offered.
“Mom is coming down to help, and your mom said she would too. I wanted to thank you for what you and Oliver did for my dad. It’s made all the difference,” Sadie said, her gratitude shining through her fatigue.
“He’s an asset to Fox,” I replied, smiling.
“He really enjoys the job.”
“I work with him at least once a week. He’s a whiz with figures,” I said.
“He always was. Perry is just like him,” Sadie said, her voice trailing off as she dozed.
I moved to the green couch next to the wall, watching my brother, who looked ready to drop from exhaustion.
“Are you happy?” I asked softly.
“Very. I was scared until Teagan came out and I cut the cord. Then I knew everything would be all right,” he said, his eyes softening with pride.
“You’ll make a great father, just be home,” I encouraged.
“I’m working from home for a while. I can run the office from there.”
“Good. Any progress on your wedding?”
“Maybe next spring. So much happened this year, we didn’t have a chance to discuss anything.”
“What about you?” he asked.
