Page 12 of Talk Wicked to Me

“Let me get this straight. Not only did you give birth to quite possibly the cutest baby on earth, but you did it on the side of the road with a hot vet?”

“Yes. It’s nuts, isn’t it?”

“Totally. You know what it reminds me of?”

“Skiing,” they said at the same time, and they both laughed. Emerson had sprained her ankle skiing when she was fourteen, and a cute EMT had helped her down the mountain.

“Want to know the weirdest part of this whole thing?” Emerson asked.

“Weirder than giving birth on the side of the road with a guy you just met who you might or might not have flirted with?”

“I didn’t. Not really. But yes. When I realized I couldn’t drive to the hospital and had to pull over, I thought about calling him, not 911.”

“Okay, that is weird. Why would you call him?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s because I was really scared, and he was so nice, and he said to call if I got nervous. It’s messed up, and I’d never tell him that, but it’s true.”

“See? That’s why I begged you to move here, instead of some small town where you don’t know anyone. Yuri and I could’ve taken care of you.”

“Gwen.”

“I know. The Cape is everything you’ve been dreaming about. I get it. I just hate to think about you alone and scared for all that time before he showed up. Things could have turned out very differently.”

“But they didn’t.”

“Thank God. Baz does look totally drunk on Brennan in that picture you sent me.”

Emerson scrolled to the picture of them. She was right. He looked completely taken with her baby boy. She sighed and set her phone down. “Okay, that’s enough swooning over Dr. Wicked.” She moved the baby to her shoulder and began patting his back.

“Why?”

“Because he’s a hot single guy and I’m a new mom with udders instead of boobs and a cooch that’s out of commission for the foreseeable future.”

“All the more reason to swoon. There’s no harm in that. Speaking of your nether regions, how much pain are you in?”

“Well, I’ve got an ice pack between my legs at the moment.”

“Ouch. Are you okay?”

“I’m wearing a pad as big as a diaper, and getting up to go to the bathroom or pick up Brennan is a feat in and of itself, but yes, I’m fine. He is totally worth it. You know how everyone says you forget the pain of childbirth the minute you hold the baby?”

“Please don’t tell me it’s a lie.”

“It’s not a lie. When I was pushing, I thought I was going to die, it hurt so bad, but the second he was in my arms, you could have told me to push a watermelon out and I’d’ve done it without question. The doctor said I did tear a little, but I didn’t need stitches, so yay for a stretchy vag.”

Gwen laughed.

Brennan burped loudly. “Aw, did that feel good?”

“What was that?”

“He burped.”

“What was he doing? Guzzling beer?”

She laughed and kissed Brennan’s cheek, inhaling his sweet baby smell. “Don’t make fun of my boy. You should see this little smirky smile he makes after he nurses.”

“Typical male—loves the boobs.”