Page 34 of Scarred Sunrise

Chapter 15

The piercing ringof her mobile phone had Lizzie sitting up in bed disorientated, her heart smashing against her chest like a slug as nausea flipped her belly. Beside her, Smithy sat up, the ridges of muscles distracting her for a split second before the shrill sound in the dead of the silent night brought her back to what had woken her.

Snatching her phone, she saw it was Jace and her body tensed as she slid her thumb across the screen to answer the call. “Hello.”

“It’s happening, and she wants you here.” The shake in her brother-in-law’s voice was something Liz had never heard before and showed the reality of the situation.

Scrambling out of bed, she almost tripped over the sheet in her haste to find her clothes. “I’m on my way. How close are the contractions?” Her eyes moved to Ty, who was watching her intently as he silently got dressed. She was surprised at the calmness in her voice when she felt so many tumbling emotions going through her body: hope, fear, excitement, all of them coalescing in one big jumbling knot in her belly.

“About five minutes and lasting around ninety seconds or so.” Jace sounded more in control now which she was relieved about. He’d never wanted a home birth, wanting his wife and child in a hospital close to medical care if it was needed. He’d only conceded because Lauren would be there.

“Are Meg and Lauren there yet?

“No, Luce told me to call you first.”

A rush of sisterly protectiveness hit her then, and her voice went soft. “Tell her I’m on my way. I’ll call the others. You just hold her hand and make sure she’s comfortable until we get there.”

“Okay.”

His passive tone showed how rattled he truly was, and she smiled as she hung up and looked at Ty. “Lucy is having her baby.”

His lip quirked as he moved to her his hands moving to her hips, a shiver forcing its way down her spine at the simple touch that meant so much. “What do you need from me?”

A sense of rightness trickled through her at his words. He didn’t demand or bully, he asked what she needed, and it gave her the courage to ask for what she really wanted from him.

“Will you stay with me in case things get hairy?”

“Of course, Liz. Whatever you need. Maybe I can keep Jace calm too.”

He kissed her lips lightly as they grabbed their coats and headed to the car. Lucy and Jace only lived ten minutes from Ty. With the roads clear at night it took less than five to get to them. It was enough time for Liz to ring Meg and Dane. Dane would call their dad to stay with all the kids while he brought Lauren over.

After the near-miss of them almost losing their precious baby, Lucy and Jace had decided they wanted Lauren at the birth as she’d been the one to save her life. Lucy wanted a home birth, and Meg and Lizzie to be with her, as well as Jace.

She had been worried Jace might feel pushed out or that they were intruding on an immensely private moment but he’d reassured her that he wanted it too, because it would keep Luce calm. The love between those two still made her heart flip over when she thought about them together. They were partners in every sense of the word. Casting a glance at Ty as they walked to the front door she wondered if she’d get that.

Her thought dispersed as the door opened and Jace, with hair sticking up and scruff on his chin, ushered them inside. His eyes were bright with both terror and excitement, and she forced a smile away. “Where is she?”

“Living room.”

“Hey, Jace,” Ty shoved out his hand, and Jace shook it, “hope I’m not intruding.”

Jace shook his head with a wry grin. “No, you can make coffee and make sure we all stay awake.”

Ty nodded and returned his smile as he winked at Lizzie, took her coat, and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

Lizzie gave herself a second to process the butterflies looping in her tummy and then moved to the living room. Lucy was pacing the space between the fifty-two-inch flat screen and the coffee table. A shadow of relief crossed her features when she saw her and Lizzie moved straight to her, placing her hand on the small of her back.

“You’re having a baby.” Lizzie beamed up at her sister as Jace began to move the furniture out of the way so they would have more room.

“It’s happening.” Lucy looked slightly stunned, her eyes wide, face red and sweaty, one of Jace’s old shirts falling to her thighs but she looked radiant.

“It is.” Liz tried to keep the emotion at bay as she rested her forehead against Lucy’s, but it was difficult to hide all the things she was feeling from someone who knew her so well.

Lucy looked beyond her, eyebrows quirking. “Hope I didn’t disturb the most long-awaited make-up sex in the history of the world.”

Lizzie felt a blush stain her cheeks as Ty’s warm chuckle wrapped around her body. Her retort didn’t get a chance to leave her mouth as Lucy groaned and paced away, bracing against the wall as another contraction hit her. Jace was beside her in a second, his arm holding her steady as his hand rubbed her lower back.

Liz kept a little distance as she saw Ty escape with a slightly awed look on his face. Lucy was tough, even amongst the men she was a legend, so seeing her in pain was hard for anyone, especially overprotective alphas.