“Clearly there’s been a misunderstanding,” I say as calmly as possible.

“Obviously.”

“Look, Nate, I’m sorry.  I need to get back to Natalie.  I don’t have time for you to get protective and bossy and needy on me today.”

“That’s what you think I’m doing?” He asks and I cringe at the hurt in his voice.

“That’s exactly what you’re doing.”

“No, Julianne, I’m not being bossy or needy.  I have been worried about the woman I care about because I couldn’t reach you today.”  I’ve hurt his feelings.

“Nate,” I sigh and rub my forehead.  “Maybe we should just talk when you get home.”

“What are you saying?” His voice is hushed and nervous.

“I need to deal with this right now and you need to focus on the deal out there.  I’ll be in the office tomorrow to help you from there, and I’ll try to clean up the damn report mess and get it to you asap. We’ll just talk about the rest of it when you get home.  I don’t have time for this relationship bullshit right now.”

“That’s what we are to you, Julianne?  Bullshit?”

Fuck.  No!  This is all coming out wrong, and I need to get back to Natalie!

“I have to go.”

“If that’s the way you want it, fine, but know this, baby; you’re only off the hook because I’m three thousand fucking miles away and can’t get to you right now.”

“Jesus you’re such a caveman, Nate.”

“Text me later and let me know you’re safe.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow night.”

“I thought you were staying until Thursday?”

“I changed my mind.”  The line goes dead and I hang my head.  I shouldn’t have been so mean to him.

I walk back into Natalie’s room and all hell has broken loose.

“I was only gone for five minutes.  What the hell?”

Natalie’s feet are in stirrups, and the doctor is sitting on a stool between her legs.  There are two nurses bustling about the room, and a baby cradle with a heating lamp has been wheeled into the room.

“She’s about ready to push,” Luke says, his eyes desperate with worry and fear.

“Wow, that epidural is a miracle.”

“Holy, shit, I have to push.”  Natalie is writhing on the bed, and if it wasn’t my best friend, I’d say it looks like something out of a horror movie.

“Okay, we’re ready, Natalie.  If you feel like you have to push with the contraction, go ahead.”

“It’s too hot in here.”  She yanks the blanket off her and throws it onto the floor, not giving two shits about being naked in front of all of us.  Well, she is wearing a black sports bra, so just the bottom half is naked.

I glance down, then feel my jaw drop.  It’s not the fact that her who-ha is out there on display, but what’s right above it that gives me pause.

“Jesus H. Christ, Natalie, you have a tattoo on your vagina!”

Chapter Sixteen

“Six pounds, ten ounces!” Nurse Ashlynn declares proudly as little baby Olivia lays on the baby scale crying angrily.  I raise Nat’s camera to my face and snap a long stream of photos, capturing the weight on the machine in the photo, in case anyone ever has the audacity to forget.  Zooming in on her tiny feet and fingers, I snap more photos before they wrap Olivia up in a pink and blue hospital baby blanket.

Luke is beside me, gazing down at his dark-haired daughter, with such love in his eyes.  When the baby was born and placed on Natalie’s belly, he and Natalie were both a crying wreck, and if I’m honest, I was too.

“Thank you for letting me be here.” His blue eyes slide over to mine, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side.

“We love you, Jules.  It’s right that you’re here.”

Oh.  Well, that just makes me cry again.

“God I’m a blubbering mess.”

Luke laughs at me and takes his little bundle from the nurse, kissing Olivia’s tiny little forehead softly.

“She is so beautiful,” he whispers.

“Hey!  Can I hold her?” Natalie calls from the bed, all covered up now, thank Jesus.

I’m never having babies.  My body can’t do that.

Luke crosses the room and places the baby in Nat’s arms and kisses her on the lips.  He caresses the baby’s cheek with his finger and looks lovingly into Nat’s eyes.

“Thank you, baby.”

“I love you,” Nat whispers.

“God, I love you, too.”

I raise the camera to my face and snap more photos, capturing the most beautiful moment I’ve ever seen.  I walk around the end of the bed, still snapping, and both Luke and Nat look up at me and grin widely, their smiles just a little tired, so proud of what they’ve made.

“You are a gorgeous family,” I murmur and Nat’s eyes well up.

“I’m going to go fill everyone in,” Luke says.  He kisses Natalie, passionately, earning a token eye-roll from me, kisses the baby’s cheek, and pulls away.  “Jules, are you going to stay?”

“Yes, I’ll stay with our girls until you get back, then I’ll give you some alone time with them.”

“Thank you.”  He walks to me and wraps me in his arms, hugging me tightly.  Luke’s an affectionate guy, but this is different.  Special.  “Thank you, sweet girl,” he whispers in my ear, then walks out to talk to our families.