“I’ll start the water.”
She smiled and followed him to the bathroom, laying out towels and dropping a bath bomb in the water he was running. He frowned at it and looked up at her.
“It’s okay. It’s just salts and soap, no fragrance. You’re not going to smell like a girl.”
“I better not. I’m still trying to live down my last client telling me I smelled like a Japanese geisha cherry blossom.”
“They should be used to artists with weird habits,” she laughed.
“I’m an Alpha first. It’s unusual enough to find an Alpha doing art, but one that smells like a Japanese hooker is another matter.”
“Geishas are not hookers,” she protested. “They are so much more than that, and none of that.”
“You know what I mean,” he laughed.
“Yes, I know what you mean. How’s your new piece going, by the way?”
“It’s good. I should have it completed and installed by the end of the month.”
“Really? That’s fantastic. Where is it going? Do you know? You said the original offer was from an anonymous source.”
“Yes. It’s going in front of Governor Wilson’s house.”
“Why would that be secretive?”
“I’m not sure. I think he just wanted to reduce the chances of his wife finding out about it before he was ready for it to go up. I’ve been on a deadline to get it done so I can get it installed while she is away for a few days visiting family in Wisconsin.”
“That’s going to really put you out there, you know?”
“Maybe. I won’t count my chickens before they hatch.”
“Isabella Wilson is a society darling. If she has an original sculpture from you, then her society gals will want one, as well.”
“I guess we will see.”
“I guess we certainly will,” she replied, taking his hand as he extended it to help her into the bath. Once she was settled in, he climbed in behind her, snuggling up as she sat in the warm water and enjoyed what she considered to be just another bonus in her life: baths with her beloved.CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVETravis
Travis was in a dead sleep when Kat awakened him with loud shouts that didn’t quite register in his hazy brain. It took a moment to realize that she was up and doubled over on one side of the bed. He sprang across her side and joined her, already feeling panicked.
The doctor had warned them that so many things could go wrong. With her condition and the shots it took to keep it under control, she was a higher risk pregnancy, though she had been able to continue the shots without any harm to the babies themselves.
“I’m having contractions, and I think my water just broke.”
Travis looked down, just now aware of the puddle about her feet on the hardwood floor. This was the moment they’d been waiting on. He helped her over to a chair and sat her down, helping her out of her wet things and into dry clothes before retrieving the case they had packed for the hospital. His heart was racing. This was it. This was it! They were about to be parents.
Hurrying out to her car, he tossed the bag in the trunk and went back to retrieve her from the house, helping her down the steps and into the passenger seat. She made calls while he drove, first to the doctor to let him know they were on their way, then to her parents, and finally, to Mike.
“Slow down, Travis. We’ve got plenty of time. I don’t want to end up giving birth in a wrecked car on the side of the road.”
“Are you saying I’m a bad driver?” he teased.
“I’m saying you are driving too fast, and I would like to make it to the hospital in one piece.”
“Fine.”
Travis slowed down a bit, his nerves screaming at him to hurry up while Kat’s little voice remained on his other shoulder telling him to take it easy. He tried to listen to her and keep it under the speed limit, but it felt like forever to get to the doctor’s office, where family and the midwife would join them.
After the long trek, they finally arrived, pulling up alongside the midwife, Theresa. The doctor met them on the front porch, with Travis on one side and Theresa on the other, helping her walk through another contraction that hit halfway across the front sidewalk. Travis was relieved when they had her inside and up on the table safely.
Time seemed to crawl by as the contractions grew close together and the midwife kept track of measurements and progress, making periodic announcements to the room to keep everyone informed on how close things were getting. Finally, she said the words that both relieved and terrified Travis.
“Okay, looks like we’re ready to go. You ready to do this, Kat?”
Kat nodded but looked as frightened as he felt. He moved beside her and held her hand as the doctor took his place by Theresa and his wife stepped into the room, walking over to one side where a row of small clear bassinets waited to be filled with up to ten babies. They had ultrasounds that estimated them at having at least six, but sometimes babies hid behind other babies, and sometimes, one didn’t make it, something they prayed wouldn’t happen to them.