She shot off a quick text to Tanner that Melanie was fine but to meet them at the hospital because she was going into labor. Jade hoped someone drove him because he’d be too nervous and anxious to drive himself.
“I’ll drive Melanie’s car,” Livie said as she helped Melanie toward the door. “Jade, foll
ow us in yours.”
“Good luck,” Sophie called after them. “Keep me posted.”
Jade smiled as she shouldered her purse. “I’ll call you later, and thanks again for helping with this project.”
Sophie waved a hand. “I love seeing businesses thrive in our area. And you three ladies are going to be a force to be reckoned with, especially with Jax, Tanner, and Cash in the group. This airport will be one of the best things to happen to Haven.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Jade clutched her cell in one hand and her purse strap in the other. “Thanks again.”
Jade stepped outside and instantly got pelted in the face with fat raindrops. She hadn’t realized it had started raining while she’d been inside and her umbrella was in her purse. This weather would be hell on her hair. Her best friend’s baby would come out and see Jade looking like Medusa . . . on a bad day.
By the time she got to her car, she was soaked and shivering. That rain was freezing, but she wasn’t going to run home first to change. She wanted to get to the hospital and be supportive for Melanie and Tanner.
Maybe she’d find a hair band in the bottom of her purse. Then she could pull it all back into a messy bun or something to tame the wild beast.
The closer she got to the hospital, the harder the rain came down. Thankfully, the new metal roof was on the main building and the new addition of the airport so everything was covered and safe from the elements.
Jade tried to park in the parking garage, but it was full, so she had to settle for a spot outside in the main lot. What did it matter if she got soaked now? She was already a walking disaster. Hopefully, Livie had dropped Melanie off at the door so she wasn’t walking in this random, pop-up storm.
After several minutes, Jade finally found her way to the maternity ward, where Livie stood in the waiting area.
“You look like hell,” her very dry friend stated as Jade stepped into the empty area.
“I take it you got in the parking garage?” Jade asked, taking a seat to dig through her purse for a hair tie.
“I did valet so Melanie didn’t have to walk. I didn’t want her coming in alone.” Livie took a seat next to Jade and crossed her legs. “They just took her back to examine her and said they’d come get us in a bit.”
Mints, pens, birth control, a lip gloss. Where the hell was a hair tie when a girl needed one?
“Where is she?”
Tanner busted into the waiting room looking like a frantic beast. While his navy police uniform was pressed and neat, his city medal shining, his hair was in all sorts of disarray, and not just from wearing his hat while on duty. Granted, his hair issue wasn’t the rain, more like finger marks from raking his hands through it.
“They’re examining her and said we could go back as soon as she’s settled in a room,” Livie stated. “Tell me you didn’t drive yourself.”
“Cash brought me.” Tanner headed toward the double doors leading back to maternity. “How long did they say before we could go back?”
Jade listened as Livie came to her feet and tried to calm Tanner down, but her mind had drifted off the moment Cash’s name was mentioned. Had he dropped Tanner off and then left, or was he parking the car? If he was here, they’d need to play it cool, which shouldn’t be an issue, considering they’d left things pretty frigid.
She did another frantic search through her purse, because if Cash walked in here and she looked like—
“Hey, Red.”
Damn. Oh, well. It wasn’t like she needed to impress him, right? It couldn’t be worse than the wedding hair . . . she hoped.
Jade closed her purse and pasted on a smile before looking up. “Flex.”
That tempting mouth quirked in a half grin and she hated him instantly. He had gotten soaked, but instead of looking like the proverbial drowned rat, Cash managed to look even sexier than usual. How was that even possible or fair?
Oh, right. Because when his wet shirt clung to his body, it formed around taut muscles, and his dark hair glistened with the droplets. When her clothes were plastered to her, she took on the shape of a teenage boy, and in the next few minutes her hair was going to start drying in a nice, fuzzy frizz ball.
“Is something wrong? Why won’t they let us back there?”
Tanner continued to stare through the narrow rectangular window as Livie stood at his side.