Hope on the Rocks by Annabeth Albert

Thirty-Nine

Adam—February 14

Working Valentine’s Day sucked, and I was so damn happy to be done with the Rainbow Tavern’s annual Valentine’s special dinner that I practically broke out into a dance as I let myself into Ramona’s house.

“Can we watch another movie?” Teddy was negotiating with Quinn, and as neither had noticed me, I took a moment to appreciate how natural Quinn looked on Ramona’s sofa, surrounded by a village of Lego structures and toys on the coffee table. Teddy bounced up and down. “There’s another one with that hero guy. Please?”

“Maybe.” Quinn’s tone was indulgent. Darren might be excelling in the bonus-dad role, but Quinn was quickly giving me a run for my Uncle of the Year title. He’d even volunteered for this babysitting gig so Darren and Ramona could go to the dinner at the tavern. “I’m expecting your parents back any minute.”

“And Uncle Adam.”

“And him.” Quinn’s voice was warm enough to chase away the February chill that had followed me in. It had rained all damn day like the weather itself knew how much I would have rather spent the day with Quinn.

“Did you get him a valentine?” Teddy asked. I could have announced myself right then, but I was too busy trying not to laugh.

“Yup.” Quinn was all cagey, but Teddy was persistent.

“What is it?”

Quinn made a strangled noise. “Dinner. A card.”

He was an awful liar. He had indeed made me dinner the night before, but he’d also given me a present that involved extensive use of his mouth and which absolutely was not a G-rated conversation topic.

I saved him more sputtering by stomping my feet and coughing. Both Teddy and Quinn spun in my direction.

“Uncle Adam!”

“Hey, kiddo.” I ruffled his hair. “Your folks should be right behind me.”

“How did you beat them here?” Quinn asked, grinning like me being a few minutes early was a gift. Damn. I loved him so much.

“We slowed down a lot post-dinner rush. Horatio flexed his new manager title and told me the wait staff could handle the final close.” We’d held a meeting, Logan, Mason, and I, and decided to promote Horatio while hiring a few more part-timers to make it easier on everyone.

“We’re back!” Ramona called brightly as she and Darren entered the house, but then she groaned. “Whew.”

“You okay?” Darren hovered behind her. It was cute how he acted like Ramona was the first pregnant person in the history of humanity, and he was more ready for the baby than anyone, having put a lot of hours turning my old room into the perfect pink nursery complete with a crib he built himself.

“Yeah.” Ramona patted his arm. “Ate too much at dinner.”

“Me too. Damn, that chocolate thing was good.” Darren licked his lips and everyone laughed.

“It was good.” Ramona’s voice was strained as she paced away from the door.

“Ramona,” Quinn said in a warning tone, professional manner coming out. “Indigestion? Or contractions?”

“Oh, don’t you pull the doctor-voice on me. Save that for my brother.”

“Ramona.” Quinn didn’t back down. As much as I loved him letting me take over in the bedroom, I also loved him like this, uncowed by Ramona’s death glare and determined to do his doctor thing.

“Okay, okay. A few mild contractions. But I’ve had them weeks now and all darn day too. Due date’s two days away. Nothing…new.” She paused for a long beat, face scrunching up into an intense grimace and blowing out a breath.

“That one seemed harder, babe,” Darren observed. He was already a great dad, but he hadn’t yet learned not to argue with the pregnant lady.

“It’s fine,” Ramona snapped, then groaned again. “Okay. Maybe I should try getting to sleep early in case I wake up in real labor. Finally.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Quinn agreed, shooting me a quick look that said he was taking this way more seriously than Ramona. “I’ll keep both our phones on in case you need us to come back quickly for Teddy.”

“Thanks…oh.” Ramona’s gasp had both Quinn and Darren springing to her side.

“What?”

“My water just broke.” Panting, she slowed for another pause. “Wow. I might have a baby by morning even.”

“I’ll grab your bag.” Darren was instantly in go-mode, hurrying back to their bedroom.

“We’ll stay here. Don’t you worry,” Quinn assured Ramona before turning back to the couch, where Teddy was watching all the proceedings with wide eyes. “Teddy, go ahead and cue that movie.”

“Huh. Oh, man. This hurts.” Ramona paced away again, rubbing her lower back.

“Sit down while you wait for Darren,” I suggested, pointing to her favorite chair. Seeing her hurting was the worst.

“No. Can’t sit.”

Quinn’s eyebrows went up at that. “That’s…you do whatever feels comfortable. Let’s call your OB, let them know you’re on the way to the hospital.”

“It seems…faster…than last time.” Ramona was panting between breaths, groaning softly. I’d been with her then, holding her hand, Mom on the other side, both of us coaching her through hours and hours of a long labor.

“Second babies often are,” Quinn soothed. “And you were likely in early labor all day and didn’t even realize.”

“Is Mom gonna be okay?” Teddy called out as Ramona groaned again.

“Your mom is doing great. Bet you’ll have a sister before midnight though.” Quinn laughed, but his eyes were still serious and locked on Ramona. She’d was way too much of a planner to not find out the baby’s sex, wanting the name and nursery all settled.

“Quinn.” Ramona sounded genuinely panicked now.

“Yes?” Quinn rushed to put an arm around her, glancing toward the hall where Darren was hurrying back with Ramona’s bags.

“I’m having a baby. For real.”

“Yes, you are,” Quinn agreed with the same tone he probably used with hyper kids and worried older folks at the clinic alike. “This is definitely the real deal.”

“We’re having a baby. Tonight.” Darren sounded more than a little amazed.

“No. I mean right now. Like right now.” Ramona clutched at Quinn’s sleeve like she was trying to shake some sense into him.

“Okay. New plan.” Quinn was decisive and calm, and I was damn impressed at how he was keeping his cool. “Adam can stay with Teddy. I’ll ride with you and Darren in case this goes fast on the drive there. I’ll call ahead—”

“You’re not listening. I…oh God.” Ramona almost collapsed as another contraction hit, leaning heavily on Quinn as Darren dropped the bags and propped up her other side. “Now. It’s coming now. I’m not ready.”

“We’ve got this. Promise,” Quinn assured her before turning his head back toward me. “I’m going to help Ramona to her bed. Adam, get my emergency kit from my car. Darren, call 911. Tell them baby’s on the way in a hurry, but you’ve got a doctor here.”

“That’s right. You’re a doctor.” Darren was possibly more panicked than Ramona. “You’ve done this?”

“Yes. And so has Ramona.” Quinn led her toward her room as I raced out to Quinn’s SUV at top speed, grateful that I had a key to it from when my old truck had broken down. I grabbed the kit he kept under the seat and hightailed it back inside. Ramona was on the bed now, panting and sweating.

“I think…want to push.” She groaned low, and I hurt right along with her.

“Is she—”

Quinn cut me off with a warning look as he snapped on a pair of gloves. “She’s doing great. Definitely going to be soon though. You check on Teddy and find some baby blankets or clean towels.”

“How is this happening so fast?” Darren asked from behind me. I didn’t blame the poor guy for sounding so freaked out. This was going Hollywood movie fast, absolutely nothing like the long day that had led to Teddy’s eventual arrival with a whole room of medical personnel cheering Ramona’s every push.

Now there was only Quinn and his intense concentration, every bit of attention on Ramona, almost as if he were making an effort to block out my and Darren’s panic. He needed us to hold it together, so I put an arm around Darren, drew him into the room.

“Deep breath, man.” I patted his back. “Go hold her hand. Quinn’s got this.”

I hoped like hell I was right. And it was Darren’s turn to do the hand-holding, but still, my chest panged. Passing of the torch or something, and my sinuses burned as I quickly checked on Teddy, turning the volume on his movie up. I looked out on the porch, but no ambulance yet, not even sirens. The rain was really coming down now too, damn it.

I rushed back to the bedroom with a stack of baby blankets I’d grabbed from the nursery. Quinn was partially blocking my view of Ramona, and Darren was next to her on the bed. I was glad he was sitting because dude was seriously pale.

“One more. She’s almost here, Ramona. One more,” Quinn urged, and then the best sound in the entire world ripped through the room, a high-pitched, angry-as-hell baby wail. A moment later, Quinn was holding a tiny, wriggling infant and he looked every ounce as amazed as Ramona and Darren, who were both crying.

“Oh my God. I did it,” Ramona said through her tears, beaming even as she wept.

“You did.” Quinn took one of the blankets from me and loosely wrapped the baby as he set her on Ramona’s stomach. “She’s beautiful.”

“And loud,” Teddy said from under my arm, having appeared at the last minute to greet his new sister. “I hear sirens.”

“Let them in,” Quinn ordered, voice still in charge, but there were tears in his eyes too. He only turned toward us for an instant before giving all his attention back to the baby, but in the brief instant our eyes met, I saw an entire universe of emotions in his eyes. Wonder. Fear. Amazement. Love. I wasn’t ever going to forget his expression right then.

He did something with the baby’s cord, and as he lifted her back up, wrapping her more securely in the blanket, something happened inside my chest, a lock snapping open, old dreams and new ones springing free. I was so damn proud of Quinn, saving the day, but more than that, he looked so right with the tiny baby in his arms. The tenderness rushing through me was almost enough to have me weeping too.

Quinn put the baby in Ramona’s waiting arms, bringing forth a fresh round of tears from her and Darren, who touched the baby’s tiny head with the tip of his finger.

“Valentina, you even made it on your special day,” he whispered.

“She sure knows how to make an entrance,” I joked right before the room filled with EMTs. A flurry of people surrounded the bed, checking Ramona and the baby. Quinn agreed with the lead EMT that both of them could benefit from being checked out fully at the hospital. He stayed right with Ramona until the ambulance personnel loaded her and the baby up.

At some point, someone had called my mom, who arrived in time to drive Darren and follow behind the ambulance. Miraculously, the once pelting rain had cleared, leaving only a cold, clear night and Quinn cuddled up in my arms long after Teddy had finally fallen asleep in his bed.

“Wow. I still can’t believe that happened,” I marveled for the hundredth time.

“Me too. My hands are still shaking.” Quinn demonstrated by holding one up. I grabbed it and held it tightly.

“You did great.” I kissed his temple.

“Well, Ramona did all the work. But I’m certainly going to be riding the adrenaline a good long while.” Laughing, he leaned his head on my shoulder.

“You’re all cute when you get high on doctor stuff,” I teased before kissing him again and getting serious. “Thank you. For real. I’m so glad you were here.”

“Where else would I be?” He sounded surprised, like every doctor gave up his Valentine’s Day to babysit his boyfriend’s nephew.

“This is where you belong. Right here.” My voice came out all thick. “Even if this is the most bizarre first Valentine’s Day ever.”

“Somehow, I don’t think we’ll top it next year.” Still chuckling, Quinn tipped his head back far enough to kiss my jaw. “And I think it’s pretty perfect, honestly.”

“It is.” My chest officially could no longer contain all my emotions, and I had to scrub at my eyes with one hand.

“Ramona even said I’m honorary family now.”

I wasn’t ever going to get a better opening than that, so I took a deep breath and patted my pocket. “Want to be actual family?”