“Yeah, I did. The mother of my baby deserves all the gifts in the world,” I say.
Her cheeks redden even further and she reaches into the bag, pulling out the infant-sized gold-and-red 49er onesie that I picked up at one of the gift shops in the stadium. “Oh my God,” she breathes, her gaze fixed on the piece of baby’s clothing. “It’s so small. And so cute.”
“I knew the gift shop had some baby wear, so I went in there hoping to find something.”
“You bought it? You’re the quarterback—shouldn’t they just give you this stuff?” she asks, never tearing her gaze away from the onesie.
I climb into bed beside her again, propped on my elbow, watching her trace the stitching of the tiny piece of clothing with her index finger. She likes it, I can tell. “I didn’t have time for all that. I went into the gift shop, bought it real quick, and jammed. I don’t care if I have to pay for it or not.”
“I love it.” She meets my gaze, her smile small, the look in her eyes hopeful. “This makes it feel so much more concrete. Our baby’s first gift.”
“Is it?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, Jen knows, and Owen. Of course, now Colin knows. But I’ve received no gifts from anyone. I mean, who the heck do I know?”
“You have friends. The other players’ wives,” I point out, and she waves a hand.
“Meh, I’m happy you were the first one to give Junior a gift.” She smiles and kisses me, still clutching the onesie in her hand.
“Junior who? Junior me or Junior Fable?” I ask, amused at her flipping and flopping.
“I’m not sure yet,” she says. “All I know is I’m glad you’re here for me.”
Her words strike me dead center in the heart. “I’ll always be here for you. You’ll never have to worry about that,” I say sincerely.
“I know. I believe you. I have faith in you.” Her smile is tremulous and her eyes are filled with tears. “We’re going to make it, aren’t we, Drew? And we’re going to be the best parents ever.”
“You better fucking believe it,” I say right before I kiss her, earning a shocked laugh out of her for my words.
“We’re not allowed to say those words anymore. They might damage our child’s psyche,” she says primly, and I scoff.
I fucking scoff. I mean, really? “You gotta be kidding me.”
“I’m not kidding. We need to clean up our acts.”
“Are you going to be one of those moms?”
“What type of mom are you talking about?” she asks.
“The nerdy kind who are always good and doing the right thing, because if that’s the case, I can go ahead and kiss my sex life goodbye. You know, because we can’t have sex for fear of traumatizing the baby since he or she is inside of you at the moment,” I say.
“Oh my God, I never even thought of that,” she whispers, her eyes wide.
“Well, don’t, because later tonight, we’re going to have sex whether little Junior likes it or not and you’re going to love it, I can guarantee you that. So let’s take a nap. I’m exhausted,” I say as I pluck the flowers off the comforter and grab the onesie, getting out of bed to go set them back on the dresser.
“Shouldn’t you put the flowers in water?” she asks.
“I can rest them in the sink in the bathroom,” I suggest, knowing it’s a lame solution. And the easiest solution, since all I want to do is crawl back into bed and hold my wife.
“I don’t think so,” she says on a sigh, slowly shaking her head. She waves a hand. “Hurry up then and come back to bed, Drew.”
Finer words were never spoken.
Chapter Nine
Drew
My wife is due any day now and I’m …
Not with her.
I got a huge endorsement deal I flat-out couldn’t refuse and I’m in the middle of a giant warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, sweating my balls off as endless photos are taken of me wearing fall athletic gear. Considering it’s the middle of June and near record-breaking highs are predicted today, I’m fucked.
And grumpy.
Fable encouraged me to go because she’s good at that, the supportive wife thing. Plus, I think she wanted me out of the house for a day or two. If anyone’s grumpy, it’s Fable. Oh, and don’t forget moody. Her belly is swollen with child, her backaches, and she can barely move around, she waddles so bad. The baby shifted low, so low Fable appears she’s in danger of delivering at any minute, but the doctor checked her not even two days ago and said she’s not dilated yet.
So we wait. I grow impatient. I started reading that What to Expect When You’re Expecting book just to know what’s going on, and that was the final straw for my wife. She took the book straight out of my hands and told me to go mow the lawn or something, find a hobby.
Stop worrying about my pregnant wife.
When the call came for the deal with one of the leading shoe and athletic-wear brands in all the world, I leapt at it, then retreated when they said they wanted to see me as soon as possible. But Fable wouldn’t let me turn them down.
“What, you’ll be gone one day and then fly home that night. I won’t have the baby in that short amount of time.” She ran her hand over her huge belly as I sat there trying to come up with all sorts of arguments. I knew, though, that I wasn’t going to win. “I’m starting to think I’m never going to have this baby. She’s taken up residence in here forever.”
Sometimes I think she wishes that because the idea of childbirth scares the crap out of her. Other times, I know she’s ready to get this over with when she moans, “Get her out.”
I’m standing in front of a white backdrop, the camera flashing in my eyes again and again as the photographer snaps away, when one of the assistants runs up and whispers something in the photographer’s ear.
He pauses, standing straight. “Well, tell him, then.”
The assistant approaches me hesitantly, her demeanor shy and a little worried. “You had a call, Mr. Callahan, on your cell phone. I saw that it kept ringing with the same number and I finally answered it for you.”
Oh holy fuck. I’m the worst husband ever. I left my phone on the counter by the mirror where they did my hair and freaking makeup earlier. Yes, I’m this close to losing my man card and no way can I ever admit this to anyone, especially Owen. I’d lose respect points for sure.
“Who was it?” My heart starts to pound and I try to ignore it. It’s probably nothing important. Most likely it’s Owen griping to me about Fable or Fable griping to me about Owen. They’ve been getting in lots of arguments lately only because her patience level is zero and Owen is completely freaked out by the creature who was once his sister.
“Your wife. Well, it really wasn’t your wife. More like a message from her.” The assistant’s narrow face is solemn and I swear to fucking God, my heart goes from a full gallop to a dead stop in a matter of seconds.
“What’s wrong?” The words rush out of me and I rub the back of my neck, digging my nails into my skin as ice-cold shock washes over me. At the same time, it’s so damn hot in here. The sun is glaring down from the giant windows above us, making my head sweat.
Right now, though, I’m sweating for a purely different reason.
“Well, um, this is sort of weird for me to tell you since I don’t even know you, and I wanted the person on the phone to tell you this since he claimed he’s your brother-in-law, but …”
“Just spit it out,” I say, cutting her off.
“Right.” She nods multiple times, her head doing this weird little bobbing thing. “Your wife is in labor.”
Relief floods me at hearing the words. I’ve been on edge for months. Fable pregnant is a scary thing in itself, but it’s ten times worse when I’m not with her. She’s been by my side throughout most of her pregnancy, especially these last couple of months since the season ended. I’ve left for a few business things, including another endorsement deal I got and a team meeting we all were required to attend. She’s stayed mostly at home with Owen,
who’s around quite a bit. He just finished his freshman year last week. He plans on taking a summer trip to Hawaii with his friends since he never went on a grad trip after his senior year of high school, but he’s not leaving until Fable has the baby. He’s sticking around for that because he’s a good brother.
And Fable would strangle him if he missed the birth of his niece.
“How long ago did the call come in?” I ask as I glance up at the clock on the opposite wall. I’ve been here for hours and now I’m more than eager to get home to my wife. I can’t miss her having this baby. She’d be devastated.
“A few minutes ago.” The assistant holds out her phone toward me. “Your brother-in-law asked that you call him back.”
Shit. I bet Owen is panicking right now. I know I would be if I were him. Fable wasn’t supposed to go into labor yet and she’s probably totally freaking him out. He’s still a teenager and the last thing he wants to deal with is his laboring sister, I’m sure.
Grabbing the phone, I dial Owen’s cell number, not surprised when he answers after the first ring. “Thank God you got the message.”
“Nice to hear your voice, too. Now let me talk to your sister,” I tell him.
“Dude.” Owen pauses for a moment and I can tell he’s walking. Exiting a room or something—I’m not sure, I can only imagine. “She’s been in labor for hours. I only just now convinced her to come to the hospital.”
“Wait a minute, hours?” I left the house only a few hours ago myself. What the hell? “Is she all right? Is she in pain?”
“She’s in labor. Of course she’s in fucking pain.” Owen blows out a harsh breath. “This shit is scary, man. You need to get back here quick. I think she’s going to have the baby soon. She’s screaming and yelling and cursing like you would never believe. I can’t handle it.”
“Well, get over yourself because you’re going to have to handle it until I get there.” I make a gesture at the photographer. “Hold on, Owen.” I place my hand over the phone. “I’m out of here. My wife is having a baby.”
Everyone starts clapping and whistling, and I go to the changing area to grab my bag. The assistant runs after me, calling my name and asking for the clothes I’m modeling, and I tell her I’ll pay for them as I exit the building.
“Sorry, dude, I had to get my stuff—I’ll be on the quickest flight home I can.” Fable’s at our Santa Clara house and so is Owen, awaiting the birth. “Are you at the hospital?”
“Hell yeah, we are. She wanted to stay at home until I finally convinced her I was going to freak if she gave birth on the carpet,” Owen mutters.
I can hear him telling her that, too. “Is her doctor there?”
“I guess so; I don’t know. She wouldn’t let me call you for the longest time. She said she didn’t want to disturb your photo session, which I thought sounded totally lame, but she told me you’re making a shit ton of money so I guess I shouldn’t give you any grief. But yeah. She said this photo shoot was like the most important thing ever right now.”
My girl, my wife, the mother of my about-to-be-born child, drives me absolutely frickin’ nuts sometimes. The most important thing is her and the baby. “How long has she been in labor?”
“You’re gonna kill me,” Owen says.
“Tell me, Owen.”
“Since this morning.” He pauses. “Before you even left, she said.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I wouldn’t lie about something like this. You know it.”
Jesus. “And when did you get her to the hospital?”
“A couple of hours ago. About an hour or so after you left.”
She’s been laboring all morning. We were told at the birthing class that first babies tended to take a long time to get here. “Let me talk to her.”
“She’s gonna be pissed that I called you.”
“Does she expect to keep me in the dark about all of this? What’s the matter with her?” I shake my head as I head outside, thankful when I see the hired car that brought me here is still waiting by the curb. The driver slides out and comes around, opening the door for me before I get a chance to do it for myself. I climb into the backseat, the phone still clutched to my ear.
“Did she want to have the baby on her own without me there? Give me a break. Tell her I called you. Now get her on the phone.” I’m clutching the phone tight, gazing through the window and watching the giant industrial buildings pass by but not really seeing them. I don’t care about anything but Fable and the baby and that they’re all right. Nothing else matters, nothing’s important. All I can focus on is Fable and the fact that she’s about to have our baby.
And she wasn’t going to tell me? Really?
“Hello?” I hear her breathless voice and my knees wobble, thankful I’m already sitting down. I feel like a dumbass but I don’t care.
“Fable.” I blow out a harsh exhale and close my eyes. “Tell me everything’s fine.”
“Everything’s fine.” Her voice drops. “I’m in labor.”
“I know that, baby,” I say wryly. “And why didn’t you call me when this started?”
“It started before you left but I didn’t want to ruin your day. Plus, at first I thought it was bad indigestion. I don’t know. This photo shoot was important today. You said so yourself. I didn’t want to disturb you.” She pauses. “Did Owen call you?”
“No, I called Owen because I’ve been thinking about you.” The little lie isn’t a big deal, not when her safety is of the utmost importance to me. Besides, I had been thinking of her. I’m always thinking of her.
“You have?” She sounds so far away, and my arms ache to hold her and whisper encouraging words in her ear as she starts to push our child into the world.
“When am I not? And I’m headed to the airport so I can get back on the plane and come right to you.” I hope like hell they have a seat available on one of the bazillion airlines that fly out of LAX. She’s an hour away, flight-wise, and as every minute passes, I could be losing my opportunity to see my baby being born. I’ve got to find a flight somewhere.
“Finish your photos fir—” An agonized groan comes out of her and my heart leaps into my throat, nearly choking me.
“Fable.” She says nothing, just pants little breaths into the phone, and then another low moan sounds from her. Holy shit. She sounds like she’s dying. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“It’s just …” Another breathless pant, another little grunt. Both sounds are like a punch to the gut. “A contraction.”
“Baby, I’ll be there as fast as I can, I promise. You can count on me.” I end the call before she can protest or say another word. I clutch the phone tight and keep my gaze focused on the window, my brain going at a million miles a minute as all the worry and trepidation and fear is coursing through my body.
I’m about to become a father. Sure hope like hell I don’t miss the actual birth of my daughter.
Fable
The pain is agonizing; I’m not going to lie. Anyone who glamorizes birth and what a lovely and miraculous thing it is is a flat-out liar. This sucks. I can’t get comfortable, I’m pretty sure I’m as big as a house, and my nervous little brother is making me even more nervous. Oh yeah, and irritated. So much I asked him to stay away from me because he’s driving me nuts.
I woke up with a contraction before Drew even left for Los Angeles. I thought it was just a twinge. I’d been having them lately—nothing too severe, just enough for me to pause in whatever I’m doing and breathe through it.
But these little twinges of pain wouldn’t stop. They soon became more and more frequent. I sent Drew to Los Angeles, clutching my contracting belly as I watched him drive off to the airport. I talked to Owen and ate breakfast with him. I took a shower, I cleaned our bedroom, and then I started packing my bag, the contractions coming faster now, and even closer together.
This is exactly how Owen found me minutes later, shoving ten nightgowns into my suitcase along with five nu
rsing bras and an extra pair of flip-flops because I can’t wear real shoes anymore, my toes are so swollen. Everything about me is swollen, especially my boobs.
All the bras I packed are giant and utilitarian. Nothing cute and sexy. Not that I think my husband believes me cute and sexy anymore.
Fat and grumpy? Oh yeah. I am most definitely that.
Owen had immediately questioned why I was packing so much weird stuff and I finally confessed I thought I was in labor. You would’ve thought I’d told him I was dying, from the look on his face. Luckily enough, he snapped to attention and came through, making sure I had everything I needed, loaded up the car with my stuff, and wouldn’t let me carry a thing. He helped me out to the car and escorted me in as I went through an awful contraction.
I didn’t tell him that part, though. Just clenched my teeth and dealt with it silently. I would’ve made a really excellent pioneer woman, I’m sure.
I’m in bed at the hospital, in my own private room. Considering I’m the wife of the star quarterback of the 49ers, I receive only the best treatment at this place, which I’m taking advantage of. My brother is outside pacing the halls. I just talked to Jen on the phone, who’s excited and nervous for me.
My husband is nowhere to be found.
Of course, this little baby girl of ours decides to show up on the day her daddy is out of town. He’s been a constant by my side since the season ended. We traveled together to a few places for business until I couldn’t travel anymore per doctor’s orders. Then we stayed home and I went into full-on nesting mode, cleaning everything in sight and setting up the baby’s room.
Drew helped, since he thinks I’ve turned into this weak woman who can’t lift a thing. I just let him pamper me. He put together the crib, which was a study in patience on his part. He sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by various parts for hours, cursing up a blue streak, frustrated beyond belief. I tried to help him, but he finally told me to leave because I was only making it worse.
He finally did get that crib put together. We hired someone to come in and paint the room. The players’ wives held a baby shower for me and they gave me so much amazing stuff for the baby, I started to cry. Right there in the middle of my shower.