Roni leaned over and rubbed Nellie’s belly just as it contracted. Her big smile immediately fell, and she stared at Nellie. “Wow, that’s hard.” She lifted a brow. “Are you contracting?”

Nellie shrugged. “Yes, just like I have been all week. But none are significant enough to have me making another trip to the hospital just yet.”

She forced a smile, taking a sip of her water as a bitch of a contraction hit harder than any so far and took longer to pass. Glancing down at the time on her phone, she made note of the time. That prior one hit about eight minutes earlier. They were definitely getting closer. Needing to get the attention off her before Roni noticed anything, she turned to Bianca. “So have you and Gio decided when you two will start with the baby making?”

Bianca grinned playfully but looked away without responding. Nellie and Roni exchanged glances then looked back at Bianca. “Bianca?” Roni’s cautious question was laced with the same excitement Nellie was beginning to feel. “What is that grin about?”

Seeing Bianca cover her mouth in obvious pleasure made both Nellie and Roni’s eyes shoot open. “I can’t say yet,” she gushed. “Gio wants to wait until we know for sure.” She leaned in after glancing around and whispered. “You can’t say anything, okay?” Both Nellie and Roni immediately shook their heads, smiling. “The early pregnancy test I took a few days ago was positive. But it’s only been like three days since I missed my period, and we’re nervous about making any announcements.” Her smile suddenly waned. “I’ve been off the pill almost as long as you’ve been pregnant, Nellie. When we found out you and Abel were having a baby, we started talking about when would be a good time for us to start planning for one, and a few weeks later, we decided it’d be a good idea for me to at least get off the pill. I figured it would take a few months for it to get out of my system, but I didn’t think it would take this long.”

Roni and Nellie both spoke at once then laughed. They assured Bianca she was pregnant, especially after she mentioned her overly sensitive br**sts and how incredibly tired she’d been lately. “I was beginning to think I was coming down with something. I’ve been so tired.”

“Oh girl,” Roni reached over and squeezed Bianca’s arm. “You are so pregnant.”

Bianca smiled giddily. Nellie was about to tell her about stocking up on fideo and crackers for the next couple of months because it was the only thing that got her through those first few months when another contraction hit her hard.

Holding her hand to her side she wasn’t able to refrain from grunting. Roni turned to her, immediately looking concerned. “Honey, are you okay?”

Nellie nodded, unable to say anything as unbelievably the contraction kept on and was brutal. She started the breathing she was taught in Lamaze classes, but either she was doing it wrong or they were full of shit because it wasn’t helping. Glancing down at her phone, she saw it’d been only six minutes since the last.

“Nellie, this may be it.” Roni said, standing up. “Where’s Abel?”

With the contraction finally passing, Nellie looked up and across the yard. Abel was standing with Noah and Gio under the large patio by the backhouse, holding a beer and laughing. He glanced her way and did a double take, his eyes abruptly locking on hers as she still held her side. At that moment, she knew that he knew. It was as if he froze for a moment, and then he moved quickly, so quickly that the guys all turned and watched him rush toward her. Roni waving him over only made him move faster. “Don’t make him nervous, Roni,” Nellie warned. “He tries to hide it, but he’s been a wreck for days.”

Nellie almost felt guilty that she’d interrupted a moment where he seemed to be relaxing for the first time in days. Ever since their first trip to the hospital earlier that week, he’d been so jumpy. At any sign of discomfort he noticed she might be having, he was on her, asking if she was okay.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” He asked as soon as he reached her and knelt down in front of her.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Roni said a very reassuring voice. “It just might be time to go to the hospital,” she informed him as he continued to search Nellie’s face.

“For real this time,” Nellie said, forcing a smile because she felt another contraction coming on already.

Well shit. Maybe she shouldn’t have waited so long to say something. There was no way it was six minutes from the last one. She moved to her side, squeezing the armrest of the chair in an unsuccessful attempt to ease the discomfort she was now feeling.

She didn’t even realize she’d scrunched up her face as the contraction continued to clobber her lower back, until Abel kissed the side of her face. “Breathe, baby,” he whispered, massaging her back. “Breathe.”

As soon as she took a long breath, she felt it. If Abel’s face hadn’t been so close, he might not have heard it, but he did—the wheezing. She’d seen the alarm in his eyes earlier that week and saw it when he’d rushed over to her, but now there was something more in them. His eyes widened and she saw the terror. “It’s okay,” she said, trying to mask the effort it took her to breathe. She hadn’t had an asthma attack since . . . “I just need my inhaler. That’s all.”

Jumping to his feet instantly, he asked. “Where is it?”

“In my purse,” she pointed. Abel practically tossed an empty chair aside to get to it. “Please calm down, babe.” She tried in vain to stop the wheezing. “I’m fine,” she insisted.