On that note, Gavin tossed his arm around Emily’s neck, smiled warmly, and started rubbing her belly. “Darling, sweetheart, love of my life, I believe we have some clothes shopping to get done. Shall we?”

“I think we shall,” Emily concurred with her own smile.

“Cool.” Gavin nodded and looked around. “Which way is the clothing?”

Colton jerked his head to the side. “Just past the nursery decor. To the right of the stuffed animals and a few feet away from the activities center.”

Gavin stood mute, staring at his brother.

“Bro, I’ve got two kids and a wife.” Colton shrugged, his green eyes shimmering. “I’m as domesticated as they come.”

Gavin grinned and grabbed Emily’s hand, leading her toward whatever direction Colton just thoroughly explained. Gavin took in bursts of every pastel and primary color imaginable as they navigated the large boutique. He also took in every type of infant bath tub, bouncy seat, and diaper bag available. He glanced at Emily, who appeared overwhelmed by her surroundings. With smiling lips, he stopped moving.

“What?” Emily asked.

He brought his hand to her nape, his touch gentle. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head, tears springing in her eyes. “No, I’m not.” And she wasn’t. Between Gavin completing the nursery, her growing belly, and her increasing fear of becoming a mother, she was turning into a mental ball of nerves. A certified basket case. She swiped her hand across her cheeks and plucked a tiny newborn outfit from a rack. “Do you see how small this is, Gavin?”

Oh shit. Now Gavin was overwhelmed by her response. He nodded, careful not to upset her. “I do.”

She sniffled. “That means the little person wearing it is going to be as small as it is. I’ve never held a baby. I have no idea how to feed him. He could starve. I’ll have no idea why he’s crying. What if he hates me?” Gavin went to speak, but she continued. Her words zipped from her mouth faster than a flash of lightning. “I won’t know how to burp him. What if I drop him while giving him a bath? The state will take him away from me. What happens if I don’t hear him in the middle of the night?” Pausing, she sucked in a breath and really broke down. “And those ointments. What if I don’t put enough on him and he gets a rash? What if I put on too much and he gets an infection? What am I talking about? I don’t even know how to change a diaper. Is he going to be laying on the changing table naked with too much or not enough ointment because his mother doesn’t know how to get the diaper on him?”

Holy. Mother. Of. God.

Gavin blinked, swallowed hard, and slowly dragged his hand from her nape. He’d always known how to handle Emily. Shit, he was placed on the earth to do just that. But the woman before him was losing it. Thinking fast, he tossed his hand through his hair and took a shot at the only thing he thought might calm her. “Sit down on the floor with me.”

Teary eyes wide, Emily furrowed her brows. “What? You want me to sit on the floor with you in a store?”

Gavin sat cross-legged on the maple floor and motioned her down. “Emily, we almost had sex on the hood of my car on the side of a road in Mexico. Sit.”

Shocked, Emily nervously glanced at shoppers looking at Gavin as though he’d lost it. But she’d always known he was a tad bit crazy. After a few seconds, she sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of him.

He twined his fingers through hers. With caring eyes and a warm smile, he softly kissed her lips. “Hey,” he whispered.

A weak smile lifted her mouth. “Hey.”

“My name’s Gavin Blake, and I’m going to school you on babies, okay?”

Emily nodded, looking down at their hands. “You’re trying to get me to stop bugging out.” She brought her gaze back to his, her heart melting. “Aren’t you?”

“I am, and I will. Give me five minutes. Good?”

She bit her lip, focusing on his eyes. “Okay.”

Pulling her hands into his lap, Gavin sighed in relief. She was already coming down a notch. “First: Babies are easy to hold. They… trust right away. They know you’re there to take care of them. The moment you see him, Emily, you won’t be able to help it. Your arms will automatically know what to do. I guarantee you’ll never want to put him down. You’re so caring and nurturing. It’ll come naturally to you.” He leaned over and placed another slow kiss on her lips. “Okay?”

She nodded, trusting him.

“Two: When he cries, he’s only crying for a few reasons. Either he’s hungry, tired, sick, colicky, needs to be burped, needs to be changed, or wants to be held. Or in your case, you’ve dropped him and he’s in severe pain, or you didn’t know how to change him and he’s been lying in a pissy, shitty diaper all day.”

Emily popped a brow. “I thought you’re attempting to calm me down?”

He chuckled and stroked her cheek. “My point is, you’ll know why. You’re going to know why because you’re his mother. You’re going to live and breathe for him. You’re going to learn how to burp and bathe him. You’re going to learn how much ointment is the right amount. He’ll never starve, because you won’t be able to take his crying anymore, and you’ll probably wind up shoving too many bottles in his mouth.”

Emily shook her head and giggled.

Gavin leaned in inches from her face, his eyes focused on hers. “And he’ll never hate you. He couldn’t. You love everything around you so easily, which makes you too easy to love. He’s going to feel that. Believe me, he will.”

Emily swallowed. “You think so?”

“I know so, doll. It’s impossible not to fall in love with you.”

And there, sitting on the floor with the man she couldn’t live without, the man who showed her what it felt like to really be loved, Emily was no longer afraid of becoming a mother. Instead, she drowned in the fact that not only did the man sitting with her believe in her strengths and was in love with her every weakness, but another little man would soon be equally as in love with her.

Emily pulled open the door to a midtown Starbucks, welcoming the air-conditioned setting from the summer heat. She immediately spotted Olivia, who’d jumped up from her chair as though it were set ablaze. Emily squeezed through the lunchtime crowd, excited to see her friend. The last several weeks had been nothing short of chaotic, so their time together became limited at best. With a little over a month until she was due, Emily’s schedule danced around weekly doctor’s appointments, Lamaze classes, and purchasing any last minute baby items she and Gavin could think of.

Smiling, Emily approached Olivia and dropped her purse onto the table. As soon as she went to pull Olivia in for a hug, Emily noticed her friend didn’t at all appear her usual self. “What’s the matter?” Emily scanned Olivia’s worried expression.

Olivia hesitated, the lines of her frown deepening. “I have to talk to you.”

“All right,” Emily drawled, her nerves spiking. She’d never seen Olivia look so panicked. Pulling a chair out from the table, Emily sat. Her head spun over every possible thread of bad news her friend could dish out.

Olivia settled into a chair and slid a Venti drink across the table. “I ordered you an iced chai latte. I figured it’ll help calm your nerves after I tell what I found out.”

Emily’s heart dropped. “Liv, what the hell’s going on?”

Olivia nibbled on her thumb nail. “Just promise me you won’t get mad at me.”

“What?” Eyes wide, Emily shook her head. “Don’t get mad at you? What did you do?”

“Em, just promise me you won’t get pissed.”

Emily crossed her arms, her stomach twisted in knots. “Okay, Olivia, even though you haven’t told me what I shouldn’t be pissed about, I promise I’ll try not to get pissed. Is that good enough for you?”