Sex and the Widow Miles (The Women of Willow Bay) by Nan Reinhardt Page B

slower and more rhythmic. I curled into his warm body and shut my eyes too.

     
     
     
    TWELVE
     
     
    Norah Jones woke me with a start. Dopey from sleep, I raised my head from Will ’s warm chest, blinking to clear my contacts.
    Where the hell ’s my phone?
    The ringing stopped then started up again as I pulled myself off the couch—off Will—and stumbled into the kitchen to retrieve it from the counter.
    “Mom?” Urgency colored Kevin’s voice. “Hey, Mom?”
    “ I’m here, honey. What’s up?” I rubbed my face, before peering at the clock on the microwave. Two-thirty in the afternoon. God, I’d really gone down for the count. We’d curled up together around noon or so.
    Will wandered in from the living room, yawning and stretching like a cat. With his sweatshirt pulled up and his t-shirt hanging out of his khakis, he looked rumpled and sexy. As he raised his arms above his head, I got a peek of tanned stomach that sent a tingle right through me.
    “Meg’s in labor.” Urgency shifted into excitement in Kevin’s tone. “We’re timing contractions. They’re nine minutes apart.”
    “ Kevin, she’s early.” I tried to remember what they’d told me a few weeks ago about the dates being mixed up. “Isn’t it too soon? I thought she wasn’t due for three more weeks.”
    “ Apparently, the baby’s decided to come now. Her water broke a couple of hours ago.”
    “ Are you at the birthing center?” My heart pounded. I was about to become a grandmother.
    “ Yup. We came right after. The OB says it’ll be sometime in the next eighteen hours.” Kevin’s breathing came fast, as if he’d been running. “Mom, we’re having a baby.”
    “ You sure are, honey.” I gave Will a giant smile as he pulled open the fridge and perused its contents. “Meg’s in labor,” I whispered.
    His eyebrows shot up. “Is it going to happen today?” After grabbing two bottles of water, he bumped the door shut with his elbow.
    “ I think so.” With a finger in the air to hold Will’s questions, I focused on Kevin, who was also chattering to Meg in the background. “Kev, tell Meg I’m on the way, okay?”
    I had to get to San Francisco. Meg ’s parents had died when she was a teenager. Her older sister, Sherry, raised her until she went to college at Michigan State, where she met my son. She had no other close family, and I’d promised to be there for the birth of the first child of this new generation. “Where’s Sherry?”
    “ In Denmark at a physics conference. I left her a message and texted twice. No answer yet. She’ll be wrecked if she misses this, but I don’t know what else to do.” Kevin’s unerring sense of hyper-responsibility for everyone had already kicked in. “Mom, call the airline and talk to them in person. You’ll get a better fare. Tell them you’re coming for the birth of your first grandchild… Oh, my God! You’re going to be a grandma.” He chuckled and I heard Meg giggling, too. “Are you ready for that?”
    “ More than you know.” In my mind, I was already packing and figuring out the logistics of getting from the airport in San Francisco to the kids’ apartment in the city. Which BART station was closest to their place? Was it Powell?
    Taking a deep breath, I focused. “I’m going to go now and get things together. I’ll call you back when I know what flight I’m taking.”
    “ Okay, I’ll come get you at the airport.”
    “ Absolutely not,” I insisted. “I’ll BART to you and call you when I get off the train.”
    “ Mom… “Worry seeped into his voice.
    “ Kevin… “I parroted his doubtful tone. “Stay with your wife. I’ll be there soon.”
    “ I love you, Mom. Hurry.”
    “ I love you, too. Give Meg a hug and tell her I’m on my way. I’ll see you soon.” I stuck the phone in my pocket and twirled around once before throwing my arms around Will’s neck.
    Engulfing me in a giant hug, he kissed me soundly. “A baby,” he said when he