Chapter One

       Knox

      I knew I needed to stay calm and assess the situation, but McKenna showing up here tonight had really thrown me off. And not to mention a very pregnant Amanda waddling across my floor, groaning in pain, was putting me a little outside my comfort zone. My head was spinning like a fucking top.

       Think, Knox.

      I checked on McKenna again. She was sprawled across my bed where I’d laid her down, and her body was limp and pale. She was breathing, but she wasn’t responding to my voice or touch. She had passed out cold from the shock of finding me in my bedroom with Amanda. I would have to deal with the repercussions later. My guess was that McKenna had driven back from her extended stay in Indiana, and finding me with Amanda in my bedroom—along with the soundtrack of Amanda’s moans—had McKenna assuming the worst. Next, I tried to get Amanda to sit down and rest, but she pushed me away, insisting that walking was helping.

      Knowing I was seriously out of my element, I grabbed my cell phone and dialed my neighbor, Nikki. She had a baby; surely she’d know if this was false labor or the real thing.

      ‘Nik, yeah. Hey, my friend Amanda thinks she’s going into labor, but she’s not due for another several weeks—’

      Nikki cut me off, saying something about a guy named Braxton Hicks and timing contractions, but before I could hear the rest, Amanda let out a bloodcurdling scream.

      ‘I’m peeing, I think I’m peeing! Am I peeing?’ She squatted on the floor, her pants growing darker with a wet stain.

      What the fuck? I cursed under my breath and crossed the room to give her a hand.

      Nikki, overhearing the entire thing, laughed. ‘Her water just broke. Get her to the hospital. This baby’s coming early.’

      Christ. ‘McKenna’s here and passed out—I can’t just leave her. And Tucker’s here, too. Can you come over?’