Best Friend's Brother

Chapter Twenty-Five

 It was about nine in the evening when we were finally leaving the hospital. Whitney and the twins were staying the night which meant that Tyler was also staying the night and Marco got the other kids once again. Maria was coming back to my house with Matt since neither of them wanted to scurry off to their mom's house while everything was going on. Tess and her husband were staying in Whitney and Tyler's house for the night since it was closer than their own house and they had Aaron with them.

As soon as I was in the car I conked out in the back seat. Maria could keep Matt awake while he drove so I figured I didn't have to worry about it.

The next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed. My eyes popped open and I tried remembering coming home from the hospital but it was all a blur. I assumed I walked to my bed since there was no way I was getting carried with this huge stomach of mine.

As I woke up I realized that there was an arm thrown around my waist so I rolled onto my back in the bed to see a sleeping Matt lying beside me. I smiled and closed my eyes again.

I stayed still for a couple of minutes until I heard his breath catch and a quiet yawn. "Morning, Claire."

I cracked one eye open and he kissed my forehead. "How do you always know when I'm awake?"

He smiled and then climbed out of bed. "Because I know you."

My eyes tracked him as he headed to the washroom. He looked good no matter what he wore, damn him. Even with bed head and wearing nothing more than a pair of ratty old pajama bottoms he was still hot. Sometimes the world was seriously unfair about things like that. Here he was looking like a greek god and I looked like a bloated servant.

"You look gorgeous," he called from the other side of the partially closed door.

I rolled my eyes. "I do not. And where did that come from?"

He laughed. "Again, I know you. Which means I know how you think. And yes, you really are gorgeous."

The toilet flushed as I got out of the bed. I walked over to the bathroom and pushed the door open while he was washing his hands. "What am I thinking right now?"

He glanced at me and smiled. "You're trying not to think about your reflection in the mirror and come up with something else to think about. Relax, you're beautiful."

I rolled my eyes. "That's so not what I was thinking about." Even though it was.

"Sure thing, Claire."

I opened my mouth to say something but he stopped me with a kiss. "No fighting, okay? We're going to have breakfast and then go to the hospital to see Whitney. Okay?"

"And Maria?"

"She'll be coming with us, of course."

I laughed. "I meant is she going to be eating with us. Should I go wake her up?"

He shrugged. "If you want. She'll wake up eventually."

I sighed and went to the closet. "So why were you in my bed anyways?"

He followed me and stood at the door as I looked through my clothes. "You're not mad about that, are you? If you are, you really have to work on your mad expressions. You looked happy enough when you woke up."

There was no way I was going to tell him I was happy because I'd woken up with the man I loved in the same bed as I was. Instead, I laughed. "That's not the point. You have your own bed so why sleep in mine?"

He selected an outfit from my limited selection and handed it to me. "Because this way I'm closer to you at all times. I didn't think you'd mind and Maria doesn't have to know anything about it while she's here."

I held the outfit out and shrugged. Why not? "Fine but it's not my problem if she comes into the room while we're asleep like she did yesterday."

"She won't," he said. "I talked to her about that while you were napping in the hospital waiting room."

"Of course you did. Now go wait in the bedroom while I change."

He sighed and disappeared from sight. "Better?"

"Much," I said pulling the clothes on. It was one thing that he'd seen me naked while I still had my normal looking body but now that I was huge and with twins he didn't need the mental images to compare the two side by side.

I was zipping up the skirt when I felt something wet between my legs. I mentally cursed myself for wetting myself at such an awkward moment. Then I realized what it really was and my heart skipped a beat.

"Matt, we're going to have to skip breakfast again."

He stuck his head into the closet. "And why's that?"

I fingered the skirt. "It's a good thing you picked out a skirt because I think my water just broke."

He stood there for a minute before he could do anything. Then his eyes bulged and his mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he could say anything. "You're sure?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure. I know the difference between pissing my pants and my water breaking."

He still stood there like it would help the situation out. "So you're sure. It's not some kind of false labour or something?"

I turned around to face my clothes again. "Help me find something else to wear before we leave."

He barked out a laugh. "You think your water broke and you want to wait to get changed?"

I fingered a pale pink dress that wasn't too ugly since I'd bought it in my first trimester when I still cared. It was tight right under my boobs and flowed down from there. Normally it fell to just above my knees but since my stomach was so huge right now it'd be a lot shorter than that in the front.

"I have time if it's the real thing. I don't want to be sitting the hospital forever."

I pulled the dress off the hanger and held it in front of me, aware that Matt was now standing directly behind me. "What about this one?"

He nuzzled my neck. "I hope that it'll fit you after this whole thing is over. I'm sure it'll look adorable without the tummy."

I laughed. "So no? The 'tummy' makes it a not to wear dress?"

He slid it from my fingers and fiddled with the shirt I was wearing. "No, I'm sure it'll look beautiful on you right now. I'm just saying I hope it still fits."

I smiled and stole the dress back. "Then let me get changed. And it had better still fit since I bought it so I could wear it after."

He laughed and walked out of the closet. "I'll let you change, then."

I opened my mouth to reply but a contraction made my breath catch. Matt came rushing back in and put his arm around me. "What happened? Are you okay?"

I laughed when it left. "I'm fine, just go so I can change."

He gave me a look and then slowly walked out of the closet.

I changed as quickly as possible so I wouldn't have to deal with another contraction in the middle of changing which would not be pleasant. I still didn't want Matt to see me like that.

As soon as I was changed I met Matt in the hallway and he smiled while looking at the dress. "I definitely like that on you."

I blushed and headed for the stairs. "Thanks."

I headed for the car while Matt ran to tell Maria what was going on.