Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 272

Epilogue 7

JUSTIN’S POV

I’m fairly certain Allison has glared at me at least ten times today. The first was right after she woke up, when I told her I made spinach soup-something healthy, considering she ate pizza and more junk than I can count last night. She glared at me, then told me to eat it myself

The second was after breakfast, when I asked if she wanted to take a walk with me. I simply asked. But she looked at me like I suggested she go roll in dog poop.

But yeah. There’s a pattern.

On the bright side, the baby’s coming soon, and that’s why she’s extra sensitive. It’s our due week, according to the doctor and it’s already Thursday. Allison has been praying for this baby to come today, but I don’t see that happening.

“Hey!” She snaps, and I flinch. She’s glaring at Katy through the screen on their FaceTime call. “I finally stopped craving soap.” She grabs a carrot and waves it at the camera. “I’ve been munching on this since morning.”

All lies. That carrot is her first one, and she’ll toss it the second the call ends.

Katy chuckles. “Maybe your palate is getting back to normal since the baby is almost here. Cravings usually start to settle toward the end.”

“God, I hope so.” Allison sets the carrot down and exhales. “I cannot wait to pop this baby out and finally feel like myself. And then maybe-” She glances at me sideways. “Try for a girl.”

I stop chewing. “Already thinking about that?”

She gives me a look like I’ve just farted through my mouth.

I lean into the camera. “Katy. Your best friend is actively plotting baby number two while

simultaneously complaining about being pregnant with baby number one.”

Allison’s elbow hits my shoulder. “Go away.”

“I’m just reporting what you told-”

“Go. Away.”

Katy’s laugh crackles through the speaker. “No, listen to your husband, Allie. Two under two is hella

crazy Don’t do it.”

Allison tilts her head. “Says the woman pregnant while Hudson isn’t even two yet.”

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+25 Points

“That’s literally my point,” Katy says. “Learn from my mistake.”

They go back to talking and laughing, occasionally gossiping about me and Cooper. I consider calling him, but he’s been even busier than I am lately.

“Wait-” Allison turns to me suddenly. “When does my show premiere again?”

“September.”

Her face breaks into a full grin, the first real one I’ve seen all day. “Yes.” She turns back to the screen. “Okay, so by September I should’ve bounced back enough to do the promo properly. Lizzy sent me the plans, and it’s crazy…shows, a couple of magazine covers, and more. I better look snatched by then.”

“You will,” Katy says, laughing. “I cannot wait to see it.”

“I just…” Allison shifts, trying to get comfortable. “I hope it’s not my only big project for a while. You know how the industry is with married women. Throw a baby into it and suddenly everyone’s questioning your availability, and commitment.”

“You’re too good for them to pull that on you,” Katy says. “They’d be stupid.”

“Hollywood has never had a shortage of stupid.” Allison says, pushing herself up from the chair, the way she’s been doing for weeks now-one hand on the armrest, the other braced against her knee.

I’m already reaching for her before she asks. Then she stops.

Her hand drops to her stomach and she makes a sound that’s between a grunt and a sharp exhale and every muscle in my body locks up at once.

“Baby.” I catch her immediately. “Are you okay?”

She doesn’t answer immediately, and that silence is the most anxious three seconds of my life.

“I think-” She exhales again, fingers curling around my forearm. “I think that was a contraction.”

I can hear Katy’s voice faintly from the phone, but I can’t process any of it right now.

“Okay.” I keep my voice very calm. Impressively calm, actually. “Okay, that’s fine. That’s… how do you feel?”

“Like something is squeezing my entire-” She stops, breathing the way they taught us in the class we went to four months ago. “Justin.”

“Yeah.”

“That was not the first one.”

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D

I stare at her. “What?”

“I’ve been having them since this morning. I thought it was just Braxton Hicks again so I didn’t…”

She winces. “I didn’t want to say anything and make a big deal of it.”

“Guys.” Katy’s voice crackles from the phone on the chair. “Is she in labor? Allie, are you in labor-”

I grab the phone. “I’ll call you back.”

I end the call.

Allison blinks at me. “You just hung up on Katy. She could talk me through how I’m feeling right

now.”

But I’m freaking out and the worst part is I’m trying not to show it which means I’m very much

showing it.

“Let’s get you to the hospital.” I’m already moving, one arm around Allison’s back, guiding her

slowly toward the couch. “Sit. Don’t move. I have to-” I’m trying to remember the list. There’s a list. We made a list. Where is the list? “The bag is upstairs. The hospital bag. I packed it three weeks ago, it’s by the closet-”

“Justin-”

“One second.” I pull out my phone and call her mother.

It rings twice.

“Justin?” She says.

“She’s in labor.” I manage, running a hand through my hair. “She’s been having contractions since

this morning and didn’t tell me-”

“Since morning?” Allison calls from the couch. “I said I thought they started this morning-”

“How far apart?” Margaret asks.

I look at Allison. “How far apart?”

Allison shifts and exhales slowly. “Maybe seven minutes? The last two were around seven minutes.

“Seven minutes,” I relay.

“Okay. Okay, I’m leaving now.” I can already hear movement on her end. “You have time, don’t panic. Keep her calm, get the bag, call the hospital-”

“Right. Hospital. Yes.” How did I forget that? “I’ll call you when we’re heading out.” I hang up and

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immediately dial Dr. Fenwick’s office.

+25 Points

It rings. The nurse picks up, I give her Allison’s name and ramble on about the contractions and coming in now for the birth. She asks questions like if she’s bleeding, water broken and I give all

the answers as fast as I can.

Once I’m done, I race upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time.

The bag is exactly where I put it. Closet, right side, navy blue duffel. I grab it, then remember Allison mentioned wanting her own pillow at the hospital, so I grab that too.

Then I go back for her slippers because she specifically said the hospital floors are cold and she wants her own. Then I grab my own wallet and keys and stand in the middle of the room for a second making sure I haven’t forgotten anything critical.

I go back downstairs.

Allison is sitting with both hands on her stomach, eyes closed, breathing slowly through another

contraction. Just watching it makes something tighten in my chest.

I set everything down and crouch in front of her without saying anything, my hand covering hers as

I wait.

After a moment, she opens her eyes.

“Baby,” she whispers.

I squeeze her hand. “How bad?”

“Manageable.” She glances at the bag. “You got the pillow?”

“I got the pillow.”

Something in her face softens. “Okay.” She exhales once, steadying herself. “Let’s go have a baby.”

ALLISON’S POV

Justin hasn’t looked away from him in minutes. Not since the nurse placed our newborn son in his

arms twenty minutes ago.

He has just been standing by the window, staring down at him like he’s trying to memorize every single detail before it changes.

Which, knowing Justin, he probably is.

I watch them from the bed, propped against the pillows, every part of my body exhausted in a way

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+25 Points

I have no reference point for. It’s like my body hasn’t quite caught up to the fact that the person it spent nine months building is now out here in the world, wrapped in a striped hospital blanket,

yawning in his father’s arms.

It’s a little surreal and also the most I’ve ever loved anything in my entire life, which I did not expect

to hit me this fast or this hard.

Ironic, honestly, because three hours ago, I was gripping Justin’s hand, sobbing through labor, and

telling him very clearly and with full conviction that I was never, ever doing this again. I believe my

exact words were ‘you did this to me and I will never forgive you.’ And then something

considerably worse. And then something even worse than that.

He just squeezed my hand and told me I was doing so good, and I nearly bit his head off for it.

But that was three hours ago. And now there’s a tiny human by the window with Justin’s nose and

my stubborn little chin.

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