Gone With the Nerd (Nerds, #4)(40)
Author: Vicki Lewis Thompson

The program had never seemed this lengthy before. But then, he’d never had a stake in it before. The closer they came to Zoe’s category, the tighter her grip on his hand. When they finally announced the actresses up for leading roles in a comedy, the camera swung to each in turn. He thought she’d cut off his circulation for sure when the camera found their table.

‘I love you," he murmured. And if I have to lose a hand tonight, the sacrifice will be worth it. At least it’s my left.

"I love you, too." She didn’t look at him.

His heart was pounding very fast, so he could only imagine how hers was reacting. "Just don’t go into labor."

That made her laugh, but it was a breathy, nervous sound.

The two idiots on the stage made a three-act play out of opening the envelope. Flynn was ready to leap up there and do it for them by the time they finally pulled the card from the envelope.

"And the Golden Globe goes to … Zoe Tarleton!"

Flynn jumped to his feet, effectively yanking Zoe up with him. She stumbled, but he caught her and steadied her as best he could, considering how shaky he felt. Then, with applause beating against his eardrums like surf, he kissed her. He felt her lipstick going all over him and he didn’t care. He could barely breathe, he was so happy.

Dazed and clapping like a maniac, he watched as she hugged her parents, her agent, and Luanne before making her way to the stage. The satisfaction he felt at this moment was almost better than sex. Almost. He hadn’t had any of that for a while, because she was very close to her due date and he hadn’t wanted to screw up the process. So he’d take this as a substitute.

At last she was standing in front of the microphone, her smile dazzling the cheering crowd. She wore a red chiffon dress that billowed around her big belly. To see her wear a dress for a change was a treat. These days she practically lived in her Sasquatch Diner XXL T-shirt, special-ordered after the second trimester.

The crowd continued to clap, and he marveled that the woman they were applauding was his wife. He still woke up every day in disbelief that he was married to her. She even seemed to like the fact. Go figure.

Then she started her acceptance speech, and he strained to catch every word. She’d rehearsed it with him, just in case, and he hoped she’d remember all the people she’d wanted to thank. She sailed right through the list like a champ. He would’ve been so rattled he would have forgotten half of them, but she didn’t.

She also remembered to thank the citizens of Long Shaft. That little mention would boost their tourism even more, although after the Bigfoot craze had hit LA a year ago Long Shaft was already a popular destination. Zoe had even made a guest appearance at Long Shaft’s first annual Beauty and the Bigfoot Festival.

When Long Shaft had been duly thanked, Flynn thought that would be it, so he brought his hands up in preparation for more enthusiastic clapping.

Only she had more to say, something she hadn’t rehearsed with him. "And I especially want to thank the most important person in my life, the man who’s taught me what’s important, the man who put me in this condition, so that I could barely waddle up here, my favorite nerd, Flynn Granger!"

Flynn stood there with a goofy grin on his face as the camera moved in. At one time he would have been horrified at the idea of a camera trained on him, a camera beaming his face to millions of viewers around the world. But he wasn’t the same guy he used to be. He acted spontaneously once in a while. He sometimes took things out of order. And he drove a red Ferrari.

So instead of being embarrassed by the attention, he blew Zoe a kiss.

She blew it back to him. Then she leaned toward the microphone. "Get your ass backstage, Granger. I’m having contractions."

He launched himself from the seat.

"We’ll bring Luanne to the hospital!" Zoe’s mother said. "Just go!"

With a quick nod of gratitude, he hurtled backstage. Then he, Zoe, and the Golden Globe Award took a wild ride in the Ferrari. On the way to the hospital Zoe called her doctor, who’d been watching the awards and was on her way. Then Zoe took a call from her parents, who were stuck in traffic and would get there the minute they could.

Her parents hadn’t made it by the time Flynn screeched the Ferrari to a stop at the hospital’s emergency entrance. Okay, so he’d handle this by himself. He’d taken the birthing classes. He’d be fine.

Zoe wanted to haul the award into the delivery room, and in the end, they scrubbed it down and let it stay, along with Flynn. She delivered their baby daughter the same way she made love, with great enthusiasm and lots of noise. In the process she ended up cutting off the circulation to Flynn’s right hand.

Fortunately, his left hand had almost recovered from her grip during the Golden Globes, so when he finally had a chance to hold baby Luanne, only one hand was completely numb. Most of the rest of him felt a little on the numb side, actually. All that joy was a bit much to take in.

But he’d work on it. Holding Luanne, he smiled down at Zoe, who still had sparkles in her hair from the fancy updo she’d had created for the awards. "Nice timing."

That famous Zoe Tarleton smile was a little wobbly as she gazed at Flynn holding their new daughter. "Thanks. I was feeling the contractions during the ceremony, but I didn’t want to tell you."

"I’m glad you didn’t."

"I wanted things to go in order, Flynn. First the Golden Globe, then the baby."

He couldn’t decide where to look. They were both so beautiful and he didn’t want to miss anything. "Zoe, you are becoming such a nerd."

"I know. Isn’t it great?"

"It’s scary, is what it is." He kept staring at his daughter, unable to grasp that he was truly a dad. "Next thing you know, little Luanne will become a nerd."

"I’ll bet she will, especially if my devious plan works and we get her namesake to make trips to Malibu so she can babysit."

"That girl is going to be over the moon. First you get her a bit part in a movie, then you invite her to the awards, and now you name our kid after her."

"I want to keep my five-star, front-of-the-album rating. Flynn, back to the nerd thing. We need a different car."

"Yeah, I know." He gazed into the unblinking stare of his daughter. "Something that will hold a baby seat. We don’t have to get a nerd car, though. We can get a Town Car, or maybe a Beemer."

"I don’t want a Town Car or a Beemer."

"You don’t?" He was falling in love with this little cherub. Completely and irrevocably in love. "I was thinking … a Civic."

That made him redirect his attention to Zoe. "You’re kidding."

"Nope. It would do the job, so why not?"

Flynn groaned. "I’ve created a monster. What about looking cool?"

"I don’t care." She gazed up at him, her eyes filled with love. "Besides, I have a husband I’m crazy about, a gorgeous baby, and a Golden Globe. What could be cooler than that?"

"I have no idea." He wondered if a person could explode from too much happiness. He hoped not, because if so, he was a walking time bomb.

Zoe had apparently recovered enough to give him the full wattage of her Zoe Tarleton smile. "Then buy us a Civic, Granger. We’re gonna set us a trend."