CIARA’S POV

The first contraction hit me like a lightning bolt while I was arranging flowers in the kitchen. One moment I was humming softly to myself, adjusting purple irises in a crystal vase, and the next I was doubled over, gripping the marble countertop so hard my knuckles went white.

"Oh goddess," I gasped, my breath coming in short bursts. The pain radiated from my lower back around to my belly, squeezing like a giant fist. "Not yet. It's too early."

But even I knew that wasn't true. I ...