Gloria's Forever (Gloria Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

you’re having twins. Our twins.”
    She spasmed in my arms again. “Tyrone’s right outside the building. He’ll take us to Cedars,” she managed under a harsh breath.
    Tyrone Turrell was Gloria’s trusted driver. A handsome, strapping black man in his early twenties, he’d been rescued from the drug-infested streets of South Central LA by Gloria, and he was forever beholden to her. Like all her employees, he worshipped her, and he’d even been a best man at our wedding.
    As soon as Tyrone saw us approaching the black Range Rover, he jumped out of the SUV. He sprinted toward us, meeting us halfway. His eyes were wide with alarm.
    “Is Mrs. Z. okay?”
    “I’m having our babies,” Gloria responded weakly, a faint smile on her face.
    The whites of his eyes popped. “Oh my!”
    “Help me get her into the car, Ty.”
    “Yes, sir.” Ty immediately swung open the back door, and then as the big man took Gloria from me, I hopped into the car and flung down the seat divider in case Gloria needed to lie down. With a frightened look, Ty gently placed Gloria just where I wanted her. On my lap. With my heart beating a mile a minute and my stomach in knots, I held her close to me. Still clenching her tummy, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and rested her pained face on my chest. In the blink of an eye, Ty was behind the wheel.
    “Floor it, Ty. We’re going to Cedars.”
    “Yes, sir.” Gloria’s driver stepped hard on the gas, and the Rover peeled away from the curb with a screech. Thank fucking God, the hospital wasn’t far away. I prayed we wouldn’t hit too much traffic. Fortunately, it wasn’t yet rush hour, but Los Angeles traffic could be unpredictably nasty any time of the day.
    “Lie down, angel.” I urged, smoothing her hair.
    Another contraction. Her face scrunched up in pain. I’d always loved when Gloria scrunched her face, but not this way. She gasped and gripped her belly. I felt her pain and I felt fucking helpless.

CHAPTER 5

    Gloria
    A nother contraction stabbed me. And then another. They were coming at me harder and more frequently. Biting down on my bottom lip, I tried to stifle a wince, but it was impossible.
    “Angel, is there anything I can do?” asked Jaime, his voice thick with a mix of desperation and concern.
    “Just hold me, baby.”
    Planting a chaste kiss on my scalp, he did as I asked.
    Worry circled my mind like a whirling dervish. Control-freak me was not prepared to go into labor. And of all days for this to happen. There was so much to do following our annual fashion show and at the after-party tonight. I was supposed to be meeting with the press and our store managers, checking sales and Internet hits, and hob-nobbing with the Hollywood elite tonight for possible endorsements. And having fun. I began throwing rapid-fire questions at Jaime.
    Me: “Does Kev know what’s going on?”
    Jaime: “Yes.”
    Me: “Does Dr. Bernstein know what’s going on?”
    Jaime: “Yes.”
    Gloria: “Is she on her way to the hospital”
    Jaime: “Yes.”
    Me: “Did you take my purse with my wallet?”
    Jaime: “Yes.”
    Me: “Did you call Tilda and tell her to pack a bag for me?” (Tilda was my dear, longtime housekeeper)
    Jaime: “Yes.”
    Me: “What about the party tonight at Greystone?”
    Jaime: “Chill, baby. Kevin has it all under control.”
    The only thing not under control was me. I was in labor. Losing control was bad enough for me. But not having control over the birth of my twins was something else.

CHAPTER 6

    Jaime
    “A re you sure you took my red lipstick?”
    Jesus. My angel was in a labor, about to have our babies, and she was worried about not having her lipstick. My bud Blake had once shared one of his father’s favorite quotes with me. Something the late great comedian George Carlin had said about men being stupid and women being crazy. Maybe Gloria was delirious.
    “Yes,” I said, stupid me not knowing if I had. In my freaked out state, one-word answers