Katie Lyn’s Guarded Heart: Sweethearts of Country Music, Book 4

by Savage, Marie

  “Are you all right?” he asked as he came from behind the counter. He prayed she wasn’t playing a trick on him.

  “I’m okay. The doctor said it’s Braxton Hicks.”

  “Is he the father?”

  “No Braxton Hicks is false labor.” She grimaced.

  “Oh, that’s a relief.”

  She frowned at him as she held her stomach.

  “I just meant that you wouldn’t want it to be real labor right now, would you?”

  “No, I suppose not.” She stood up straight again and appeared to be catching her breath, before beginning to walk to the door again.

  “Can I help you to your car or call someone for you?” He offered one more time to help.

  “No, I’m fine. If you can’t tell me where Waylon is, you’re no help to me,” she said, and Alec felt the bite in her tone.

  “Ugh!” She doubled over again before she even took a step.

  “Are you sure this is false labor?” He reached for her hand to keep her from falling. The last thing they needed was an injury lawsuit.

  “Oh no!” Her eyes grew wide as she looked up at him.

  “What now?”

  “I think my water just broke.”

  Alec looked down to see a growing puddle on the floor beneath her.

  “Oh wow! What do I need to do? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

  “I can’t afford an ambulance Can you just drive me to the hospital?” she asked.

  “Of course. My car is out front. Let me help you.”

  Alec drove as fast as he could to get Katie Lyn to the hospital that day. On the way, and in between her grunting in pain, she kept apologizing over and over for making a mess in his new car. She insisted that she’d pay him back somehow for the cleaning bill. Alec wasn’t worried about that. He was, however, worried that if he didn’t get her there soon, they would have an extra passenger.

  “Aren’t you supposed to breathe or something?”

  “Yeah, I think we’re all supposed to breathe or something,” she tried to joke.

  “You know what I mean. You’re not pushing, are you?”

  “No. But I want to. There’s so much pressure.” She reached for the dashboard and Alec could see her hand gripping it hard. He knew he needed to hurry.

  “Oh, please don’t. I swear to you, we’re almost there.”

  “I’m trying. I’m so scared. It’s not supposed to happen this fast.”

  “Says who?”

  “My mom.” She moaned.

  “It’ll be okay. We’re almost there. Just hang on.”

  He pulled up to the emergency room doors. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to park there but had no time to ask. He knew nothing about pregnancy and childbirth, but he knew enough to know this was an emergency and every second counted.

  “Do you think you can walk inside? Or do you need me to carry you?”

  She looked at him, and her eyes were big. He could tell something was wrong.

  “You need to run in there now and get someone. I can feel the baby’s head.”

  Alec was out of the car in a flash and running inside. He could tell by the scared look on her face she wasn’t joking.

  “Ma’am, you have to help me. She’s having a baby.”

  The nurse frowned at him.

  “Sir, you need to bring your wife inside and fill out of the proper forms.”

  “You don’t understand. She says she feels the baby’s head.”

  That made the nurse spring into action.

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s outside. Hurry.”

  “Hey, honey, is this your first baby?” The nurse asked as she made it to the car.

  “Yes, ma’am.” She moaned.

  “How often are your contractions?” she asked.

  “They keep coming, they're not stopping anymore.”

  Alec watched as the nurse looked down and assessed the situation. Her smile dropped and she went into action.

  “Okay, honey, just breathe. Chuck, get me a gurney and call Dr. Mous to ER stat,” the nurse yelled out as she held Katie Lyn’s hand.

  “Whatever you do, honey, just breathe, don’t push. Chuck, you need to hustle.”

  Chuck hurried over with the gurney.

  “Sir, you’re going to have to help us get your wife on the gurney.”

  He was about to correct her, but she seemed more serious than just moments ago. With the nurse’s help, he lifted Katie Lyn onto the gurney and the orderly wheeled them inside.

  “Hold your wife’s hand and coach her like they taught in Lamaze class,” the nurse instructed him as they moved quickly. He still didn’t correct her, especially after seeing Katie Lyn looking at him. She squeezed his hand tighter and wouldn’t let go.

  “Please don’t leave me,” she managed to say.

  Alec didn’t know what to say or do. She was desperate and scared and looking to him for help.

  “It’s okay, Katie Lyn. Just breathe.”

  “This baby is crowning! Get her in a room now,” the nurse yelled.

  The next few minutes were a flurry of people running in and out. He held Katie Lyn’s hand and she didn’t protest as they quickly got her prepared for delivery. He stood by her head to protect her modesty—and to keep from fainting. He only looked at her face as she grimaced in pain.

  Everything from that moment on was a blur as they asked her to push, and within seconds her daughter Madison was born. The doctor got there just in time to catch the screaming newborn and lay her on her mother’s chest. Katie Lyn wept and held her precious daughter and Alec watched in disbelief. He just witnessed one of the most amazing things in his entire life.

  He stood there in awe as they cleaned the wailing child.

  “Sir, would you like to cut the cord?” the doctor asked him.

  Alec looked at the doctor and then looked at Katie Lyn who was too involved with looking at her daughter to pay him attention.

  He shook his head no, not feeling he had the right. To this day, he still regretted that decision.

  He never saw Katie Lyn or the baby again after that day. Once the nurse realized he wasn’t the father, but just some bozo that drove her to the hospital, he was immediately removed from the room. He had thought about looking her up and wondered what she thought of him. They shared a special moment that day. Did she cherish it as much as he did?

  Working at his grandfather’s firm, gave him the advantage of keeping tabs on both Katie Lyn and Madison through the years. Waylon was still his grandfather’s client, but Alec did most of the leg work. Waylon kept a file on Katie Lyn and wanted to remain anonymous in all actions. When she was broke, a check would arrive to help her out, when she needed a place to stay, a vacancy would open, and when an opportunity to audition for a band came up, he made sure Katie Lyn’s name was on it. Now she wanted a home of her own and Alec made sure that happened, too.

  He loved seeing her on the cover of magazines and knowing she was doing well. The fact that she denied the rumors of Waylon being her father, impressed him. She wasn’t a gold digger he first thought her to be and she and the Lipstick Outlaws were becoming Nashville’s next sensation.

  3

  “Look, Mommy, you can see the beach from here. Can we go out and swim?” Madison asked as she looked out the glass doors leading to the balcony. They had a great room with a clear view of one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, Panama City Beach, Florida.

  This section of the beach was just the way she remembered from when she was a child, unlike a few miles away where the devastation of Hurricane Michael was still evident. That was the reason the band was here—the one-year anniversary of the horrific event. It was the band’s first charity concert and Katie Lyn was happy to be giving back to a community that she and her mom enjoyed visiting every summer. When Luke Bryan personally invited them to join his event, who were they to say no.

  “Honey, it’s October, and it’s too cold to go into the water. See those red flags on
the beach?” Katie Lyn pointed outside. “That means no swimming, it’s too dangerous.”

  “Ariel could swim out there.”

  “I’m sure Ariel could, but Madison can’t.” Katie Lyn grabbed her child and started tickling her. Madison squealed in delight as they both fell to the bed and started laughing as Katie Lyn pulled her into a hug. She missed hanging out with her daughter, who was growing up way too fast. She cherished any moment she had with her, knowing if she blinked, Maddie would be all grown up and on her own.

  “Mommy, can’t I go to the concert tonight?” Madison whined and broke free from the hug. Katie Lyn held on to talk to her.

  “Sweetie, I told you, you can go to the one we’re doing next month in Alabama. Remember the one at the Peanut Festival in my hometown? This concert is going to be too long. There are many bands playing tonight. We’re going to be up way past your bedtime.”

  “I know.” She pouted.

  “But the good news is that it’ll be live on CMT, so you and Nana can watch it here in the comfort of the room. I’ll even let you stay up a little later and order room service if you want.”

  “Okay, but I like saying the prayer with the band and leading the cheer. Auntie Cin Cin says I’m the best cheerleader.”

  “You are, my love, and we’ll all be thinking of you tonight, just before we go on. I’ll tell you a secret,” Katie Lyn whispered in her ear.

  “What?” she whispered back.

  “When I get done with the first song tonight, I’ll blow a kiss and wave. That kiss will be for you, and only you, but it’ll be our secret, okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy, I can wait. Tomorrow I’ll have you all to myself when we go to Gulf World,” she said as she hugged her neck once again.

  “Yes, tomorrow you’ll have me all to yourself. I swear, baby girl.”

  * * *

  Katie Lyn was tense. More tense than she’d ever been before a show. She couldn’t shake the thought that something bad was going to happen tonight. She hated when she’d get these feelings, but in the past, they hadn’t steered her wrong.

  In her short twenty-two years of life, this feeling had happened to her at least twice. One time when she was still working at Walmart. She was only midway through her shift and she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. She and Trevor were hardly speaking after she told him she was pregnant. In fact, the night she told him, he took off and didn’t come home for days. They had their share of troubles, but he never did that before. That evening she found out he took all their money and she came home to an empty apartment.

  The time after that was when she was very far along with Madison. Her mom was on short term disability after having a hysterectomy and they were barely scraping by. She was so desperate, she ended up doing the one thing she swore she’d never do, ask Waylon for help. The problem was, she had no idea how to find him. The only clue she had was the law office that handled her parents' divorce, so she decided to go there. Her water broke right there in the office and she barely made it to the hospital in time.

  “Hey, what’s up with you? You’re acting weird,” Taylor asked as they got ready to do their ritual prayer before heading on stage.

  “I’m sorry Madison couldn’t be here tonight. She’s such a hoot,” Rissa said

  “Yeah, the other day she asked me if I would give her drum lessons. I told her to ask you first.” C.C. said.

  “Hey, are you okay? The girls are right, you seem off somehow.” Her best friend, and confidant, Cinnamon said as she put her arm around her shoulders.

  “It’s nothing. I’m good. Let’s do this.”

  Katie Lyn held out her hands as the girls moved and joined in. They bowed their heads and prayed.

  None other than Luke Bryan himself introduced the girls to the stage, where he led the applause and gave them each a hug before they took their spots. She shook off her bad feelings from earlier. How could things be that bad after getting a hug from Luke Bryan?

  Katie Lyn took her place in front of the mic as the band started playing their number one hit, Came to Nashville. It was a sold-out show at the Panama City Beach concert arena. Katie Lyn was able to put on her game face and rock the place down. She loved singing and dancing for the crowd, and she used their energy to pump her up. She lived for this.

  Since she wasn’t a songwriter like the others, she’d usually request to pick the cover they would do at each concert. Tonight, she wanted to do one of her favorites, so she could play her guitar along with Rissa and Mac. They started playing an acoustic version of Landslide by Fleetwood Mac and the crowd started cheering. She loved singing this song when she was feeling melancholy like she was right now.

  Lipstick Outlaws took their last bows and headed off stage. Just one more concert next month and she’d get a few weeks to celebrate the holidays with Maddie and her mom, then off to Disney World.

  “Katie Lyn Bishop Howell.”

  Katie Lyn stopped when she heard someone call out not only her name, but her full legal name. Not too many people knew her former married name; most of the time, the press just called her Katie Lyn. She turned to see a well-dressed middle-aged woman approaching her. She didn’t recognize her and that bad feeling in the pit of her stomach returned.

  “Are you Katie Lyn Bishop Howell?” the woman asked.

  “Yes. But it’s just Katie Lyn Bishop. Do I know you?”

  The woman held out an envelope that Katie Lyn took before she had time to think.

  “You’ve been served,” she heard the woman mutter as she turned and started walking away.

  “Wait, who are you?” she yelled, but the woman kept walking.

  Cinnamon came up as she looked at the manila envelope marked Defendant Katie Lyn Bishop Howell from the Law Offices of Maxwell, Walker and Shoals.

  “Who was that and what is that?”

  “I’ve no idea,” Katie Lyn said as the tightness in her stomach began to increase. She knew this couldn’t be good.

  She handed it to Cinnamon to open. She was too nervous to concentrate enough to try to read it. With her dyslexia, which she still tried to hide from the others, it was hard enough if she was calm.

  Cinnamon carefully opened the envelope and started scanning the pages, not saying a word.

  “That sorry piece of worthless skin!”

  “What is it? Who’s it from?”

  “It’s from your no-good ex-husband.”

  “Trevor? What does he want?” Katie Lyn took the papers from her friend but struggled to make sense of all the words. In frustration she handed them back.

  “I can’t do this. What exactly do they say, Cinnamon?”

  “He’s suing for full custody of Madison.”

  * * *

  Alec was kicking back at home, getting ready to enjoy pizza and the Tennessee Titans game. It was Sunday; his day to relax. He started off by sleeping in after staying up last night to catch the Luke Bryan Hurricane Relief concert. He mainly stayed up to see Lipstick Outlaws. Who was he kidding? He stayed up to see Katie Lyn.

  Watching her on stage, made him fall in love with her all over again. She had a stage presence that demanded your attention; they all did. They were all attractive young women, but as far as Alec was concerned, his eyes were only focused on the lead singer.

  He knew this obsession with her was unhealthy, but he couldn’t help himself. He tried dating other women, but no one could hold a candle to her. He knew he loved her the day he held her hand and helped her bring that precious little girl into the world. If that’s what it felt like to be a father, Alec couldn’t wait to have a child of his own. But in his heart, he hoped one day he could have what he dreamed about every night, Katie Lyn and Madison in his life forever.

  Why he was waiting to approach her, he had no clue. He could’ve kicked himself for not doing this all those years ago. He, Katie Lyn, and Madison could be settled down by now and be one happy family.

  But at the time, he had little to offer her. He wa
sn’t even officially an attorney yet, just a law school student who worked part-time at his family’s law firm and still lived with his parents. After meeting the beautiful Katie Lyn, Alec decided he needed to make some changes in his life and when the timing was right, he’d find her again.

  That was when Waylon Bishop approached him for a job.

  “Your granddad has been my attorney for years and when he retires, your dad will take over. I don’t need you as my lawyer, at least not right now. The job I have for you is far more important.”

  “I don’t understand. If you don’t need me as a lawyer, what do you need me for?”

  “I want you to keep an eye on my daughter, Katie Lyn, and my granddaughter, Madison.”

  Alec almost fell over at the statement.

  “What do you mean by keeping an eye on them?”

  “Make sure they’re okay. If they need money, make sure they get it. If they need a place to stay, make sure they have it. But above all, if you ever feel they’re in danger, you protect them.”

  “You mean like a bodyguard?”

  “Yes, you seem like you can handle yourself pretty well.”

  “But why me? Why not hire a trained security detail?”

  “You can either hire a detail and manage them or do it yourself. Either way, I want to make sure they’re okay 24/7.”

  The thought of seeing Katie Lyn and the baby again warmed his heart. He wouldn’t dare say no.

  “Are you in?”

  “Of course.”

  So, he watched Katie Lyn from afar. Doing as he promised. To watch, but not interfere unless it was absolutely necessary. He was impressed with how little he had to do. Katie Lyn was no longer the shy, quiet, scared mother-to-be that showed up in the office that day. Like a butterfly, she transformed and now she was a shining new star. She did it all on her own.

  When Valerie McCann, the manager of Lipstick Outlaws, called the office needing an attorney to look over contracts, it was the opportunity Alec had been waiting for. The chance to see Katie Lyn in person again.