He’d seen more people writhing in pain than the current capacity of the hospital. The memories haunted him, and the final year he served was the worst.
If he knew he was expected to visit his brother before the birth, Mac would’ve driven up here instead, which would’ve ensured his arrival after the baby was born and avoided this situation.
The waiting room door opened and his brother, Linc, and his wife breezed in. “Next couple,” Lincoln said, teasing glint in in his eyes. “Oh, wait, sorry, my bad. You two aren’t a couple...so you say.”
He wasn’t in the mood. “One of these days you’ll remember,” he muttered. “Or I can smack you upside the head, if that’ll help.”
Stefanie smiled, but it wasn’t one of the brightest ones in her power, and a heaviness settled in his already knotted stomach. “I’d be happy to lend a hand in that, too, Mac.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Lincoln grinned.
“Don’t listen to him.” Ashley hugged him, then moved to hug Stefanie. “You go in and see your sister,” she said, then told them the room number and protocol to gain access to the birthing area.
His stomach roiled a little now. Christ. He had to walk past other rooms with women screaming in pain?
Sweat gathered between his shoulder blades. This weakness pissed him off. He forced steady breaths into his lungs. He could do this. These particular screams would lead to a happy outcome.
Not like his last mission, when he and the joint task force had been lured into a vacant building by the harrowing screams of his girlfriend. He could still hear Fiona’s shrieks and remember his blind fear that he wouldn’t reach her in time...and she’d die because of he failed to save her.
A shudder skittered down his body, while bile rose up his throat at the memory. Christ. He’d never get them out of his head—or her laughter when she realized they’d all fallen for her goddamn trap.
Stefanie stared at him, her gaze narrowing before a knowing expression smoothed her brow. “It’s all right, Mac. You don’t need to go in. I doubt I’m staying long, anyway.”
“Yeah.” Ashley nodded. “Chloe’s almost fully dilated, then you’ll get kicked out.”
“Nonsense,” his dad said. “He’ll be fine.”
His dad was right. The government had invested a ton of money in his ass, training him to cope with a multitude of dangerous situations, including torture. He could certainly get through a visit to a maternity ward. This bullshit with Fiona was just that—bullshit. No way in hell was he going to let that woman ruin any more of his life.
“Okay,” he said. He was doing this. Besides, it was just for a few minutes. The tightening in his chest and closing of his throat...that would all pass.
Stefanie nodded. “Then, let’s go, Uncle Mac.” She grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the waiting room but—bless her—didn’t let go the whole time she buzzed them through the security doors and walked with him down the corridor, where he only heard some cries muffled behind closed doors.
It wasn’t as bad as he’d thought.
She glanced sideways at him. “You okay?”
He nodded, his body less rigid, and air made it into his lungs a lot easier. “Thanks.”
He owed her.
“No problem. We’re only going to stay a minute or two.” She halted outside a partly closed door and let go of his arm before she entered. “We’re here,” she said, rushing to her sister’s bedside, while he shook his brother’s hand.
“Won’t be long now,” Logan said, nodding toward a machine hooked up to his wife. “Contractions are long and often, and both Chloe’s and Katie’s heart rates are good.”
Mac watched his brother’s mouth moving and vaguely heard his words, but the smells and sounds transported him from a clean birthing room to a crowded, chaotic triage where he was surrounded by men, women, children...his military brothers, fighting for their lives...all because he’d let a woman mess with his heart and head.
“...soon as the doctor checks.” Logan’s words drifted back into Mac’s mind, and he blinked the room back into focus.
“And I’d love a hug from my handsome security investigator brother-in-law,” Chloe said, smiling right at him, arms open wide.
He glanced briefly back to his brother, who mouthed the word “drugs,” and Mac smiled. That explained her extra-friendly attitude during labor. He moved to her bedside and hugged her. “You’re a lot more chipper than I expected.”
Chloe released him and grinned. “Drugs are great. So are epidurals.” She turned to Stefanie, who stood on the other side of the bed, now joined by his brother. Chloe smiled and patted her sister’s hand. “Remember that when you’re in labor. You’ll thank me. You both will.”
Both?
He met Stefanie’s gaze, and for an untethered, infinitesimal moment, his mind supplied an image of her in this bed, gazing warmly up at him, adoration shining in her eyes—and his child growing inside her.
A rush of primal emotions blasted through his chest, knocking his heart loose, and filling him with the fierce need to protect.
A second later, the image dissipated, and his brother’s quizzical expression came into focus. Fuck. Last thing he needed was his astute brother reading something into his momentary...coma. Mac lifted a brow, hoping his brother let it pass.
“Wow, those really are some good drugs,” Stefanie teased, her gaze now firmly back on her sister, amusement lifting the corners of her mouth. “Although, I’m not sure you and drugs are a good idea.”
Chloe laughed and waved a hand. “Relax. I couldn’t trip if I wanted to, on account of the fact I can’t feel anything from my boobs down.”
And that was a hell of a lot more information than Mac wanted to know, and he was grateful when the doctor walked in and sent him and Stefanie back to the waiting room.
An hour later, they all visited the new parents and their baby daughter in a different section of the hospital that allowed more visitors.
When Mac walked through those halls, he had no issues, no unwanted memories haunting his steps, just a healthy anticipation. Why the hell was it an issue before? What was the trigger?
The thought of hearing women screaming...
Yeah. That would do it.
But right now, only laughter met his ears, and a peaceful calm washed over him as he watched his family celebrate the birth of his niece. He’d just handed her off to Lincoln, who held the swaddled baby away from his body as if afraid he’d break her. Mac could relate. The same thoughts had run through his head when he’d held the tiny girl, but she’d slept through it all, and he’d survived unscathed.
Katie fussed, and the blood left his brother’s face.
“Okay, time you went back to...Aunt Stefanie,” Lincoln said, carefully giving the woman her niece, no doubt because she was the closest. “Come see Uncle Lincoln when you’re two. Then we can get into mischief together.”
Mac and Logan snickered.
His mother tsked. “You will not corrupt your niece.”
“Won’t have to, Mom.” His brother grinned. “Logan’s her dad. It’s already in her DNA.”
Mac’s chuckles joined the others rumbling through the room.
“True.” Logan smiled, walking over to kiss his little girl’s forehead, while her aunt held her. “And you have your mommy’s good looks.”
Chloe stopped wolfing down her quesadilla long enough to smile lovingly at her husband. “Awe, hun, that’s sweet. You’re going to make me cry over my food and I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“She definitely has her smile,” Stefanie said, her expression all soft and sweet while she gazed at the infant she cradled to her chest.
“As long as she doesn’t inherit my clumsy nature,” Chloe said.
Mac heard more laughter, but it faded into the background. His attention was still on Stefanie and how natural and comfortable she appeared holding Katie. She’d make a great mom. The thought whispered through his mind, then conjured up that earlier
image of her pregnant with his child.
His heart kicked the shit out of his ribs, and he inhaled and blinked the image away. It was unwanted, and unwarranted.
And he needed some air.
“Linc, Mac, let’s make a coffee run,” Logan said. “It’s free down the hall.”
His dad nodded. “Good idea, Son. Your mom and I can use a cup, right, Ellen?”
“Yes, I’d like some.” His mom smiled. “Thanks.”
“We’ll bring back some for everyone,” Lincoln said.
He nodded and left with them, grateful for the excuse to escape the sight of Stefanie holding a baby. Never even crossed his mind that it would be a damn issue. It shouldn’t be. So why the hell was it? And what the fuck was wrong with him today? He was acting like an emotional wuss.
Swallowing a curse, he followed his brothers into a room not much bigger than a broom closet with a row of cupboards and a countertop, and a small refrigerator. He grabbed several paper cups and handed them to Logan, who started filling them with coffee while Linc stayed by the door and out of the way to give them space.
Mac’s mind drifted back to his discontent and worked to find a reason. He’d been off-kilter today. Ever since...
“You slept with Stefanie, didn’t you?” Logan asked, pouring the last cup and knocking Mac’s heart into his ribs.
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
How the hell had he figured it out? They hadn’t talked about it in public...hell, they hadn’t even discussed it in private, so it wasn’t like his brothers overheard them.
“Don’t even bother to deny it, Bro,” Lincoln said, leaning against the closed door. “We know the signs.”
Logan nodded, arms folded across his chest. “Question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“Do?” He frowned. “I’m not going to do anything.”
“You’re not going to sleep with her again?” Linc asked, his brows disappearing into his scalp.
“No.” He shook his head, ignoring the disappointment flooding his gut at that admission. “It’d only just happened this morning.”
A smile spread across Logan’s face. “This morning? Sorry, Mac. Did my text interrupt things?”
He shook his head. “We were done—” Jesus...why the hell was he telling them this shit? “Look, it was a one-time deal type thing.”
Logan smirked. “That’s what you think.”
“Let it go,” he said, shoving his shoulders back and staring his brothers down. “And don’t say anything to your wives, either. Stefanie doesn’t deserve any talk.”
Linc shared a look with his twin and grinned. “I give him a week. What do you think, Logan?”
The idiot studied him through narrowed eyes. “Five days. Tops.”
Fuck.
The twin assholes weren’t going to let this go. He grabbed two cups of coffee and headed for the door. Wisely, Linc opened it and moved aside.
Instead of heading back the way he came, he went in the other direction. He needed a few minutes to recharge.
“Yo, Bro,” Linc called after him. “The room’s the other way,”
Mac turned to face him. “Gonna grab something from the vending machine. I’ll bring these in a minute,” he said, holding up the coffees. Since one was for him, he sipped it. Whoever was going to drink the other would have to wait a few minutes. And because something from vending actually sounded like a good idea, he headed for the waiting room where he’d seen a few machines.
It blew his mind that his brothers had clued into the fact that he’d slept with Stefanie. How the hell could they tell? It wasn’t like they were holding hands, or hanging all over each other. In fact, for most of their time here at the hospital they hadn’t even stood next to each other. He walked out of the secured area, and his mind replayed the visit, trying to spot whatever it was that had tipped his brothers off. Half of him argued to drop it. What’s done was done. The other half—the security investigator half—couldn’t drop it.
If an assignment called for him to go undercover, then he needed to figure out his tell. Whatever it was that had given him away. He’d obviously lost his Delta touch.
Approaching the windowed waiting room, he was surprised to see Stefanie inside. Her face was flushed, and fists were clench by her sides. Alarm trickled down his spine. She appeared to be having a heated discussion with a middle-aged woman and slightly younger man.
He stacked the coffees on top of each other and opened the door. The conversation ceased. “Is there a problem, Stefanie?” he asked, letting the strangers know he wasn’t one.
“No.” Stefanie shook her head, swiping her purse off a chair to sling it over her shoulder and hold the strap in a white-knuckled grip. “Everything’s fine.”
The woman’s nice clothes, neat appearance, and saccharine smile didn’t fool Mac. She was trouble. The term opportunistic bitch came to mind.
Instinct had him pulling his phone from his pocket and snapping their picture.
“No problem at all.” The woman’s smile increased, and an uneasiness settled over him. “We were just leaving.”
Mac waited until they were alone to turn and face Stefanie again. “What was that all about?”
She blew out a breath and shook her head again. “It’s not important. But I could use that coffee now.”
A smile tugged his lips as he handed her the untouched cup and watched her take a healthy sip. Tension melted off her body, relaxing her shoulders and smoothing the lines from her brow. Deciding he liked that look better and didn’t want to resurrect the tension, he didn’t press her about the couple.
“So,” he said, nodding toward the machines. “What looks good?”
She shrugged. “I’m always partial to a Snickers bar myself,” she said, holding one up. “But I got the last one. Sorry.” Then she left the room.
Despite what his brothers thought, they were wrong. It took two to tango, and last he’d checked, Stefanie had already moved on. There were no lingering looks, or brushes of hand, or blatant, “I changed my mind, Mac. You were great. Let’s do it again,” coming from her.
In fact, the only vibe he was getting from her was the friend-zone kind.
His stomach bunched. He ignored it, because friend-zone worked for him. It was what he wanted.
At least, it had been before their wild ride in the back of the chopper. He straightened his spine and his resolve. That ride was exactly why it needed to stay a one-time thing.
Now, he just needed to get his libido to agree.
Chapter Nine
Sunday afternoon, Stefanie sat at the Texas Pub, enjoying a burger and fries with her friends. She didn’t know what kind of spices Kerri used on the meat, but the burgers were addicting.
“I swear, I’m going to gain ten pounds a month, living above this place,” Abby said between bites of her Cajun burger, obviously harboring a similar addiction. “But right now, I don’t care.”
Mel nodded, digging into her chicken enchiladas. “I’m right there with you.”
“Yeah, Kerri’s dangerous to our weight, but a great friend to our palates.” She smiled. “I’ve been dreaming of this for three days, now.”
“I’m sure visiting your niece was worth it.” Abby grinned. “She’s adorable.”
Stefanie nodded, scrolling through photos on her phone that she’d shared with her friends before their food had arrived. “I agree. It was tough to leave her, but since I’d already extended my stay a few days, it was time to get back here.”
Her original plan had been to fly back with Mac on Friday but running into her damn stepmother at the hospital had thrown her for a loop. And alarmed her. How the hell had the woman known about Chloe’s baby? Katie had only been a few hours old. It hadn’t been public knowledge.
So when her sister had asked her to stay a little longer, she did, and did some snooping around to find her stepmother and her latest sugar daddy were living two towns over from Comfort. There was nothing comforting a
bout the woman being so close to Chloe.
Last they knew, Naomi was still living in Nevada. Stefanie hated that she was back in Texas, and trying to worm her way back into their lives. She didn’t want to taint the McCalls with this crap. She had sort of a clean slate going, without the negative people from her past taking part in it. And she wanted to keep it that way.
She wanted to shield Chloe from it for a few weeks, so Stefanie didn’t tell her sister or Logan. They were in new parents’ mode and didn’t need this worry to dampen such a special time. No way would she ruin that, or let Naomi ruin it right now.
But she also couldn’t just leave and come back here, four hours away, too far to help in a pinch.
So she told Lincoln. And only Lincoln. He’d wanted her to inform Mac, but unless the guy was going to move back up there, he would be no help, either. Even a forty-minute chopper ride could turn out to be too far to get there in time if there was an actual incident. She and Chloe had long since grown past the age where Naomi could use their dependency against them. Her game had always been to use the legal guardian crap as blackmail to get them to do what she wanted. But that had ended on their eighteenth birthdays, so Naomi had no hold on them anymore.
Besides, it was possible their run-in was just a coincidence.
Naomi claimed she was at the hospital visiting a sick friend on the same floor but different department and happened to see her in the waiting room through the glass windows. Stefanie had verified the “sick” friend’s name with admissions and was semi-relieved.
Only semi, because it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out Chloe was the reason why Stefanie had been in the maternity ward waiting room, or that it meant Chloe lived nearby if she was using that hospital.
Unease shivered down Stefanie’s spine.
“You okay?” Mel frowned. “You normally start licking your plate by now.”
She pushed her disquiet aside and snickered. It was true. She’d gotten a little slack in her eating by letting her stepmother consume her thoughts. “Just pacing myself.”
Abby sat back with a sigh and raised a brow. “Is that the trick?”
Mac (HC Heroes Series, #1) Page 10