One Hundred Goodbyes (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 9)

by Kelly Collins

  Thomas held her hand while she squeezed.

  “You’ve got quite the grip.”

  She turned to him. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry. It’s just …”

  Doc pulled the sheet over her legs. “There’s good and bad news,” he said with a smile. “Bad news is you aren’t going to make it to the hospital if that’s where you wanted to have your baby. I could call an ambulance, but you’d probably have the little one on the way.”

  “And the good news?” Thomas asked.

  “You’re going to be one of those women made for having babies. Short, hard labor, but I’d bet in less than an hour you’re going to be a mom.”

  She didn’t have time to react because another contraction seized her. Thomas moved his head so his chin rested on her shoulder and his lips were near her ear. “Let’s breathe through it, sweetheart. We’ll do this together.”

  That’s how the next forty minutes went. Thomas helped her breathe through every pain. He held her hand but never complained when she nearly broke his fingers. When it came time to push, he lifted her up, supporting her back while she bore down.

  “Almost, Eden,” Sage said. “Another two pushes and you can meet your baby.”

  Doc looked at both of them. “Up to you, Eden, but where do you want Thomas?”

  “With me all the way. We’re a team.”

  “I can see that, but my question is, do you want him to help deliver your child? I know he’s done it before. Could make it special for the two of you.”

  She looked up at him. Was that hope in his eyes? Did he want to help deliver the baby? She flagged him closer. Her words were only for him. “Do you want to deliver the baby?”

  He smiled at her. His eyes full of love and emotion. “I’d love to deliver our baby.”

  Her heart hitched in her chest. The squeeze was so hard it took her breath away.

  “I never imagined the first time you’d see me naked it would be like this.”

  “But I should stay here and be with you. Let’s experience this together.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’ve told you before. You are the most beautiful woman I know. You were yesterday. You are today, and you will be tomorrow.”

  The next pain built. It crawled down her spine to twist her core.

  He never let go of her. His lips were a whisper in her ear. “You’ve got this, baby. One more good push.”

  “Yes, let’s make this a good one,” Sage whispered. She stood back and prepared for the handoff.

  Eden pushed to the count of ten while Thomas supported her back.

  “Oh, sweetheart. The baby has a full head of hair.” His voice was full of wonder.

  The next contraction came like a lightning bolt. “This is it, Eden,” Sage coached. “Give us a big push.”

  She sucked in a breath and counted in her head. One. Two. Three. Four. On number five the pressure was gone, and the wail of her baby moved through the room.

  She let out a sigh of relief.

  “You have a perfect baby boy,” Doc said.

  She lifted on her elbows to see him.

  Doc wiped what looked like cold cream from his skin and laid him on her chest. His crying stopped immediately. It was as if he sensed her and knew he was safe and at home. His ear pressed against her breasts while his tiny mouth rooted around.

  “Can I cut the cord?” Thomas asked.

  She looked at him and saw the tears in his eyes. This was an emotional moment for him. She saw him glance at the door as if expecting a man to rush in and claim the baby, but Eden knew that would never happen.

  “Yes, Thomas. Cut the cord and make him ours.” It seemed to her that while the baby was attached to her, he’d be hers, but the minute the tie was severed he’d become theirs. No matter what happened in the future, whether Thomas remained in her life as a friend or maybe more, this moment would be important because without him, she’d be lost. He was her lifeline. Her thread to safety. Her connection to happiness. Thomas would always own her heart.

  “Do you have a name for the baby?” Sage took him and cleaned him up. She weighed him and swaddled him and handed him back to Eden.

  She looked at Thomas and then at Doc Parker. “His name is Thomas Parker.”

  “That’s a mighty fine name,” Doc said. “Sage tells me you’re breastfeeding, so let’s get Thomas to take the teat.”

  When Eden looked at Thomas, the big burly man beside her, she saw him blush.

  Sage showed her how to get the baby to latch on and once he did, she walked to the door. “I’m going to give you a few minutes to get acquainted.” She turned and walked out, leaving them alone.

  “You named him after me?”

  With one hand cradling the baby, she reached up to cup his cheek. “I can’t think of another man who is more worthy than you. If he grows up with a tenth of your kindness and compassion, he’ll be a better man than most.”

  “Eden, I love you.”

  She smiled. “I love you, too.”

  The words were out. They were everything she wanted to hear and feel and say.

  He looked down at the baby nursing.

  “I’m a bit jealous.” He cupped baby Thomas’s head. “I’ve been obsessed with your breasts from the first day I met you and never have my lips been on them.”

  “I’ll feed you later,” she said.

  “Promise?”

  “I never lie.”

  There was more to that declaration than a promise to let him suckle her breasts. She knew, and by the smile that softened his face, he knew it too.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Thomas

  Three blissful weeks had passed, and loving Eden and the baby had become first nature to Thomas because second nature was too far removed.

  He sat on the edge of the bed and stared at how beautiful she was. Her hair curtained her face. Her lips looked so damn full and kissable. It was the only thing they’d done, but a day without a kiss from Eden was like a lifetime without sunshine.

  Clearly feeling his presence, she stirred and opened her eyes.

  “Good morning.” With a sweep of her hand, she brushed the remaining hair from her face.

  “Morning beautiful.” He cradled Tommy in his arms. They’d decided to shorten the name to avoid confusion. Looking at the boy, it was hard to imagine anyone not wanting him; then again, Eden’s sister hadn’t had the honor of staring perfection in the face. Now he had both Eden and Tommy.

  She lifted her hand to play with his tiny toes. “Look at you two. I’m the luckiest woman alive.”

  God, her smile was captivating. He’d never tire of it.

  “Nope, Tommy and I are smitten with Mommy.”

  She set her hand on his thigh and stared up at him with eyes that no doubt held love and gratitude. Misplaced thankfulness that traveled in the wrong direction.

  A couple of months ago, he was content to sit in the house and watch a big screen TV while life moved forward at a pace far too fast to comprehend.

  “Did he eat?”

  “I fed him, burped him and changed him. He’s happy.”

  After a week of every two-hour feedings, Eden had started pumping her milk so he could help.

  He told her it was a wise move so she could sleep and that was part of it, but his motives were selfish. He loved sitting in the rocking chair that had magically shown up on his porch the day after Tommy was born. He’d cradle the baby in his arms while Tommy stared up at him. Those eyes of his were mesmerizing.

  “Do you have to work today?”

  “I do, but I’ll stop in when I can.”

  Wouldn’t it be great to be independently wealthy? He couldn’t complain; he had enough money to live comfortably. Enough to provide a comfortable life for Eden and Tommy. All he needed to do was convince them both that life with him was worth it.

  She shimmied up to lean against the headboard. Her oversized nightgown hung off her shoulders to reveal the fullness of her breasts. Breasts he’d seen a thousand times in the la
st few weeks and not once had touched but desperately wanted to.

  “Tommy and I are going to work too.”

  Porkchop hopped on the bed and sauntered on the fringe. She wasn’t certain how this wiggly little boy fit into the mix, but both he and Eden made sure to give her extra pets each day to make sure she didn’t feel neglected.

  “You know I’m happy to take care of you both.”

  She lifted her hand to cup his cheek. “You’re a good man, Thomas. A saint really, but I need to take care of myself too. It was my decision to have this baby all the way from the beginning, and it doesn’t matter if I took a detour. I’m more than happy to go to work.” She giggled. “I can’t really call it work since all I do is ogle Tommy and answer the phones.”

  “Pretty sweet job.” He understood her need to be independent. She’d just been taught that people can’t be trusted. Her sister should have been the one Eden could depend on, but she’d turned her back on her. “You talk to your mom?”

  “She’s over the moon. Expects me to send her a picture each day so she can see how much he grows.”

  He hated to ask, but there was always a fear that her sister would change her mind. “Any word from Suzanne and Brady?” Funny how he was on a first name basis with them but how could he not be? They’d put the woman he loved in a bad situation. She willingly and without pay rented out her womb for the love she craved, the family she so badly wanted, and they abandoned her when she was at her most vulnerable. When she was homeless, next to broke, and eight months pregnant.

  “No, then again, I blocked her number, but Mom hasn’t said anything about her.” Her eyes fell at the same time as her smile. “She’s really missing out.” Eden shrugged. “Wouldn’t matter at this point. I’d never give him up.”

  He was happy to hear that because some part of him thought if Suzanne came back and demanded the baby, Eden would do what she thought was right. Somewhere in her beautiful, kind mind, she’d justify that Tommy would never be here if it wasn’t for Suzanne and her fleeting desire to be a mom.

  “I’ll never give either of you up.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss. “You want to shower?”

  Her brows lifted. “Together?”

  He chuckled. “Don’t tease me. I’m a mere mortal.”

  “Hard to believe.”

  He looked down at his growing erection and shook his head. “I’ll make coffee. Tommy and I will be in the kitchen waiting for you.”

  She slid off the bed, her T-shirt skimming the tops of her thighs. How she, in the course of three weeks, had slimmed down to her current size he didn’t know. Eden pregnant was a turn on. Eden not pregnant was a damn wet dream. One he was certain he experienced nightly tucked up next to her body.

  She complained about her soft stomach and wide hips, but all he saw was perfection.

  Fifteen minutes later, dressed in jeans and an off-the-shoulder sweater, she walked into the kitchen smelling of cotton candy.

  “Decaf the way you like it with a half a cow’s daily production of cream and two scoops of sugar.”

  “Hey, I have to have some kind of vice. I gave up my daily box of candies.”

  “You didn’t have to. I liked being able to put that smile on your face.”

  She sipped her coffee then looked over her shoulder at her bottom.

  “Have you seen my ass?”

  Wrong thing to ask him. “Yes, and it’s perfect.” He’d seen it. Copped a feel at night when they were spooned together. Fantasized about the moment when her flesh would fill his palms.

  “You need an eye exam.”

  He glanced over at Tommy, who was asleep in his carrier. It was perfect timing to bask in the warm glow of her sunny kisses. He moved both of their bodies until she was pinned against the kitchen counter. “I see you. Always have. Always will. Now kiss me so I can have the taste of you on my lips for the rest of the day.”

  He gripped her hips and lifted her. Normally he’d set her on the counter and practically kiss her face off but today he shifted away from the granite, which forced her to either hang like a rag doll in his hands or wrap her legs around his waist.

  “I’m going to wrinkle your uniform.”

  “I don’t care. All I care about is this moment, wrinkles be damned.” He pressed his mouth to hers and everything else evaporated. He wanted so much more, but this was enough for now.

  Their kisses were the equivalent of making love. Nothing innocent about the way she let him in. The way she coaxed his heart to open. The way his whole body responded to the touch and taste of her. Months ago, he wouldn’t have believed a kiss could change everything about his life, but Eden had. She’d brought him hope and love and Tommy.

  A sharp rap on the door separated them. The sound was so loud Tommy startled, throwing his arms to the side. His eyes shot open wide and his lips quivered before he split the air with a cry.

  “I’ll get him, you go see who’s pounding down the door,” Eden said.

  Thomas left them in the kitchen and stalked toward the door ready to do battle. Everyone in town knew they had a newborn. Besides, it wasn’t even eight in the morning. Polite visitors called after nine. At least in Aspen Cove they did. Most people were like ninjas and spirited away after leaving tokens of their support on the porch. Not a day went by where a package of diapers, or wipes, or a basket of fresh muffins didn’t arrive. That was the beauty of the town and its people. They didn’t need to be seen to be valued. No words were expected. The gifts came from a different place. They came from the heart. A bold statement that said you are part of a community. He was so grateful to have found this little slice of heaven in the mountains of Colorado.

  When he flung the door open, he didn’t face anyone he knew. Somewhere deep inside a feeling of dread bubbled inside him. Maybe it was the suit. The crazy tie that said, “I’m an asshole,” in bright red. This was a man that wanted to be noticed, and he wasn’t delivering diapers.

  “Can I help you?” Thomas hardly recognized the tone of his voice. It was deep and imposing. He hoped it conveyed a don’t mess with me vibe.

  “I’m looking for an Eden Webster. I’m told she is residing here.”

  Thomas glanced behind him to watch Eden inch toward the door with Tommy cradled in her arms.

  As much as Thomas wanted to protect her, to stand in the doorway and not let this man even glance at what had become irrevocably his, he knew she’d heard him mention her name.

  “I’m Eden.” Just a whisper moved past her lips. She inched into the small space beside him. Looking at the baby and back at him, she lifted Tommy into Thomas’s arms. “Can I help you?”

  The smarmy man smiled as he pulled an envelope from his pocket. “You’ve been served.”

  He spun on his wingtips and strode down the walkway.

  Thomas stood in the doorway with Tommy held close to his chest. He stayed there until the man climbed into his sedan and disappeared.

  It wasn’t until a gasp from Eden pulled his attention back.

  “She wants the baby back.”

  If he hadn’t been holding on to Tommy, Thomas would have collapsed to his knees. This was the way of his life. Get a taste of something wonderful only to have it ripped out of his grasp.

  He marched over to Eden and somehow managed to hug her while holding the baby. “Not gonna happen, sweetheart. I just got you, and I’m not ready to give either of you up.”

  He made a silent pledge right there that this time he’d fight to the death for Eden and their baby.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Eden

  Eden stumbled to the couch and collapsed.

  “They want the baby. They are taking me to court to get him back.” She was too upset to produce the tears she wanted to shed.

  Thomas took a seat beside her, all the while cradling Tommy in his arms. This was where the baby belonged. He needed a man like Thomas to raise him. A man who would cherish him and appreciate him for everything he would be and wouldn’t be. She knew tha
t Thomas would guide their boy to be a man like him and if he wanted to weave baskets for a living, he’d support that as much as a career in public service.

  “Did you tell her you had the baby?”

  She shook her head. “No, we haven’t spoken. I blocked her number, remember?”

  He ran his palm over Tommy’s hair and smoothed it down. Despite all the commotion, he’d fallen asleep because he felt safe and secure and cared for.

  “She knew your due date so she would assume you had him. Maybe she’s feeling deserter’s remorse.”

  Eden hopped off the couch and raced to the kitchen for her phone. “No. She’s been talking to my mother.” She dialed her mom’s number. Didn’t care what time it was in Japan.

  When her mother answered, she cried, “How could you?” She put her on speaker so she wouldn’t have to repeat everything for Thomas.

  “Eden, what’s wrong?”

  “You told Suzanne I had the baby.”

  “Well, of course I did. She’s an aunt. She should know.”

  Thomas groaned. “It’s more complicated than that,” he said aloud. “She’s now suing Eden for custody.”

  Silence filled the room. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”

  “You sent her a picture, didn’t you?”

  Her non-response was the answer. “He’s such a beautiful child.”

  “He’s my child, Mom. She doesn’t get to return him and then ask for him back.”

  “Now, honey, it’s a complicated situation. You wouldn’t have him if not for Suzanne.”

  She knew it was true, but it didn’t matter. If she’d followed through with what Suzanne had asked of her, the baby would be in someone else’s care and the likelihood of getting him back would be nil.

  “No, Mom, he wouldn’t be here if not for me. I’m fighting to keep him. I’m not asking you to choose sides, but dammit, why does she always get what she wants?”

  Her mother sighed. “Because your sister never understood the word no.”

  She shook from her toes to her head. “No, it’s because no one ever told her no including me, but that’s changing.”