by Pandora Pine
“I’m sorry I lost my shit back there.” Ronan took his coat from Ten. Cole helped him into it. “I know exactly what to do when a dirtbag is pointing a gun at me, but when Em’s water broke, I had no clue what to do even though we took a class and went over the plan at least a hundred times. I just froze and then freaked out.”
“It’s okay, Ronan. When Everly’s older and we tell her the birthday story, she’s going to laugh like hell at the part of the story when Daddy Ronan lost his shit.” Ten snorted. He gave Carson and Cole brief hugs and smacked a kiss against Ronan’s lips. “Come on, Daddy Ronan. Let’s not keep our girl waiting.”
“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Carson called.
Ronan held up a hand to wave.
“Oh good, Mom. You’re ready to go too.” Ten smiled at his mother. Kaye had been in Salem since Thanksgiving. She’d been staying across the street with Greeley.
“Is Ronan going to be okay? He seems nervous enough for all of us put together.” She set a hand on Tennyson’s arm.
“He’ll be fine, Mom. Maybe you could watch out for him today. It’s going to be hard for him with his mom not being here. You know?” Ten had been dropping hints like that for a few weeks now, trying to get Kaye to be closer to Ronan. She’d become more accepting of the fact that her only son was married to a man, but still had a bit of a way to go.
Kaye nodded absently and headed out the door.
Ten walked outside into a winter wonderland. Truman had been right. There was a lot more snow out here than he’d been aware of. Ten moved quickly down the street to where the warmed-up SUV was waiting for them. Thank goodness Kevin and Greeley had been shoveling the sidewalk and stairs as the morning had gone on. Ten would guess there was about six inches of new snow already stacked up. Helping his mother into the backseat, he hauled himself next to her. “Ready to go, Cap.” Emilyn was sitting in the front seat with Kevin, while Ronan and Greeley were in the third row.
“I called the hospital to let them know we were coming, Tennyson.” Kevin looked up at him in the rearview mirror before he pulled out into the street. “The contractions are close together.” His voice was barely above a whisper. It was obvious he didn’t want Ronan to hear what he was saying.
Ten knew what Kevin was trying to tell him without going into greater detail. The baby was going to be here sooner rather than later. While they’d been going through Lamaze classes, they’d watched movies about labor that had lasted over twenty-four hours. He remembered Ronan rolling his eyes and talking about how anxious he’d be for the baby to just hurry up and get there. It was starting to look like his antsy husband was going to get his wish. Ten just hoped Everly wasn’t going to make her grand entrance in the front seat of Fitzgibbon’s SUV. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Kevin if he’d ever delivered a baby in his thirty years on the Boston Police Force, but he didn’t want Ronan to overhear the question.
“We should be there in a few minutes,” Kevin said quietly, flipping his blinker on and pulling out into the street.
“I remember what it was like the day you were born, Tennyson.” Kaye turned to look at her son.
To the best of his recollection, Ten had never heard this story before. He hoped to hell it ended with Kaye getting to the hospital in plenty of time to deliver him safe and sound. He was born in June, so at least he knew there wasn’t going to be a blizzard involved in this story anywhere unless it involved Kaye telling David to stop for one at the local Union Chapel Dairy Queen on the way to the hospital in Severance. “Oh, yeah?”
“It was a beautiful Saturday in June. The sun was shining and it was hot as blazes. I knew it was time to go to the hospital and your father was in the garden. He asked me if I could wait until he was finished weeding his tomatoes.” Kaye laughed.
Emilyn snorted from the front seat. “I’m glad it isn’t gardening season. I would have had to kick Ronan for saying that. Are we almost there, Kev?” All traces of laughter were gone from her voice. She sounded anxious now.
Kevin turned the wipers on high. “We’re getting there. Just a few more minutes.”
Ten didn’t want to point out that Kevin had said those same words a few minutes ago. He knew they were going slow because of how fast the snow was falling. There was about a mile to go until they got to the hospital. “Did Dad finish weeding the tomatoes? Or did he drop everything to get us to the hospital?” All Ten could think to do was keep Kaye talking and hope the story would keep Em’s mind off the possibility of delivering the baby in the car in the middle of a snowstorm.
“Oh, my goodness, no. He ran into the house and washed his hands. Then he ran out to the car and left me standing in the living room with my bag.” Kaye started to laugh. She turned around to reach out a hand to Ronan.
Ronan snorted. “He left for the hospital without you and Tennyson.”
“Ronan, he was halfway down the driveway before he realized I wasn’t with him. David burst through the front door a few seconds later blushing and out of breath. Thankfully, that was the most eventful part of the day. A few hours later, I was holding my little bundle of joy in my arms.” Kaye set a hand on Emilyn’s shoulder. “You will be too, sweetheart.”
Ten saw Emilyn grimace. “That’s a nice story, Kaye, but I don’t think my little jelly bean is going to wait a few more hours.”
There was a flash of pain in Ten’s right shoulder. “What does she mean little miss won’t wait a few more hours?” Ronan’s voice was low and terrified.
Turning in his seat, Ten looked at Ronan. His eyes were the size of dinner plates. “Em’s saying she thinks the baby is going to come fast. Have you ever delivered a baby before?” He couldn’t believe that in all the time they’d been planning for the arrival of their baby that Ten had never asked this question.
Ronan shook his head no. “Tony and I had a close call once, but the ambulance got there in the nick of time. I think Kevin’s done it once though, but that was a long time ago.”
That didn’t make Tennyson feel any better. He could only pray that it was like muscle memory, once you did it for the first time it was something you never forgot how to do.
“Here’s the sign for the hospital, guys.” Kevin said. “I’m going to pull up to the door and let you all get out. I’ll park the car and find you later.”
“Thank Jesus,” Emilyn grunted.
Ten was ready to hop out of the SUV the second Fitzgibbon put it in park. He was around helping Em out of her seat as quickly as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kevin sprint toward the hospital doors and assumed he was going to get a nurse or a wheelchair for Emilyn.
Ronan piled out of the car a second later with the bags just as Fitzgibbon and a nurse were hurrying back toward them. The nurse took Em from Tennyson and moved quickly toward the ER doors. Ten turned around to find Ronan behind him and Greeley with Kaye bringing up the rear. He never felt so relieved as he did when they got inside the hospital and away from the slippery snow and ice.
The nurse in pink scrubs got Emilyn settled into a wheelchair and moved them all toward the bank of elevators. “There’s intake paperwork I’ll need you to fill out while we’re getting Miss Cassidy settled into the delivery suite.”
“I don’t know if their daughter is going to wait that long.” Em let out a low moan and started doing her Lamaze breathing.
Ten knew that wasn’t a good sign. This baby was coming now. Everly must be in a God-awful hurry to meet everyone. Not that he was in a mood to slow her down. He was sure the paperwork could wait until later, but he knew how hospitals were about making sure they got paid.
“Here we are, the maternity ward.” There were other nurses waiting to take over. They wheeled Emilyn to an open birthing suite.
“Give us a few minutes to get her into bed and we’ll be back for you. Congrats, Daddies.” The maternity nurse shut the door behind them.
“Wow!” Greeley tugged his coat off and set it on a nearby couch. “Here, Grandma Kaye. Let me he
lp you with your jacket. Talk about things happening at the speed of light.”
Ten shrugged out of his coat and helped Ronan do the same thing. He could feel the adrenaline surging through his system. That was the scariest ride Tennyson had ever been through in his life. He hoped the ride to the hospital was going to be the most eventful part of the day.
“I’m looking for Ronan O’Mara and Tennyson Grimm.” A nurse wearing a scrub top with kittens walked toward them.
“That’s us.” Ronan pointed back and forth between himself and Tennyson.
“I just need to see photo ID’s and I can give you your wristbands. Your daughter will get one to match yours.” She was smiling brightly at both of them.
Ten dug his wallet out of his back pocket. He handed over his driver’s license and saw that Ronan was doing the same thing.
“Great, here you go.” The nurse put the wristbands on each of them. “Congratulations, guys.”
The door to Emilyn’s birthing room opened. “Okay, Dads-to-be. Hurry up or you’re going to miss the show.”
Ronan’s mouth hung open in shock. He looked almost scared to go into the room.
“Come on.” Ten grabbed Ronan’s arm and pulled him toward the room. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for.”
“What if I’m not the father she deserves, Ten?” Ronan wiped his sweating hands on the back of his pants.
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Ronan. You’re already perfect.” Ten took his arm and led him into the room. There was another nurse in there who was ready to put gowns and booties on both of them. The doctor was sitting on a low stool in front of Emilyn.
“How’s it going, Em?” Ronan asked. His voice was shaking.
“She’s ready to come out and meet you, Ronan. Come hold my hand.” Em reached out for him.
Ronan did as she asked. “I’ve got you, honey. This is going to be a piece of cake. You’re so strong and beautiful.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.
Ten moved to Emilyn’s right side. He took her other hand and tried to focus on calming down and bringing as much positive energy into the room as he could. Movement to his right caught his eye. Bertha Craig and Erin O’Mara were standing off to the side holding each other and crying. He was so glad to see them. He couldn’t wait to tell Ronan later that both women were here for them and Everly.
“On the next contraction I want you to push, just like we talked about,” the doctor said.
“Oh, goddess, here it comes.” Emilyn wore a determined look on her face.
Tennyson kept his eyes on Em as she pushed through the contraction.
“Baby’s out. It’s a girl!” the doctor crowed. She held up the baby before going to work cleaning her up and suctioning out her mouth and nose.
A tiny cry broke the silence in the room.
“There she is.” Tennyson started to cry along with his newborn daughter. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard in his life. It was strong and fierce, just her mother.
The doctor set the baby down on Emilyn’s chest. Em wrapped her arms around Everly. Her fingers brushed over the wet strands of reddish hair on her head.
Ronan knelt by the side of the bed, reaching a finger out to brush down the side of the infant’s face. “Hello, beautiful,” he whispered. Tears of joy were streaming down his face.
Ten was frozen. He could feel his own tears cascading down his face. The moment he’d longed for was finally here. He was a father. He stood by and watched as the doctor took the baby back from Emilyn. She was cleaned up and weighed. Her footprints and handprints were taken. She was diapered and swaddled. The doctor walked to Tennyson and offered the baby to him. “Here you go, Daddy.”
Ten didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. He looked down at the tiny infant who was staring up at him with her milky blue eyes. “Hello, Everly.” It was all he could think to say. After all the time he’d spent talking to her little soul and to Emilyn’s belly, those were the only words he could think to say in the first moments that they were meeting in person.
Ronan walked up to them. He slipped his arm around Tennyson and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “There’s our little miss. She’s staring up at you like she recognizes you, Ten.”
“She knows who we both are. Look, she’s staring at you now.” Ten watched while Ronan stared down at their baby girl. “We’re finally a family. We’re whole.”
The baby squirmed a bit to work a hand out of the swaddling. The tiny hand came up toward Ten’s face.
“She’s pointing at you, Ten,” Ronan whispered.
“No,” Ten whispered. “She’s pointing at our special guests. Bertha and Erin are here too. They were here when she was born.”
“What do they think of our little girl?”
Ten turned to look back at the beaming grandmothers. “Bertha’s crying too hard to answer and Erin says Everly is the spitting image of you.”
Nodding, Ronan held Tennyson tighter. “I love you so much, Ten. I love you too, Everly Erin. Do you think I can hold her now?”
Ten started to laugh. “You know I’m gonna hog that baby, right? I never want to let her go now that I’ve got her in my arms.”
“Hand her over, Ten. Don’t make me arrest you.” Ronan laughed.
Pressing a tender kiss to the infant’s head, Ten passed her over to Ronan. He stood back while Ronan brought her over to Emilyn’s bed. He could swear he could hear Ronan singing to their daughter. He could be wrong, but it almost sounded like he was singing the words to Always and Forever. Taking a deep breath, Ten pulled out his phone and hit record.
GHOST DETECTIVES JUDE BYRNE AND COPELAND FORBES RETURN IN BOOK TWO OF THE HAUNTED SOULS SERIES, GHOST STORY, AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER!
Newly-minted Ghost Detective, Jude Byrne, finally has his life in order. He’s got a job he loves, friends he can count on, and a partner he actually likes. Jude’s only problem is the growing attraction between himself and his partner. He knows nothing will sink their partnership quicker than giving in to those urges.
Psychic, Copeland Forbes, is settling nicely into Salem, Massachusetts. He and Jude have formed the perfect partnership, with the former P.I. researching the history of the places they are hired to investigate, while it’s Cope’s job to communicate with the spirits they encounter to either move them on to the other side or work out an amicable arrangement with the people now living in their home. So far, the duo has a perfect record and completely satisfied customers.
The detectives’ record is put to the test when teenager, Xavier Lewis, parks his bike outside West Side Magick and asks if Jude and Cope’s fee can be paid via weekly installments of his allowance money. When Jude tells the boy it all depends on the story he has to tell, neither detective is prepared for the tale that spills out of Xavier’s mouth. When the boy tells them about a ghostly woman in white that he thinks is trying to kill him, Jude and Copeland are all in.
The partners soon discover that not all ghosts can be reasoned with and that the risks of dealing with the paranormal are very real indeed. Will the Ghost Detectives be able to solve the mystery of the woman in white or will they become the next victims in her ghost story?
GHOST STORY IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK AND KINDLE UNLIMITED.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N64MR2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548645775&sr=8-1&keywords=Ghost+Story+pandora+pine
COLD CASE DETECTIVE FAULKNER HAYES, FEATURED IN DEAD MAN WALKING AND DEAD TO THE WORLD STARS IN HIS OWN COLD CASE PSYCHIC SPIN OFF NOVELLA, TINY DANCER. AVAILABLE NOW FOR PREORDER!
Museum Curator, Riordan Quinn, is still reeling from the tragic death of his husband a year ago. He knows life must go on for him and his two young daughters, and the first step is a dance recital for Isla, his oldest child. Things start to go awry the morning of the dance when the ballerina can’t find part of her costume. The day goes from bad to worse when his tiny dancer refuses to go onstage and dance with her class.
Sitting in the audience, Cold Cas
e Detective, Faulkner Hayes, can’t believe his eyes when a handsome man runs up onstage at his niece’s dance recital and starts dancing with his young daughter, who’s suffering an obvious bout of stage fright. He’s stunned a second time when he finds out that the dancing man is the father of his niece’s best friend. Thrown together later at a party, Faulkner realizes Riordan is tailor-made for him. He’s just not sure what the protocol is for courting recently widowed men.
When Faulk makes his move and asks Riordan out, strange things start to happen. Is it just coincidence or the spirit of Riordan’s husband not giving his blessing to this fledgling relationship?
There’s only one man who can settle this question once and for all. When things seem darkest for Riordan and Faulk, Tennyson Grimm steps in to decipher what Stephen Walker-Quinn is really trying to say to his surviving husband and his tiny dancers.
TINY DANCER IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK AND KINDLE UNLIMITED!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N5F1F4H/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548645759&sr=8-1&keywords=tiny+dancer+pandora+pine
KISSING BOOTH, A COLD CASE PSYCHIC SPIN OFF NOVELLA, FEATURING GRANGER GALLOWAY AND HIGHLANDER LENNOX MACARTHUR, IS AVAILABLE AS PART OF THE VALENTINE’S INC SERIES!
Newspaper reporter, Granger Galloway, is in charge of the Valentine’s Bazaar, an annual fundraiser for the LGBTQ community of Salem, Massachusetts. This year, no one has volunteered to man the Bazaar’s hottest attraction: The Kissing Booth. After being turned down by every gay and straight man he knows, Granger does the unthinkable and hires the pros at Valentine’s Inc. to send him the perfect fake boyfriend to man the booth. The problem now is how to explain the hunk kissing the mayor’s lips off in the kissing booth is a Rent-A-Hunk!
Lennox MacArthur looks like a model straight off the cover of a Highland romance novel, kilt and all. When he’s hired by Granger to man the kissing booth for charity, he figures it will be an easy gig. He never counted on losing his heart to the awkwardly adorable reporter. His conundrum is that he’s kissing every cop, fireman, witch, bored housewife, and granny in town except the one man who stole his heart on sight.