“But what if—”
“No!” I interrupted. “You have it now—everything you ever wanted. And Quinn is going to be just fine.”
She didn’t reply. No words were needed as her silent fears mingled with my desperate prayers. And together, we waited.
Chapter 3
“Quinn’s perfect, buttercup. All washed up, weighed, and measured. Five pounds, six ounces, and eighteen inches long. Our lil’ boy may be small, but he’s a hell of a screamer.”
“R-really?” Hilary’s voice cracked in disbelief. “He’s healthy?”
“Yes, baby, he’s perfect,” Caleb reassured her. “Just a little too eager to come out and play, that’s all.”
“Told ya,” I chimed in, squeezing her hand one final time before moving out of their way to stand beside Logan. His hand snaked around my waist, gripping my hip as he congratulated my best friend.
Hilary sat up, her legs flying over the side of the bed. “I want to see him!”
“I know, baby. And you will, in a few.” Caleb lifted her legs back onto the bed. “Nurses said they’d be down within the hour to take you.”
“An hour?” She looked appalled, trying again to stand despite Caleb blocking her every attempt. With a huff, she squinted her eyes at him. “He’s my son. I want to see him now!”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“I’m lovin’ the mama-bear vibe, but I’m not letting you out of this bed till the nurses are ready. Got me?” Caleb was all smiles as he gently urged her to lie back down.
“No, I don’t got you.”
“We’ll go check on him,” I offered, breaking into their standoff.
“Not necessary, but thank you. I have it handled,” Caleb said, his eyes never leaving Hilary. He brushed his hand across her cheek and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, speaking softly to her. “Rest for me—for him—and then we’ll go together.”
Hilary relaxed visibly. “I don’t want him to be alone.”
“He’s not,” Logan cut in. “Julia and Luke are in with him.”
“See? Now sleep. You need it,” Caleb pressed. This time, Hilary nodded, allowing him to bring the blanket up to her chest.
In a low murmur close to my ear, Logan asked, “Ready to go?”
Honestly, I was exhausted as well after a long, worrisome night that, granted, did turn into a happy morning. Part of me wanted to crash right on the chair beside Hilary, to be there if she needed me, but she wouldn’t. Her boys were with her now.
Hilary must’ve read my mind like only a best friend can, because when she looked my way and smiled, I knew she saw my inner battle. Still, she reaffirmed my thoughts. “He’s got me.”
And he did. Caleb climbed in right beside her, pulling her against his chest.
“Yeah.” I nodded, smiling at them, then up to Logan. “Call for any reason—anything at all. And please tell me I can go see my godson before I leave.”
“Logan knows where to find him,” Caleb said, his face turned away, lost in the woman he loved.
My spirits lifted seeing them so closely bonded. With relief heavy in my mood, Logan led me to the nursery to meet Quinn.
Julia was holding baby Quinn when we arrived, doting on his every wiggle. Luke was looking on with an easy smile.
“You’re going to have to pry him from my arms, you know that right?” Julia said, not even looking up when we entered.
“Totally worth it,” I replied, walking to the sink to wash my hands.
“He’s precious,” she cooed. “Oliver’s gonna love the hell out of him.”
“Yeah, but no telling him yet,” Logan said, making the demand clear while handing me a paper towel. “He’ll be looking forward to meeting him.”
“I bet. He’ll be thrilled to find out she’s a he,” I said with a smile, already standing in front of Julia. My hands were out, itchy with impatience. Reluctantly, she placed Quinn in my arms.
Luke was beside her a moment later. “We’re going to Caleb’s to let the painters know the pink nursery now needs to be a sky blue, apparently.”
“Luckily, all the décor and most of the clothes can be exchanged,” Julia added. “I told Hilary I’d take care of it. One less thing for her to stress over.”
Logan scoffed. “And what did that cost her?”
Julia’s eyes slanted into an appalled glare. “You don’t think I’d just do it because we’re friends? Or because I’m, I don’t know, a nice person?”
Logan shook his head slowly, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “No, I don’t.”
“Logan!” I couldn’t believe he’d just said that aloud.
Luke’s snickering caught our attention. “Oh, come on, admit it baby. You made her promise to owe you one when the time came. Own it—no shame.”
We all laughed, despite Julia’s huffing. “Whatever. I’ve done a lot for her, and she knows it.”
“All right, we’re outta here. Don’t plan to be at Caleb’s long—tired and want to get home,” Luke said, starting toward the door.
“When you say ‘home,’ you do mean you’ll be dropping my sister at her place then returning to yours, right Luke?” The thinly veiled sternness of Logan’s instruction couldn’t be missed.
Luke stopped short and replied instantly over his shoulder, offering a weak smile. “Exactly like that.”
My chuckle slipped out, earning an exasperated gasp from Julia. “Night, Cassandra,” Julia said, shaking her head as they left the room. “Night, Quinn.”
“No goodnight for your big brother?” Logan’s signature smirk widened when all Julia threw back was her middle finger.
“They really do love each other,” I said quietly to Quinn.
“Sit, sweetheart.” Logan stood next to a rocking chair.
“Can we stay a while?”
“As long as you like.”
I sat back, rocking a sleepy Quinn, content to never move again. Logan took a rocker across the room from us.
Logan spoke after a long, peaceful silence. “You look beautiful holding him.”
I glanced up, raising a brow. “That mean I don’t look beautiful any other time?”
Logan’s lips parted with a smile. “You know you do, sweetheart. Just like seeing you with a baby. Making you think about having one of your own?”
Quinn was fast asleep in my arms, his delicate features so innocent, when I answered, “Maybe someday.” A nervous knot wedged in my throat as I looked across to Logan and was met with his soulful eyes.
He nodded slowly. “Someday sounds good. Lots of time to practice from now till then.”
“Yeah, there is.”
We sat for a while longer, never leaving Quinn alone until the nurse came in with Hilary and Caleb.
“You’re still here?” Caleb asked, wasting no time leaning down and claiming his boy from my hold.
“Promised to always look out for him when I signed on to be his godmother, remember?” I stood, stretching the stiffness from my back.
Caleb held Quinn close to his chest and looked at me. “Yeah, I guess you did.” His voice was full of appreciation and knowledge that I’d always love their son like my own. “You’re off to a very good start.”
Hilary sat in the rocker I’d vacated, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as Caleb placed her little boy in her arms.
“He’s really here…ours,” she said to no one in particular.
“Yeah, buttercup, he really is.” Caleb sank onto his haunches in front of his new family, and my heart leapt at the sight.
I felt Logan’s firm bulk at my back, looking on with me. “We should go.”
I nodded my head, entwining my hand with his when he stepped forward. There was no goodbye as we snuck out of the room. And for the first time in my life, I felt more than a little twinge of desire for my own perfect family.
Chapter 4
I was slow to wake the next morning, my head heavy from the lingering anxiety of the last twenty-four hours. I snuggled closer again
st Logan’s warm chest, finding a solace only he could provide there.
I never would’ve budged if not for the familiar ring of my cell.
“It’s Hilary,” Logan’s yawning voice explained as he held the phone out to me.
In an instant I was wide awake and leaning against the headboard, fear driving my movements. “Hil, you okay?” I asked apprehensively, doing my best to quell the alarm in my voice.
“No!” Her panic was clear, ceasing my next breaths. “Can you come down here? I need reinforcements ASAP.”
“On my way,” I clipped out, ending the call and springing from the bed. I didn’t ask why or what; she needed me. I was there, whatever the reason.
“What’s wrong?” Logan was up right behind me at the closet, where I already stood.
“I don’t know, but Hilary sounded really upset. I’ve got to get to the hospital,” I said, bouncing from one foot to the other, wrestling into my jeans. “Need to hurry.”
Silence stretched between us as I dug out a simple T-shirt from the dresser and tugged it over my head. I found Logan standing directly in front of me when I looked back up, his beautiful bare chest unable to distract me from the worry and dread in my racing thoughts.
With the gentlest expression of love and tenderness, he placed his palms to my cheeks, cupping them and lifting my head to force my eyes to his. “We’ll get to her, but first you need to breathe, sweetheart. If it was anything serious, Caleb would’ve called me.”
He pressed his lips to my forehead, and my eyes slid shut with a long exhale I did truly need. When he pulled back a moment later, his hint of a smile lightened the tension, if only slightly. “You wash up. I’ll meet you in the car in fifteen.”
I nodded, returning a smile of my own that I hoped said, ‘I’m cool, calm, and all that other stuff I wasn’t anywhere close to feeling before,’ then waited for him to step out of the room before making a mad dash to the bathroom.
Time was of the essence. What if something was wrong with Quinn? Hilary needed me, and there was no time for prettying myself up. I brushed my teeth quickly, skipped the floss, and went straight for a warm splash of water to my face. That’ll do it.
I was out the door in under five minutes with my running shoes in hand. Plenty of time to lace them up during the drive.
Not even half an hour later, I found myself speeding to the elevator, my entire body on edge; Logan was parking the car, so I had a head start. I had to use all my self-control to not full-on sprint up to her.
When I finally reached the maternity ward, my patience was running thin, and waiting to be buzzed in wasn’t helping. My pulse throbbed through my veins, beating out a loud whooshing rhythm in my ears and causing my body to ping in discomfort. I tapped my foot, pressing the button again and again until the doors finally opened.
Once on the floor it’d seemed I’d never reach, I strived for nonchalance, keeping my steps at appropriate strides. As in a hurry as I’d been, I stopped short a few feet from Hilary’s room as the sound of yelling completely startled me. I stepped toward the noise more slowly, unable to make out exact words—only angry, elevated voices that sent a fissure of dread up my spine.
The baby! Something must be wrong with the baby!
“Do I not get a say here?” I heard Hilary shout. “We’re supposed to be in this together!”
I moved even closer to stand just outside the door, ashamed to be eavesdropping but too curious to stop myself from listening.
“We are,” Caleb replied, his tone lower and calmer but just as frustrated as Hilary’s if not more so. “I’m done discussing it, babe. He’s my son. This is my family, and we’re doing it my way.”
“Don’t you mean our family?” Hilary snapped back.
“Not nice to eavesdrop.”
I whirled around, terrified, only to find Logan’s smirking face.
I swatted his arm, feigning an aghast frown. “I would never!”
“Of course not.” He chuckled, taking my hand and weaving his fingers through mine. “How about we see if we can help instead?”
“That’s exactly what I was about to do,” I said, standing my ground—albeit with the air of a child who just got caught red-handed sneaking a cookie.
Logan didn’t bother to respond. His grin said enough. Hesitantly, I followed him into the room.
Caleb’s low grumble fell into silence as we entered, and what we found was the last thing I’d expected, Hilary and Caleb, standing nose-to-nose at the end of the bed in a literal stare-off.
Hilary broke first, shooting an angry sneer our way that quickly disappeared from her face and reemerged as relief.
“Cassandra, thank God!” she exclaimed. “Will you please talk some sense into this Neanderthal?” She looked back at Caleb, regaining her evil eye, but spoke to me.
My palms began to sweat and Logan must have noticed, because he gave my hand a squeeze. “Um, I…what are we talking about, exactly?” I asked, my entire face scrunched in confusion.
Caleb closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then pivoted in our direction. “This is my woman, and Quinn is my son,” Caleb growled in a low, threatening timbre. “We’re not signing a goddamned birth certificate or leaving this fucking hospital room until they both have my last name.”
Not the most romantic way to put it, but not the worst either. I raised my brows in question at Hilary, waiting to hear her objections—which she was more than happy to outline for us, loudly, ticking off the items on her fingers.
“We’ll lose all our deposits. Weeks of planning will go down the drain, along with any semblance of my dream wedding! A justice of the peace in a hospital, really? You get married one time, Caleb—one time!” One of the fingers she’d been using was now inches from Caleb’s face, ready to poke at will. “I want my day—our day. Is that too much to ask?”
He waited until she lowered her hand to speak, his jaw locked tightly. “What did I say the first five times you asked that exact same question? We can still do the big show, but I want my wife and child coming home as my wife and child. Is that too much to ask?”
I looked at Logan and my eyes darted to the door, a silent request for him to lead me through our subtle escape. We didn’t need to intrude on this discussion any longer than we already had.
Logan didn’t seem to notice, though, standing there in what appeared to be deep thought.
“I love you, buttercup.” Caleb placed his hands on Hilary’s hips. “And I love our son. Please understand…it’s important to me, as a man, that we leave here a real family—my family. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. I’ll marry you again in front of everyone you’ve ever met. Please, just give me this.”
There was no aggression left in his voice—just a heartfelt plea from a man to the woman he loved. I could feel it from across the room, and saw the exact moment Hilary did too as her expression softened.
“Okay,” she whispered before leaning forward to kiss him.
It was a simple, chaste kiss that wasn’t enough for Caleb. His arms wrapped gently but firmly around her waist, lifting her off her feet as he kissed her harder and longer than appropriate in most company. But I was anything but uncomfortable. It was beautiful to witness. Inspiring. The give and take of true, unselfish love.
Logan kissed my knuckles then released my hand quickly, walking over to clap Caleb on the shoulder once he’d freed Hilary from his embrace. “Congrats. And don’t hold it against him, Hil. I would’ve demanded the same thing.”
Hilary laughed, still off-kilter from the passion in her man’s onslaught. “I don’t doubt that. And baby,” she said, holding out her hand for Caleb to take, “we don’t have to do it again. But once Quinn and I are ready, I’m expecting a hell of a wedding reception! And I mean top-of-the-line catering, a band, and a spa retreat to pamper me and my girls the day before. Because that…is important to me.”
I somehow managed to catch the snort of laughter before it left my mouth. I looked away, pretending to cough.<
br />
Caleb didn’t seem to notice as he pulled Hilary in again, his face splitting into a giant grin. “I’d expect nothing less. And I’ll make sure it’s the most memorable party this town’s ever seen.”
“I know you will…because you’ll have me to answer to.” She giggled when he nuzzled her neck, speaking quietly in a private conversation.
When he suddenly peered up, with his eyes on Logan, Caleb said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure nothing goes to waste.” His brows raised in what looked suspiciously like a challenge.
“What do you mean?” Hilary asked, her gaze mimicking mine as it bounced between the two men.
The devious grin Caleb wore was unsettling. What was he up to?
“Somebody else in this room would be more than happy to capitalize on our wedding package for next weekend.” He cocked a brow. “Am I wrong?”
Logan shook his head slowly. “You won’t hear any argument from me.”
Wait, what are they saying? Do they mean…
“Um, Logan?” I muttered. “Can I see you in the hall?”
“Lead the way, sweetheart.”
Chapter 5
It was as though Logan knew what I was about to say, considering he took his sweet time following me out into the hall and even stopped to exchange a few quiet words with Caleb first. But honestly, they could’ve been shouting and I wouldn’t have heard them over the manic thoughts plaguing my mind.
“Caleb has a good point,” Logan said when he finally emerged from the room, shutting the door behind him. If his goal in doing so was privacy, the act was pointless since we were standing in a bustling hallway.
“And you think so because…?” I waited, biting down on my lip.
“Sweetheart.” He moved toward me slowly—no doubt gauging my emotions, as his voice had dropped to a seductive octave. “We’ve been engaged for months now and I’ve let you take things slow, but this is the perfect opportunity for us.”
Infinite: A Novelette (Harmony #3.5) Page 2