“They got him!” I said. Relief sweeping over me. The last thing I wanted was for that goat to cause more problems. I knew Chloe loved him, and her feelings had been hurt when Trevor and I had said Patches couldn’t be a part of the wedding because it was set up too close to the dinner. She understood, but it killed me to see the disappointment on her face.
“Do you know how many diaper bags I went through because of that damn goat? I swear, if Chloe didn’t love it so much I’d…”
“Don’t say it!” Paxton said, walking into the room with a bottle of water. She handed it to me and placed her hands on my stomach.
“Thirty weeks and some change. Oh my gosh. You’re getting closer!”
“I know! I’ve been having the strangest dreams.”
Paxton nodded. “I did too, probably around the same time as you. Heartburn was a bitch for me.”
“I don’t have that, but I know Amelia has been cutting back on certain foods because of heartburn.”
Corina pinned a loose curl back as she spoke. “Well, at least you aren’t swelling. I was so swollen from thirty weeks on.”
My eyes met hers, and she smiled. Mitchell and Corina hadn’t told anyone, but it was obvious she was pregnant. I didn’t want to push her, since she might be very early on. Melanie and John were going to be over the moon.
Corina took my hand in hers and squeezed it. “Hey, are you okay?”
Digging my teeth into my bottom lip, I nodded.
“I think I’m nervous. Excited. I don’t know. I feel a bit…off.”
“Off?” Maeabh asked as she held my veil over my head. She looked in the mirror as she settled it down on my hair.
“Yeah, I can’t explain it. I think it’s just nerves.”
Paxton took a seat on the bed, looking at me in the mirror.
“I think that’s normal. I mean, just dealing with the weird emotions of being pregnant, and then having a wedding on top of it. It’s got to be a strange mix of emotions.”
My eyes caught Waylynn’s, and although she wore a smile, I saw the sadness in her eyes. It must be hard for her to hear all this talk about pregnancy. I didn’t want to complain because I knew she’d trade places with me any day for the chance to carry a child.
I felt another jolt in my stomach and tensed.
“Braxton Hicks?” Paxton asked.
Shrugging, I replied, “I guess. I haven’t felt these pains before.”
“Is your stomach getting hard and tight?”
“Yes, and a weird pain. I’m sure it’s nothing. Just too much excitement the past week.”
Maebh leaned over and rested her chin on my shoulder as she gazed at me in the mirror.
“You look so beautiful. Trevor is going to pass out when he sees you,” she said.
Our eyes locked. “Are you excited about your wedding with Cord?”
Her face lit up. “Yes! It can’t get here fast enough.”
Waylynn walked over to the window. “Four more months, and we’ll all be in Ireland for the wedding. Crazy to think how far we’ve all come in just a few years.”
Turning, she leaned against the windowsill and smiled.
“Maebh, it’s going to be crazy at your wedding. You know this, right? Four babies! All of them under four months.”
Amelia burst into the room, completely out of breath.
“Waylynn Parker! How could you not tell us! How?”
A wide smile grew across Waylynn’s beautiful face. “Tell you what?”
“Jonathon just told Wade, who called and told me!”
Paxton looked between Waylynn and Amelia. “What are y’all talking about?”
Amelia laughed as she placed her hands on her stomach. The poor thing had practically grown overnight. She only had six weeks left until she had her son. She looked like she was ready to pop now.
“Are you going to tell them, or am I?” Amelia asked, brow arched.
Pushing off the windowsill, Waylynn waved her hand in the air. “Fine, I’ll tell them. Jonathon and I will become parents for the second time this summer. August to be exact.”
Gasps could be heard across the room.
“Oh my God!” Paxton screamed out.
“What! What?” Corina said, jumping around like mad.
Maebh joined Corina jumping around before she rushed over to Waylynn.
“You’re adopting again?”
Waylynn wiped her tears away and nodded. “Yes. It was a pretty stressful process this time, but we’ve known for a few weeks. The birth mother picked us out of about four couples. He’s due August 3.”
I made my way to Waylynn, joining the other girls to congratulate her.
“I’m so happy for you Waylynn! I don’t know how you were able to keep that a secret!” I said, giving her a hug.
She laughed. “Mom and Dad knew. We had to tell someone or I felt like I was going to burst! I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Do y’all have a name picked out?” Amelia asked.
“We have a couple, but I think once we see her, we’ll know.”
“Is it the same arrangement you have with Liberty?” Maebh asked.
Waylynn shook her head and looked sad for a brief moment. “No. The mother, I guess, hooked up with her best friend in a drunken night of passion. They’re both lawyers, well on their way to becoming partners in their own firms. She’s planning on taking a leave of absence when she starts to show. They both agreed that neither one of them were ready to be parents and decided on adoption. They interviewed four couples, and they both liked Jonathon and me. I think it was because of Liberty, to be honest with you. The mother said she felt a connection with me.”
The knock on the door had all of us jumping.
“Jesus, that scared the shit out of me!” Waylynn said, discreetly wiping away a tear.
“Ladies, it’s time!” my mother said, popping her head into the room. “Scarlett, your daddy is wanting to see you.”
I thought the nervous energy I had been feeling would come back, but when I saw my father and the smile on his face, I felt peace instead.
“Daddy,” I whispered as he walked into the room and the last person stepped out.
He made his way over to me and wiped at a tear that had escaped from his eye. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I replied as he kissed me on the cheek. He was tense and acted as if he had something he wanted to say to me.
“My little girl is getting married.”
I smiled. “I’m sorry I’m doing it backwards.”
He frowned. “Don’t you dare apologize. Everything happens for a reason. I spoke with Trevor earlier. The boy is over the moon. I have to admit, I had my doubts in the beginning and thought you were moving too fast, but he’s proven me wrong.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head while letting out a soft chuckle. Focusing back on me, he went on.
“Any fool can see how much that man loves you. The way he looks at you is proof enough. I’m happy if you’re happy.”
Blinking rapidly to keep from crying, I pressed my lips together before getting myself in check.
“I’m so happy, Daddy. I’ve never been this happy before in my life.”
He chuckled. “You’re fixin’ to prove yourself wrong when you say I do. And then in about nine or ten weeks, you’ll prove yourself wrong again when you hold your child in your arms.”
“Dalton Littlefield, you better not be making her cry! Her makeup!”
Glancing over my father’s shoulder, I smiled at my mother. A look passed between the two of them. When my father looked back at me, I could see it in his eyes. He was keeping something from me.
“Dalton, please.” My mother implored. With a nod of his head, the look vanished and was replaced by pure happiness.
“After the wedding, Scarlett, I’d love to have lunch together. Just the two of us.”
I smiled, an uneasy feeling settling in my chest. “Okay. I’d love that.”
When my gaze caug
ht my mother’s, she smiled. “It’s time, sweetheart.”
“Oh, gosh,” I replied, pulling in a long deep breath and shaking off the last minute of weirdness. “I’m ready. Daddy, you ready?”
He paused and looked back at my mother. She seemed to give him a look. Turning back to me, he smiled. “I’m ready, baby girl.”
As we walked through the Parker house, I couldn’t contain my excitement. My nerves had been replaced by a bubbling of happiness deep in my chest. I couldn’t wait to see Trevor. Couldn’t wait to become Mrs. Trevor Parker. Couldn’t wait to finally be his completely.
The drive to the pasture felt like it took forever. When we pulled up, Daddy jumped out of the truck and around to help me down. The event planner Melanie had hired for the benefit dinner was also helping with the wedding. It was perfect since we were combining the dinner with our reception. We ended up only having family and our closest of friends at the wedding ceremony. It was small and intimate, exactly how I wanted it. Of course, it also reduced the risk of some crazy woman running into the ceremony and crying out, “I object!”, which really would have sucked.
The wedding party was also small. Since Trevor didn’t want to have to pick one of his brothers and hurt the other’s feelings, he ended up asking Wade to be his best man. It made sense in the end. They were best friends, after all. I had asked Maebh to be my maid of honor. She cried and started talking in Irish the afternoon I asked her over for coffee and donuts.
“Ready?” Daddy asked, extending his arm to mine.
The violinist we’d hired began playing the music and Daddy and I stepped out from around a giant oak tree. Trevor’s back was facing me, but then he turned and our eyes met. He smiled the most breathtaking smile I’d ever seen. My chin trembled as I took him in. He was dressed in Wrangler jeans, a white button-down shirt and a pink tie. I chuckled when I saw the tie. We were going for an ultrasound this week, and I couldn’t wait to find out the sex of the baby. Trevor was still insisting it was a girl. I thought it was a boy, but it was only a matter of time before we knew.
When I finished checking out my future husband’s amazing body, my gaze pierced his and we couldn’t take our eyes off one another. His eyes were like an ocean that always knew how to draw me into their waves and not let go. I was captivated.
Daddy brought us to a stop, and I didn’t even hear the preacher speaking. I was focused on Trevor, who was smiling at me like he hadn’t seen me in years. I could practically feel the love pouring from every inch of his body.
My father lifted my veil and stepped to the side, allowing Trevor to stand in front of me.
He swallowed hard and bit down on his lip before speaking. “You look absolutely beautiful. I’ve never seen such a sight.”
Smiling, I turned to the preacher. Then it happened. A sharp pain hit me so hard, I actually felt like I was going to drop to my knees. It started in my back and radiated around to my stomach.
“Oh, God,” I gasped, grabbing Trevor.
“Scarlett?” both the preacher and Trevor said at once.
Then I felt it.
Something wet was running down my leg. Panic instantly set in.
No. No. No! I’m only thirty weeks. I still have ten weeks to go!
“Scarlett, baby, I need you to tell me what’s wrong,” Trevor begged.
Looking into his eyes, I started to cry.
Trevor looked like someone had hit him, and the pain on his face nearly knocked me over.
“Scarlett, what is wrong?” he asked again before glancing around. “Someone help me! What’s wrong with her?”
This time, I found my voice long enough to answer.
“I think my water broke.”
Everything was a blur. I didn’t remember how we got to the hospital. I didn’t remember who drove. How we got to this floor or when they took Scarlett away and told me I had to leave the room.
Everything was a blur.
“Trevor, darling, why don’t you drink some coffee.”
My mother’s voice penetrated the fog and caused me to glance her way.
“This is my fault.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“What?”
Shaking my head in disbelief, I looked down to the floor. “This is my fault. This is my payback for the way I treated her.”
Sitting next to me, my mother placed the coffees on the table next to the chair and reached for my hands.
“Look at me right this moment, Trevor Parker.”
Forcing myself to do as she said, our eyes met.
“This is not your fault. This is no one’s fault. You heard the doctor. Scarlett was in perfect health. The baby was fine; nothing was wrong. She went into labor early, that’s it. God doesn’t play games like that and you know it.”
I shook my head. “If everything was okay, why did her water break and why is my wife being cut open and having our baby taken out? The baby isn’t ready to come, Mom. Not yet. It’s too soon.”
Joyce sat on the other side of me, holding my other hand.
“Trevor, the survival rate of infants at thirty weeks is very good, especially if the baby is born healthy. They know what they’re doing. The baby is going to be okay.”
Tears streamed from my eyes as my head dropped. “Why did this happen? Why Scarlett? Why? If we lose this baby…it will kill her. It will kill me!”
My mother wrapped her arms around me, and I dropped my head to her chest and cried. I didn’t give two shits who saw me, or who heard me. It felt like someone had ripped a hole in my chest and was attempting to tear my heart out piece by piece.
“Joyce, will you find John, please?”
“Yes, of course.”
Rocking me gently, Mom whispered that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to believe her. I wanted to have faith, but it felt like my faith was slowly starting to slip away.
“John, take him to the chapel. Please.”
My father reached down and pulled me up. “Come on, son. We’re going to the chapel. Tripp, help me.”
Tripp stood on the other side of me as the three of us headed to the hospital chapel. Was it a sign that it was on the same floor?
The moment the doors pushed open and I saw the giant cross, I dropped to my knees. Burying my face in my hands, I cried out with everything I had in me. I needed God to hear my pleas. I needed him to listen to me.
“God, don’t do this to me! Don’t you take them away from me. I’ll do anything. I swear to you, I’ll do anything. You can take me, but please don’t take our child from Scarlett… P-please. I b-beg of you. God, please don’t do this!” I cried out as I buried my face in my hands while sobs rocked my entire body.
Tripp was on the floor next to me. His arm wrapped around me, his voice shaking as he tried to tell me to stand up. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to move. The only place I wanted to be was with Scarlett.
“I need to get to her. I need to be with her. She needs me!” I shouted, jumping up and trying to push past Tripp and my father to get out of the doors of the chapel.
“Stop, Trevor!” my father shouted.
Tripp grabbed my arms and pulled me onto the pew.
“Trevor, I know you’re scared. We’re all scared. But you rushing out there and trying to find Scarlett is not going to help anyone.”
Looking up, I could barely see him. My vision was blurry.
“Tripp.”
It was all I could manage to get out.
He looked down at me, his face softened, and he closed his eyes. “I can’t imagine how you feel, Trevor.”
He sat down next to me and stared straight ahead at the altar, just like I was doing.
“I know Scarlett and I know she is going to fight with everything she has, and I know Dr. Buten is not going to let anything happen to your baby. He won’t.”
I wiped my tears away and nodded. Dad sat behind us and placed his hand on my shoulder. The warmth from his love filled my body and eased my fears slightly, but not much.
<
br /> “I’m scared,” I whispered.
“I know you are, son. I know you are.”
I closed my eyes and prayed to God. I tried to make deals with Him at first. Then I went to pleading. Then I simply went to reciting prayers I remembered from Bible school.
The doors to the chapel opened and the three of us spun around. Dr. Buten was standing there. He didn’t wear a smile like he had when Tripp’s kids were born. No, he wore a grim expression and his eyes looked tired.
I stood, wringing my hands. I swallowed hard and watched as he walked closer to us. My father placed his hand on my shoulder while Tripp placed his hand on the other shoulder.
My entire body trembled, and I wanted to run. In that moment, I wanted to turn and run away. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to hear what was about to come from this man’s mouth.
“Scarlett is doing good. She’s sleeping from the surgery. We had to sedate her. She was pretty upset, and it was making her blood pressure spike.”
I felt sick to my stomach; I should have been with her.
“She should be up and walking later this evening, and I’d like for you to be in the room when she wakes up, Trevor. She’s going to ask you a lot of questions.”
Dread washed over me. He was about to tell me we lost our child.
“The baby?” My father asked when I attempted to open my mouth, and nothing came out.
“The baby is doing…okay. She’s in an incubator and we’re helping her breathe. She weighs three pounds, four ounces. She’s fourteen-and-a-half-inches long.”
My heart started pounding in my chest.
Scarlett and the baby were okay.
Closing my eyes, I shook my head to gather my thoughts.
“The baby is okay?” I asked in barely-there voice.
Dr. Buten smiled. “She is, but she has a long road ahead of her, Trevor. She’s going to need help breathing for a bit, help eating until she can learn to suck, and we have to keep a close eye on her. Her body temperature and oxygen are key right now. I don’t want you to be shocked when you see her. She’s hooked up to a lot of things that are monitoring her.
Your pediatrician is with the neonatologist right now. Both of them will go over her treatment plan with you and Scarlett, but I believe she’s going to be fine. What we need you and Scarlett to do is start bonding with her as soon as possible. That means skin-to-skin contact with both of you. Since the baby got taken right away from Scarlett, she didn’t have that connection. Some parents may feel a bit distant from their baby because they didn’t get the chance to experience her coming out and immediately holding her.”
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