“Um, it better be,” she laughed. “This pregnancy has been making me horny as hell. Besides, we’ve got a few more months to go. Do you really want to wait that long?”
He nodded his head to the side acknowledging the point. “In that case, you don’t have to ask twice.”
She laughed. “Great, now get me out of these panties, Slugger.”
40
EARLY OCTOBER
Once again Jordan found herself back in her old room at her parents’ house. This time, it didn’t matter. This time, it was for a good reason. The best possible reason. The Sluggers had made it to the postseason.
On top of this, Carter had also scored exactly 60 home runs, tied with Babe Ruth. They both decided that was good enough.
The first division series game with the Braves was actually supposed to be on her due date in Atlanta.
“Say the word, and I’m off that plane, right here by your side,” he had insisted.
“First of all, Ben would kill me,” she had chided. “Second, I wanna see my man make it to the World Series. Now go get ‘em Slugger.” She had said, leaning into him, kissing him on the lips.
The next best people in her life were taking his place to get her to the hospital when the time came. By now her parents had adjusted to the idea that they would be grandparents. In fact, both of them, in their own ways, seemed to actually be looking forward to it.
The first indications hit her right on schedule the night before the game. After sleepless hours (this is it!) of pacing her room and breathing, mostly to calm her nerves, she made her way down to her parents’ room once it was obvious that things would be moving along. She hadn’t wanted to keep them up all night just to watch her pace. Now, she was tired of being alone. At exactly 8 a.m. she knocked on their door.
It was as though they had been waiting up. Her mother answered after the first knock. She took one look at Jordan’s face and her hand flew to her mouth with anxious joy.
“Alright,” she said, hugging Jordan into the room. “Ralph!” she called.
“I’m here, I’m here,” he said making his way out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his hand. He looked at her questioningly, then put it together running back in to put his toothbrush away and get ready.
“Okay, so we have your bag for the hospital. We have your doctor’s name right? Oh, we need to call Roy and Pat and your grandparents. Ralph, don’t just stand there, get the car ready.”
“Mom, Mom,” Jordan smiled. “Calm down. They said it would take a while. Breathe!”
Her mother looked at her for a moment, then nodded, visibly relaxing.
“I’m going to call Carter and let him know. You guys just get ready, okay?”
She made her way back to her room and picked up the phone.
He picked up after the first ring.
“It’s time?” he asked anxiously before she could even say hi.
“Almost.”
“Wow…wow!”
She laughed. “I know right?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t—”
“Stop,” she chided. “You just make sure y’all win out there.”
He laughed on the other end. “Aye, aye, captain.”
“I love you, Carter.”
“I love you too, Jordan.”
It took eight more hours before all was said and done. Her mother was right there by her side the whole time.
41
It’s a girl.
The first text had hit him like a splash of cold water, waking up all of his senses at once, forcing him to face his new reality.
He was a father.
A father to a girl.
Now Carter stood in the hotel room looking at Jordan holding his daughter, and it all made perfect sense. Of course, it was a girl.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Hey, Daddy,” Jordan sing-songed on the other side of the facetime they were having via iPhone. “Say hello to Daddy, Bree.” She held the baby up in her arms.
The emotional bomb in his head exploded as he saw the tiny, wrinkled face as she discovered the new world around her. He brought one large hand up and placed his thumb and two fingers over his eyelids trying to press the tears that began to flow back in. It was no use.
“Aww,” Jordan said on the other end. “It’s okay, you should see the waterworks that went on over here. I think even Ben got a few in.”
“Jor-dan!” he heard Ben’s voice protest from somewhere in the room.
Carter gave a sharp laugh which made him have to sniffle.
Jesus, he hadn’t even met her in person yet and already his little girl was doing a number on him. Of course, it was a girl. How could it be any other way?
He laughed again.
“Well, we know you have to get to practice so we’ll let you go. You’ll have plenty of daddy daughter time when you get back.”
He couldn’t even speak, just nodding in response.
“Say goodbye, everyone!” The camera panned around the room, where the rest of her family—his family—waved excitedly congratulating him and wishing him good luck tonight, Ben being especially exuberant about the latter.
The phone came back to Jordan and Bree.
“Bye Carter, and good luck!” She mimed a kiss toward the phone and he instantly screen captured it. It was perfect. Jordan kissing him and Bree looking straight up at him.
He sat there staring at in wonder for a moment; perhaps a bit longer than a moment.
Then it hit him that he had the rest of his life with these two.
He shook his head. If he kept having these kinds of deep thoughts he’d never get out of here.
As soon as he walked through to the visiting clubhouse he was shocked yet again. A spray of champagne cascaded over his head as two of his teammates aimed the bottles his way.
“Congratulations Daddy!” everyone screamed.
What he thought at first were pink and blue balloons were actually blown up condoms bouncing around on the floor. He laughed at the irony. Even Miles joined in on the fun as he came forward to stick a cigar in his mouth.
“So, are you gonna leave us all in suspense?” he asked.
“Well, guys…it’s a girl!”
A mixture of laughs, cheers and “uh-ohh’s!” filled the room.
“Man, I don’t know who’s in more trouble now, you or anyone she dates!”
Carter had no idea either.
42
Her family had gone home to watch the game, giving Jordan and Bree a blessed moment of peace. It had been wonderful having them there, especially as she facetimed with Carter, but she was completely worn out.
Now it was just the two of them, Bree and Jordan.
Bree had thankfully latched on easily enough. Jordan had worried it would be just one of many failings she’d have as a mother. But there she was, sucking eagerly enough at her breast.
It gave Jordan such a warm and happy feeling watching her.
“Hey there green eyes,” she cooed down at the face.
That had been the biggest surprise. Carter’s eyes.
The hair was light brown and wavy, the skin was surprisingly pink. He mother had taken one look at the top of Bree’s ears and pointed out the exact shade of cafe au lait she’d probably end up being. Her dad had criticized that that was just an old wives’ tale.
As she looked down at her, Jordan realized she didn’t care. Bree was perfect.
Jordan looked at the time and saw that the game had already started. She turned on the TV in the room, putting it on mute and watched the game unfold. She wanted to watch her man beat the Braves.
Besides, she—and now Bree—were his good luck charms. She smiled down at the fuzzy head below her, oblivious to the screen above them.
A few players in and Carter was at bat. She wasn’t aware of her body tensing until she heard and felt the mildly irritated whimper at her breast. She kissed the head to calm Bree a bit and looked back up at the screen.
“The
re’s your daddy,” she whispered with a smile.
The camera zoomed in on his face for a moment and she was instantly taken back to the very first day she met Carter Fox. That face….
“Go get ‘em Slugger,” she whispered and smiled up at the screen.
The first pitch was thrown and even Jordan could see it was a ball. She started with satisfaction before remembering that Bree was still in her arms. She could feel the earlier eagerness slowing down. Pretty soon, she’d probably be asleep.
She couldn’t tell if the next pitch was a ball. It didn’t matter, Carter swung...and missed. Her heart fell with disappointment. It was crazy how emotional she got when her guy was at bat!
Strike one, ball one.
The next came so close to hitting Carter in the crotch she actually gasped. Even the crowd in Atlanta gave a ripple of shock. She tensed, waiting to see his reaction. Would he get upset? She didn’t want to see him sitting out a game this close to making it to the World Series. She saw him grimace, step away from the plate, shake his head vigorously then step right back.
She let out a breath, rubbing Bree’s soft head to calm herself.
She saw the look of determination on his face just as the next pitch was thrown. She knew even before the bat connected with the ball. The camera followed it up…up…up…and over the stands.
The camera switched back to Carter and that’s when her heart burst into a million pieces. As if fully aware that she was looking at him through the TV screen, he double-tapped his chest, right above the heart, with his fist then brought two fingers up to his lips.
“We love you too Carter Fox,” she whispered with pride.
She looked down and saw that her nipple had no little mouth attached to it. Bree was sound asleep. Jordan just chuckled.
The hospital had a policy of keeping babies in the room with their mothers instead of the nursery. The literature said it was to help form an attachment between the two. Jordan had an idea it was also to enlighten new moms to what it would be like once they got home, so it wasn’t too much of a shock to the system.
Jordan was most definitely enlightened. The nurses could send her home today knowing that she was fully aware of what she had gotten herself into. Carter was the one who was now in for a surprise.
She smiled at the thought as she got out of bed to check in on her daughter, who was suspiciously quiet.
“They, um…said it was okay for me to come by since it was visiting hours.”
She turned in surprise at the voice that was permanently embedded in her memory.
Madison Grant, in all her flame-haired glory, was standing in the doorway of her hospital room.
The two blinked at each other awkwardly for a moment, then Jordan swallowed.
Madison glanced past her toward the bassinet where Bree was staring up idly out the window. “Can I see her?”
An instinctively protective force ran through Jordan. She let it subside. The woman was Carter’s mother. She was here to see her granddaughter. That said something.
Jordan nodded.
Madison gave a brief, grateful smile. She held up the tiny pink bag, which Jordan noticed for the first time.
“Carter texted me,” she said pursing her lips at the impersonal nature of the notification. “I suppose I should be grateful he got in touch at all,” she said, making her way to Bree.
She handed the bag to Jordan and peeked down at her granddaughter. Bree stared up at her with that newborn look of wonder and surprise, most likely at the strikingly, flame-colored halo surrounding the woman’s face.
“A girl, huh?” she said smiling down. “That probably gave Carter a nice little heart attack.”
Jordan couldn’t help herself, and she laughed. Madison looked up at her with surprise, then joined in. Another female to wreak havoc on his life.
Seeing that the ice had been somewhat thawed between them, Madison pressed on. “May I?” she said reaching her hands down to Bree.
Jordan nodded again.
Madison reached in and picked the tiny bundle up, cradling the head expertly and bouncing her lightly. “Hey there, little girl,” she cooed.
She peered closely and her eyes blinked in surprise. “She has green eyes!” she said, astonished.
Jordan tensed, remembering full well their one-time conversation on eugenics.
Madison’s slight smile faltered as her eyes rolled over to meet Jordan’s and she saw the expression there.
“I—I didn’t mean,” she stammered. “It’s just…she reminds me so much of him.”
Jordan’s tension level decreased by exactly one notch.
Madison looked down at Bree with a somber expression. “What I said that day…I...you just have no idea what a mother pours into her child.”
“I think I have a pretty good idea,” Jordan said testily.
Madison gave her a wry smile. “Oh, you’re just beginning,” she mused. “Wait until she breaks your heart for the first time.”
“Those things I said, I...I honestly don’t know what I think anymore. Everything changes with a baby.” She turned to look down at Bree again with an almost nostalgic smile.“I know Carter loves you. I hope you love him just as much.”
“I do,” Jordan confirmed.
Madison brought her eyes back up to Jordan. “I wanna apologize for that day. No matter how I feel—felt—you didn’t deserve it, especially considering your situation. It was mean and spiteful of me. I was just so scared of losing Carter. He’s all the family I have.”
Jordan thawed. This was progress at least.
She reached down into the bag and dug through the pink tissue paper. Jordan pulled out three little onesies, pink, lavender and white. All Sluggers’ gear.
She laughed as she held them up.
Madison looked up. “Might as well start her early,” she shrugged with a grin, then she began chuckling as well.
43
Carter stopped the truck down the street from his house, pulling over in idle.
He grabbed the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. This was it. The moment he entered his house, his life was changed forever. Heck, it was already changed, it just hadn’t caught up with him yet.
His daughter was in that house waiting for him. Today she was three days old. Three days he had missed of her life already.
That lit a fire under him.
He put the truck back into drive and sped the rest of the way home. He pulled into the driveway and wasn’t a bit surprised to see multiple familiar cars there. It gave him a feeling of pride. Jordan’s family had come out to greet him, to welcome him into the fold.
No sooner had he opened the door, than he heard them yell out “Congratulations!”
It was the second time he had been greeted that way. This time around, in lieu of the condom balloons and cigars, the foyer was covered in pink streamers balloons and a large sign congratulating him once again.
In the back of his mind, it occurred to him that all he’d really done was break a condom. Maybe everyone should wait 18 years to see if congratulations were actually in order. That thought sank in as he realized the gravity of it.
Then Jordan appeared in the middle of the group, holding Bree. As small as Jordan was, at least compared to him, his daughter looked tiny in her arms.
“Hey, Daddy,” she said bringing Bree to him. “Say hello to Bree René Fox.”
He just stared down in wonder, terrified to touch her. Then Jordan held her up to him, urging him to hold her. She must have seen the look of trepidation in his face because she smiled in assurance.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
That was all the encouragement he needed. She helped place Bree in one arm and brought his hand around to support the head. He was in awe at the fact that it was no bigger than his palm. She stared up at him with a confused and slightly unfocused look. That’s when he saw the twinkle in her eye and peered in closer.
“Huh,” he said, noticing the specks of green.
“Yep, definitely yours,” Jordan teased as if reading his mind.
That’s when everyone came forward to join in the moment. Jordan’s parents, her aunt and uncle, and of course, Ben were all there. They had set up a small buffet in the dining room, which had also been decorated.
The doorbell rang. Carter saw Jordan skip out to go answer it.
He went back to staring down at his daughter, taking in every tiny little detail. He saw Jordan coming back in out of the corner of his eye. Then he noted the flicker of red and his head shot up.
“Ma,” he said in surprise. His body tensed.
She looked across at him, her eyes blinking as she took in the picture of him holding Bree in his arms. She gave a teary smile.
Jordan brought an encouraging hand up to her back, urging her toward her son.
He relaxed a bit at the gesture but still gave his mother a wary look.
“Hello Carter,” she said smiling first up at him then down at Bree.
Carter looked past her to Jordan who gave him a smile and a nod letting him know everything was just fine.
It was late at night and Jordan was sound asleep next to him. The bassinet was on her side near the fireplace and armchairs. He gently removed himself from the bed and walked over to it. He could just make out the outline of Bree’s head in the shadows of the room.
He reached a hand in and reflexively brought it back out, scared to wake her. So he just stood there and stared. He wished one of the lamps next to the bed was on so he could see her. Right now Bree just looked like a tiny, helpless little nugget in the dark.
Would it be okay to hold her? He longed to experience it again.
He saw movement as she stirred. There was a small whimper that grew into a cry, then a wail. He froze, thinking somehow he’d caused it.
The bedside lamp nearest him switched on. One second later, he felt Jordan’s hand on his back as she came up behind him and he flinched in surprise.
“Welcome to your life for the next several months,” she said sleepily into his back.
Home Run: A Texas Heat Romance Page 21