“Hey, watch it down there,” Jessa says, biting her lip. I’m not sure if she’s talking to Addie or the nurses. Probably both.
I give Jason a look. “While I appreciate getting to be the first to meet Miss Addie, I think you’d be better off with some privacy.”
Not that they’re getting any. Several of the nurses are cleaning things up down below, while one continues to assault Jessa’s abdomen.
“Wait,” Jessa says, exchanging a look with Jason. “We asked you back first because we want you to be Addie’s godmother.”
I’m immediately a puddle of tears. “Really?” Jessa nods, also tearing up, and I wrap my arms around my brother, squeezing him as tightly as I can.
“Thank you! I don’t know what a godmother does, but I’ll google it. Or you can just let me know. Is there a handbook?”
Jason pries my fingers away from his waist when I don’t let go. “Don’t overthink it, squirt. We’ll talk later. Head back out and tell the rest of them we’ll have them back when they move us to a real room.”
“Yeah. No one should see this,” I say, and Jessa snorts.
“Figured it would be educational for you,” she says.
“I’m scared straight now,” I deadpan.
Except I’m not. Seeing and holding Addie—my goddaughter—only makes the aching loss of Zane hurt more. Thankfully, Jason and Jessa assume my tears are happy ones as I try to follow a nurse into the hallway.
At least, we try to go out the door.
There’s a commotion in the hallway. What looks like dozens of helium balloons fill the space, making the hall a kaleidoscope as the overhead lights filter through the rainbow of balloons.
There’s a man I didn’t even hope to see standing just outside the door, holding a fist full of balloon strings. His eyes are filled with longing, with apology, with love.
“Zane?”
“I’m so sorry, Abby. I love—”
“Sir,” the nurse says. “You can’t be back here with those. Do you have a wristband?”
Confusion clouds his face. “No, I just followed someone through the doors. I don’t—”
“Security!” Another nurse shouts.
“Wait,” I say. “He’s with me. We’re just leaving.”
I go to take Zane’s hand so I can lead him out of here, when there’s a loud bang. Then another.
I know that it’s the balloons popping. Not gunshots. But my instinct is to dive for the floor. I’d be in good company. Several people are down on the tile, their hands over their heads. From a nearby room, a woman screams.
Zane’s wide eyes meet mine. “Abby—”
And that’s when the security guard tackles him.
I’m so stunned that I don’t move for a second. Zane loses his grip on the balloons, and they all bob to the ceiling, several more popping. There are more screams, and an alarm is going off somewhere. Babies are crying.
Zane’s head jerks up from underneath the guard, eyes wide and panic-stricken. “Abby! Ow!” The security guard pushes his knee into Zane’s back, pinning him to the floor. Zane wiggles under the man, trying to meet my gaze. “I need to tell you something!”
“Sir! Stop fighting me. You aren’t authorized to be back here. I’m taking you into custody.”
“Can you just let me finish this conversation? Then take me wherever you need to.”
“No. Be quiet and sit still,” the security guard says. I have a sudden urge to kick him in the shins.
“I love you!” Zane shouts, and I swear that I hear someone say, “Awww!”
“You do?” I ask, grinning like the love-sick fool that I am.
“I love you, and I’m sorry I didn’t show you that. I know I let you down. I can’t promise I won’t disappoint you again. But I want to try. I love you, Abby.”
“Sir, stop moving!”
Zane’s eyes meet mine, and he has that smile that I love. The one that I hadn’t seen until recently, and now don’t feel like I could live without. The unrest that’s been living in my belly for days is gone, and the world feels right again. Except that Zane is about to get zip-tied, and the whole room is weirdly colored from the balloons, giving it a hallucinogenic feel.
“Why the balloons?”
“You’re my Ellie,” Zane says, referencing the movie Up that we watched together at the resort.
And suddenly, this scene makes a lot more sense. It’s thoughtful and adorable. And would be romantic if not for the whole hospital security issue.
“At least, I want you to be my Ellie. Without the whole, dying too soon thing. And maybe without the house flying to South America.”
“I love you too,” I tell him, and then cringe as the security guard pushes Zane’s face to the floor.
My brother steps out of the room behind me. “What is going on?”
The guard finally gets Zane’s wrists secured with white zip ties.
“My boyfriend is getting arrested,” I tell Jason, grinning. “This is Zane. Zane, meet my brother Jason.”
“Hey,” Zane grunts.
Jason looks down at Zane, up at the balloons, then nods at me. “Well, I guess congratulations are in order for the both of us.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Zane
As far as grand gestures go, I think mine was a little bit too grand. Maybe if I’d had four balloons, not forty-seven. Or waited until I had the right security bracelet for the labor and delivery ward. My actions were suspicious. That’s the impression I got from the security guard’s knee in my back. And while I was being detained in what I’m pretty sure was his break room, being yelled at for not following hospital policy and causing pandemonium and panic.
After I spoke with several hospital administrators and an actual cop, explaining that the balloons were a gift, and not a way to block the security cameras to sneak in to kidnap a baby, they let me go with several strong warnings.
Abby is waiting outside the room, and my whole body reacts. My mouth is already smiling, my heart kicking up a fast rhythm, and my hands itch to touch her. Without waiting for permission, I wrap her up in my arms, lifting her feet off the ground and holding her to my chest. She’s the perfect size.
“You okay?” Abby murmurs, snuggling even closer, her lips grazing my neck. “Any police brutality to report?”
“I’m going to have bruises on my wrists and back, but overall, I think I got off easy for my crime.”
“Which was?”
“Not chasing you down to apologize sooner.”
Abby turns and presses her lips to mine. I’m caught off-guard, but it only takes me a minute to catch up. Maybe a little too much, but I’m feeling desperate for any assurance that this is real. After a moment, Abby giggles and pulls back. We’re both breathing way too heavy for a hospital hallway. I release her a little reluctantly but keep her hand in mine.
“Zane, I messed up too. Maybe more than you. Probably more than you.” She sighs, and before I can argue, she continues. “Sam told me that I sabotage things, and I think that she’s right. I got scared, and I assigned too much blame to you. I reacted impulsively, and I ran scared. Will you forgive me?”
I lean closer, until our foreheads touch. “I do. We both made mistakes. Do you still want to run?” She shakes her head, and I press a quick kiss to her lips. “How about we forgive and move on? Full trust. No more being scared. Or, if we are, we talk about it.”
“I think I can handle that,” she says. “Now, the big question. Want to go meet my goddaughter?” she asks.
I pull back just enough so that I can look at her. “Your goddaughter? That’s amazing. Yes. If … I’m allowed?”
Abby nudges my shoulder. “We’ll leave the balloons in the waiting room and get you an official bracelet.” She holds up the white plastic band on her arm.
I should be nervous about meeting her family—I’m not counting the moment her brother saw me getting man-handled by security—but I’m just excited. And ten minutes later, introductions have been m
ade, and I’m sitting on an uncomfortable plastic couch with Abby nestled into my side. Where she belongs.
A little noise has me staring down at the baby in Abby’s arms. I can’t see her hair color under the little cap, but her cheeks are flushed and full. Her little fingers escape the top of the blanket she’s swaddled in. I’ve never seen such a tiny fingernail before. It fills me with awe, and something deeper, a sense of love and connectedness to Abby. A desire for more.
My experience with newborns up until today has been nil, but I’m shocked at how natural this feels. Me. Abby. A baby.
Get her a ring first, idiot.
That’s the Zoey voice in my head, and I don’t disagree. In fact, I’m already thinking about asking my sister what Abby would want. Because I suspect that Abby’s not a platinum and diamond kind of girl. Maybe something blue, like her current hair color, which I might love more than the pink.
Addie’s lips begin working and she grunts, her head starting to whip back and forth. “She’s hungry,” Abby says. “I hate to wake Jessa.”
“But she asked you to,” I remind her. “She wanted to feed on demand, right?”
I’m pretty proud of the new vocabulary I’ve adapted in the few hours I’ve been at the hospital. Things like feeding on demand, latching, and rooming-in. Whenever it is time, I vow to know all the terms, and be the best support I can be. Much like Jason, who appears in the doorway with a coffee for Abby and Chinese takeout for Jessa.
I help pull Abby to her feet and watch as she gently wakes Jessa, who looks exhausted but more than happy to have Addie back in her arms. She’s also excited about the Chinese takeout. But compared to ice chips and hospital food, who can blame her?
Jason passes the coffee to Abby like a baton before becoming immersed in his new family member, and then we’re out in the hallway, I think headed to Abby’s parents’ house to help watch her nephews. Zoey is already there.
My arm is around Abby, where it’s been for the last few hours. It would take the jaws of life to remove me at this point. I screwed up the first time I let her go, and I’m not planning to do it again.
“What time is it?” Abby asks, yawning.
“I don’t even know.”
Abby grabs my shirt and pulls me to a stop in a little alcove with soda and snack machines. My mind immediately goes to kissing, but she’s got a worried look on her face.
“Why don’t you know what time it is? Why aren’t you at work? You and Zoey both skipping is like apocalypse-level stuff.”
I laugh, feeling a freedom that I didn’t know I was missing until right now, hearing her concern. Despite being at the hospital with Abby for hours, I haven’t had the chance to explain much to her. We went straight from security to making out, to meeting Addie.
I lift my hands, cupping Abby’s face, loving the softness of her skin against my palms. Her hands find their way to mine, holding me in place.
“I’m leaving Eck0.”
Her eyes bug out, and she tries to shake her head. I hold her in place.
“But you can’t! That’s your thing!”
“No,” I tell her, stroking my thumbs over the apples of her cheeks. “It wasn’t hard to let go of. I don’t want that life. I don’t want to work with Jack. We wrote in a clause just for this kind of thing. I’m going to help through the launch, but more like a contractor. More flexible hours.”
“But the money … all your time you spent!”
“I won’t walk away empty-handed. I’ll be fine. And my time wasn’t wasted. I learned a lot. I’ve made money. Maybe not as much as I would if I stayed long-term. But I especially learned what’s most important to me, and what’s not.”
Abby blinks her big hazel eyes at me. I find myself studying them, noting the colors and the way they change. Today, they’re more of a light brown with some olive around her pupils. She’s so beautiful, and I get the feeling that she won’t ever understand how much. Even if I tell her often. Which I plan to do.
“You are so beautiful,” I tell her. “And I like the blue.”
“Better than the pink?”
I shake my head. “I love all your colors, Abby.”
Though I hate to waste the smile spreading on her face, I can’t wait to kiss her any longer. Using my body to crowd her deeper into the alcove and out of sight, I press my lips to hers, needing the connection. Needing her.
I planned to be sweet and soft, wanting Abby to know and feel how much I treasure her, how much I missed her even in these few days apart. But she seems to share the same hunger I feel, and the press and brush of our mouths becomes desperate, like we’ve just crossed a desert and found the oasis after passing mirage after mirage.
My hands slide around to tangle in her soft hair and her fists grip the front of my T-shirt, keeping me in place.
As if there’s anywhere I’d rather be.
When we break apart, both of us are breathless. I feel no less desperate for this closeness with Abby, but there are still so many words that need to be said.
“Have I told you yet today that I love you?” I ask.
Abby grins. “I can’t seem to remember. You might need to tell me again. Just in case.”
I let my hands fall to her waist, holding her close, feeling possessive and needy and also somehow completely content. Like being with Abby is just right.
“I love you,” I tell her, bending so our foreheads touch. “And I plan to tell you every single day.”
“I love you too. I never would have planned it. But it’s the best surprise.”
It really is. Closing the distance between us, I kiss the end of her nose, lightly, teasingly. My eyes scan her neck. The edge of her chameleon tattoo peeks out near her collarbone. I have so many places to kiss and to claim. So much to explore.
Don’t rush. Slow and steady wins the race. I’m thankful that I’m not hearing this in Zoey’s voice, because kissing Abby is the last place I want to be thinking about my sister.
“I have an idea,” Abby says. “Are you game?”
I almost ask her to tell me before I agree, but this is Abby. It’s probably something that I would never have thought of, something that will push me out of my comfort zone and that later, I’ll love.
“With you? I’m always game?”
Her eyes light up. “You might regret that later.”
“I don’t plan to have any more regrets when it comes to you.”
She kisses the corner of my mouth, pulling away before I can capture her lips. I groan, and she giggles. “That wasn’t my idea. Though let’s file that one away for later. For now, I thought we could take however many balloons are left in the waiting area and brighten up the children’s ward in this place. What do you say?”
“I say that you’re full of good ideas,” I tell her, stealing one more kiss before I take her hand and pull her out of the alcove. I’m afraid we might be tempted to stay all afternoon if we don’t.
I link our fingers, then bring her hand up to my mouth. “I’m sorry that I keep kissing you in strange public places.”
“I’m not,” Abby says. “I think that’s maybe something we should keep on the list.”
“We have a list?”
“I’m making it up right now, as we go. First on the list: saying I love you every day.”
“And the second is kissing in public places?”
The elevator dings at that moment, and suddenly Abby is pulling me inside. It’s empty, and she gives me a grin that makes some deep part of my body feel like it’s gone cliff diving. The doors close behind us.
“How about mostly private public places?” she asks.
But before I can answer, Abby is up on her tiptoes with her hands locked behind my neck, pulling my smiling mouth down to hers. I could stay in here all day.
As the elevator comes to a stop, I break the kiss only to put my lips next to her ear so I can whisper in my sexiest voice something only Abby will understand, “Hypertext Markup Language.”
Giggling, sh
e squeezes me tightly. “Aw, Zane. You always know just what to say.”
Epilogue: Love Cliché #1
Falling for Your Best Friend’s Twin
Zoey
… To sum up, they say you can’t help falling in love. It just happens. Like big hair in humid weather or dropping salsa in your lap when you’re wearing white pants.
But when it comes to your best friend’s twin, you want to proceed with caution.
As with any best friend’s sibling situation, you need to understand that a romantic relationship could impact the friendship. Maybe end it.
Dating a twin takes things to the next level. It’s like ordering a burger but getting the whole combo as a free upgrade. There is something special about the twin relationship. Sure, it may be a stereotype, but in my experience, twinsense is a real thing. Just realize what you’re getting into. Look before you leap.
“What are you reading?”
I practically fall out of my chair at the sound of Gavin’s voice behind me. I was so caught up in reading the draft of Sam’s chapter that I didn’t hear my boss come in. I slam my laptop shut before Gavin can see that I’m not reading office memos or answering client emails.
I keep my voice cool, my expression blank. It’s my armor, my only line of defense against my feelings for my boss. Total overcompensation.
“Nothing. Why? Do you need something?”
Like me?
I grit my teeth, wishing that my thought life could be as easy to control as the rest of my life. I am the queen of scheduling, the COO of productivity, and the president of organization. But my inner self? Has other ideas. Like the one where I should crush on my boss.
“Nope. For once, I’m just checking on you.”
Gavin grins with his dimples on full display and drops a hand on my shoulder for a quick squeeze. My entire body wakes up at the contact. It’s like the starter’s gun from my high-school track days, and all my hormones take off sprinting.
Falling for Your Best Friend's Twin: a Sweet Romantic Comedy (Love Clichés Romantic Comedy Series Book 1) Page 20