As soon as we were in the marina, Hale was the first to leave. The party went on and no one was the wiser. Barrett had switched to water, as did I, both of us checking our phones every thirty seconds as we waited on a bench away from the remaining crowd.
“Is it Jasmine’s?” Barrett asked, not looking at me.
I glanced at him until he faced me and then I simply said, “It’s Hale’s.”
He nodded and I wondered how much he could figure out on his own based on his father’s reputation, but I didn’t say a word. The guests trickled off the boat in increments and the DJ closed up shop. Only Seraphina and her fifteen friends remained as we waited for any word from Hale.
Miles took Remington back to the house and Barrett and I decided to join him. The crew would break down the party and I’d be back in the morning to check on everything.
As we drove home, Remington and Barrett were silent. No one mentioned Hale and I wondered if Remington realized what was happening.
When we got to the house, I texted Hale to ask if everything was okay. It had been two hours since he left and I hadn’t heard a peep. I helped Remington to bed and my phone rang just as I was closing his door.
“Hello?” I whispered, standing in the hall outside of his father’s bedroom.
I could hear him breathing, but he didn’t speak.
“Hale?”
He sighed, a low chuckle lost in his voice. “I have a daughter.” And I knew then nothing would ever be the same.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Nope. Definitely Not Kansas.
Once I got the call, I woke Barrett, and we took a cab to the hospital to meet the newest Davenport. I was a bundle of nerves the whole way there. Barrett was stoic and silent until we got to the hospital lobby where he hesitated at the elevator.
I looked at him as the doors prepared to close. “What are you doing? Come on.”
He shook his head. “I think you should go up first. You and Hale should have a minute alone.”
I frowned. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re his brother.”
He looked at me for a long moment as I held the door. “Trust me on this.” He slid my hand off the door and I stared at him as the metal doors closed.
The ride to the maternity ward was quick and unnerving. I should go back down and get Barrett. This was crazy. It was his niece. I was just the uninvolved girlfriend slash employee. Why wasn’t he here with me to see his brother? And did I tell Hale I loved him? Sobriety was coming too fast with all of these emergencies.
The doors opened and I reached to hit the button to send me back down but stilled as I saw Hale’s back. He stared at a long glass window, perfectly still, suit jacket gone, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
I stepped off the lift. “Hale?”
He turned as if in a daze and smiled.
I walked to his side and stared down at the row of bassinets. Something inside of me cooed sweetly as I looked at the row of precious faces and then I spotted the one that said Davenport.
“She’s beautiful,” I heard myself say.
“I know,” he whispered, not taking his eyes off the glass.
I took my hand and folded it around his, squeezing lightly. He entwined our fingers and securely held my palm.
“It was amazing,” he rasped, voice gravelly. “The whole thing. I never saw anything like it.” He quietly laughed, the small sort of titter reserved for miracles alone. “I cut the cord.”
An unexpected sadness swept over me and I wasn’t sure where it came from. This woman who did this amazing thing and brought this person into the world, she and Hale had a past.
Was this why Barrett wanted me to go up alone, so he didn’t have to see this part? Was this… My chest suddenly ached. Was this the breakup?
What if, despite the child not being his, they could work this out and be a family? I didn’t know Jasmine’s reasons for giving up the baby. I never put much thought into it, being that sometimes parents weren’t able to make commitments. But thinking about all the pain I suffered over the years, wondering where my dad was and if he was thinking about me, I worried for this little angel and didn’t want her to have those thoughts. I didn’t want to be the obstacle that separated a family.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered, “How’s Jasmine doing?”
“She’s resting.”
A nurse smiled and lifted Hale’s daughter, carrying her to the window, and I sucked in a breath as I recognized the unmistakable Davenport features in her face.
I wiped my eyes, taken off guard by my tears. “She’s a little peanut.”
“She’s perfect,” he rasped, eyes focused on the bundle of little person. “Ten fingers. Ten toes.”
“Have you held her yet?” Why was I here? This had nothing to do with me. And why couldn’t I stop crying?
“When she was first born, but then they had to run some tests. They’re going to bring her to me in a few minutes. I have a room.”
Of course they did. “Well, I should—”
The nursery door opened and a woman in scrubs peeked out. “We’re going to bring her down now. I think she’s ready for a little formula, Dad.”
Hale nodded, a proud but unsure smile on his face.
I couldn’t do this. This wasn’t right. “Barrett’s downstairs. I’ll tell him your room number.” Then I’d check myself in to the psych ward because I was pretty sure I needed to scream into a pillow and sob inconsolably.
His brow creased. “Don’t you want to meet her?”
Yes, but I didn’t want to meet Jasmine, and I certainly didn’t want any part in breaking up a family. I wiped my eyes. “I should go.”
His smile disappeared. “I don’t want you to go.”
I rubbed my nose on the back of my hand. “You should be with your daughter, Hale. This is a family thing.”
His hand tightened around mine, his grip pleading. “Please stay.”
It hurt, not his hold, but my heart. Still, I nodded. “For a few minutes.”
We walked through the halls in silence. Nurses worked quietly at random desks. It was late, so the hospital was peaceful.
Hale pushed open a door to a private room and I stopped in my tracks as I spotted the empty bed. “Where’s Jasmine?”
“Her room’s in the other wing. This is where I’m staying.”
“You aren’t sharing a room?”
He tilted his head and frowned as if my assumption wasn’t something he’d even considered. “She thought it would be easier if she didn’t spend time with the baby.”
My lips parted. This was so strange. “Has she seen her?”
“Of course, but she didn’t want to hold her.”
Was this how my birth was? Did my dad lack the courage to hold me? I shoved those thoughts away. I had no idea it could be like that. I didn’t know what to say. “She really is okay with this?”
“She did me a huge favor, Rayne.”
I wondered how much he actually paid her to carry the baby to term. He’d said she didn’t want a baby, but…I might have said that too in a similar situation, but eventually, I would have crumbled.
I simply couldn’t fathom that level of commitment, not the amount required to be a parent or the level of commitment to never get involved—ever. I never expected her to actually stick to her guns.
“Mr. Davenport?”
Hale turned and smiled as the nurse rolled his daughter’s bassinet into the room.
“She’s ready for a bottle. I just changed her, so she’ll probably go right to sleep for you.”
Whoa, this was serious territory. I shuffled over to the side of the room and watched as the nurse gently placed the baby in Hale’s arms. My mouth twitched as he shifted and cautiously figured out the best way to hold something so breakable. They spoke quietly as she handed him a tiny bottle.
Hale touched the rubber tip to his daughter’s mouth and laughed softly. “She’s a fast learner.”
“I’ll leave you two alone.”<
br />
He took a few minutes to simply stare at her, but then he looked up at me and whispered, “She’s perfect, isn’t she?”
Perfect and beautiful, that seemed to be his final verdict. I couldn’t disagree.
My heart stuttered as I watched him, so caring and gentle, so in love with this new little person. That’s how dads were supposed to be, immediately in love with their children.
Great. Here come the tears again...
Wiping my eyes, I smiled at him and nodded because speaking was impossible at the moment. If I was in love with him before, I didn’t know what to call the emotions I felt now. He was the best guy I’d ever met.
“Her eyes are open,” he whispered. “Come see.”
I drifted closer one baby step at a time. There were those silver-gray Davenport eyes, only hers were slightly bluer than Hale’s.
“She really is beautiful.”
He glanced up at me, face serene, and we both looked back at her, in awe of this indefinable moment. “I was thinking of calling her Elara.”
“That’s a lovely name.” I wanted to hold her so badly I folded my hands behind my back.
“Knock-knock.” Barrett stepped inside and grinned at his brother. “I heard I have a niece.”
Hale’s expression was dominated by immeasurable pride. “Come meet Elara.”
I took the opportunity to slip out of the room and catch my breath. Once in the hall, I leaned into the wall and sucked in a deep gulp of air. I didn’t expect this to be so intense.
Wandering off, I found a machine that dispensed ice chips and filled a cup. Sitting on a chair at the end of the wing, I stared at the floor and nibbled the ice. Every now and then a baby would cry, but the hospital was mostly quiet. Even my brain was quiet, because there was no precedence for a situation like this and I didn’t know how to process it.
Sometime later, Barrett found me and grinned as he approached. “Well, this was unexpected.”
I laughed, sort of outside of myself. “No kidding.”
“I’m going to take off. I think he wants you to stay.”
I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. I considered Barrett. He had to know something was up with this situation.
“Will you tell your father and sister?” They should be here.
Barrett nodded. “I’ll make sure they know.”
“Do you think Hale realizes what he’s doing?”
I wanted to believe he did, but everything was happening so fast. What if he changed his mind and the poor peanut was abandoned? I couldn’t dwell on thoughts like that. Despite doubting men—mostly my father—I had strong faith in Hale.
“I think he knows he’s doing the right thing and that’s all Hale ever wanted to do. You probably realize he isn’t one to stray outside of the lines.”
He made it sound like Hale was perfect, but I knew he wasn’t. He drove too fast and got jealous and crossed many lines when it came to intimacy, but somehow he managed to convince the outside world he was always in control.
Maybe I was an outlet for him, someone who let him know it was okay to swear and speed and be less than perfect at times. I liked thinking I might be that outlet for him, because Hale was so complete, I often wondered why I was necessary to him at all. More things to consider at a later date.
I nodded at Barrett, unsure if I’d make it through the night at his brother’s side. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
A while later I found my way back to Hale’s room. When I entered he still held Elara, only now he was whispering something to her. It was possibly the cutest thing I ever saw.
I sat on the bed and he looked up, abashed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Don’t stop on my account.”
His cheeks flushed. “It’s something my mom used to sing to me.”
It was sweet.
Though he appeared to be exactly where he wanted to be, it was almost dawn, and I was fading. “Aren’t you tired?”
“I was, but I got a second wind. You can lie down if you want.”
I rolled to my side on the bed, watching him in between long blinks. When my eyes couldn’t open anymore, I heard him sing again.
“Just close your eyes and I’ll be there…”
****
I stirred after the sun was up. Hale was already awake and having quite the conversation over the bassinet.
“Well, this isn’t very ladylike, but I won’t tell anyone.”
He lifted a soiled diaper and tossed it into the trash with a splat.
“I’ll have them burn that.”
The baby made the softest sound and, I swear, my ovaries quivered in delight.
“There. Good as new.”
“You sound like a pro.”
He turned and grinned. “There’s my other beautiful girl. I think I’m finally getting the hang of diapers.”
I sat up and ran a hand over my hair. “I need to go home and change.” I also needed to check on the cleanup at the yacht. “Can I bring you back anything?”
“I have a bag with me, but I’d like to see my sister.”
Let’s just hope Barrett delivered the news, because I’d had enough awkward for one week. “Okay.” I hesitated, unsure if I should kiss him or what. “I guess I’ll see you.”
Leaving the baby in the bassinette, he turned and hugged me—hard. “Thank you for being here.”
“You’re…welcome.” Tongue-tied as usual, I patted his back.
He kissed my head. “Be careful getting home. I love you.”
So I supposed we were saying that now. “I…” Just say it! “…love you too.” There. That wasn’t so hard.
His gaze held me immobile for a split second, those gray eyes of his holding an understanding of things too complex for me to decipher. This was not my life. These were not my people. Yet here I was, proclaiming my love for a man I hardly knew.
But those feelings, they were all true. I did love him and I wasn’t sure how that happened or what it meant for my fragile heart. I only knew speaking such sentiments made things real and scared the ever-loving shit out of me.
When I got home from the marina, Remington was sitting on the couch. It was no mystery I was gone all night, as I still wore my dress from the party.
“I was at the hospital,” I announced.
“I know where you were,” he mumbled, keeping his attention on the paperwork in front of him. “Are you working today?”
“I was going to go back.” Taking a step closer to him, I hedged, “I figured all of us would go.”
“You enjoy yourself. I have work to do.”
Treading lightly, I hesitated to leave. “Remington—”
“I’ll catch up with you tomorrow, Meyers. You’ve earned a day off.”
My molars locked as I just stared at him. He knew I was still there, but he had yet to look at me. Maybe I was being irrational. I was definitely out of line, but I didn’t care.
I walked up to him and snatched the paperwork out of his hand. “Your son had a child last night.”
He glared at me. “I’m perfectly informed of my son’s whereabouts.”
“Don’t you want to meet your granddaughter?” I snapped.
His eyes narrowed. “Perhaps you misunderstood the situation, Ms. Meyers, but I assure you, this is a Davenport affair, and I’ll handle it as I see fit.”
His words hurt because he’d led me to believe I was more than an employee and he was more than a cold asshole. “Is that how it is?”
The disappointment I bore in that moment literally crushed me. He was better than this.
When he didn’t answer, I said, “Count me out of the next family dinner, Remington. Maybe we all need to remember I’m just part of the staff.” I tossed the paperwork to the sofa and stormed off to my room.
****
Seraphina found the entire process of meeting her unexpected niece exhilarating. She demanded we stop by a store and pick up something little for her niece. I figured she’d get a few balloon
s, maybe a rattle, but what did I know? An entire baby wardrobe later, we were finally on our way back to the hospital.
Hale looked exhausted but happy. I couldn’t get over how natural he seemed to handle Elara after only half a day alone with her. His sister took to the baby like a boat takes to the sea, natural, and I envied her maternal instincts.
Hale had a long list of items he needed and Seraphina volunteered to help him. Once we were alone—well, Elara was there, which I guessed was the new alone—he asked the question I was dreading.
“Is my dad coming?”
Inwardly I cringed, but outwardly I tried to play it cool. “He had a lot of work to do, but he said he’d try to make it over.”
Hale laughed coldly and rolled his eyes. “No, he didn’t.”
“I’m sorry, Hale.” And I truly was, because if anyone knew what it meant to be disappointed by a parent, I did. “Maybe he just needs time.”
“We’ll see.” He glanced at the sleeping baby. “Did you have lunch?”
Grateful for the distraction, I shook my head. “Did you want me to go get you something from the cafeteria?”
“I had Laurent make a few catering trays and deliver them to the nurses’ station.”
And that was how the Davenports did things. “Of course you did. Did you want me to make you up a plate?”
“I want you to eat. I know yesterday was crazy for you and you’re probably running on empty. I thought of you when I told him to make a dessert tray.”
Be still my heart. I smiled and gave him a shoulder bump. “Where did you come from?”
Catching my hands in his, he kissed my knuckles. “Go eat.”
And eat I did. Trust the Davenports to put out a spread suitable for a celebrity wedding. Suffice it to say this made Hale very popular with the hospital staff.
I was filling my second plate when I heard a passing nurse whisper, “Apparently, she’s on her way to Paris. They pulled out all the stops.”
The woman with her murmured back, “I don’t know why she wouldn’t want to be involved. Did you see the ass on him?”
Calamity Rayne: Gets A Life Page 31