She and Tate still haven’t spoken. Well, he tries to talk to her but she ignores him completely. I catch her watching him talk to other girls, and she has the saddest look in her blue eyes. But as soon as she looks away she puts a smile on her face. I know it’s fake. No one else does, because they are all too busy doing something. But I know she’s still hurting. She may hurt the rest of her life. I know if Angel were to turn around and walk away from me, I would never be the same. I would never feel this love for anyone else.
I also catch Tate watching her as well. I know how his body stiffens when Braxton kisses her on the cheek goodbye. If you ask me, it’s sad. Why waste time with one-night stands when the love of his life is right in front of him?
“You’re lucky you aren’t getting two girls.” Parker elbows Josh in the side as he speaks.
Courtney is less than two months away from her delivery date. And if you ask me she looks like she is about to pop right now. We are all gathered at Courtney and Josh’s house for the baby shower that the girls are throwing her.
I’m sure baby showers are for the women only, but Josh wanted to be a part of it. He had to persuade Parker to show up with food and then when that wasn’t looking like enough, he threw in lots of beer and a thing of rum. It was a done deal.
“Could you imagine?” Josh shakes his head. “I know how bad we were in high school.” He points to Tate and then Parker. “I would kill a boy if he treated my daughter like we treated girls.”
I nod my head.
“What about you, Slade? What are you hoping for?” Parker asks before taking a drink of his beer.
“I’m hoping for a boy.” I smile. Angel and I have decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise. We don’t want to know. I keep having these crazy dreams that it’s a boy.
“That’s what I would want,” Parker says, and we all stare at him wide-eyed. He shrugs. “You know, if I ever wanted kids—which I don’t. I’m just saying.”
“I will never want kids,” Tate says matter-of-fact. “No to a boy. No to a girl.”
He shakes his head quickly.
“Why not?” I ask curious.
He sighs. “Just don’t want them,” he says carelessly.
I smile. “Courtney once said something similar to me and then turned up pregnant.”
Tate shakes his head. “I’m always careful. I don’t even want the responsibility of a relationship let alone the responsibility of being a father. Plus, when you have kids with someone that you’re not physically in a relationship with, the women seem to use the kids as leverage. That’s not fair,” he finishes before he takes a drink of his beer.
Parker nods. “I’ve seen that in many cases I get called on. Hell, some have even been married and still try to use their children as leverage.”
I sit back as I look over at Tate. I wonder what his childhood was like. I know it wasn’t sunshine and rainbows like most kids get. His was dark and physical, and it makes me sick thinking that may be one of the reason he doesn’t want a kid of his own.
“Hey, those are my favorites,” Courtney says pulling me out of my daze and snatching the blueberry muffin out of my hand.
I look up at her from her and Josh’s kitchen table. “That was mine.”
“I’m so sorry.” She places her hand over her heart and sighs dramatically. “Do you want it back?”
“Yes,” I say trying not to smile as Tate laughs.
She places the muffin to her lips and licks the entire top of it and then places it down in front of my face.
“Yuck. I don’t want it now.” I push it away, and Josh laughs.
“Oh, what a shame.” She spins around and waddles off into their living room, giggling.
“Am I the only one who thought that the way she licked that was hot?” Parker asks as he eyes her ass.
“What is wrong with you?” Josh asks placing his elbows on the table and shaking his head.
Parker shrugs. “Nothing that I know of. I don’t know if it’s hanging out with these pregnant women or what, but I have come to find pregnant women very attractive,” he says with all seriousness.
“You’re sick.” Tate sighs.
I laugh.
“No really. They’re always touching their bellies and their boobs double in size.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “And you can have all the sex with them you want and they can’t get pregnant,” he adds with excitement.
“Stay away from my wife,” I threaten him.
He throws his hands up in the air. “She’s all yours.” He laughs.
Just then I watch my beautiful wife enter the kitchen with all of the women following after her. She places a box on the table and kicks Parker out of his seat to allow Courtney to sit down.
She smiles as she lifts the box up off the cake that she had made for her baby shower and Courtney screams, making Parker jump back from the table. She stands throws her arms around Angel and starts crying.
“Never mind.” Parker sighs. “The hotness bubble of pregnant women has been popped. Too much crying, I can’t stand to see a woman cry.” He turns and walks out of the kitchen.
“Are you sure you like it,” Angel asks.
“I love it. It’s perfect.”
“I’m glad you like it,” she says and then turns to face me.
I lean back in my chair and look at her beautiful face. Those bright green eyes are shining, and her smile lights up her face. Her long dark hair is up in a high ponytail. She’s so fucking gorgeous, and it’s hard to believe she’s mine.
She walks up and looks down at me with her hand over her belly. “I have a surprise for you.”
My eyes drop to below her belly. “I have a surprise for you too.” I smirk. We had to wait quite a while before she was able to have sex after the accident. Now, we do it more than we ever did before.
“Gross. Please stop,” Tate growls in disgust.
“You act like you’re twelve,” I say looking over to him.
He narrows his dark blue eyes on me. “Well, you act like a horny teenager.”
“Boys,” Angel says getting our attention. “My surprise is not sex related.” I sigh and Tate smirks.
“I brought more of your favorite muffins. They are over there hiding in that red container.” She points to it as it sits on the kitchen counter. “Go and get them before Courtney sees them.” She then turns around and laughs as she walks away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
SAMANTHA
I stand in Courtney and Josh’s living room as I watch my husband along with my brother and his friends sit over at the kitchen table drinking beer while talking about whatever guys talk about. And I sigh when I see Slade reach up and rub his shoulder. I know it hurts him from his fight with White. When I woke up alone, I called Slade. When he didn’t answer, I called Tate. Tate informed me that he was with Parker—I knew that meant trouble, and I had to get to him. When we found him sitting on those steps with blood on his face and holding his shoulder. I flipped.
I slam the door to the cop car and make my way over to him. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I snap not even bothering to look down at the body lying on the grass. It might make me puke if I do. And no one takes a pregnant lady who’s throwing up seriously.
He just smiles up at me as he holds his shoulder.
I stop in front of him and place my hands on my hips. “It’s like five o’clock in the morning. And you just leave me at home with no note, no nothing?” I snap. “You didn’t even answer my phone call,” I shout. “I’ve been worried sick you jackass.” I throw my hands up in the air. “Did you think you could just come home and I’d still be asleep? That you wouldn’t have to tell me what you had done?” I shout, furious at him for putting his life in danger.
He smirks and his body shakes a bit as he tries to hold in his laugh. I narrow my eyes on him.
“Are you done?” he asks simply, and I fist my hands down by my side.
“Done? No I’m not done.” I state. “You could have been k
illed.”
He stands from the stairs and walks toward me before placing his lips on mine. I wrap my arms around his stomach and kiss him back, thankful he’s alive.
“We need more ribbon,” Courtney announces getting my attention.
“I’ll go get some,” I say as I walk out of the living room and into her bedroom.
“Oh,” I say jumping when I see Missy sitting on Courtney’s bed with the ribbon in her hand.
“Sorry,” she sniffs. “I came to get more ribbon but got distracted.” She wipes her nose with the back of her hand.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly. She has done like a one-eighty since her breakdown at my wedding. She’s always happy. She went and had her hair changed to platinum blond. It makes her blue eyes stand out even more. She never wears her glasses anymore, and she always takes the time every day to do her hair and makeup. She looks like a woman who just walked off of a runway from somewhere.
She nods. “Is it Braxton?” I heard them arguing yesterday on the phone while we were at the bakery and he ended up not showing tonight.
She shakes her head. “No.” She wipes the tears off of her face and looks up to me. “I’ll be fine. I’m just a little emotional today.” She lets out a little laugh at herself, and I frown.
She stands and smoothes out her light yellow sundress that showcases off her small frame and then holds up her ribbon. “Let’s go see who can get the closest to guessing the size of Courtney’s belly.”
“I’m kinda nervous,” I admit with a smile. “She may cry if I make it too big.”
She laughs. “Yeah. We should do half of what we think she really is,” she agrees.
*****
When you first get pregnant you think nine months is a long time. Then the accident happened and I was in so much pain I thought that I would never be back to myself by the time our baby arrived. I was wrong. It took me about six full weeks to get back to looking and feeling better. My shoulder still acts up every now and then but other than that, I’m good.
Our lives have been so hectic. The bakery is busier than ever. Slade is still trying to figure out exactly what he, Tate, and Parker are wanting to do with their new business. Parker is still working at the precinct, and Tate is still working at Missy’s dad’s shop so there is no hurry to get it going as well.
Courtney and Josh had their twin boys, and they are just the cutest things I have ever seen. She had called me to tell me the babies were coming while Slade was taking me on a tour of our house. I hated to cut the tour short, Slade was so proud as he showed me everything, but I wouldn’t have missed my best friend having her babies for nothing. And the way she was cussing out Josh, as he screamed like a woman in the background, told me she needed me there.
We have officially lived in our house for two weeks, and today is Slade’s thirty-first birthday. It’s our first big celebration we have hosted and I went all out.
“Happy birthday,” I start to sing and everyone follows as I walk out to place Slade’s cake in front of him in the kitchen of our new house. I smile as I look out the huge windows that shows off the pool and backyard.
“Make a wish,” I say looking down at him as he looks over his birthday cake. I made him a strawberry-filled cake this year with white icing. I kept it simple. I have a few weeks left, and it kills me to stand for long periods of time but it didn’t stop me from making him something that I knew he would like. I’ve been having bad back pains since last night but I figure it’s just from doing more with the busy bakery and being on my feet more than usual trying to get ready for Slade’s birthday party.
He winks at me and then leans over blowing out his candles. We all clap and I start to cut the cake for everyone. I give out the last piece of cake and walk out of our formal dining room into the kitchen. I reach into the fridge to grab the punch I had made as well. As soon as I shut the fridge I feel like my heart stops and my breath catches in my throat as a pain shoots up my back.
I drop the glass bowl and cry out as I fall to my knees holding my stomach.
“Angel?” I hear Slade yell as he enters the kitchen skidding in the punch and the sound of shattered glass scrunching under his shoes. “What’s wrong?” His worried voice rings louder than everyone else’s who now stand in the kitchen.
The pain hits me again, and I grab his arm and squeeze as it takes my breath away. “The baby,” I cry out. “Something’s wrong,” I say as I feel wetness pour between my legs.
I look down quickly to see blood covering my white dress. I look up to Slade as tears run down my eyes.
“Call the ambulance,” Vivian cries.
Slade picks me up and takes off toward the door. “No time. Tate drive us,” he calls out, and I scream out once again at the pain.
By the time we get to the hospital I feel like my insides have been ripped out. The pain is unbearable. I know labor is supposed to be painful but this is different. My body knows something’s wrong.
“Please help my wife,” Slade calls out as we rush through the Emergency Room doors. Nurses jump to their feet and a stretcher is pushed over to us where he lays me down on it.
He starts to rattle off how far along I am and what is happening. I clench my teeth tightly and grab a hold of the bed as the pain continues. I’m rushed into an exam room in the ER as nurses swarm around me.
“What’s happening?” I cry out. “Please,” I beg. “Let the baby be okay,” I cry.
A doctor comes rushing in and examines me. Within two seconds he calling out orders about moving me to the OR to perform an emergency C-section.
A nurse throws some scrubs over at Slade. “Put those on. We are about to deliver your baby.”
“What?” he questions wide-eyed. “It’s too early.” He shakes his head.
“The cervix has dilated, causing the placenta to separate from the uterine wall permanently. The baby will die unless we get it now.”
“No,” I cry shaking my head.
He’s by my side in a second. “It’s okay, Angel. The baby is going to be okay,” he says trying to convince us both.
Once they wheel us down to the OR, I’m given an epidural, and not being able to feel what my body is going through worries me.
“Slade?” I cry as tears run down my face.
He grabs my hands and looks down at me. “It’s going to be okay. The baby will be fine,” he reassures me before he looks up and tries to see what the doctors are doing.
It doesn’t take them more than a minute before I hear our baby crying. “Congratulations. It’s a girl,” one of the nurses calls out, and I sob knowing I’m hearing our baby cry for the first time.
“Did you hear that?” Slade asks looking down at me with tears in his eyes. “You did it, Angel.” He looks up and over to the other side of the room. “She’s beautiful,” he says in awe.
I start to feel tired and my eyes get heavy. “Angel?” I hear him say before I lose consciousness.
*****
SLADE
“What’s wrong with her?” I demand looking down seeing her eyes shut.
Doctors push me out of the way as they work on her alongside the nurses. “There’s too much blood,” one says frantically.
“What going on?” I cry out placing my hand over my mouth.
“Get him out of here,” another one calls out. Before I even know what’s going on I’m being ushered out and left to myself in the hallway. I can’t even see our daughter. I have a daughter. That thought hits me like a fucking semi. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself for a child, nothing compares to seeing the beautiful little baby for the first time.
A nurse walks out and heads straight toward me with my daughter bundled up in a pink blanket laying in a bassinet that she pushes. “The baby is doing just fine. Would you like to hold her?” she asks with a smile.
I nod my head and hold my hands out to her. I swallow the knot in my throat as I look down at her sleeping face. “My wife?” I ask looking up to her.
�
�They are having trouble stopping her bleeding,” she says calmly.
“What does that mean if they can’t stop it?” I swallow thickly when she looks down to the floor before quickly looking back up at me. “That she could bleed to death?” I ask terrified.
She speaks as if she’s rehearsed this in front of a mirror with no emotion. “Sometimes complications happen. The placenta had been implanted very low in Sam’s uterus, and that she had evidently been having contractions for a while.”
I think back through the day. She had been complaining about her lower back.
“They will do all they can to stop it,” she assures me. Then she looks down to the baby in my arms and smiles. “Here.” She gestures to a room behind me. “Let’s go in here.”
She holds the door open for me as I walk into another room. I find the nearest chair and sit down in it slowly as I continue to hold our daughter in it. I can’t keep my tears at bay as they run down my cheeks.
I can’t lose my Angel. My world. The mother to my child.
I wipe my face quickly not wanting the tears to drop down on our daughter.
“I will give you a few minutes,” the nurse says softly. “You may stay here with her. The physician will be out to talk to you shortly.” Then she turns and walks out of the room.
I continue to look down at the little miracle my wife carried for almost nine months. She’s already just like her mother. No matter what she and Angel went through, she hung on. She fought and I thank God for that.
I lift her a little bit and place a soft kiss on the smoothest skin I had ever felt. “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper. “Mommy is going to be okay.” I choke on my words hoping that the first thing I tell my daughter isn’t a lie.
Closing my eyes. I do the only thing I know to do. Pray. And I pray to the one person who loves Angel as much as I do. Her Mother, Marie.
“Please,” I whisper. “I know you’re there watching over her.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “I know you miss her and that you love her. But I need her. I need to see her face. I need to hear her say those three little words that hold more power than anything I’ve ever known.” I look down at our angel cradled in my arms and watch her peacefully sleep. “We would be lost without her.” I let out a shaky breath. “I will change my life for her if you spare hers. Give her the chance to know what it’s like to be a mommy.” I tightly close my eyes as tears slide down my already wet cheeks.
The UN Series Complete Box Set Page 127