by A. E. Neal
"What's her name?" she asked.
"Kennedy. Kennedy Allen."
She dabbed more of the dry blood and caught my gaze. "I can find out where she is and take you to see her when we're all done here," she offered.
But I'd already felt defeated. I wasn't sure she would want to see me anyway, after she found out about what I'd just done.
"Yeah, okay."
"It really isn't any of my business, but how'd this happen?"
"I'm a jealous asshole, I guess," I said and she laughed.
"Well, you wouldn't be the first."
I chuckled.
"Almost done," she said as she placed a bandage over the bridge of my nose. "I don't think it's broken, but you may have some swelling over the next couple of days." She handed me an ice pack. "This should help a little."
I held the pack to my face. "Thank you, Amy."
"Sure...uh..."
"Zac," I offered.
"Nice to meet you Zac. Now how 'bout we go find your girlfriend?"
I hopped off the table, washed the blood off my hands and followed her to one of the nurses stations. She picked up the phone, spoke quietly and nodded.
"She's upstairs, I'll take you." I nodded, still holding the ice to my nose, which seemed to ease some of the throbbing.
I followed Amy into the elevator and she pressed the button for the eighth floor and we waited silently as the elevator ascended.
The doors opened and she led me down a short corridor, where I saw my sister pacing outside one of the rooms. Ally spotted me and ran toward us.
"My sister," I told Amy.
Ally came to a dead stop when she saw my face and bloodied t-shirt.
"Jesus Christ, Zac. What the hell happened?"
"I tripped," I lied and she didn't think it was very funny.
I turned and smiled at Amy. "Thank you again."
"No problem, Zac. Take care," she said and stepped into the elevator.
Ally grasped my arm and pulled me down the hallway. "I know you're mad at me for what I did, but you can yell at me all you want later," she said and looked back at me with worry in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
She stopped walking, turned and placed both hands on my arms to steady me.
"The baby's heart rate dropped, they think the cord might be around his neck. She was just taken in for an emergency C-section, Zac."
"Where?" I panicked.
"I don't know."
"Where's Doctor Keller?" I pushed her out of the way and spotted another nurse just outside a room.
"Zac, wait," she called after me.
"Excuse me," I said to the nurse. "Do you know where they took Kennedy Allen?"
"She was in room eight forty-three," Ally offered.
"C-section?" the nurse asked.
"Yes," we said at the same time.
"They moved her to surgery about ten minutes ago. Are you family?"
"I'm the baby's father," I said, hoping she had some better news to offer.
She took my arm and led me down the corridor. "Trina," she called after another nurse. "Trina, this is the Allen girl's husband. Have they prepped her, yet?"
She glanced at me and back to Ally. "They just started," she said. "Two-ten, I think."
"Come on, we don't have much time if you want to get scrubbed in."
"I'll wait here," Ally said, shrugging.
The nurse, Trina, led me back to the elevator and we descended to the second floor. Why they couldn't just keep everything on one floor boggled my mind, but I wasn't about to complain.
She left me waiting just outside the operating doors. I ran a hand through my hair and tossed the ice pack in the trash can next to a vending machine.
Minutes passed as I waited for Trina to return, then the doors flew open and she waved me inside.
She gave me directions as I stood in front of the sink, helping me get into scrubs and taking a coarse brush to my hands and arms before putting a cap and mask on me.
She handed me off to another nurse who led me into the operating room, giving me specific instructions to stay at Kennedy's head, so I did just that. I sat on a stool next to her and reached out to take her hand. She looked up at me with wide eyes and smiled. "You made it," she said and I could tell she was woozy from the drugs they'd given her.
"I'm here."
"Your nose?"
"It's nothing," I lied, but she saw right through me.
"Deacon?"
"Shh, Skittles. I'll tell you all about it later."
Kennedy
The moment the doctor lifted our baby boy over the curtain for us to see, tears formed in my eyes. Zac squeezed my hand and I could see that he, too, was crying.
"He's beautiful," I whispered and smiled at the doctor.
They took him out of the room quickly to make sure he was alright and Zac sat by me as they sewed me up. I closed my eyes and the image of our son played against my eyelids, over and over. Happiest day of my life.
Later that night, a nurse brought our baby boy in for the first time. I was sore, but seeing his face made all the pain melt away.
"Are you ready to meet your baby boy, Kennedy?" she asked and I nodded.
She placed him in my arms and I kissed his little wrinkled head.
Zac sat beside me and watched as his little mouth moved as he slept. Ally hadn't left the room for hours and she looked just as excited to meet him as we were.
"Come sit by us, Al," I offered and she slid a chair to the edge of my bed.
I gave Zac a knowing glance and he nodded. It was finally time to tell her what we'd decided to name him.
"Ally," I began and she glanced from the baby to me. "Zac and I have decided to name him Andrew. Andrew Jase Monroe. AJ, for short." Her eyes filled with tears and she sucked in a breath. "We both know how much you loved him and know he'll always be in our hearts."
She buried her face in her palms and cried. "I think it's perfect," she said sweetly. "Andrew," she whispered and stroked his tiny hand softly. He gripped the tip of her finger and she smiled.
Epilogue
Zac and I had a lot to learn about being parents, but who didn't? Our relationship was tested almost daily and for a while there, I thought we were growing further apart. Especially the day after AJ was born. Zac's whole life had been his music, and although I never wanted to stop him from his dreams, he made the choice to get on the plane that day and go back to LA. It was the hardest week of my life, but when he returned, he promised he'd always be there for us, even if he wasn't there physically and it took me a long time to accept that. Other than the occasional disagreement between us, things couldn't have been better. Our sleepless nights hadn't lasted that long, and after a couple months our sex life was back to normal. I wouldn't have thought it was a big deal, until I realized we'd been lacking physical contact from each other for so long that it was almost like the first time all over again.
#HashTag's debut album hit number ten on the top one hundred chart within the first week of release. Our song, Keep You, was number one for over six weeks and the band was already gearing up to head out on their first tour.
At AJ's first birthday party, Ally and Brody finally announced their wedding date. Ally wanted him to be her ring bearer, so they decided to wait until he could walk and I joked that he'd have the ring shoved up his nose before he even made it down the aisle.
Zac had proposed to me several times since AJ was born. I had said no each time, but he was getting even more clever in his recent approaches. The middle of the coffee shop at seven o'clock in the morning on a Sunday after we hadn't gotten any sleep. In the shower together, bending down on one knee to offer me a bar of soap. And my favorite, he taught AJ to say, "Marry Daddy," but it had backfired on him when he said, "Berry Dada." Someday, I'd probably marry him, but for now, we were actually happy and I couldn't find any reason to change it.
Acknowledgements
To my readers: I can't ever thank you enough for your su
pport and encouragement. Your kind words mean so much to me and I'll never be able to thank you enough.
A huge thanks to all of the bloggers who took a chance on me and read Holding On To Love. Thank you for sharing teasers and supporting me. You guys rock! Keep up the excellent work!
My author buddies in Author Love and Author Support 101, thank you for continuing to share your knowledge with me. You're all amazing and I'm so glad I'm surrounded by such a wonderful group of authors. Muah!
J. Rose Alexander, thank you for writing lyrics for this book. I know I've told you a thousand times before, but I can't thank you enough for saving my ass.
A special thank you to my street team! You guys rock and I can't thank you enough for all the hard work you do.
Michelle, you've been my rock and the first person I turn to when I have writer's block. I can't thank you enough! Lurves!
Alyson Raynes, I'm so glad I met you. You continue to make me laugh, lend your amazing skills and knowledge on a daily basis. You have more talent in your big toe than I do in my entire body. Thank you so much for everything!
To Ying, my editor, you're truly a talented woman. Thanks for turning my mess into a masterpiece.
I can't forget my parents, who continue to teach me that no matter what I do with my life, they will always be proud of me. I love you both so much!
For my super awesome husband who has held my hand, let me cry on his shoulder, listened to my ramblings and reminds me that the rest of the world can be cruel sometimes, but always keep my head up because I'm doing something I love. Thank you, Bear. I heart you!
Thank you friends and family for being so supportive of me and my writing adventures.
I'd also like to thank the one and only, Justin Timberlake, for inspiring me to write this book. I listened to the 20/20 Experience about a million times while writing. It was like having a musical muse there to cheer me on. You're an amazing, talented and humble person. Thanks for keeping it real!
About the Author
A.E. Neal is the author of Holding On To Love & Trick Her, Treat Her. She has been writing since she was a child, everything from short stories to poetry. Her debut novel released in September 2013. Her inspiration for the Holding On Series is her love of hockey, cocky bad-boys and true love. While she spends most of her time writing, she also enjoys reading and catching up on her favorite TV shows. She currently resides in Colorado with her family, including two dogs, two cats and a couple of goldfish. Be sure to visit A.E. Neal's Facebook page for exclusive teasers and updates.
A.E. loves hearing from her readers and can be found online at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aenealbooks
Twitter: @aenealauthor
Email: [email protected]
Note: If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a spoiler-free review on the site from which you purchased it. Thank you!
Other books by this author (available on Amazon and B&N):
Holding On To Love (Holding On #1)
Trick Her, Treat Her: A Halloween Novella
Table of Contents
Holding On To Us (Holding On #2)
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3 Zac
Chapter 4 Kennedy
Chapter 5 Zac
Chapter 6 Kennedy
Chapter 7 Kennedy
Chapter 8 Zac
Chapter 9 Kennedy
Chapter 10 Kennedy
Chapter 11 Zac
Chapter 12 Kennedy
Chapter 13 Zac
Chapter 14 Kennedy
Chapter 15 Zac
Chapter 16 Kennedy
Chapter 17 Zac
Chapter 18 Zac
Chapter 19 Zac
Chapter 20 Zac
Chapter 21 Kennedy
Chapter 22 Zac
Chapter 23 Kennedy
Chapter 24 Kennedy
Chapter 25 Kennedy
Chapter 26 Kennedy
Chapter 27 Zac
Chapter 28 Kennedy
Chapter 29 Kennedy
Chapter 30
Chapter 31 Kennedy
Chapter 32 Zac
Chapter 33 Kennedy
Chapter 34 Zac
Chapter 35 Kennedy
Chapter 36 Zac
Chapter 37 Zac
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author