Another baby to love and spoil, finally making her an auntie she never would have been if it hadn’t been for Leah. “She’s perfect,” Rachel said, when she finally got the chance to meet her.
Leah patted a spot beside her and motioned for Rachel to have a seat. Rachel obliged as she sat on the edge and scooted up closer to Leah. She couldn’t help but get emotional as she looked down over the bundle in her arms. Liam and Leah had a perfect daughter and she couldn’t wait for girl days full of shopping and getting their hair and nails done.
“I need to talk to Rosie about planning your wedding,” Leah mentioned, while she fed her little girl. “Have you guys set a date yet?”
She hadn’t even thought of a date. He’d just proposed for Pete’s sake. They wouldn’t be married for at least another year or so, unless of course Adam married her sooner because of the baby on the way...
“Like, next month, or maybe in the fall?” Leah asked, persistent on figuring out the details right this minute, ignoring the fact that she’d just had a baby, and should be sleeping or something.
“Lee, relax,” Rachel said, nudging her arm into Leah’s. “We’ll set a date when we actually have a chance to talk about it. Right now, all you need to focus on is Willow. She’s all that matters right now.”
Leah’s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Rachel, who was now making her way to a chair at the end of the bed. Nurses needed to take the baby and get footprints and other newborn baby things they do when the baby is less than a day old. “You’re going to have a baby,” Leah whispered, as tears silently slipped free.
Apparently, the drugs that were given to Leah during the labor of Willow were still in her system, because Rachel didn’t remember acting this way after the birth of Ava. Unless, of course, the drugs kept her from remembering it. Rachel looked around for any sign of Liam or Adam being in close proximity of the room. The last thing she wanted was for Adam to find out through overhearing Leah’s one-sided conversation. Holding a finger to her lips, Rachel whispered, “Shh... It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
Leah’s lips trembled, tears fell uncontrollably, and Rachel knew that she needed to leave her be. She needed a nap—she was exhausted and overwhelmed from the labor and delivery of her little girl. The sleep would help Leah become normal again, once the drugs were out of her system. Right now, they were strong and not mixing well with Leah’s hormones.
The guys walked into the room shortly after Rachel stood to give Leah a hug goodbye. She turned to Liam and mouthed “I’ll be back later or tomorrow. She needs some rest.” He nodded okay with his thumb up and held the door open while giving Adam a pat on his back on the way out.
Rachel would have liked to stay there longer, but remembering how busy the first few hours were after the birth, along with the emotions running high, and not to forget the exhaustion and fatigue of the whole thing, she knew Leah needed it quiet and Liam would take care of her. She was in good hands.
Adam held the door open for Rachel as she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. They had the night to themselves. The kids were with Adam’s parents for the night, allowing Adam and Rachel time to do whatever they wanted. Several thoughts of what to do crossed Rachel’s mind, but there was only one that took precedence over the remaining things that could wait for a while. She couldn’t wait to get home.
* * *
Pulling into the driveway, her heart raced and butterflies came alive as they flittered and bounced their way around her stomach. The amount of excitement and nervousness caused her stomach to feel sick as it flipped.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
Swallowing down the feeling of getting sick, Rachel offered a smile and explanation. “Nothing, just thinking of everything that happened today. It all just hit me, that’s all.”
He took hold of her hand and pulled her close to him along the bench seat of his truck. Scooting along the seat without objection, Rachel snuggled into Adam’s chest; her thoughts of what his expression would be at the news of expecting. Where she had once been nervous, she was now feeling a leap of excitement, and couldn’t wait to find out. She wanted so much for them. With everything that had happened today, she might as well toss in the surprise for him—as though he hadn’t been surprised enough, and vice versa, but this surprise would trump all the others tenfold and there would be no doubt that this day would forever be engrained in their memories.
They had plenty of time to pick dates and celebrate their engagement. She didn’t want to rush through it. They’d have plenty of time to get the details figured out. Right now, she needed to get him inside to show him what she had been anxiously waiting to show him for the last few days.
“Rach,” he said, her name sounded forced, like he was trying to find his words without hesitating too long. She looked up at him. His eyelids were heavy, with dark bags underneath; evidence of his lack of sleep and the worry that had played its way into their lives within the last month. “I really wish I could have had one of your cupcakes today.”
She released a sigh of relief. That wasn’t what she thought he was going to say. A part of her had thought maybe he was recanting his proposal. That he was having second thoughts. She had thought doubts had found their way into his thoughts soon after he realized what he had done. She could handle the whole cupcake situation.
He followed her into the house after grabbing the mail, giving her plenty of time to grab the surprise bag out of the closet. It was a surprise in itself that he or the kids hadn’t gotten into the closet and found it. She was glad they hadn’t. This was the perfect time to let him know they were expecting, yet another thing to look forward to in the near future.
She carried the bag into the living room, where he was sitting in his favorite recliner, opening the mail and tossing the unimportant stuff to the side. She held up the bag, which was a neutral color with a large question mark on the front. Of course, she knew it was a bag that couples used for gender reveal parties, where everyone gathered around to find out the sex of the baby while the parents had known all along. The thought to do that had crossed her mind, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it secret for too long. The other thought she had had was for the ultrasound tech to be the only one to know that day and seal it in an envelope. But Rachel knew the envelope wouldn’t last long.
“What’s that?” He was sitting forward with his elbows on his knees now, eyes on the bag she had carried into the living room. “Is that for Leah and her baby?”
Shaking her head, she placed it in front of him, and sat at his feet. The nerves that weren’t fried from earlier were now buzzing and causing her to feel queasy once again. “It’s for you.”
His eyebrows drew together as he pulled apart the seal of the bag and reached in. “What’s this for?”
Offering a subtle shrug, she waited for him to pull the items out. Confusion crossed his face as he pulled out the folded t-shirt and the pack of cigars. More than likely the cigars threw him off because he wasn’t a smoker, but she couldn’t leave them out. The pack of cigars is what wrapped up the package with the conclusion of a need to celebrate.
He unfolded the t-shirt, finding the folded onesie inside. He unfolded both and held them up to read them. He dropped them in his lap and looked at her. A smile broke his confused expression. “We’re expecting?”
She nodded slowly, with an identical smile on her face. She was lifted off the floor in one swift motion and into his lap. “We’re going to have a baby?”
As though sitting was no longer an option through the excitement, Adam stood, spinning her around and kissing her—passionately and full of desire.
“How far along are you?” he asked, setting her back down on her own two feet.
She didn’t know how far along she was, because she had only taken the pregnancy test after a bout of sickness hit her a while ago, between checking on Adam at the hospital and baking cupcakes and other sweet treats for the diner. She knew that something was going on when
licking the spoon after whipping up frosting had caused her to get sick.
“I’m not sure. I wouldn’t think I’m too far along.”
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. His lips met her forehead where they stayed for longer than a minute. Thoughts overwhelmed her of what the two of them, all of them, were going to experience—together as one.
He placed his hand on her stomach, where nothing more than a small bump had formed in the last week, another indication that made her think the scale was broken or that she was gaining weight from eating too many sweets. “Maybe it’s twins in there.”
“Don’t press your luck,” she said, pointing a warning finger at him. Not that the thought of twins was a bad thing. She had always wanted to experience having twins, something she had played around with since she was younger with twin dolls. She had begged her parents to buy her two of everything just so she could have twin babies. Now, the thought of having two of everything caused her to grimace in expected aches and pains of carrying two babies.
“I think it’d be great,” Adam said, rubbing her stomach, mumbling something to it as if his words would miraculously place two babies inside.
“Would you like to carry them?”
He looked down at her stomach and once again mumbled something, recanting his wish for more than one baby. She laughed. “You’re too much. What am I going to do with you?”
“The same thing you’ve been doing with me,” he said, trailing his lips along her neck, finding the soft spot between her neck and shoulder. Her head tipped back, hormones doubling the effect of the scent of his cologne and the way he made her feel.
27
The visit to the doctor ended with the removal of his cast. After x-rays and a follow up exam, the doctor had okayed the removal of the cast and his return to work. The only restriction the doctor had noted was for Adam to take it easy. No heavy lifting. He wanted Adam to give his arm a chance to fully recover. The muscles were still weak and would be for a bit longer.
Adam promised Rachel that morning that he would mind the doctor’s orders. He didn’t want to end up back in a cast. He couldn’t wait any longer to get back to the station. Visits here and there during his time off had done little to calm his worries about upholding the department.
He hadn’t seen Conner in the last few days. The guy had been staying at the station, pulling doubles and making sure everything was taken care of. His brother had come a long way since the last time they’d had a chance to talk. If Adam hadn’t thought about it before, he was definitely thinking it now.
Conner greeted him at the door. He was antsy and eager to show him around. He wanted to show him what he had done to the place, swearing that the changes were nothing too drastic and they were a good thing.
Adam followed him through the station, glancing over things, but not paying too close attention to it. He wasn’t at all worried about the changes Conner had made. It was probably for the better and he shouldn’t have doubted Conner so much in the past.
“The place looks great,” Adam said, noticing the extra space in the sleeping room and the new set of lockers instead of hooks for everyone’s stuff. “You’ve done good for the place.”
Conner wasn’t the young boy Adam remembered. He stood six feet and broad shouldered. His face had transformed from the boyish grin to one more masculine. His voice was deeper and there was no denying the fact that he was ready to get his shit together.
“I figured it was time to earn my keep around here,” he said, jabbing an elbow at Adam. “You guys have been great to me since I came back and since I’m new around here, I wanted to stay low key for a while. Didn’t want to make sudden moves and wind up getting my ass handed to me.”
Adam had a laugh at that. The kid had nothing to worry about when it came to that. There wasn’t anyone here at the department who would beat him up for making changes. Everyone he talked to was more than glad Conner was here to pick up some of the extra hours and the slack caused by injuries and things out of their control.
“It’s great to have you here,” Adam said, offering a pat on his brother’s back before walking toward the office. “As long as you keep your head on straight and focused on what you really want, there won’t be any problems around here.”
He wasn’t referring to those problems between their father and Conner. Those problems would eventually work themselves out. Given some time, a rather large amount of alcohol, and less amount of stubbornness, they’d most likely forget what they were so angered about in the first place. It wasn’t like the Jacobsen’s to hold grudges. Anger wasn’t worth the destruction of holding onto it.
“You know I talked to Dad the other day?”
No, Adam hadn’t heard. With everything happening this week, along with the news of a little one on the way, he hadn’t paid much attention to anything besides his own little family. Tyler had gone off to camp with his buddies and Ava was still working through the terrible twos. She was getting more and more ornery with each passing day, giving him a run for his title as father as he learned how to deal with little girls and their tantrums.
“He said he’d like to have a longer talk,” Conner said, ignoring the fact that Adam had spaced out of their conversation. “I’m not so sure what to say to him.”
Adam wasn’t sure what to say to his father either. It used to be simple to strike up a conversation with the man, but lately, his moods were too much and you never knew what kind of mood he was in. It was like walking on egg shells, which he didn’t mind once in a while, but it made him feel for his mother, who had no choice but put up with it day in and day out.
“It’s hard to say. I suggest just being upfront and honest with him, like he has been with us,” Adam said, grabbing the stack of mail on the desk. Glancing up, he caught Conner in mid-thought, “I know it won’t be easy, but you have to try. That’s about all you can do.”
His father refused to go to the doctor. Their fear that there was an underlying condition causing him to have these unnecessary mood swings and outbursts were no concern to his father. He said there was nothing wrong—he’d like to enjoy his retirement without so much as a peep about problems. He told them he had enough to worry about. Well, whatever it was he was worried about, he sure wasn’t going to tell any of them, including Adam’s mother.
“I just have a bad feeling,” Conner said, pulling up a chair next to the desk, motioning for Adam to do the same. “I’ve had this feeling for a while now. It bugged me every now and then when I’d call home to talk to Mom. She’d pretend everything was okay, but the night I came back for dinner, I could tell things had changed.”
The thought of Conner coming back because of trouble at home and not because he truly wanted to be here worried Adam. What if tomorrow or the next day Conner decided to up and leave again? Not that Adam had any say in what his brother did, he just thought it was nice having him back home.
“Is that what made you come back home?” Adam asked, trying to keep his own insecurities out of the conversation.
Conner wrapped his hand around the paperweight on the desk and balanced it in his hand while he figured out what to say next. Adam could always tell when his brother had a lot on his mind, because he had to have something in his hands the time it took him to talk it all out.
“Sure, that was one of the reasons I decided to come back,” Conner offered just enough to keep Adam guessing what was coming next.
“What are the other reasons?”
With a subtle shrug, followed by the plop of the paperweight, Conner stood, sliding his chair back as he made his way out of the office. Adam had no choice but to put the mail he had been holding down and follow his brother. “Wait, where are ya goin’?” he called out, rounding the corner of the kitchen, following after Conner like a stray dog.
Taking a detour to the back of the station, he watched his brother as he entered the sleeping area, opened a locker and pulled out a stack of papers that looked as disheveled as his expres
sion. He handed them to Adam, who in turn sifted through them, scanning them with confusion. Trying to make sense as to why his brother was showing him articles and pictures, his brows tugged together as he looked up at Conner. “What’s all this?”
“Articles from the paper.”
Obviously, that’s what they were. Adam could tell that. What he couldn’t understand is what they were for or why his brother had them. “I can see that.”
Pulling the stack from Adam’s hands, Conner flipped through the crumpled sheets of paper until he found one he was looking for. Pulling it free away from the others, he held it out for Adam to grab hold of. Adam read the headline.
Now it made sense. There had been a big forest fire that had taken the lives of several firemen out in Colorado. It had taken a heavy toll on the count at the station out there. Adam had seen it on the news. He had called Conner to make sure he had been all right, not thinking about the after effects of this fire and how they would affect his brother.
“Remember when I packed up the day before I left home?”
How could he forget? He hadn’t been an emotional man, but the thought of the distance that would separate him from his brother had been a bit overwhelming. He hated the fact that they’d be so far away from each other, making it seem almost impossible to stay in touch or close for that matter. They had managed for the last few years, but it had definitely taken a toll on their relationships.
“Yeah, I remember,” Adam said, taking another look at the article in his hands. The fatalities had climbed to nearly thirty. It had been the largest fire the state of Colorado had ever seen. The panic he and his parents had felt while watching the news that night, knowing that Conner was battling those flames right along with those losing their lives.
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