by A. D. Ryan
“You just carry it with you?” she asked as I held my hand out, palm up, for hers.
“Ever since my birthday,” I confessed. “I tried asking you then, but got the impression you weren’t ready.” Madison seemed truly shocked to hear that, her eyes wide, and I faltered. “Was I wrong?”
Her lips turned up in a smirk and she bit back a giggle. “So very, very wrong.” I moved the ring toward Madison’s hand when she curled her fingers under and pulled away, her face twisting with uncertainty. She eyed me before looking at the ring and then back up at me. “You should put that back in the box.”
I was really confused. “Are you still afraid of what others will think? Madison, they’re our family, I’m sure they know we love each other and we’re not just doing it for this sweet little angel.”
“What? Oh, no! That’s not it at all …” Something almost guilty flashed through her eyes as she bit her lip. “Confession time?” I nodded slowly, not quite sure what was coming my way. “I already know it’s not going to fit.”
“Wha—? How?” I asked, still confused.
“Promise you won’t be mad?”
“Of course,” I assured her, amused and curious.
Sighing, she looked down at our daughter and smiled, running a finger along her soft cheek. “I was doing laundry a couple months ago, and I was putting away your socks … I kind of saw the box and was curious.” My eyes widened. “Honestly, I thought maybe it was a class ring or something. When I saw what it really was, well I kind of … put it on.”
“So, you put the ring on?” I said, repeating her words like a moron. “And you never said anything.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, and it got stuck … and then you came home …”
Realization suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. “That was the day you were acting all funny because you dropped a piece of jewel —holy shit. You dropped it down the sink?”
Madison nodded sheepishly. “Guilty. You’re not mad, are you?”
I couldn’t believe it. She’d already seen the ring … tried it on, even … and she hadn’t said anything. Looking at her as I put the ring back in its box, I smiled. “No, not mad. But you could have told me.”
With another shrug, she went on. “Yeah, well, I didn’t want to spoil whatever plan it was that you had for asking me. And I’m glad I didn’t; this was perfect.”
As I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers, I couldn’t help but agree wholeheartedly. It didn’t really matter, what mattered was what was happening today. Right now.
A few minutes into our private celebration, two nurses came to take the baby to the nursery to run a few routine tests. Madison suggested I go tell our family that the baby had arrived before going to the nursery while another nurse helped her get cleaned up.
As soon as my mom saw me approach, she stood up, hands clasped in front of her mouth and eyes wide and inquisitive. “Well …?”
“She’s here,” I announced proudly. “She was born at eleven fifty-eight, at a small, but healthy six pounds two ounces, and with a full head of dark hair. She’s perfect.”
Willow nudged Kyle and held out her right hand while he fished some cash from his wallet and paid her. Meanwhile, whoops and cheers filled the waiting room, and not just from our family, but from other expectant family members awaiting the same news.
“How’s Madison?” Wayne asked after releasing me from a congratulatory hug.
“She’s pretty tired, but I think her adrenaline has kicked in at this point,” I explained. “She did so well. They took the baby to the nursery for a few routine tests, and I said I’d meet them there as soon as I let you all know that everyone was doing well. I’ll meet up with you guys in a few, and you can all see Madison before you go back home?”
After another round of hugs, I was off to the nursery where I found one of the nurses unbundling my daughter next to a small basin filled with water. After seeing I’d arrived, the nurse allowed me to assist her in giving the baby her first bath, which was actually pretty heartbreaking, because the poor thing cried the entire time. As soon as she was bundled back up, they handed her to me, and I sat with her in the rocking chair for a few minutes to calm her before we went back to our room.
Madison was sitting up in the bed and talking with a new nurse, when I entered. Upon seeing us, her smile widened even more and she adjusted her posture excitedly as I wheeled the hospital bassinet toward her.
“How is she?” Madison asked, peering over the edge of the tiny baby bed.
“Not a fan of a bath, as it would seem,” I said, reaching in and picking up the tiny bundle of cuteness so her mother could hold her. Once she was secure in Madison’s arms, I turned to the nurse and introduced myself.
“Hi, I’m Nurse Eads, Madison’s lactation consultant.” She turned back to Madison, peering down at the baby and smiling. “Did you want to try feeding her yet? She seems pretty content, so you’d probably be okay to wait a bit.”
“Um,” Madison hummed, seeming unsure what the right answer might be, like maybe this was some kind of test she could fail. “Yeah, she’s sleeping, so I think I’ll wait.”
“Okay, dear. You just hit the call button when you’re ready to try, okay?” Madison nodded and Nurse Eads turned to leave. “Oh, it looks like the three of you have some late night visitors.”
Madison and I looked toward the door and smiled when we saw everyone peering in almost nervously. Waving them over, I said, “Come on in, guys.”
The girls all pushed their way into the room, beating the guys to Madison’s bedside easily. There were oohs and awws from each of them mixed among the questions regarding how Madison was feeling while I stood back and watched Madison hand our baby girl to my mother first.
“Oh, she’s just precious,” Mom gushed, leaning in to kiss her tiny pink nose. “Does she have a name?”
Madison and I exchanged a sheepish look before she cleared her throat. “We hadn’t really settled on one yet.”
“Madi and I wanted to meet her first. See if any of the ones we’ve been tossing around fit.”
Reaching out, Madison placed a hand on my arm. “I think I know her name.” Her voice was low, but everyone looked at her expectantly, so I nodded to urge her on. Madison looked up at her baby in my mom’s arms, then at Wayne. “Allison. After Mom.”
Wayne sucked in a breath, his chin quiver belying the steely exterior he was trying to pass off. “I think she’d love that, Mads.” His voice was hoarse with emotion as Willow wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, offering herself up as a stand-in for Madison. He willingly accepted.
“Allison, huh? It’s perfect.” Nodding, Mom held her first grandchild for a few minutes longer before offering her to one of the grandfathers, who both graciously allowed either Lilah or Willow to go first.
“She’s so cute,” Willow said, brushing her nose against the baby’s. “Makes me glad our return to town is officially permanent.”
“Wait, what?” Madison said, sitting up.
Looking up from the baby, Willow grinned. “We’re moving back.”
“We’ve extended the lease on the condo we’d secured for the summer,” Brandon interjected and we’ll start looking for a place after we finalize a few things in Memphis. Gia has agreed to run the spa as general manager, which means that Will would be free to work here again—should you need her.”
Madison looked up at him. “And what about you?”
“This past year at the firm, I was contemplating going out on my own. So, I’ve rented out some office space in Savannah, and I’ll be opening up my own practice.”
Tears formed in Madison’s eyes again, but she fought like hell to keep them from falling. “You guys did all this for me?”
Willow tipped her head to the left flippantly as she handed the baby to Lilah. “In a round-about way, I guess. It’s sucked being so far away from you, and now that you’ve had a baby, I couldn’t possibly spoil it from over three hours away. Who else is going t
o spoil her?”
After each of the women had their turns, Kyle held her for a few minutes, whispering sweetly to her about how she’s got one of the most loving families in the world. Kyle was a good guy, which I already knew, but I’d never seen just how much of a softie he was around kids; it made me excited for him and Lilah to start their family one day—however they went about it, given Lilah’s inability to conceive naturally after the attack.
Dad was next in line to hold his granddaughter, looking her over lovingly before letting Wayne hold her. The smile on Wayne’s face reached his eyes, creasing the corners as he stared at baby Allison’s sleeping face.
When she started to stir, Wayne brought her back over to Madison and placed her in her arms. “She’s a beauty. You did good, kid.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” The baby started whimpering just then, turning her head in toward Madison’s chest. “Oh, uh, I think she might be hungry. Baby, would you mind getting the nurse back in here?”
“Sure thing,” I said, pushing the button on the bedside.
Wayne cleared his throat. “All right, well it’s late, and you two are probably exhausted. We’re going to head home and we’ll come see you guys tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.” Wayne bent down and kissed the top of Madison’s head before hugging me one more time. “Good night, you two.”
After everyone else gave Madison and I one more hug, we were alone and waiting for Madison’s nurse to come in and help with Allison’s first feeding. It didn’t take very long for Madison to get the hang of it, and soon the little one was feeding like a champ.
“This is, beyond a doubt, the strangest feeling in the world,” Madison said through a smile. “But so insanely wonderful at the same time.”
“All right, Madison,” Nurse Eads whispered after checking the baby’s suckling. “I’m on all night, so if you need me again, just call and I’ll be right in.”
Nodding, Madison looked up at the kind older woman. “Thanks so much.”
As soon as we were alone, I settled onto the bed next to Madison, careful not to jostle her too much and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “You are incredible,” I told her, making her blush. “How are you feeling?”
“Sore, actually, but none of that matters, because Allie was worth every second of it.” Our eyes simultaneously fell to our tiny daughter as she continued to feed.
“Indeed she was,” I concurred, still staring lovingly at Allison. Madison’s left hand moved up to push the swaddling blanket away from the baby’s chubby cheek, and I suddenly realized we didn’t tell our family about our recent engagement.
Madison smiled after I told her. “We’ll tell them tomorrow. It’s been a long day for everyone.”
When Allie finally finished feeding, I took her and moved her back to the bassinet, being sure she was bundled warmly before sitting next to Madison and letting her nestle into my side. It didn’t take very long before her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep with her hand on my chest.
Chapter 27. Adjustment Period
“Good morning, boy,” I greeted the Appaloosa mustang as I approached the round pen. He’d been with us since the day we rescued him from Charles’ ranch a couple weeks ago, but even as his superficial wounds healed, he still showed signs of extreme mental anguish and wouldn’t let anyone near him.
In the week since Allie and I had come home, I was the only one he’d approach. He never got within a couple feet of the fence that separated us, but he didn’t bolt for the other side of the pen either.
While it had only been a couple weeks since the whole Charles debacle, I was so relieved to hear that he was currently behind bars on more than ten counts of animal cruelty and negligence. We all feared he’d get nothing more than a slap on the wrist, but instead we learned he’d likely be convicted of a Class A Misdemeanor, which came with a sentence of one year up to thirty years. Based on the evidence and carnage in his rickety old barn, everyone seemed confident he’d be on the receiving end of at least two decades.
While Allie and I were in the hospital, Jensen said he’d spoken to his father, and he let him know that a few more horses were being transferred to another facility to undergo rehabilitation. He ran some tests and because they were just malnourished, he figured they’d be able to be helped and re-released or re-homed much sooner. It was comforting to know that we’d been able to save more than just the mustang and Vlad that day.
Allie stirred against my chest. I had her in one of those woven wrap things I always used to think were unnecessary and over-hyped, but Willow got me one to try, and it was honestly a God-send. While I loved her more than I ever could have imagined, having a child was much more difficult than I thought it would be. She cried almost constantly unless she was being held, and even then, we only had thirty/seventy odds of success.
From the center of the pen, the appaloosa watched me carefully. He took another step forward, but when Allie released a squeal of displeasure, he reared up and galloped to away. “Come on, Phoenix. You know I’m not going to hurt you,” I assured him, reaching through the slats of the pen and checking his water bucket.
“Phoenix?” Jensen asked from behind me and I cringed slightly, turning to face him. “You named him? When?”
“A day or two after we returned home,” I replied sheepishly. “I couldn’t keep calling him “boy” or “the appy” or whatever. He needed a name.”
Jensen arched an eyebrow. “Baby, he’s wild.”
“That doesn’t make him less deserving,” I retorted. It was possible my post-partum hormones were even more unpredictable than when I was pregnant.
Almost as though he recognized this, Jensen took a deep breath and smiled. “No, of course not.” He sighed. “All I’m saying is that by naming him, you’re forming a bond. I just don’t want you to get too attached to him, because you’ll be heartbroken when we release him.” When I didn’t answer right away, Jensen took his place at my side and attempted to change the subject. “So, why ‘Phoenix’?”
Looping my arm through his, I leaned against him and shrugged as we watched Phoenix paw at the flakes of hay on the ground. Allie had settled again and was suckling her bottom lip. “Because he’d been through something pretty horrific and he was able to rise above it and live. Sure, he’s still terrified of people, but who wouldn’t be. I think he’s getting better.”
I didn’t need to see Jensen’s face to know that he disagreed; I felt it in the way he exhaled as he kissed the top of my head. “Oh,” he said suddenly. “I spoke to Evan about an hour ago and he’s bringing Vlad out to the ranch for a bit.”
Evan was an acquaintance of my dad’s and the man we’d hired to help us train Bones. Like me, Evan rescued and rehabilitated dogs who’d been abandoned or abused, and then he re-homed them after a grueling application process. Given what I did for a living, I respected and valued his process.
“Yeah? How’s he doing?” I asked with a smile; it’d only been a couple weeks since Evan had taken Vlad to assess his behavioral issues. Allie and I had been in the hospital for a week, but Dad was telling me the other day how Evan had been bringing Vlad around and how he and Bones had been getting along and how good it was for his rehabilitation. I’d seen him twice since coming home, and I could see how good it was for him. He was a completely different dog.
“Evan says he’s doing great. He’s not showing any signs of aggression and follows his commands perfectly. In fact, he says he might be ready to find a permanent home.”
I could feel my smile fall, because a new home meant that his visits would soon stop. I’d enjoyed watching Vlad and Bones play together. It wasn’t Vlad’s fault he was so aggressive; we had Charles to thank for that.
It took Evan a while to gain his trust, but there was a reason he was in the dog training profession. He had this way of communicating with dogs on another level, and better yet, he worked with the owners on knowing how to be the one in control so the dog would follow their commands. While Vlad had taken a little lo
nger to get through to, Evan succeeded, and he was like a completely different dog.
“Oh, yeah?” I replied sadly.
“Mmm hmm,” Jensen hummed into my ear. “And I was thinking, maybe we could take him in on a trial basis or until he finds a home.”
I gasped, turning to face him. “Are you serious?”
“He and Bones get along great, and I think he needs the space the ranch has to offer as well as the attention of everyone here. Evan says he gets along great with his kids and has even brought him out here on weekends, and our younger riders love him,” Jensen reminded me—not that I needed it.
My smile continued to grow wider and wider before I attempted to throw myself into Jensen’s arms, only to be reminded of Allie cradled to my chest. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Jensen winked. “I thought you might.” Tilting his head down, he kissed me lightly before leaning further down to kiss the top of Allie’s head. She stirred, but didn’t make a sound or wake. Jensen straightened up and checked his watch for the time. “I’m about to start my session with Ransom, but I’ll see you at lunch?”
“You better,” I teased. “Have a good session.”
With one final kiss, Jensen headed into the barn to grab Ransom’s lead so he could tack him up, leaving Allie and I alone outside. “Well, little one, what should we do until lunch?” Naturally, I was met with no response. “Paperwork it is.” With a sigh, I made my way to the office.
After checking the company email, I looked up dates for all of the local auctions as well as the ones out of state that Dad and I hit every year for new prospects. After putting them into our day planner, I opened up the invoices to start them for this month. I was maybe halfway through when I heard a series of loud woofs before both Bones and Vlad raced through the open office door. Evan poked his head around the corner not two seconds later.
“Hey there, Madison,” he greeted with a smile as Vlad and Bones both greedily sniffed the sleeping infant against my chest.