by Amy Vastine
“Ouch.”
“Hey, on the bright side, we were just talking about how you’re one of those guys who should go to our class reunion just to put everyone who was a jerk to you in their place.”
He had to admit, it was satisfying to be the ugly duckling who had turned into the swan. Whenever he bumped into someone from back home, jaws fell to the floor.
“Funny you should mention jerks we went to high school with. My brother ran into Kevin Remus recently. Said he’s gained a hundred pounds and works at his dad’s hardware store.”
Kevin was the guy Sheridan has said yes to after turning down Scott’s invitation to the prom. All the girls had wanted to date him; it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Sheridan chose him over Scott.
“I was a real idiot when I was seventeen,” she said. “I could have dated Scottie Soon-to-be-Hottie and saved myself a lot of trouble. Kevin was so full of himself there wasn’t any room for me in the relationship.”
“We live and learn.”
Sheridan’s face contorted in pain and she leaned against the wall for support. A few seconds later, she relaxed. “I seem to keep learning the hard way.”
“Let’s not add stress by dwelling on the past,” he said. They resumed their walk and Scott started timing her episodes, seeking a pattern. “Any luck finding a heartwarming Thanksgiving moment?”
“I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities. My phone is in my purse. Which reminds me—I forgot to give you your charger back.”
He was about to joke that maybe he left it on purpose so he’d have to see her again when she stopped and dug her nails into his arm. If these were contractions, like he suspected, they were coming quick. He hoped they were nothing more than Braxton Hicks.
“I think we should have you sit down. Let’s see if resting and water helps,” Scott said, leading her back to the gate.
“Can I keep you?” That stomach-flipping smile of hers reappeared. “I kind of like having a doctor at my beck and call.”
Scott wanted to say yes, but then reality settled in. “I’m interviewing for a surgical residency position in Minneapolis.” It felt good to say it out loud to someone. The secret had been eating him up.
Sheridan’s face fell. “Oh. I’m sure that makes your parents happy. Do you not like it here?”
“I love it here. I love the hospital I work at, get along really well with the staff, love working in emergency medicine.”
Her eyebrows pinched together. “You love your job, but you’re looking for a new one?”
“Yeah.” He ducked his head. “Sounds kind of stupid, doesn’t it?”
“Not any more stupid than insisting I’m staying in Chicago to raise this baby alone even though I’m terrified and my family has offered to help me if I move back to Minnesota.”
“You’ll be fine,” he said as her water broke.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sheridan had heard the stories. She knew it was possible to go into labor in a public place and had empathized with women who had to stand in a puddle of amniotic fluid. But hearing about it was nothing compared to experiencing it firsthand.
The pain that followed her water breaking was like nothing she had ever felt before. It radiated from her back out to the rest of her body. If it wasn’t for Scott’s arms around her, she would have fallen to her knees.
“It’s going to be all right,” Scott said so confidently she almost believed him. “We’re going to call for help. Come on over here.”
He led her to the gate where her mom and sister were waiting. Daisy got to her feet when she saw Sheridan.
“What happened?”
“Her water broke. I need you to call 9-1-1.” He guided Sheridan to the chair her sister had vacated.
“Her water broke?” her mother screeched. It’s too early!” Her panic was not helping ease Sheridan’s.
“It’s early but not terribly so. We’re going to keep her calm and get her to the hospital. It’s possible they’ll be able to stop the contractions.”
Scott was amazing, and Sheridan wanted to tell him that, but the next contraction stole her ability to speak.
“Look at me, Sher.” His firm, authoritative tone made it impossible to do anything but comply. “I need you to take a deep breath in.” He showed her what to do and held her hand through the contraction.
“I’m not ready.” Her head was pounding and every breath was a chore. “I can’t do this.”
“You have to stop this, Scott,” her mom demanded. “We’re throwing her a surprise baby shower in two weeks.”
“Mom!” Daisy threw her hands up in frustration.
Scott’s focus remained on Sheridan. “You can do this. You’re doing great. Baby showers sometimes turn into meet-the-baby parties. We’re going to stay calm until the ambulance gets here.”
Stay calm. That would have been a lot easier if it didn’t feel like there was a vice squeezing her body in half. She gripped Scott’s hand as another contraction hit.
Once it passed, Scott let go and shrugged off his backpack. “They’re coming really fast. I think I should check you to see how far you’re progressing.”
“In the middle of the airport?” A quick glance around made it clear she was definitely the center of attention.
“Look at me,” Scott demanded. His eyes showed no fear, which was more reassuring than he knew. “It won’t be any worse than getting manhandled by that TSA agent on your way in, I promise.”
Sheridan laughed in spite of the constant pressure on her pelvis. Scott asked for the people closest to them to get out of the way. Daisy went into protective big-sister mode and had everyone moved back in seconds.
Another contraction distracted Sheridan from fretting about who might witness Scott ducking under her dress. This was a pain she never wanted to experience again. How had her mother endured this three times?
Scott rolled up his sleeves while he waited for the contraction to end. When she was able to breathe, he took a look. It was the quickest exam she’d ever had. This time when their eyes met, she saw some worry.
“What?”
“The baby’s already crowning. You need to push.”
Sheridan didn’t think; she just did as she was told. Moments later, Scott was holding the tiniest baby she had ever seen. He also screamed louder than his mother had. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.
The paramedics arrived and took over. They loaded Sheridan onto a gurney and someone handed her the baby wrapped in a blanket. He was perfect.
Scott had disappeared in the midst of all the chaos. He had been talking to one of the paramedics, but now she couldn’t find him.
“Grab our stuff.” She heard her mother say to Daisy. “Can we ride in the ambulance with her?” she asked one of the paramedics as he began to wheel her away.
“Wait.” Sheridan couldn’t leave without talking to Scott. Her panic began to resurface. Where was he?
“Hey.” He appeared out of nowhere like he knew he was needed. His presence immediately washed away the anxiety. “They’re going to take you to Lutheran General. You’ll be in good hands there.”
There weren’t enough words to express how she felt, so Sheridan put her mouth to better use. Fisting his shirt, she pulled him close and planted a kiss on his lips that caused Concourse C to erupt in applause. Sheridan put everything she had in that kiss—remorse for how she’d treated him when they were young, appreciation for his compassionate soul, gratitude for delivering her son safely, and a whole bunch of burgeoning attraction.
When she let him go, Scott’s composure faltered for the first time all day. That kiss was hopefully one neither of them would ever forget.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“We call it ‘holiday heart’ and it means you’re not having a heart attack.”
Scott’s forty-something patient and his wife both sighed with relief. Mr. Daniels had presented with irregular heartbeat, leading them to believe he was about to fall over dead. Scott was happy t
o inform them this was not the case.
“I suggest drinking lots of water and sticking to healthier portions at mealtime.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Mrs. Daniels said. “I could kiss you.”
“But she won’t,” her husband added.
Scott left the exam room, reminded of a kiss he had received. It was the same kiss that had been on his mind for the past three days. It was the kiss that had compelled him to call every hospital near the airport, searching (to no avail) for Sheridan and her baby. The snowstorm had caused them to be diverted to another hospital, but no one could tell him which one. That kiss was also his excuse for canceling his interview in Minneapolis and the motivation he had needed to tell his father he planned to continue his residency in emergency medicine because that was where his true interests and talents lay. Lastly, that kiss reminded him why he had wanted to kiss Sheridan Colfax since he was ten years old.
Finding her proved more difficult than expected, though. The E-Pulse offices were closed for the holiday weekend and he hadn’t thought to get her number when he had the chance.
“Watch it again. It’s him.” He heard Emma say. The nurses and Dr. Gavin were huddled around the computer at the nurse’s station.
“Somebody ask him,” Dr. Gavin said.
“Ask who what?” Scott set his tablet on the counter and walked around to see what they were all looking at.
Emma swiveled around in her chair. “Did you deliver a baby at the airport?”
Scott watched the video of the kiss he couldn’t forget.
“That’s definitely him,” Tessa said. “I’ve seen that shirt before.”
“No way. His hair is too dark,” one of the nursing assistants said.
“It’s him,” Tessa asserted again. “You’re famous, Dr. Spencer.”
“What?” he finally managed to spit out.
“You’ve got over two million views. You’ve gone viral. How come you didn’t tell us?” Emma asked. “Delivering a baby in the airport didn’t seem like something you should share when we asked, ‘How was your Thanksgiving?’”
“I bet her husband loved that you made out with his wife,” Tessa said with a laugh.
“She’s not married,” Scott said, reaching over Emma and scrolling thought the comments. People were making similar comments about the baby’s father. The last comment linked to a news article. Scott clicked on it.
Sheridan was quoted saying, “It was the most surreal moment of my life. I never would have gotten through it without [Dr.] Scott [Spencer]. He came back in my life when I needed him the most.”
When asked about the kiss, she had said, “Sometimes words aren’t enough. I hope he knows how I feel about him.”
How she felt about him? He hoped she felt the same way he did, but his feelings were so overwhelming he couldn’t be sure they weren’t causing him to attribute more than gratefulness to that kiss.
Fortunately, the article also mentioned mother and baby were doing well and receiving treatment at University Hospital. He’d found her and wasn’t going to let her get away again.
* * *
“I bet when he’s older, he’s going to be giant. He’ll never believe us when we tell him how tiny he was.” Daisy held all five pounds one ounce of Wyatt Scott Colfax in her arms.
Wyatt was proving to be quite the strong little man already. Despite being premature, he was bigger than they expected and didn’t require much additional support.
“I hated it when you all got taller than me,” their mother said, admiring her grandson.
The nurse knocked on the door to their private NICU room. “I know you requested no visitors except for immediate family, but I have the doctor who says he delivered the baby outside—”
“Let him in!” Sheridan exclaimed, nearly falling out of her chair. Scott was here. He was finally here.
The nurse smiled and slipped back out of the room.
“Oh my gosh, how do I look?” Sheridan hadn’t had a shower in over three days. Her hair was a mess and there was no time for makeup.
“Terrible,” Daisy replied with her usual honesty. “But you have a good excuse.”
Sheridan scrubbed her hands over her face and tried to tame her tresses. Thankfully, she had been discharged this morning and wasn’t wearing that ugly hospital gown anymore.
Another knock and Scott poked his head in the room. The butterflies in Sheridan’s stomach went wild at the sight of him. He came in carrying a bouquet of roses.
“How’s everybody doing?”
“Come see this baby, Scottie. He’s perfect,” Rita said, waving him over.
Scott gave Sheridan a crooked grin and a wink before turning his attention to the baby he had helped bring safely into this world.
“He looks like his momma,” Scott said, glancing up at her again. “Beautiful.”
Sheridan scratched the back of her neck. Somehow Scott managed to make her feel that way even though she knew she was far from it at the moment.
“Want to hold him?” Daisy asked and Scott quickly replied with a yes. “I think Mom and I will go grab something to drink. We’ll give you two some privacy.”
As soon as they were alone, Sheridan’s mouth went dry. She’d been practicing what she wanted to say, but with him there, her mind went blank.
“He’s doing well?”
“Very well, thanks to you.”
“You did all the hard work,” he said, once again proving he was humble.
“You kept me calm. I couldn’t have gotten through that without you.”
Scott smiled sheepishly and they went on to discuss Thanksgiving and the horrors of hospital turkey.
“How did the interview go?”
“I cancelled.”
“Oh.” Sheridan felt a little guilty for being relieved. “Did you not make it in time?”
“I made it in time, I just decided I’m not moving back to Minnesota.”
She wanted to ask him why but the words wouldn’t come.
“So, I hear we’re kind of famous. Internet famous at least.”
Sheridan had ended up creating, rather than discovering, the heartwarming Thanksgiving moment. “You’re viral. I know in your profession that’s a bad thing, but in mine, it’s awesome.”
Scott laughed and Wyatt let out a little do-not-disturb whine. Scott cringed, but the baby settled down almost immediately.
“Maybe you should hold him,” he said, his face creasing with worry.
Sheridan took Wyatt and pressed her lips to his tiny head, inhaling his sweet baby smell. It was strange how all the fear she had felt was replaced by love after he was born.
“I didn’t want the job in Minnesota because that’s not where you and the baby live.”
Sheridan’s gaze lifted and her heart picked up the pace. Those were the exact words she had hoped to hear. “Because of me?”
Scott nodded. “I’ve been waiting for that kiss since the first time I saw you on the school bus when we were in fifth grade.”
“That’s a long time,” Sheridan said with her heart in her throat.
“It was. I’m hoping I don’t have to wait that long to get another one. So I was wondering if you and Wyatt would like to go on a date sometime? You know, when you aren’t busy in the NICU.”
Sheridan smiled so big, she feared her face would split in two. Scott was everything she wanted for herself and her son. He had earned her trust, which meant love was a real possibility.
“I think I can speak for both of us when I say yes. Absolutely, yes.”
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out the three Chicago Sisters books by Amy Vastine: The Better Man, The Best Laid Plans and The Hardest Fight. Available in paperback and digitally at Harlequin.com and at your favorite ebook retailer.
French Apple Cake by Amy Vastine
Ingredients
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons rum
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
3 large apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1-inch chunks
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch round pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs in another bowl until foamy, then add the sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add the vanilla and rum. Mix well.
4. Alternately add the flour and butter to the eggs in two batches, mixing gently to keep the batter smooth.
5. Fold in the apples with a spatula and pour the batter into the pan.
6. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.
7. Since the cake is very moist, it’s best to keep it uncovered or lightly covered at room temperature.
Wedding at Turkey Run
By Liz Flaherty
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Epilogue
Recipe: Italian Sausage and Cabbage
CHAPTER ONE
“Eloping.” Jenny Boyle backtracked into her grandmother’s kitchen, still carrying the plate of dinner rolls. “Did you say eloping? Nana, you’re seventy-three years old—why do you need to elope?”
“You said it yourself—I’m too old to be waiting around. Besides, your father will have a cow.”
“There is that.” He’d had a cow when Jenny got her ears pierced, when she got a shamrock tattooed on the inside of her right ankle and when she marched on the Indiana statehouse with a few hundred other teachers. Why would he do any less if his mother decided to get married again? He’d think it was too soon after Grandpa’s death. It had, after all, only been twelve years.