Either way, no one could call it fault because the result was Hollis, and no one wanted to think about what life would be like without him.
I caught Alyssa stealing another glance at Hollis in the rearview mirror.
“Any updates on Tommy?” I asked.
“No,” she said, but I could tell she was holding back.
“None?” Ellie asked, suspicious.
“None that I can relay.”
“That’s messed up,” Tyler said.
“That’s the way it is.” Alyssa shrugged, unapologetic.
We sat in silence the rest of the way to Eakins, but a new energy filled the van when we pulled into the hospital parking lot. Tyler unfastened Gavin, who was finally awake, and Falyn scrambled to open the door. I met her and the kids at the back of the van, anxious to get our luggage and see our family.
Once everyone but Gavin had weighed themselves down with backpacks, bags, and roller luggage, we ran to the hospital entrance and straight for the elevator. I was the last to step in, but then Alyssa stepped in behind me.
Falyn wasn’t happy.
“I have to accompany you upstairs,” Alyssa explained. “Then you’ll be rid of me.”
Falyn blinked. “Thank you. For getting us here safe.”
Alyssa seemed genuinely touched. She looked down at Hollis and mussed his hair. “My pleasure.”
The elevator doors opened to reveal our family standing on the other side.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TYLER
“YOU MADE IT,” Dad said, beckoning me in for a hug. He’d picked up his cane, and I was so happy to see him, I failed to let go of all three roller bags that I’d been lugging around all day as I swung my arms around him. Dad pulled Taylor in too, shaking because he was so happy to see us.
After Dad finally let us go, we took turns hugging Jack and Deana, Trenton, Shepley, and America, and they all hugged the kids.
“Where are the boys and the twins?” Falyn asked.
“All asleep,” America said, “in the waiting room with Agent Blevins. We made them pallets on the couches and floor, and then turned out the lights. It’s been a long day.”
Dad gestured for us to follow him, a pattern of taking a small step, limping, and using his cane for support, and then picking it up and starting over. “This way. Fair warning. Agent Blevins is a giant.”
“Bigger than Uncle Travis?” Hadley asked.
Dad hugged Hadley to his side. “Bigger than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
Hadley’s eyes widened, and Dad chuckled.
“How’s Abby?” I asked.
“Getting close,” America said. She smiled, but I caught a spark of worry behind her eyes.
“She’s early, isn’t she?” Ellie asked.
America nodded. “Seven weeks early. But they decided not to stop her labor.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but Ellie and Falyn weren’t happy about America’s answer.
I knew which room was the waiting room because a dark-skinned giant was standing outside the door. His hands were clasped at his waist. He looked more like secret service than FBI. He spoke, his voice abnormally deep. “The nurse is on the way with more blankets and pillows.”
“Th-thank you,” Hadley said, stretching her neck to gaze straight up.
Agent Blevins winked at her as she passed by.
Ellie and Falyn ushered the kids into the dim waiting room, followed by a nurse with short blond hair and a Crest smile. She was holding a stack of blankets and pillows, thanking Agent Blevins as he held the door open for her.
“Where’s Cami?” Taylor asked.
Trenton glanced at his watch then at Agent Blevins.
“Five minutes out,” the giant said, acknowledging Agent Davies with a nod. I was glad he was assigned to the kids. The Maddoxes were almost all together, and even though we were a force to be reckoned with, Agent Blevins was his own army. “Heard you made a pit stop.”
“I did,” Agent Davies said.
I couldn’t stop looking at her. Not because she was beautiful—although she was—but because Hollis looked so much like her. I was curious, wondering how she could carry him for so long and just walk away. Then I thought about how selfless it was of her to offer that to Taylor. Most guys didn’t get a choice. She could have just had an abortion, and he would have never known. None of us could imagine a world without Hollis Maddox. He was smart as a whip and way too good-looking and charming for his own good. Knowing his biological mother was a lethal federal agent made perfect sense.
Falyn and Ellie snuck out of the waiting room, and my curious staring ended. I pulled Ellie to my side and kissed her temple. “Gavin went back to sleep?”
“I know,” she said. “I can’t believe it, either. He must be growing.”
“If he grows any more, he’ll be in the NFL soon,” Dad said.
My chest puffed out. I couldn’t help it. He was a good-sized kid. Reminded me of Travis when he was his age. If he didn’t slow down, even Agent Blevins would be looking up at him soon. I hugged Ellie tighter. “And Ellie lugged him around all day. I’m surprised her arms didn’t fall off.”
“I’m used to it,” she said.
She was right. Long before Gavin came, she was following around my crew of wildfire hotshots into the mountains to document the fire season for the local magazine, The MountainEar. Not long into her second season, she was lugging equipment miles into the wilderness and onto helicopters like the rest of us. She’d worked so hard to get her life back, and she made sure to appreciate the second chance she’d been given by the Alpine Hotshot Chief to tag along with her camera. She’d had a couple of setbacks, but we’d gotten engaged pretty quick after she got back from rehab and then married not long after. A wedding, living together, and working together were a lot for her to process in one year, but I was glad we didn’t give up. It hadn’t been perfect, but I wouldn’t have traded one moment of my bad days with my wife for good days with anyone else.
It took a long time for her to believe she was ready or deserving to be a mom, but once Gavin arrived, she was a natural. She started staying home full-time when he was born, playing the part of both parents when I was gone on the job.
“Can’t wait ‘til morning,” Dad said. “Travis and Abby’s son will be here, Liis will be here with Stella, and all my grandkids will be in one place for the first time in a long time.”
“You’re sure it’s a boy?” I asked.
“That’s what Abby said,” Dad said with a shrug. “I’m betting she’s right.”
“I know better than to bet against Abby,” Trenton said, glancing at his watch again. He looked at Agent Blevins. “It’s been five minutes, boss.”
The elevator opened, and Camille stood there with who I assumed was another agent. Trenton jogged over to her, throwing his arms around her middle and lifting her feet off the ground. He planted kisses on her mouth for a full minute, and then they joined us in the hall.
“Here, Dad,” Camille said, directing him to sit on one of the benches pushed up against the wall. No arms or back, they were just long seats covered in green, fake leather, sitting on silver legs.
Dad sat, his belly covering half his thighs. He was wearing a jacket over his pajama shirt, slacks, and suede moccasins. He looked tired but happy.
Just as we all found a seat, a doctor rounded the corner and paused at our sheer number. Even with the kids and Shepley’s parents asleep in the waiting room, we were a good-sized group.
He was bald with a white goatee and in decent shape for his age. His round glasses made him look more hippie and less doctor, and I liked that about him. “Good morning. Baby’s fine. Mom’s fine. We’ll be moving the baby to NICU here shortly to observe him, but he’s strong. Dr. Finn, the pediatrician, doesn’t believe he’ll need anything more than some supplementary oxygen, but she’s keeping an eye on him. The nurses will be wheeling him down the hall soon. You can catch a glimpse of him then.”
�
��They’re taking him from Abby?” America asked.
The doctor smiled, patient with the barrage of questions. “All babies under thirty-five weeks go to the NICU. Mom and Dad can visit as soon as we evaluate and get him hooked up to the good stuff.”
“How big is he?” Falyn asked.
“I think they said five pounds, five ounces,” the doctor said, smiling when everyone gasped. “A good size, considering.”
“Thank you,” Dad said.
The doctor nodded, in a hurry to get home and get some sleep before what was likely a full day of prenatal appointments. A group of nurses and a doctor wheeled past with an incubator, pausing when they saw us down the hall. America jumped up first, followed by Shepley, and then the rest of us. Camille and Trenton stayed behind, helping Jim to his feet and walking with him down the hall.
We oohed and ahhed over Travis’s youngest son.
“He looks just like Travis!” America said, her eyes filling with tears.
“I don’t know,” Dad said. “I see that stubborn chin sticking out.”
“You’re right,” America said. “That’s definitely Abby’s chin.”
“Hang in there, little guy,” Trenton said, holding tight to his wife.
I wondered what it was like for Trenton and Camille to see us one by one, as we all had our second and third child, and they were still trying. I knew they were happy for Travis and Abby—I could see it on their faces—but I could also see a longing; an ache that wouldn’t go away until they had one of their own.
The nurses wheeled him down the hall, and everyone but America returned to our uncomfortable bench seats. I smiled when I saw Travis tap America on the shoulder, and she threw her arms around him and cried happy tears. They talked for a moment, and then he walked her down to where we sat.
I stood up, shaking his hand a couple of times before giving him a hug. “Congratulations. He’s a good lookin’ boy.”
“That he is,” Travis said. He looked both tired and energized, happy and worried.
“What’d you decide to name ‘em?” Dad asked.
Travis clapped his hands together, already proud of the name. “Carter Travis Maddox.”
Everyone gasped and then laughed with glee.
“That won’t be confusing at all!” Trenton said. Dad smacked him on the back of the head. “Ow!” He rubbed the back of his head. “What’d I say?”
“James, Ezra, Hollis, Eli, Emerson, Gavin, and Carter Maddox,” America said. “Poor Jess, Hadley, and Stella.”
“Ten,” Dad said, sitting up a bit taller. “I have ten grandkids so far.”
“So far,” Trenton said. “We’re going to add to that soon.”
Camille offered a contrived smile. I couldn’t tell if she was tired or had lost hope.
“I’m going to head back,” Travis said.
“Can I go with you?” America asked. Travis nodded; she hopped up, kissed her husband goodbye, and they were gone.
We settled back in our seats for the fourth or fifth round in the short time we’d been there. Everyone was quiet at first, settling in, exhausted and happy to be together. I could still see the shock in Ellie, Falyn, and Taylor’s eyes that I felt. We were feet away from three deaths, and we still weren’t sure how to process it. I wasn’t even sure if we should bring it up.
Dad finally spoke up. “We should all try to get some sleep. Liis will be here in the morning.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TRENTON
“DID YOU KNOW, DAD? About Thomas?” Tyler asked.
“Which part?” he answered.
“That’s he’s FBI.”
I laughed but seemed to be the only one in on the joke. I shook my head. “No way. Tommy’s an FBI agent?” I glanced around, my gaze pausing on my wife. Her cheeks flushed. “You knew?” I asked, hurt.
“Baby,” Camille said, reaching for me. I backed away. A few hours before, I was ready to punch someone if they didn’t let me go get her from work. Now, I wasn’t sure I could look at her. “Dad?” I said. “You knew, too?”
Dad was quiet for a long time and then nodded. “Yes. Since the beginning.”
Tyler frowned. “How?”
Dad shrugged. “I picked up on little things. I do pay attention, you know.”
“What else do you know?” Taylor asked.
Dad smiled and pressed his lips together. “I know everything, son. You’re my boys. It’s my job to know.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“We’re, um,” Taylor began. “We don’t sell insurance.”
Ellie had taken Tyler’s hand before he spoke. “We’re firefighters.”
“No shit,” I said, in shock. “Am I the only one who’s not lying about their career?”
“Well,” Ellie said. “If Thomas isn’t in advertising, then Travis didn’t take over for him.”
Everyone looked around at one another for answers.
Ellie raised her brows. “Or maybe he did, just not as an ad exec.”
“No way,” I said. “Travis a fed?” I glanced at Camille, who looked sheepish. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I stood.
Dad’s brows pulled together. “Trenton. Language.”
“You’ve known all this time about my brothers? And kept it from me? What the fuck, Cami?”
She stood, too, holding out her hands. “It wasn’t my secret to tell.”
“Bullshit,” I said, pointing to the floor. “I’m your husband. You don’t keep secrets from me … about my own brothers. It’s already happened once, and I forgave you, but Cami …” I walked away from her, my hands on my head.
“Trent,” she said, surprise and hurt in her voice.
When I returned to where she stood, I noticed everyone else trying to look everywhere but at us. I’d seen my brothers argue with their wives, and it was always awkward as fuck, but we didn’t have a choice but to stand there and hash it out. I couldn’t yell at Thomas because he was fighting for his life halfway across the country. I couldn’t yell at Travis because he was with his wife who’d just had a new baby. I turned to Camille but just shook my head. Her eyes filled with tears, so I looked away.
I pointed at the twins then set my hands on my hips. I was breathing hard as if I’d just ran a mile up a steep hill. “What if something had happened to you guys? That’s how you’re going to let me find out? Like I did with Tommy?”
“We were keeping it from Dad,” Tyler said. His voice was low and calm as if he was talking someone off a ledge. That only made me angrier, as if they thought I was overreacting.
“Why?” I yelled.
“You don’t remember, Trenton,” Taylor said. “He promised Mom to keep us safe. She didn’t want him in law enforcement. She didn’t want any of us following his footsteps. I’m sure Thomas lied for the same reason we did. We loved our jobs, but we didn’t want to hurt Dad.”
“So we all just lie to each other? That’s how this family works now?” I seethed.
“I knew,” Dad said. “I knew, and I didn’t tell you because the boys were keeping it from us for a reason. I didn’t keep it from ya because I love them more, son. It simply wasn’t my place.”
I shook my head again, hands on hips, pacing. Camille tried reaching out to me, but I yanked my arm away. Everything I knew about my brothers was a lie. Their experiences in the field, their colleagues, their training—I’d missed out on it all. But my wife knew.
“Did you know about Taylor and Tyler, too?” I asked Camille. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “And now look at us. Tommy’s hurt. We’re being babysat by federal agents. People are trying to kill us!”
“Keep your voice down,” Tyler said.
“Fuck you!” I snapped back, still pacing.
Tyler stood up, but Dad held up a hand. “Sit down, son.”
I pointed at Camille. “You’ve already lied to me once. Now I find out you never stopped? What am I … what am I supposed to do with that, Camille?”
“Don�
��t call me that,” she said. It was what her father called her when he was angry, and what Thomas called her when he was chastising her for being upset at not being put first. I always put her first. I fucking worshiped her, and she’d been lying to me. My whole family had, one way or another.
“You’re lucky that’s all I’m calling you,” I growled.
Camille’s mouth fell open, and the wives gasped.
“That’s enough,” Ellie fumed.
Shepley stood. “Let’s go get some coffee, Trent.”
Travis rounded the corner with America, the smile on his face fading. “She’s ready for more visitors,” he said, looking around. “Everything all right?”
“You’ve been lying to me?” I asked.
Travis blanched. “I’m … not allowed to discuss details until tomorrow when Liis arrives.”
I took a step toward him. “We’re your family, Travis. You and Tommy aren’t in some secret fucking club where you get to gamble with our lives. And you don’t ask my wife to lie to me for you.”
“That’s not what I was doing, Trent. I didn’t have a choice in the beginning, and it wasn’t my decision to tell Cami or to ask her to lie.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “But you went along with it.”
Travis took a step toward me. “I had to, or I was going to prison for being involved in that fire on campus.”
I balled my hands into fists. I wasn’t sure who or what I wanted to punch, but it was just seconds away.
Dad stood up and put a hand on my shoulder. He wobbled a bit, making my rage dwindle. I helped steady him, and then he brought me in for a hug, holding on tight when I tried to let go. He held me until the anger subsided. I helped him back to the bench and then I sat on a section of the bench in the corner. Camille took a step toward me, and I held up my hand. “Don’t.”
Ellie patted the empty space next to her, and Camille sat down, her bottom lip trembling.
A Beautiful Funeral: A Novel (Maddox Brothers Book 5) Page 13