“I don’t think so. In my book it says that sometimes the baby doesn’t come for hours after the water breaks. And I’m not absolutely sure that it did.”
“We’re not taking any chances,” Kelly said as she pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her blazer.
“Do you need some help?” a man decked out in a Blaze sweatshirt and hat sitting in the row behind them, asked.
“Yes,” Kelly said, before Angie could speak. “Can you help me get her up the stairs?”
“I can walk,” Angie protested, giving the older man a smile. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“It’s no bother.” The man rose from his seat as Kelly instructed someone on the Blaze staff to have the paramedic team meet them at the top of the stairs.
“Kel, this could be nothing,” Angie said, aware of the fans in the vicinity watching them instead of the game.
Kelly shoved her phone into her pocket and moved to the aisle which was right next to her seat. “Better safe, than sorry.” She grinned and pointed to the huge electronic screen in centerfield. “Besides, if you have the baby right here the whole ballpark will be watching. Do you want that?”
“Good God. No,” Angie replied vehemently. “Get me out of here.”
Six and a half hours later, exhausted but deliriously happy, Angie held her baby girl in her arms and watched her sleep. The poor little thing had cried her lungs out when she’d first come into the world, and tired herself out. As Angie’s gaze roamed over her daughter’s scrunched, but beautiful face, she recalled Sharon telling her that the pain of childbirth would be more than worth it when she held her child for the first time. Her mother-in-law was right. Still, nothing she’d read or been told about delivering the baby had prepared her for the overwhelming love that filled her entire being when the doctor placed her daughter into her arms.
“She’s so small.”
Angie turned her head to look at J.T., who sat in a chair next to the bed. In the ambulance, on the way to the hospital, Kelly had gotten a message to J.T in the dugout and Blaze manager, Tom Morgan, had allowed him to leave. When he’d walked into her hospital room, Angie finally relaxed—as much as any woman could relax when labor pains were coming about eight minutes apart.
After that, everything had been a bit of a blur. The only thing she remembered besides the pain was how calm J.T. had been during the delivery. Even when she was in agony, he held her hand, breathed her through it and didn’t take offense when she uttered swear words that would have made even Kelly blush. Childbirth was not for the faint of heart.
“She has your lips,” Angie said, gazing at her daughter’s perfectly shaped mouth.
“And your dark hair.” J.T. said. “It’s already curling, just like yours.”
Angie grinned as she looked at him. “I can’t believe you’re still wearing your uniform.”
“I didn’t want to take a chance on getting here after the baby was born so I didn’t stop to change clothes. Besides, it’s not dirty. I didn’t start today.”
“Did the Blaze win?”
“I have no clue,” J.T. said with a shrug. “The family is en route from Sacramento and I called Livvie. She said she’d stop by later and told me to thank you for going into labor while you were in the city.”
“I aim to please,” Angie said, with a half-hearted smile as she thought of her mother. The rift between mother and daughter hadn’t yet been repaired. They’d talked a few times on the phone after the still unsolved shooting incident, but their conversations had been awkward and strained.
One of Grandma Sophia’s favorite quotes was “Other things may change us, but we start and end with family.” And because even after her death, Angie couldn’t bear to let her beloved grandmother down, she would try to repair her relationship with her mother. No matter how long it took.
“I think it’s time we give our daughter a name. So will it be name number one or name number two?” J.T. asked as he scooted forward on his chair to gently caress the baby’s cheek with his finger.
“Which one do you think fits her?”
“Number one,” he said without hesitation.
“I agree.” Angie’s heart overflowed with joy as J.T. leaned forward to gently kiss her. “I love you,” she whispered as he pulled back and gazed into her eyes. “Our daughter is so lucky to have you for a father.”
“And you for a mother. I know you’re still worried, but you’re going to be just fine. Don’t forget, we’re in this together.”
Angie smiled and lowered her gaze to her precious baby girl. “Welcome to the world, Jordan Sophia Sawyer. Mommy and Daddy love you.”
Pick up more riveting reads from Alison Packard, including Love in the Afternoon and The Winning Season, available now!
Love in the Afternoon
Kayla Maxwell is eager to shed her slasher-flick bimbo image—and she plans to do just that in her new role on daytime’s most popular soap. With a chance to showcase her dramatic range, Kayla will be able to wash away the lingering betrayal and public humiliation left by her controlling, philandering ex-boyfriend.
Sean Barrett, the son of an influential, award-winning actor, is the hottest soap star in the country. Paired on-screen with the talented and beautiful Kayla Maxwell, Sean is determined to keep her at arm’s length, burned before by fame-seeking actresses who had no qualms about using him to get to his famous father. Succumbing to an attraction neither one of them can deny, Sean and Kayla must face down her stalker and their own personal demons before trusting what they both feel—a love that lasts long after the cameras stop rolling.
The Winning Season
Kelly Maxwell has finally landed her dream job as publicist for the San Francisco Blaze. But the team’s newest member, handsome bad boy catcher Matt Scanlon, is refusing every interview. She’s got to get him to open up before the season ends, or she may not be back next year. And after everything she overcame to achieve her dream, Kelly’s not about to let that happen.
Butting heads is getting Kelly and Matt nowhere but annoyed, and with the team’s schedule on the road, they can’t avoid close quarters—or their surprising attraction to one another. As the season winds down, Matt finds his growing feelings for Kelly have brought his numbed emotions back to life. But when betrayal shatters their fragile trust, winning it all seems more impossible than ever.
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About the Author
Alison fell in love with reading at a very early age. Her favorite grandmother worked for Scholastic Books and every Friday she would bring home a box filled with books. In her early teens, Alison discovered Harlequin Presents romance novels at the library and read them voraciously. What she liked most about them? The exotic locales and happy endings, of course!
When Alison isn’t working at the day job that pays the bills, keeps a roof over her head, and supports her book and chocolate habits, she spends her free time writing heartwarming contemporary romance with a dash of spice. But when she takes a break, she enjoys reading and spending time with her family and friends.
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ISBN-13: 9781426897788
CATCHING HEAT
Copyright © 2014 by Alison Packard
Edited by Angela James
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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