Sometimes, Forever (Sometimes Moments #2)

by Len Webster

  His life with Peyton was perfect. He had wanted to marry her right away. But with the changes at the hotel, their plans to get hitched were put on hold. At first, he had been frustrated, but he had learnt to be patient. Then one day, she had said, ‘We should get married, Coop, like actually married.’ And that day had finally come. Many days had led up to their wedding. Anniversaries that still made her cry and smile. Traditions were upheld and new ones were made.

  One day, Cooper had come home from picking up some items for a wedding to find her eating a cupcake, crying. It was Callum Reid’s birthday. When he asked if she was okay, she had told him that she had tried to reach out to Mrs Reid and that she had changed her number. When Cooper had gotten a hold of Callum’s best friend, Oliver, he had assured him that the Reids were okay and that they were vacationing in Venice. Cooper had discovered that after a family holiday in the Italian city when Callum was twelve, he had been inspired by the beautiful city to hope that someday someone loved his designs the way he loved European architecture.

  And people had.

  The Spencer-Reid continuously awed people.

  After Cooper had gotten off the phone with Oliver, he had told Peyton that the Reids would call when they returned. She had burst into tears as the relief consumed her face. She had thanked him for helping her and that kiss she had given him made it into the notebook. Just last week, after he had taken a Polaroid of her standing by the lake and then written about how beautiful she looked at that moment, she had asked what the purpose of the notebook was. All he had said was that the blank lines were waiting for him to write all her moments in. Someday, when it was filled, he’d read them to their children and they would learn that he had loved their mother every day of his life. Peyton had stared at him and that love swirling in her blue eyes had him wrapping his arms around her and whispering just how much he loved her.

  “You actually scrub up all right,” Margot said, snapping him out of his daydream.

  Cooper glanced down at his grey suit and tie combination. He caught sight of the vibrant pink cherry blossom and lavender pinned to his suit. It had been his idea to combine the two flowers. It was a way to have a part of Callum with them. Inside the lining of his jacket was Peyton’s present. It was one of her wedding gifts. She had promised a few surprises throughout their wedding. She had pinned a locket with the destination of their honeymoon in the inside of his jacket. She had instructed him not to open it until he met her by the divider at the door that led out to the cliff that overlooked the lake. He had wanted to peek several times. But he knew she had put in so much effort into her surprises that he couldn’t ruin them for her.

  “You could have at least shaved.”

  He shrugged. “Peyton wanted the beard to stay. But I trimmed it.”

  “Well, at least, you don’t look horrible. The short beard suits you. Mads wants to know if you’re ready because the woman you’re about to marry looks stunning and is waiting for you by the divider.” Margot’s smile showed her excitement. She had been the one begging for the wedding date to be set. And when it was, she had cried. It had stunned both her boyfriend, Phil, and Cooper.

  But he knew deep down that no matter how excited Margot was, she would be the one in shock when Phil proposed tomorrow. They had been together almost ten years, and when Phil had told Cooper about his plans to propose, all he had said was that it was about time they got married.

  “I’m ready,” he confirmed as he took in the groom’s room. An hour ago, it was filled. His best man was Graham Scott, his former boss, and his other groomsman was Phil. While his high school friends Ash, Chris, and James were in the second row. When Cooper had taken Peyton to Warren Meadows to visit and to meet them, they had loved her instantly.

  Peyton’s maid of honour was Madilynne Scott, and her other bridesmaid was Margot. His other sister, Megan, hadn’t been upset when Peyton chose Margot. Megan had married her husband at the Spencer-Reid two and a half years ago after declining the Perry’s. Peyton was completely shocked when she had received the call from Megan asking if the hotel was available. It had been beautiful. But unlike other weddings they had held at the Spencer-Reid, his and Peyton’s was held just on the edge of the forest, where fairy lights and lanterns hung from the canopies of the trees. It was close to the spot Peyton had shown him as hers and Callum’s when they had been growing up.

  Margot walked up to him and looped her arm through his. “I’m glad you didn’t listen to me when I said Daylesford was boring,” she said as they made their way out of the cabin and towards the hotel.

  He laughed. “Never tell Mum, but her pushing for me to meet women so I could settle down was the reason I found Peyton.”

  “Oh, God,” she groaned as they walked into the sunroom that led to the sitting room. “We are not telling her that.”

  “Agreed.”

  They had crossed the sunroom and entered the sitting room to see the white divider. His heart rate picked up at the sight of it. Behind it would be Peyton, the woman he’d soon call his wife.

  “I’m gonna go. She should be on the other side, waiting,” Margot said as she flashed him a smile and then spun around, making her way out of the hotel.

  Cooper took a deep breath and walked to the divider. Then he turned to see sheer curtains covering the doors that led outside.

  “Cooper?” Peyton asked. “Is that you?”

  “It’s me,” he assured.

  “I’m about to marry you,” she said, sounding breathless.

  His heart swelled. “You’re about to make me the happiest man in the world.”

  He didn’t have to see her to know she had a smile on her face.

  Peyton was quiet for a second before he heard her take a step. “Hopefully, I can make you the happiest man in the world before that happens.”

  “What?”

  Then he watched as she held out an envelope. Cooper stepped forward and took it from her, forcing himself to stick to tradition and not look over at her. He wondered what was inside as he slid his finger under the flap and opened it. When Cooper took out the contents, his heart had come to an instant stop. His breathing evaporated within a second.

  Cooper blinked several times as he kept his eyes on the image.

  After every blink, the sight remained.

  It was as real as the tears that blurred his vision.

  “We’re going to be parents?” he asked once he had managed to find his voice.

  There was a small laugh from Peyton. “Yes.”

  Peyton’s going to be a mother.

  He didn’t think his heart could ever feel so full in his life.

  I’m going to be a father.

  We’re going to have a son or a daughter.

  This moment.

  Right here.

  One of the best moments of his life.

  “Screw tradition,” he said out loud. Cooper stepped around the divider, grabbed Peyton’s hands, and yanked her to his body. Her eyes were wide in shock.

  “Screw tradition?” she teased as she set her palms on his chest.

  “You’ve gone and made me the happiest man on Earth, Peyton. Couldn’t wait anymore to see the beautiful woman who is about to be my wife and is carrying our child,” he said in a low voice.

  Peyton gently pushed off his chest and fixed her veil with a smile. Cooper took in her dress. She’d chosen a high neckline lace dress with sleeves. It was perfect for her. Though she wore makeup, it was only a touch. Not too dark. Simple so that she was still her, and she’d worn her hair down in loose curls. She was heavenly. Beautiful. Stunning. Not all the words in the world to describe her beauty did her justice.

  Cooper got on one knee and placed his hands on her stomach. She wasn’t showing. He had no idea how far along she was, but she had no obvious bump. He stared at the way his fingers splayed on her lace wedding dress.

  “You’re really pregnant?” he asked.

  He peeked up to see Peyton nod. The truth sparkled in her eyes.

/>   “I’m really pregnant.”

  His right thumb brushed across her stomach. Cooper fought against the tears and swallowed hard. “Hey, little one,” he said softly. “Your mother and I, we love you.”

  “God, Coop,” Peyton breathed. “Get up here and kiss me already.”

  He let out a light laugh as he got to his feet. The tears in her eyes were beautiful. Cooper cupped her face and gave her a smile he knew would be the one he would always love the most.

  “You don’t mind if I don’t kiss you right now?”

  That smile of hers faded. “What?”

  He quickly brushed away the tear that had escaped when she had blinked, catching it before it dragged itself across her cheek. “I’d like to save it for when the celebrant announces us man and wife, and I may kiss my bride.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  Then her hands reached for the button of his jacket as Cooper’s left her face.

  “What are you doing?”

  Peyton ignored him as she reached into his jacket and unpinned the locket. Then she set it in the palm of his hand. “Ready to find out where we’re honeymooning?”

  The grin he had made faltered at his realisation. “But you’re pregnant. Can you fly?”

  “I asked the doctor. I’m close to my second trimester. He says it’s safe and that it’s normal that I’ve had no morning sickness. Little one is being kind to me,” she said. “Open the locket.”

  Cooper nodded. He took a deep breath and then unclasped the silver locket.

  Inside was an image of a country’s flag.

  “Norway,” he breathed, knowing exactly what she had planned.

  “Get ready, Cooper Hepburn, to finally witness your biggest dream, the Aurora Borealis.”

  He shook his head and cupped her face once more, the surface of the locket resting against her cheek. “No, Peyton,” he breathed. “You’re my biggest dream.”

  Her eyelids hooded. “Then make mine come true. Make me your wife.”

  Cooper let his forehead rest on hers. “I will. Let’s just enjoy this moment.”

  “A forever moment,” she said softly. “One of our forever moments.”

  The second worst day of my life was when our son was born. It’s a terrible thing for a father to say but just listen. You’ll understand.

  His wife sighed.

  “Coop, we’re going to have start hanging up the frames on a new wall. The main sitting room has double the wall space.”

  Cooper straightened the last black frame he had hung up to perfection. It was a picture of Peyton and Mads during the baby shower last week. Because of the hotel being busier than ever, they had to postpone Peyton’s baby shower at the hotel several times. When it finally happened, most of the town had shown up to give their cards and presents. His wife had become the beloved success story of Daylesford. Through her hardships, she had prevailed. She had one of the best hotels in the state and was about to welcome their baby boy in a matter of days. And as for Cooper, he was happy to be the man who got to call her his wife and the mother of his child.

  Peyton Hepburn was his dream come true.

  As a child, he had always wanted to see the Northern Lights. It was always a dream. That was until he met his wife. No dream came close to the one he had of them sharing a life together. Their honeymoon in Svalbard, Norway was beautiful. He had mostly worried during the flight over the hemisphere. Worried that they’d have complications with her pregnancy. But they had faced none. She hadn’t even gotten nauseous once. When they had landed in Norway, she was jetlagged, and it had taken her a day to adjust.

  “Do we have many more Polaroids to hang up?” he asked as he stepped back, admiring the Sometimes Moments wall. It had all started with Callum’s Polaroid, and now, close to two hundred filled the wall. It was magnificent to see.

  Cooper turned to see her holding a glass of water. He took it and kissed her cheek. Her hands went to cradle her belly.

  “We have that box which has about eighty. But I already went through them and I can’t not have them up. They’re beautiful,” she said, her voice had gone soft. Then her brows bunched together as she stared at him.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, worried at that blank expression on her face.

  Peyton let out a shaky breath. “I think my water broke.”

  His eyes darted to her feet to see that her water had, in fact, broke. “Jenny!” he yelled out as he set his glass down on the table behind him.

  “It broke, didn’t it?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

  Cooper stepped in front of her and cupped her face; he kissed her deeply and then asked, “Ready, Mrs Hepburn?”

  “Ready to let you meet our son?”

  That glimmer in her eyes had him breathless. This moment he would write about. She had never looked more beautiful. “Yeah.”

  She nodded. “Then, yeah, I’m ready to make you a father.”

  As Cooper had helped his wife into the Range Rover, he was on the phone with the hospital, telling them that Peyton’s water had broken. They had told him to bring her in for observation. In his rush to get to the hospital, he’d avoided going home to get the hospital bag. He’d get Jenny to drop it off later. It was packed, ready to go. Peyton had read in one of the pregnancy books that packing and familiarising yourself with the hospital bag and the nursery was important and good for an expectant mother. An hour after arriving at the hospital, her contractions had started and they were told that they were having their son that day. The excitement was all over Peyton’s face until the midwife had explained that her contractions would get worse and more painful. Brave Peyton had disappeared for a moment before she returned, determined to give birth to their son without the drugs.

  Fifteen hours into her labour, their obstetrician had informed them that their son was too big for Peyton to deliver naturally. She would require a caesarian. Peyton had nodded and clutched Cooper’s hand. He sensed her fear. He saw it in her attempt to pull a brave face. He knew that she was disappointed she couldn’t give birth to their son naturally. As they prepped Peyton for her C-section, he was by her side, whispering how much he loved her and how well she was doing. He knew she was tired; he could hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes. The lead-up to her caesarian was a blur. She had had an epidural, and before he knew it, he had blue scrubs, a face mask, and a hat on and was by Peyton’s side as she lay on the operating table.

  “You’re doing really well, Peyton,” he whispered as he bent down.

  She turned her head and gave him a weak smile. “I just want to meet him already. Why is he being so difficult? He gets that from you.”

  He chuckled. “He gets that from his mother.”

  “All right, Peyton, we’re ready,” Dr Luz said.

  Cooper glanced over and nodded at the grey haired man in his fifties who would deliver his son. He put his trust and faith in him to do a good job.

  “Coop,” she said, barely audible. His gaze darted back to his wife. “I love you. You know that, right?”

  He smiled his answer as he held her hand. “You know I do. I love you. You know that, right?”

  “I do,” she said.

  Then, after what felt like an eternity, a baby’s cry got his attention. He lifted his chin to see Dr Luz holding Cooper’s son up and said, “Happy birthday and welcome to the world, Little Hepburn.”

  Cooper felt his heart stop at the baby boy crying. Tears welled. The sight was beautiful. Their son was beautiful. Dr Luz waved Cooper over when suddenly, he felt Peyton’s hand fall from his. Cooper’s gaze returned to find Peyton’s eyes slowly closing. She hadn’t even seen their son.

  “Peyton?”

  She had gone paper white.

  “Peyton?” he called once more, hearing the fear in his voice.

  “She’s haemorrhaging,” Dr Luz announced. Panic forced its way into Cooper’s chest. “She’s losing blood.”

  There was a rush of footsteps and voices around him. Cooper desperat
ely held onto Peyton’s hand as the doctor and his team concentrated on saving her. Her eyelids fluttered as her right hand reached up.

  Then she whispered, “Callum.”

  Callum.

  She had reached out for the nurse who had wrapped up their son. She had named him. Their son had a name. He had always known that she wanted to name him after the man who helped change her life. Cooper had just been waiting for her to mention it. But she hadn’t. She had suggested several other names. Eli had been one she loved.

  But no. At that moment, he knew. He wasn’t jealous or angry. He was content with his name. It was the right name for their son.

  He was proud of her.

  Our son’s name is Callum.

  “Sir,” a nurse said next to him. Her hand on his arm. “We need you to leave.”

  He looked at her, stunned. “I’m not leaving my wife.”

  She gave him an understanding and tight smile. “We need to let the doctor do his job. Your wife will be all right.”

  “And my son?”

  “The nurse is checking him. He’s okay. Please,” she said, gesturing to the doors.

  Cooper had never felt more helpless in his entire life. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Like the ability to do so was taken from him. It was up to Dr Luz to save her. It didn’t make sense to him. He had been blessed with his beautiful son but was losing the love his life. He’d never felt so lost.

  “Coop,” Madilynne Scott said as she found him in the hallway, outside the operating room. “Is she … Please tell me …” She had no idea how to finish that sentence, and he was fortunate that she had stumbled on it.

  “She’s been in there for thirty minutes,” he revealed, wiping away his tears. “They haven’t come out and said anything.”

  His wife’s best friend wrapped her arms around him. “She’s a fighter, Coop. She’s been a fighter her entire life. She’ll be okay.”