“Sam,” Kari said, stepping to my side. “Let’s talk about this.”
“Get the hell back in there!” I growled, looking at Kari out of the corner of my eye. “Now, Kari.”
“No!” Sam shouted, one finger coming forward on the trigger. “Get out here, Miss Perfect.”
I stepped in front of Kari, keeping my focus on Sam. “She’s not coming out here.”
“Why do you protect her? Why do you never protect me?” she all but screamed.
I moved forward, my hands extending for the gun. White noise filled my ears, my heartbeat in my throat, as I inched towards her.
“I came to talk to you, but she’s here. Maybe that’s a sign . . .”
The gun suddenly changed direction and pointed to my side. I half-turned on my heel to see Kari coming out of the door.
“Kari!” I yelled, watching her eyes grow wide at the sight of Sam. I heard the hammer of the gun cocking and whipped back to Sam, a sinister smile gracing her lips.
“No!” I shouted, jumping in front of Kari as movement from behind Samantha caught my eye.
I looked over her left shoulder as someone came up behind her. Sam noticed my eyes and glanced over her shoulder just as someone reached for her from behind.
She pulled the trigger.
The gun went off.
Sam was thrown to the ground, the gun skidding across the tile.
“Max!” Kari screamed as the glass behind me shattered, my blood splattering the wall behind me.
KARI
“Fancy seeing you here,” Dr. Manning said as he came in the hospital room to check on Max.
“Shut it,” I replied, holding Max’s hand.
He laughed. “The bullet went in your left shoulder and out the other side pretty cleanly. At least she was a bad shot, buddy. If that thing would’ve gone towards your neck or heart another inch, this would have had a much different outcome.” He glanced at me and smiled. “And this girl here saved your life with her nursing skills. I’m going to suggest you use them to your full advantage while you can.”
Max smiled sleepily, the meds making him tired. “I plan on it.”
Connor winked at me. “Seriously, Kari, good work.”
“He saved my life,” I said, choking up. I looked at the man I loved laying on the white sheets.
He tried to smile but winced instead.
“I asked the police to come back in a little bit. They said it wasn’t urgent because Sam was already in custody and they have the other guy’s statement.”
“Blaine,” I said, heaving out a breath. “I talked to him a little bit ago. He said that Sam’s mother found his number somewhere and she called him. Thank God he came to find us . . .” My voice trailed off, my mind starting to dance into dangerous territory.
“I’m just glad it ended like it did, even though your boy here got a hole.” Connor nodded towards Max.
“Thanks a lot,” Max muttered, drifting off.
“Hey, better you than her.”
Max tried to nod but fell asleep first. I squeezed his hand, tracing the lines in his palm with my fingers.
I watched him sleep, the pain that was written across his face earlier now gone. His lips were full and pressed together, begging for a kiss. His eyelashes, long and dark, laying gently on his cheeks. A lock of hair was pressed against his forehead and I reached out and brushed it away.
I owed him my life in every sense of the expression; he’d saved me in so many ways. He had saved my life by jumping in front of me, by literally taking a bullet just like my dad said he would. But with his belief in me, his loyalty, his unconditional love, Max Quinn had saved my heart . . . and probably my soul.
I brought his knuckle to my lips and pressed a kiss against it, fighting back tears.
A knock sounded at the door and Connor opened it, letting Jada in.
“How is he?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“He’s going to be alright,” I said softly. “He’s going to be sore for a while, but we can deal with that.”
“Fern sent us back here. She said she saw Max already and he’s alive and you probably needed me.” She smiled at Connor as he got a chair from the corner and brought it to her so she could sit down. “Thank you,” she said to him.
“Where’s Cane?” I asked.
She smiled sadly. “Talking to his mother, believe it or not.”
“Really?” I asked in disbelief. “How’d that happen?”
“She called while we were in the waiting room. He didn’t know her number and thought it might be about work, so he answered it.” She blew out a breath. “He went outside to talk. The look on his face when he realized it was Kellie . . . I hope this works out for him, Kari. It’s been weighing on him so heavily.”
“I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but your husband’s name is Cane?” Connor had a perplexed look on his face, like he was figuring out a difficult patient.
Jada nodded. “Cane Alexander. Why? Do you know him?”
Connor’s face paled.
“You okay, Connor?” I asked.
“Again, not to pry, but what’s going on with his mother?” he asked Jada.
“Well, she left him as a child and now she wants to get to know him again, I guess. He hadn’t decided one way or the other, but she just called and he answered by accident.”
The door opened again and Cane came through, looking like he seen a ghost. “How is he?” he asked me, nodding to Max.
I couldn’t respond. Cane standing next to Connor Manning was eerie. From the sandy blonde hair to the blue eyes, to the strong jawline and sturdy frame, they were so similar that it was shocking. I looked to Jada and she looked at me, her eyes wide.
Cane looked at Max, to me, and then to Jada. “What? What’s going on? He’s alright, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, my voice still caught in my throat. “Max is gonna be fine.”
“Blaine is out in the waiting room. He really wants to come back, but I told him I had to ask you first.” He laughed a little. “I thought I’d throttle that cocksucker if I ever saw him, but after today, he got a pass.”
“How considerate of you,” I chuckled, shaking my head.
“He apologized. I think he felt my need to kick his ass right off the bat. But once he started explaining to me how he came to find you guys because you wouldn’t answer—how he saw Sam’s car out there and Max standing there through the window . . .” Cane shrugged. “If he messes with you again, though . . .” He cocked an eyebrow, making me smile.
Connor cleared his throat and extended a hand to Cane. “I’m Connor Manning. Nice to meet you.”
Cane furrowed his brows and turned to see Connor standing there for the first time. He shook his hand. “Cane Alexander.”
“This, uh, probably isn’t the right time or place to do this, but because Max is going to be alright, I’m going to forgo standard procedure for a minute,” Connor said, clearing his throat. “Your wife was saying you just took a call from your mother that you haven’t seen in a while.”
Cane looked to the floor. “Yeah.”
“Is her name Kellie Manning, by any chance?”
Cane’s head snapped to Jada then to Connor. “Yeah, actually, it is. Why? How did you know that?”
“She’s my mother, too.”
MAX
“Let me get the door,” Kari said, rushing forward and pressing the handicap button to open the doors to the maternity wing at the hospital.
“I can use my arm, sweetheart,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s been a week. I’m fine.”
“Whatever,” she said, trying not to laugh as we went down the hall to room 301.
Cane was sitting in a heavy wooden rocking chair, holding a bundle of pink blankets, his back to us. Jada was propped up in a bed beside them, tussling Cane’s hair while watching him hold the baby.
“Hey,” Kari said excitedly, trying to not be too loud.
Jada looked up and her smile grew. �
�She’s so gorgeous, Kari. She’s so beautiful.”
“She looks just like her mother.” I barely heard Cane’s voice. He was speaking with such reverence that it took me aback a bit.
Jada smiled quickly at Cane again before looking back to Kari. “Thank you for being here,” Jada said to her sister.
“Stop it,” Kari whispered, letting go of my hand and walking to her sister. She embraced her warmly. “I love you so much. I’m so proud of you.”
Jada wiped her eyes as Kari pulled away and turned to face Cane. She bent down and pulled the blankets back. Her hand went to her mouth as she touched the child. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered. “She’s perfect.”
“She is,” Cane said softly, never taking his eyes off the baby. He sat a pacifier on Jada’s bed.
“Can I hold her?” Kari asked.
“I just . . .” Cane’s voice trailed off. “I’ve never seen something so perfect. So beautiful. I always thought people were stupid saying they fell in love immediately. But I get it. I’d kill for this little girl.” He lifted the baby to his lips and held them against her forehead. “Daddy loves you, Annie.”
“Annie?” Kari asked.
“Her name is Annabeth Marie Alexander. Ann after Mom, Beth after my middle name. Marie after Cane’s grandmother.”
I looked over Cane’s shoulder and touched Annie’s cheek. She opened her eyes and looked at me. “Hey, Annie.” I clasped Cane’s shoulder. “You did good, Alexander.”
“Annie, that’s your Uncle Max. He’s your godfather and he’s going to help me make sure no boy ever gets anywhere close to you.”
Kari and Jada laughed until a nurse came through the curtain. “Mrs. Alexander, it’s time to take some more pain meds.”
KARI
“Can I hold her?” I looked to Cane. “Please?”
I thought he was going to say no at first, but he finally looked up to me. He drew in a deep breath and stood. “Sit down first,” he said, nodding to the chair.
I rolled my eyes but complied, not pushing my luck. “I’ve held babies before, Cane.”
“You’ve never held my baby before.” He bent down, laying Annie in my arms.
She squirmed before nuzzling her face against my chest. She moaned, her baby voice finding a straight shot to my heart. In that moment, I knew exactly what Cane was talking about. I loved this little girl with every bit of me. Hot tears stung my eyes, clouding my vision of her perfect round face and slightly upturned nose.
Max’s hand found my shoulder, undoubtedly thinking that this would be hard for me. And it was, in a lot of ways. It was something I probably would never experience first-hand. But holding my niece, perfect and beautiful, wasn’t something I was taking for granted. I already loved her as much as if she were my own.
“How you feeling, Max?” Cane asked.
“Alright. My arm is sore, but it’s healing. Or so I’m told by my nurse,” he winked at me. “I’m getting a lot of sympathy, so I’m not complaining much.”
Cane cleared his throat. “What happened with Sam?”
“She’s in a psychiatric hospital in Phoenix.” He blew out a breath. “I just . . . I hate that this happened to her. But at least she’s safe now, right?”
Cane nodded. “What happened with Blaine?”
Max laughed. “Well, I guess he’s finally moving to California. He has to do another thing for the police—a statement or something. And then he said he’s leaving.”
“That’s good,” Cane said, taking his cell out and snapping a pic of me and Annie.
The nurse administering Jada’s meds left the room. I looked up to my sister and she smiled. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
“She so is,” I said, touching her little cheeks with the back of my knuckles. “Too bad she isn’t a little older and she could be the flower girl next weekend.”
“I’m going to keep her this little forever,” Cane said, completely serious.
“Good luck with that,” I laughed.
“Is everything ready for the wedding?” Jada asked.
I nodded. “Fern got the church pushed back an extra week because some little princess decided to come early,” I cooed to Annie. “But it all worked out. Now we’ll get to take a honeymoon since Cane will be at work.”
Cane laughed. “Glad I could make your lives easier.”
“Me, too.”
Annie started crying and I started to get up, but Cane took her from me.
“Cane, really?” I asked as he picked her up, kissed her on the top of the head, and handed her to her mommy.
“It is the way it is,” he said matter-of-factly. “You may as well get used to it.”
“We’ll get out of here so you can breastfeed,” I told my sister. “Isa has your freezer full of frozen meals already. You have nothing to worry about for awhile.”
Max took my hand in his, our fingers interlocked, and we started out the door. Cane followed us in the hallway.
He cleared his throat, his hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans. “Hey, um,” he started nervously. “My mom is coming to Phoenix on Thursday. Connor is supposed to bring her to our house to, well, meet me, I guess. How fucked up is that?” He looked to the floor and cleared his throat. “I was wondering,” he looked to the ceiling and then to Max’s face. “I was wondering if there was any way you could be there, too. I know it makes me sound like a fucking pussy and I guess I am, but I just need someone there to keep me from going off if things go south.”
Max laughed. “Whatever you need. How are things going with you and Connor?”
“He’s cool. Smart.” Cane laughed. “I wanted to break his face at first, but he’s an alright guy. He’s in the middle of this shit as much as I am, so I can’t blame him.”
“I’m glad you’re looking at it that way,” Max said, wincing a little. “Look, man, I gotta get home and take something for the pain. My shoulder’s killing me.”
“We’ll talk to you later,” I told Cane. I gave him a quick hug and we congratulated him again before heading out of the hospital.
I got my man situated in the passenger seat of my car and started the engine. Before I could pull out, I turned to face him. “Do you think, from here on out, we can have a nice, normal, boring life together?”
Max laughed, holding his good hand over his bad shoulder. “You don’t think our life so far has been boring?”
“Seriously?” I grinned.
“It’s all about how you look at it, sweetheart.”
The End
KARI
Almost six years later . . .
Jada and I sat on the back porch of the cabin in Payson, watching Max and Cane teach Annie and Ben how to fish. Annie looked like a doll in her little yellow sundress and pink rubber boots. Ben had on a pair of overalls, barefoot, looking the part of the country boy.
“I can do it!” Ben said, reaching for a worm.
“You’ll put that hook through your finger!” Cane said, taking the worm away from him. “Here, let Daddy help.”
Ben made a face. “Uncle Max will help. He fishes. Daddy gets wet.”
Max burst out laughing. “Come here, buddy. Don’t listen to your daddy when it comes to fishing.”
Cane sat on the ground, defeated, making Max laugh harder.
“What are we gonna do with those two?” I asked, sipping a glass of tea.
“Heaven knows,” Jada smiled, watching her two children, five and three, test their daddy’s limits. “Cane makes himself crazy worrying over those two. I had to convince him not to start our own private school when we signed Annie up this year. He’s just a mess,” she laughed.
“It’s sweet, really.”
Annie acted like she was going to wade out in the lake and Cane jumped up and threw her over his shoulder, making her squeal.
“When is Connor coming?” I asked, looking at my sister.
“You know, I’m not sure. He said he’d be here sometime today. He won’t miss Annie’s sixth birthda
y. She has her uncle wrapped around her little finger.”
“Funny how kids change a person, isn’t it?”
Jada smiled knowingly. “It is.”
“Is Kellie coming?”
Jada shook her head. “She’s in Salt Lake City this weekend. One of her friends passed away and there was a funeral today. We’ll have another party with her when she gets back.”
“Two parties? Annie will hate that,” I laughed.
The sliding glass door to the kitchen opened up behind us and Connor walked out, carrying Faith. “It’s a good thing I’m not a burglar or I’d have a pretty sweet, but stinky, prize.”
I got up and took my daughter from his arms. “How did I not hear her?”
“She was just looking up at me when I walked in, so I picked her up. She’s getting so big.”
“She is. She was six months old yesterday, actually,” I said, smiling.
It had been the quickest six months of my life. Max and I had gone through the process to get approved as adoptive parents and then the search began to find the child that was to be “ours.” The agency we went through had called us one day, letting us know a baby was going to be born to a teenage mother. We read through the information available to us and both just knew. We flew out on the next flight.
As soon as she was born, Faith was brought to us and put in my arms. She opened her little eyes and looked at me like she already knew me. Max touched her hand and she wound her fist around his finger . . . and never let go.
Faith Stanley Quinn was the apple of her daddy’s eye and the center of my world. A head full of blonde hair, stunning grey eyes, and the creamiest complexion, she was perfect, healthy, and gorgeous.
Connor kissed her forehead before handing her to me. “Uncle C would keep you, but you smell pretty rotten.”
“I’m gonna go change her,” I said, carrying her inside and into the guest room. I lay her on our bed and watched her coo up at me as I dug around the diaper bag for the items I needed. I pulled out the wipes and found a sticky note attached to the top.
I laughed and tucked the note into the side pocket for safekeeping. Max still left me notes everywhere and I had quite the collection. Sometimes, when I needed a boost, I went back through them; they never failed to make me smile.
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