Beale Street Blues

by Angela Kay Austin

  "I can handle it," she responded. "Say hi to your family for me."

  Jaxon's phone rang with a special tone as he stepped into the waiting taxi. Damn it!

  Darling swiped at the sweat matted hair laying over her face. "Mom, where is he?" she asked through gritted teeth as the pain rolling over her in waves slowly dulled to a tolerable level. "Where's the nurse?" She stared at the door. "Can't they give me something?"

  "Not yet, honey." Her mother dabbed at her brow with a cool towel. "It's too early."

  She bit down again, as another wave of pain hit her. "I can't believe he's not here." Tears sprang from her eyes, not because of the labor pains shooting through her, but because the man she loved—her baby's father, wasn't there beside her.

  "Honey, he's on his way," her mother said.

  As her mother set-up her comb and brush and began to tug at the wet tangled clumps of her hair, memories of years past when she and her sister would sit at her mother's feet waiting for their turn to have their mother plat and braid their hair washed over her. What kind of mother would she be? What kind of parents would she and Jaxon be together?

  "He promised." Tears fell hard and fast. They would be horrible parents. He wasn't with her, they weren't married and she'd already failed at marriage and as a wife before. "It was more important for him to be in Texas than here with me."

  "No, baby, it wasn't," his mother said rubbing a comforting hand down her arm.

  "Then why isn't he here?" She wanted to scream it, but she didn't.

  "We called him baby, he'll be here before you know it," her mother soothed.

  "He said he loved me. He said he wanted to have a family and get married, but when he had to choose between his family and his work, he chose it over us." This time the contraction that hit her raised her body from the bed, and she didn't hold back the scream building inside of her.

  Both her mother and Mrs. Slater were caressing her face and arms with cool wet towels before the scream finished. Softly, they wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her skin.

  Her father stood from his seated position in a nearby corner. "No, Darling, he didn't choose his work over you. He's protecting his business, so he can provide for you and his new family. That's what we want to do as men…take care of our families." Her father leaned down and kissed her sweaty forehead. "I would've done it, too." He pointed to the women in the room. "He knew you had family who would be here with you until he arrived. I know he'll be here, soon."

  She listened to her father, but even with them beside her, it didn't feel complete without Jaxon. And she believed in her heart the baby knew he wasn't there, too. He was as angry as she was. "Dad, how am I supposed to agree with that when I'm here by myself…again?"

  "No, sweetie, you're not alone. You have us," he repeated. "You'll never be alone again."

  Her doctor entered the room.

  "How are we doing in here?" The doctor scanned the sad faces and hurried to her bedside. "Is everything okay?" She placed a hand on her stomach and with the most gentle touch applied pressure in a few places on her belly.

  "Yes," the response came from everyone.

  Before responding, her doctor applied more pressure and briefly listened to the rhythm of her breathing. "Great. Who's going to stay in the room while I take a quick look?"

  Her father left.

  "Okay, well let's see what's going on." The doctor's head disappeared, briefly. "Well, it looks like it's time," she proclaimed with a big smile.

  "My baby," her mother said with tears in her eyes. The women hugged each other with tears rolling down their cheeks.

  Darling wanted to cry, too, but not for the same reasons. Jaxon had promised to be with her.

  Jaxon's mother flipped open her phone and stepped out into the hallway.

  With his suit jacket gripped in a sweaty fist, Jaxon raced through the halls of the hospital, searching. He stripped the damn tie that kept flapping in his face from his neck and shoved it into one of his pockets. Turn after turn, he went the wrong direction. Why was he so damn lost? He'd been to the hospital before. Their doctor had offices in the building and they'd prepared for the baby's birth too many times for him to be confused now.

  He paused at an elevator and dialed his mother's number again.

  "Sir, can I help you?" a nurse asked with concern.

  He stuffed the phone back in his pocket. "Yes, I'm trying to find my wi—Darling. Darling Crawford."

  "Oh, yes, sir, they are in her room." The nurse smiled.

  Jaxon didn't want to think through what the nurse said. But, there was no way to deny what she'd implied. "They are in her room? I was told she was here."

  "Yes, sir, she was. The delivery was an easy one." She smiled warmly. "She's in her room with the baby." She pointed at elevators further down the hallway. "Downstairs, one floor. They'll be able to help you."

  The gravity of the nurse's words punched Jaxon in his heart. He'd missed the birth of his first child. His son. He'd broken his promise. The elevator dinged at him, but he barely noticed.

  "Sir, are you going down?" a young woman asked, while patiently holding the elevator.

  "Yes, I'm sorry." He entered the elevator. "Thank you." The ride down ended in an instant, but he could barely make his feet move.

  When he crossed the elevator's threshold, Jaxon ran. But, his feet wouldn't carry him fast enough. The beat of his heart grew louder in his ears the faster he ran. What would he do if she didn't forgive him for being an idiot and missing their son's birth? What would he do if she walked out of his life forever?

  At the door, he stood and listened to the coos and words of love spoken by his loved ones on the other side of the door. He raked a nervous hand through his hair. Only one choice could be made, but damn the door to her room weighed more than he lifted in the gym.

  The voices quieted when he entered. All eyes focused on him, except the ones that mattered most…Darling's gaze didn't turn away from the bundle in her arms.

  His mother approached him first and kissed him on the cheek. "Son, he's beautiful." She wiped away tears streaming from her eyes. "He looks just like you did when you were born."

  "Son," her father said, "we'll give you guys a few minutes alone." He rounded up the two women and left. But, not before Mrs. Crawford kissed the same cheek his mother had.

  He wanted to run to her bedside, but again he was frozen where he stood. He'd give anything to be in a boardroom where he knew what to do. Here he was lost. Only a few feet away, his son rested on the breast of the woman he loved, but he didn't think she wanted him near either of them.

  "You don't have to be here," she said without glancing away from their sleeping son. She rested her chin against his forehead and closed her eyes.

  Jaxon didn't know the name of the tune she hummed, but their son wriggled in her arms in response to the music.

  If he didn't take charge, now, he might actually lose her because he didn't deserve her forgiveness. "Baby." He walked to her bedside. "I promise it will never happen again." He didn't think he could bare it if she didn't look at him. He needed her to see him. To believe him when he said he'd never hurt her or their son again.

  "Of course not. It would be a miracle for me to have another child." Tears began to fall. "I needed you." She kissed their son. Finally, she looked at him, but he wasn't prepared for the sadness in her eyes. "I needed you—we needed you." She tightened her hold on their son who was now silently resting in her arms.

  "I know." What else could he say? "I could've let HR manage Rodney, but I wanted to be there. I wanted him to know that there were no more second chances." He moved closer still. "I never cared much about the company. I blamed it on my father leaving my mother." His thoughts raced as he tried to focus. "I'd turned my back on it and allowed others in the company to take control. Rodney was one of those people. And he abused his power and my trust." He reached out and ran a finger across his son's cheek. The instant he touched his son, he knew he could never b
e like his father. He could never walk away from either of them. Whatever it took to get her forgiveness, he would do it. "I have too much to lose now. I have a family to take care of."

  "If you can't put us first now, will you be able to ever?" She planted small kisses all over their son's face. "You'll never get to see his birth. You missed it. What else will you miss?" Tears streamed down her face. "You promised me," she cried.

  "Nothing. I promise. I won't miss anything. No birthdays. No anniversaries. Nothing."

  Even his own father had been at his birth. What kind of man misses the birth of his first child? He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried, but at the crisp clear sound of his son's cries, he shed his own tears.

  The anger in Darling's eyes softened as his tears fell. She watched as he stood there wiping away the sign of his own pain.

  "Darling, I love you and my son." He tugged at the blankets covering Jaxon Jr. and knew he had to give her the choice. "Do you want me to leave? I want to be here." He stared into the eyes of the woman who'd just given birth to his son and something happened to his heart. He knew that even if she told him to get the hell out, he would keep coming back until she put a restraining order against him. There was no way he could actually leave them.

  Her silence killed him.

  His heart grew heavier as he stepped away from them and decided he should at least go to the waiting room outside and talk with their parents. Maybe, he could get them to talk to her for him.

  Jaxon took another step back.

  Darling reached for his hand. "Do you want to hold him?"

  He reached for his son, and as they shifted him from her arms to his, his son's hiccupped cries quieted.

  She smiled, weakly. "He knows you're his dad."

  The bronzed skin of his son was a perfect blend of theirs. He traced a finger over their baby's chin and his cries stopped. "You think so." He dared to take another look into her eyes. Each time he did, he would swear she stole another piece of him.

  She ran her fingers through her hair loosening tangles as she reached the ends. She continued the process until she was satisfied. Since the pregnancy, she'd decided to let her hair grow. After smoothing it, she twisted her hair into a bun and knotted it on top of her head.

  With no make-up and untamed hair, she was still the most beautiful woman he knew.

  "You made him stop crying." She smiled.

  "How is it possible to love someone so completely, so quickly?" He sat in the chair beside the bed holding his son with his baby's mother watching. Baby's mama. That had to change… he needed to marry her quick. "He feels so fragile." He held him tighter and kissed his cheek. "I can't believe I missed his birth."

  "You can make it up to us." Darling elevated her bed and reached for him. Pulling him by his shirt, she closed the distance between them. "I love you Jaxon Slater. I'm mad as hell that you weren't here." She cupped his face between her hands. "I was so afraid."

  "I know." He leaned closer and kissed her. "What do I have to do to make it up to you?"

  A beautiful sexy grin he'd never seen before crossed her face. "Lots and lots of things."

  Hours later, Jaxon's feet dangled from a cot the staff had rolled into Darling's room. He'd missed the birth and he couldn't take that back, but he refused to leave the hospital until they did. They'd taken Jaxon Jr. back to the hospital nursery. Unable to sleep, he rested on the creaky cot staring out of the hospital room window. The full moon that stared back at him mocked him for his inability to be the man he needed to be. Would he be a role model for his son? One day, his son would need his birth certificate for something, and it would show his first mistake—too afraid to marry the woman he loved, the way she wanted him to marry her.

  Darling woke to sounds of chaos around her. Her parents and Jaxon's mother were moving around the room with such purpose, she couldn't figure out what they were doing. Squinting at the bright sunlight pooling through the windows of her private room, she tried to orient herself. The dull burning sensation that quickly spread through her lower body reminded her of where she was and what had happened. She'd given birth to her son, Jaxon. And even though he was late, his father hadn't left her alone. Instead, he'd spent the entire night on a rollaway bed barely big enough for her.

  She turned toward the other bed to say good morning. But, he wasn't there. "Mom, what's going on?" She searched the room for Jaxon and the baby. "Is it feeding time? Where is Jaxon?"

  "Jaxon will be back shortly." Her mom smiled at her over her shoulder. "We're getting ready."

  "For what?" She tugged at the short thin blankets on her bed. But, she felt no warmer.

  "A wedding," Jaxon's mother answered with a bigger smile.

  Where these two ladies losing it? Who has a wedding in a hospital? "A wedding?" She puffed up the pillows behind her and slid up a little in bed. "Who? What?" Where was Jaxon?

  Her mom opened a box and held up a beautiful white wedding dress. "Jaxon picked it out." Using one of her arms, her mother fluffed out the white fabric for Darling's approval.

  The empire cut dress was as long as her mother was tall, which meant it would drag the floor on her. "My wedding!" She reached for the dress. It was simple with no beading, just beautiful chiffon. And it would be forgiving of her belly. "It's beautiful," she cried.

  "He spent all morning picking out the perfect dress," his mother said.

  "Bout time," her father added.

  Darling combed her fingers through her hair, and then dragged them over her face. "But, my hair and make-up." He may accept her just as she was, and she may be having a wedding in a hospital, but that didn't mean she had to look like she'd been dug up by the cat.

  "We've got that covered," his mother said.

  Both women flashed huge smiles. "Your mom and I are at your service," Jaxon's mother replied as both women wrapped their arms around each other. "We're your personal stylists today."

  "So, let's get you up and into the shower," her mom added.

  She didn't want their parents to be upset or feel they'd missed out on anything because they weren't having the big wedding with all the crazy trimmings. "Mom, Mrs. Slater, I know you guys had big plans."

  They looked at each other. "We did. But, this is your wedding," her mother replied. "You should have the wedding you want."

  "Besides, we can still have a big party. Right?" his mom asked.

  "Yes, ma'am. We can definitely have a party." She smiled. "A huge one!"

  As she headed toward the shower, another thought hit her. "Mom, what about shoes?"

  Her mom opened another box. "What do you think?" She held up a beautiful pair of flat white ballet slippers.

  Perfect for a woman who just had a baby and didn't want to wear heels. "Love them!"

  With a little help from her mom and Mrs. Slater, she disappeared into the shower.

  Inside the hospital chapel surrounded by her doctor and the nurses who'd assisted with the birth of their son, she and the man she loved faced the hospital's pastor. Everyone, including Jaxon, wanted her to sit in a wheelchair, but that wasn't going to happen. Her legs were a little wobbly, but it didn't matter. Her doctor and every nurse marveled at how quickly she was recuperating for a first pregnancy. And she felt like she could do anything. So, no, she would stand at Jaxon's side.

  "I can't believe you guys pulled this together while I slept," she said to Jaxon as they stood in front of the hospital's pastor.

  "Believe it," Jaxon responded with a smile that she would never grow tired of seeing.

  "What? Were you afraid I would run?"

  "Yes," he whispered. "And I've waited long enough to make you my wife." His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her tight to his body.

  The first touch of his lips to hers buckled her knees. Only the strength of his arms around her held her upright.

  The pastor cleared his throat. "It's not quite time for that, yet." He smiled.

  "Sorry, sir. Just practicing," Jaxon said as he released her.<
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  Jaxon Jr. whaled at the sound of his father's voice.

  "Looks like we'd better hurry this up. Someone's hungry," Darling added.

  Jaxon quirked an eyebrow at her. Heat burst through her body. It took nothing for Jaxon to melt her. Even though she'd just given birth, the only thing she could think about was when she would be able to feel his mouth, his hands, all of him again.

  The next weeks would be hard, but as the pastor began the ceremony, joy filled her at the thought of spending the rest of her life with her husband their beautiful baby boy.

  By Angela Kay Austin

  Beale Street Blues

  Rumer

  Give Me Everything

  Derailed

  Sweet Victory

  Scarlet's Tears

  Love All over Me

  Coming Soon

  Love's Chance

  Freedom

  The following is an excerpt from Love's Chance by Angela Kay Austin.

  Sinclair emerged from the bathroom. "I'm ready." Golden dreadlocks crinkled into big twists cascaded down around her shoulders. Although not revealing, her tangerine blouse hugged her full bosom, then lay over the top of the waistband of her jeans. Jeans that hugged the curves of her hips and thighs.

  DAMN. Immediately, his body reacted to hers. It took Chance a moment to rise from his chair.

  "I'm ready," Sinclair repeated.

  "Okay, so what do you want to do first? Casino downstairs or maybe walk under the lights on Freeman?"

  Her eyes twinkled as she answered, "Lights."

  "Okay, lights it is. Let's go grab a taxi."

  The cab ride to Freeman Street felt like the longest ride of his life. With her eyes closed, she rested her head on his shoulder the entire trip. Each rub of her cheek against his shoulder matched the caress of her breasts against his arm as she found the right spot to doze. Touch after touch increased his ache. His need and desire. His khaki pants pulled tighter against his body with each meeting of their bodies. Before the taxi dropped them at their destination, he hoped he could regain control.