by K. L. Myers
The ultrasound showed that baby boy A was breech, and the doctor talked to them about the possibility of needing to do a C-section if he didn’t turn around before delivery. They hadn’t expected to get such devastating news.
When they left, Braxton’s mood was somber. He needed to get out of his own mind, or he’d be a bear to live with for the rest of her term.
“Brax,” Paisley called out to him as she waddled her way through the lobby of the medical building. He hadn’t heard her call his name, and she had to sit for a moment. There had been a cement bench beneath a tree just outside of the entrance, so she made her way there and sat down.
“Braxton,” she yelled this time to get his attention.
He ran to her side. “What's wrong? Do I need to go get the doctor?” He was ready to sprint inside and do whatever it took to ensure she was taken care of.
“Relax.” Her tone was clipped. “I’m perfectly fine. But we need to talk.” She patted the space beside her. “Sit.”
Braxton straddled the bench so that he was facing her and prepared for the worse.
“Brax, look at me.” He raised his eyes to meet hers. “I know what’s going through your head, and you can’t start thinking bad things are going to happen.”
“But you heard what Dr. Erickson said; you might need a C-section. What if . . .”
She stopped him from speaking by placing her finger on his lips. “I know. You hear the phrase C-section and instantly think of Alissa’s death.”
He shook his head.
“It’s not the same, Brax. I’m healthy; the babies are healthy. There’s no need to spend the next three months doing nothing but worrying about something we have no control over. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going through your mind so we can discuss it. I don’t want to leave here with you stuck inside your head.”
His mind had started running wild, and it hadn’t stopped yet. He was envisioning every possibility of what could go wrong. “Butterfly, I’m scared.” He reached out, taking her hands in his. “I know the doctor said it was too soon to be worrying and that there was still time for our little boy to turn in the womb, but what if he doesn’t?”
“And what if he does, Brax? Then you will have wasted days, weeks, and possibly months being stressed out about nothing. I won’t ask you not to worry because that would be a moot point. But please promise me you’ll try to relax about this some.”
He assured her then stood, reaching his hand out to help her stand. Paisley placed one hand at the small of her back and the other in Braxton’s hand as he tugged her up. This time, together, they walked hand in hand to their car.
When he pulled into their drive, he didn’t turn off the ignition. Paisley turned her head to face him.
“Are we getting out of the car?”
“I’m not, I’ve got a few things to finish at the office.” He leaned over and kissed her briefly. “I’ll pick us something up on the way home.”
Braxton opened his door and stepped out before making his way around to her side of the car and helping her out.
“Let Brittney know she doesn’t need to prepare anything for dinner tonight,” Braxton called to Paisley as she made her way to the front door.
Brittney was a nanny Braxton and Paisley had hired two months ago to help around the house and with Emmersyn. The farther along Paisley got, the harder it was for her to bend over or stand on her feet for any length of time. Braxton had even insisted that Paisley start working from home so that she’d stay off her feet and get plenty of rest throughout the day.
As time passed, Braxton got better about not worrying. But the one thing he wouldn’t concede on was their sex life or lack thereof. It became nonexistent from the moment they’d left the doctor’s office. He wasn’t going to let his carnal desires potentially complicate things for Paisley. And it didn’t matter how many times she protested that he was being ridiculous, he wouldn’t give it a second thought.
As the weeks drew closer to her delivery, Paisley protested less and less and confessed that she appreciated the fact that she could crawl into bed and just go to sleep.
On the day of Paisley’s scheduled C-section, Braxton tried to hide his concern. The last thing he wanted was for Paisley to worry about him.
Braxton put on the scrubs provided by the hospital and joined Paisley in the operating room. Holding her hand as the surgery was being done gave him a sense of control, even though he knew he had none.
Dr. Erickson spoke to both of them as he performed the surgery. And at the sound of their first son's wail, both Braxton and Paisley cried.
Epilogue
Six years later
Braxton sat in their backyard, stretched out on a chaise lounge with a cup of coffee in his hand. He was admiring the Big Horn Mountains in the distance. The dew from the morning's mist covered the grass that had been cut just yesterday. He loved the smell of freshly mown grass, as it reminded him of all the days he’d spent playing with his children in the yard over the years.
Behind him, he heard the sound of the sliding glass door quickly open and shut. A blur of purple and pink ran past him, making a beeline for the wooden play structure in the middle of their yard.
Emmersyn climbed the stairs that led to the slide and then stood at the top. “Watch me, Daddy. Watch me.”
He lifted his coffee cup in the air. “I’m watching, caterpillar.”
With her dad's acknowledgment, Emmersyn reached for the rail and pushed herself down. When her feet hit the grass at the bottom, she quickly sprung to her feet and ran for the stairs again. Braxton watched her slide over and over. Sometimes she’d slide on her butt, others on her tummy, but each go, she’d make sure her dad was looking.
The sliding glass door opened once again, only this time blue and green jackets ran past him.
“Morning, butterfly,” Braxton called over his shoulder as the door slid closed.
“Morning, babe.” She sat in the chaise beside him and patted the cushion. Their tiny terrier jumped up and curled into a ball by Paisley’s feet.
“I see the whole family is out at the crack of dawn.” Braxton didn’t take his eyes off his children as he spoke.
“They're excited. Can you blame them? It’s been two years since they’ve seen their grandparents.”
After the delivery of the boys, Paisley had found it almost impossible to work and be a full-time mother to three very active children. So, she’d decided to leave Michaels & Associates.
With her gone, Braxton hadn’t enjoyed being at the office each day. He’d longed to be home with his family, and when an opportunity to merge their company came, Braxton had practically jumped at it.
Braxton made quite a bit of money over the years and had invested it well. Along with a sizeable chunk left of his inheritance, he wasn’t worried about financially getting by.
He had allowed Paxton to negotiate the majority of the merger. And, after six months of negotiations, they’d all signed on the dotted line.
Paxton had stayed on as president and lead counsel, but Braxton and Paisley had cashed out and moved to Buffalo, Wyoming. Braxton's brother had invited them to visit right after the twins were born and both he and Paisley had fallen in love with the tiny town.
They’d purchased a home on the outskirts of the city that was nestled on forty acres overlooking the mountains. In the summer and early fall, antelope would graze through their property on their way to lower elevations.
Paisley finished off her coffee and glanced at her watch. “Time to go,” she called out to her children before turning to Braxton. “You ready, Daddy?” The woman couldn’t help herself—she loved joking with him and calling him naughty names. “My parents and Paxton will be landing soon, and we’ve got a jaunt ahead of us.”
“Yay,” each of their children cried out as they rushed past them toward the back door.
As Emmy made it to the back door, she stopped to address Paisley. “I miss uncle Paxton mommy. We never see him anymore.”
Emmersyn tugged at the handle while Preston and Colton bounced into her. “If you don’t stop, I’m not letting you in the house,” Emmy screamed at her brothers. She’d grown up to be the spitting image of Alissa but she had Paisley's attitude.
“Boys, behave yourselves,” Paisley called out to them. “Give your sister some room to open the door.”
“But, Mom, she’s taking forever, and we wanna see Nana and Papa.” Preston snarked.
“I wanna see uncle Pax” Colton commented.
Braxton reached down tossing Colton over his shoulder. “Come on, little man. Let’s go start the car.”
It was a hundred and nineteen miles to Casper’s airport. The kids were playing eye spy in the back seat of the Suburban and Paisley sat beside Braxton, reading on her tablet. He glanced into the rearview mirror at his children as they played and smiled.
Life had dealt him some tough hands. The death of his parents and then losing Alissa had almost broken him. But one person had always been there by his side: Paisley.
He couldn’t imagine what his life would have been like without her. He didn’t know what the future held. But for the first time, he wasn’t concerned. He’d matured over the last six years. Colds, flu, a few stitches here and there, and a broken leg had taught him you couldn’t prevent the inevitable, no matter how hard you tried to protect the ones you loved. He was going to live life like there was no tomorrow and enjoy the time he had with his family while he could.
THE END
Acknowledgments From Kl
First and foremost, I want to thank Lance Jones for taking the time to do a photoshoot with my daughter and her significant other. I truly enjoyed working with you.
A special thanks to Lindsey Myers and Matt Cates for being on the cover. You both are amazing together.
Then there’s Dana Leah, my amazing cover designer who, no matter what the challenge, always delivers the most amazing cover. Thank you for always being patient with KL’s insane ideas.
Thank you to my beta readers and my proofreader. And to Heidi Jo Bellus – Small Town Girl Formatting who always has my back when it comes to formatting.
Lastly, a huge thank you to Lydia Harbaugh – HEA PR & More. You complete me. LOL
Other Books By K.L. Myers
The Second Chance Series
Reawaken His Heart (Book 1)
Reclaiming His Future (Book 2)
Rediscovering His Life (Book 3)
Razor’s Edge Series
Rocking Between The Sheets (Prequel)
Sheet Music (Book 1)
Heart Beats (Book 2)
Love At Last Series
A Chance At L.O.V.E.
Lost In L.O.V.
Finding L.O.V.
Deserving Love
Standalone’s
Captured
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