by Marie Force
With a minimum of fuss, Landon got her out of the ballroom and found a patio off the hallway that was currently vacant.
She closed her eyes and tipped her face into the warm sunshine.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. His speech got to me.”
“Of course it did. You understand better than anyone what he’s been through.”
“It was different for me. I always knew where she was.”
“But she wasn’t with you, so you get how it was for him.” He kept an arm around her, needing her close to him. “Still nothing from Stella?”
She looked at the phone she’d had clutched in her hand for hours now. “No, and I’m starting to really worry.”
“Why don’t you call her again?”
Amanda put through the call on speaker. It rang and rang until Stella’s voicemail message answered.
“Hey, it’s Stella. Please leave a message, and I’ll call you back.”
“Hi, it’s Amanda calling again. I haven’t heard from you, so I’m worried. Give me a call as soon as you can.” She ended the call and exhaled a deep breath. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You tried Kelly, too?”
“A couple of times.”
“Do you want to go there?”
“Right now? We’re at a wedding.”
“I know where we are, love, but I’m worried, too. Something has to be up for her to not reply to your texts or calls. She was texting you nonstop yesterday from the second we got out of the mountains and found reception.”
“Let’s give it another hour and then figure out what to do. They could be at a soccer game or something, and we’re over here freaking out.”
“Take a minute. We don’t need to go rushing back to the party.”
“I was looking forward to dancing with you.”
“We can do that right here.” He wrapped his arms around her and swayed to imaginary music.
“As perfect as this is, we need a real song to mark the first time we dance together.”
Into her ear, he hummed the refrain from “All My Loving,” a song he’d heard a million times growing up with a Beatles fanatic for a father. Landon slowed the tempo a bit to make it suit his purposes.
“That’s a good one.”
“One of my favorites.”
They stayed that way, swaying to the tune he hummed, for quite some time, enjoying the moment to themselves.
“We should go back so they don’t think we snuck off to have sex,” Amanda said.
“Now that you mention it…”
“We’re not doing that.”
“It’s mean of you to bring it up and then take it away.”
She took his hand and led the way back to the reception. “It wasn’t an offer. It was an observation.”
“Don’t say the word ‘sex’ to me unless you’re planning to have it.”
Amanda giggled helplessly. “You’re such a child sometimes.”
“No way, baby. I’m all man, and certain words lead to certain things. Proceed with caution.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever you say.” Crooking her finger, she got him to tip his head close enough for her to whisper in his ear. “Sex, sex, sex.”
“I never knew you were so mean.”
“Yes, you did.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Their conversation came to a halt when they realized something was going on in the ballroom. The music had stopped, and everyone was gathered around the table where Cameron and Will had been sitting with the others.
“Landon!” His mother’s cry sent a chill down his spine as he released Amanda and ran toward her.
“She might be bleeding,” Lucas said of Cameron, who was on the floor, “but I can’t assess her with this fucking cast on my arm.”
Cameron’s dad, Patrick, had her head on his leg as he tried to calm her. His girlfriend, Mary, was sitting next to Cam, holding her hand, and Will was on the other side, clearly trying not to lose his shit.
Landon went directly into EMT mode, checking his sister-in-law’s pulse, which was steady. “Did you call for EMS?”
“On the way,” Cabot said.
“Someone go meet them and get them up here ASAP,” Lucas said.
“Landon,” Will said, the single word full of panic.
“Amniotic fluid can be bloody.” To Cam, Landon said, “Did you feel your water break?”
She nodded. “I stood to use the restroom, and there was a sensation like a cork popping.”
“How far apart are the contractions?”
“Nine minutes.”
“You’re having contractions?” Will roared. “And how does my brother know that?”
Tears filled Cameron’s eyes, which stood out in stark contrast to her pale face. “They were twelve minutes apart, and I didn’t want to ruin another wedding.” She’d fainted during Hunter and Megan’s wedding, which was how they’d found out she was pregnant.
“Oh my God,” Will said. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Don’t be mad at me on the day our baby is coming!”
Will looked around frantically. “Where are those paramedics?”
* * *
“Holy shit,” a voice behind Max whispered.
Max turned to find Caroline. He hadn’t gotten to talk to her yet due to his duties as a groomsman. He’d wondered if the attraction he’d felt for her last night would be present again today. When he’d spotted her in the front row of the church, wearing a sexy, clingy dress with purple flowers on it, he’d confirmed the breathless, edgy feeling was every bit the same as it had been the first time he saw her.
“Is she okay?”
“I think so, but her husband isn’t too happy that she didn’t tell him she was having labor pains. She’s not due for another couple of weeks.”
“Yikes. Where’s your little guy?”
“Cabot hired nannies to take care of him and the other kids during the reception.”
“That sounds like Cabot. He’s all about the details.”
“You can plan everything except for someone going into labor during the wedding.”
“Right? That’s why I’m never having kids.”
Max stared at her. “Ever?”
“Ever. My mom says I’m too young for such pronouncements, but I’m her only hope of grandchildren, so she has to say that.”
Led by Colton, the paramedics came into the ballroom, moving quickly to get to Cameron—and not a moment too soon. Will seemed to be on the verge of a thermonuclear meltdown.
“Why don’t you want kids?” Max asked Caroline, while keeping an eye on the situation with Cam.
“I never have. I just think I’d be a terrible mother.”
“I would’ve thought that about myself being a father before Caden arrived, but it’s funny how you find what you need inside you when necessary.”
“So you never looked at him and thought no? Just no?”
“Not for a second,” he said, smiling. “I loved him from the first second I ever saw him, and I love him ten million times more than that now.”
“Huh.”
“You were really great with him last night. You’d probably be better at it than you think.”
“But what if I wasn’t? What if I was a disaster? It’s not like you can give back the kid and say, ‘Nope, not for me.’”
Before he could reply, the paramedics loaded Cameron onto the gurney for transport. Will ran after them, promising to keep the family informed of what was going on.
“Why do you look so worried?” Caroline asked.
“Her mother and grandmother died in childbirth.”
“Shut up. No way. And you wonder why I don’t want kids?”
“She had a full workup before she got pregnant, and the doctors said there should be no reason for her not to have a perfectly normal pregnancy and delivery.”
“But you’re worried anyway.”
“I think we all will be until the bab
y has safely arrived. And I’m worried about my brother having a stroke or something equally awful in the meantime.”
“That’s a lot of worry.”
“Folks,” Cabot said, “we’ve sent Cameron and Will off to Mass General to have their baby, and while we wait for news from them, they asked that we continue to enjoy the party.” He signaled to the band to pick up the music once again.
“Do you want to dance?” Max asked her.
“Sure.”
As he walked with her to the dance floor, he tried to reconcile the attraction with the fact that she didn’t want kids. He definitely wanted more than just one, and he hoped to one day meet someone who could be a mother to Caden. They were a package deal, and any woman he brought into his life would know that from the get-go.
So while he was well and truly dazzled by beautiful Caroline, they apparently had different ideas about what the future might look like. For now, they could enjoy the party together, and that would be that.
* * *
Stella finally returned Amanda’s call an hour later.
“Are you okay?” Amanda asked her.
“My mom had a seizure. She’s in the hospital. Sorry I didn’t call you back before now.”
“Please don’t worry about that. Is anyone else with you?”
“No, but I’m okay. The doctor was just here, and the nurses said I can stay.”
“What did they say about your mom’s condition?”
“I haven’t heard anything yet.”
“Would it be okay if I come there to stay with you while she’s in the hospital?”
“You would do that?”
Amanda closed her eyes against a wild rush of emotion. “Of course I would.” She didn’t add that the hospital might have to contact child services if Stella didn’t have anyone to care for her while her mother was in the hospital. “Text me the name of the hospital. I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“I… um, thank you, Amanda.”
“If anyone asks who’s taking care of you, let them know I’m on my way and that Kelly has made me your legal guardian if needed.” They’d taken care of that detail shortly after they first made contact.
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you very soon.”
“Text me when you get here.”
“I will.”
Amanda ended the call and looked around for Landon, finding him talking to Lucas, Dani, Hunter, Megan, Hannah and Nolan. She walked over to join them. “Stella called.”
“Excuse me,” Landon said to the others as he took her aside. “What’s up?”
Amanda filled him in. “I need to go to her.”
“Yes, you do. Let me tell my family we’re leaving, and I’ll see about getting a car.”
“You don’t have to come, Landon. This is a big day for your family, between the wedding and the baby coming. I’d understand if you wanted to stay.”
“Is it okay if I want to go with you?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. We’re in this together. I’ll be right back.” He went over to have a word with his parents, and when he returned, Molly came with him.
She hugged Amanda. “I’ll be thinking of you.”
“Thank you, Molly.”
“Keep us posted on how you are and how they are.”
“We will. I’m sorry to steal Landon from a family event.”
“It’s fine. You need him more than we do right now.”
Landon hugged his mother. “You’ll tell Wade and Mia where we went?”
“I will.”
“I’ll check in later.”
“Drive carefully.”
Before they could get waylaid by the entire family, Landon and Amanda left the ballroom and took the elevator to their room to pack.
She went through the motions of putting belongings in the suitcase she’d borrowed from Landon after hers had been lost in the fire. While she changed and packed, she tried to compartmentalize the day’s events.
Focus on packing, checking out of the hotel, getting a car, driving to New York.
Don’t think about how you’re going to meet your daughter for the first time ever in a few short hours, or you might lose your shit.
I’m going to meet my daughter. Today.
Like a tidal wave coming over her, the realization bent her in half, hands flat against the marble vanity in the bathroom.
And then Landon was there, gathering her into his arms and holding on tight. “I’ve got you, honey. I’ve got you.”
Thank God for him, she thought, and not for the first time. At some point in the last few weeks, he’d become her rock as well as her best friend. “I can’t believe I’m going to meet her today.”
“I know. You have to be reeling.”
She pulled back from him and took tissues from the box on the counter. “I don’t have time to reel right now. She needs me, and I’ve got to get to her before someone thinks they should call child services or something.”
“I called down to the concierge. The hotel is arranging for a car for us. It’ll be here in fifteen minutes.”
“How’d you do that so fast?”
“I told them it was an emergency.”
“Thank you.”
He kissed her forehead. “Anything for you. What else can I do?”
“How do you feel about driving to New York? I’d be afraid of driving off the road again because I’m a hot mess.”
“I’ll drive, and you’re not a hot mess. You’re a beautiful mom about to be reunited with her beloved child under less-than-ideal circumstances.”
Amanda’s chin quivered as she tried desperately to hang on to her composure.
“You’re doing the right thing stepping up for her, and it’ll matter to her that you came running when she needed you.”
“Keep telling me that, okay?”
“As many times as you need to hear it.”
Over the next few hours, she repeatedly needed to hear it as they faced traffic delays and a monsoon-like rainstorm that turned a drive of two hours and forty-five minutes into nearly four hours of hell. They received frequent text updates on Amanda’s phone from Lucy about Cameron’s condition. The last report had been that she was hoping to be able to push soon.
Amanda’s nerves were shredded by the time they reached the hospital and parked. It was nearly eight o’clock by then, and even though she’d been in constant contact with Stella during the ride, she was still as stressed out as she’d ever been.
“Are you ready for this?” Landon asked.
“No,” she said, sounding slightly hysterical, even to her own ears. “Not even kinda.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.”
―Edna St. Vincent Millay
Landon covered her cold hand with his warm one, infusing her with heat and confidence she badly needed. “It’s going to be fine, Amanda. You’ve already met by FaceTime. This is just a formality.”
She nodded. “Thank you again for being here. I’m not sure I could’ve done this by myself.”
“Yes, you could have if you had to. No question. Nothing could’ve kept you from her when she needed you. But I’m glad I could be here.”
Amanda glanced at the hospital entrance, steeling herself to give Stella the support she needed. This was about Stella, not her. Sure, keep telling yourself that. She sent Stella a text to let her know they’d arrived and were on the way in. “Let’s go.”
They got out of the car, went in through the main entrance and followed the signs to the elevators. The doors opened on the sixth floor, and there she was, waiting for them. Like they’d known each other forever, Stella stepped into Amanda’s outstretched arms and held on for dear life.
Despite the circumstances and the location, it would go down as one of the best moments of Amanda’s life. Stella fit snuggly in her
arms, her head tucked under Amanda’s chin. Her hair smelled of strawberries and cookies and sweetness. Amanda breathed her in, feeling the agitation she’d lived with for twelve long years finally settle.
“Thank you so much for coming.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“Somehow I doubt that, but I’m thankful anyway.”
Amanda reluctantly released her. “This is Landon.” She watched as he hugged Stella, too.
“It’s so good to see you in person,” he said.
“You, too.”
“How’s your mom?” Amanda asked, even though she already knew from Stella’s updates that her condition was grave.
“Not so great.” Stella looked up at her, green eyes swimming with tears. “Do you know what hospice is?”
“I do,” she said, her heart sinking. “Are they recommending that for her?”
Stella nodded. “They said she doesn’t have a lot of time left.”
“I’m so sorry, honey.”
“We knew this was coming, but still…” Stella shrugged. “It sucks.”
“Yes, it does.” Amanda hugged her again because she could, and because Stella needed all the love she could get right then.
“She’d like to see you if you’re up for that.”
“Of course.” Amanda was scared and unnerved but determined to step up for Stella—and for Kelly. Whatever they needed, she’d do her best to get it for them.
With her arm linked through Amanda’s, as if she was afraid Amanda might somehow escape, Stella led them into Kelly’s darkened room.
“Mom,” she whispered. “Amanda and Landon are here.”
Kelly opened her eyes and looked up at them, relief etched into her expression. “Thank you so much for coming,” she whispered.
Amanda took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m here for as long as you guys need me. Just rest and don’t worry about anything.”
When Kelly closed her eyes, tears leaked out the sides.
Stella grabbed a tissue and wiped them away. “She was really worried about what would happen to me,” she said softly.
Amanda put her hands on Stella’s shoulders. “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”