More to This

by Tess Keeler

  “I’m right here,” he cooed, rubbing her back before getting a cool, wet towel and some water. The stench of vomit was not pleasing, but he tried not to mind as he moved from the bathroom to the bedroom, retrieving his phone. He probably should have had it on him: three missed texts from Everly.

  “I’m going to call your doctor. You’re not supposed to throw up after your first trimester,” he said to her as he entered the room. He remembered reading that in the important material. Somewhere.

  After leaving a message and getting a return phone call from her too-friendly obgyn, they were directed to come in asap to make sure everything was normal. Henley was helping her get dressed, and Mason had agreed to bring her some saltines from the kitchen after a text message or two. They both got her down the stairs and into Henley’s car.

  “Do you need anything else before we leave?” Henley asked, stroking Everly’s cheek with his hand as he leaned into her window on the passenger side.

  She was cradling the baby with her fingers spread out, trying to cover more of him as she shook her head. She blinked slowly and parted her lips to speak, wetting them before any sound came out. “Do you think he’s okay? The baby?”

  Although the fear was there, he knew that everything would be okay. It had to be. They didn’t deserve anymore turmoil. Henley whispered against her forehead after a sweet kiss there, “I think he’s perfect.”

  The doctor checked her out quickly, but noted that the baby had dropped. He told them that he was “just preparing to enter the world”, that it was nothing to worry about. She only had four more weeks left, so they were to keep an eye on contractions and any other signs that labor was coming. He gave them an eager grin as they exited the office. Henley was feeling relieved and a little worried about how quickly the baby would be yanked away from them.

  Pierson had finally gone home, so they were welcomed by Mason, stretched out on the couch with an xbox controller in his hand.

  “The little bloke alright?” Mason asked, his eyes not leaving the screen.

  Everly positioned her hand protectively over her belly and nodded, “He’s getting big.”

  “Aye, he has you waddling around.”

  “Aye,” she mocked before proving his point as she made the short distance between the front door and the kitchen. “Anyone hungry?” she asked, putting away the dishes on their drying board and pulling eggs from the fridge. “I’m starving.”

  “Maybe you should rest,” Henley suggested, currently standing at the entry way, observing. “I can cook.”

  “You’re sweet, but I want to cook.”

  Henley gave her space as she prepared a small meal for all of them, joining Mason on the couch. After a couple of games, the aroma of eggs and bacon filled the house. Henley hadn’t realized how hungry he was until that moment, his stomach growling. The sound of plate crashing made him look toward the kitchen, her groan filling the house. He felt his pulse rush to his head, creating a sense of doom as he stood and ran toward the sound.

  “Everly?”

  Mason was right behind him when his eyes found her leaning over, her hands holding onto the counter top as the volume lowered.

  “Are you okay?” he asked when she didn’t respond.

  “Cramps,” she breathed out. Barely audible.

  Pursing his lips, he asked Mason to comfort her while he cleaned up the mess.

  “How about you take care of your woman, baby daddy? I’ve got the kitchen.”

  Henley rubbed circles in her back with his palm, and when she never looked up at him, he suggested they move to the couch.

  “No, I’m fine. It was just cramps. That’s all.”

  Everly was, and would always be, stubborn. He whispered okay as she stood up again, attempting to make her own plate.

  “Can I carry the plates to the living room at least?” he asked, his lips twitching as she met his teasing gaze.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  Not five minutes later, they had began eating. A few bites in, and Henley caught the sudden movement of Everly grabbing her stomach. The groaning was loud and it sounded painful. Mason looked panicked for the first time in his life.

  “Just breathe, Ev,” Henley said, forgetting about the food entirely to give her all of his attention. “Can you time these?” he asked Mason, throwing him Everly’s phone. He called the doctor again, and left another voicemail asking if it was possible she could be going into labor. He mentioned that they were timing the contractions and that he needed a call back.

  “It’s just false labor, Henley. We don’t need them to call us.”

  “Better safe than sorry, Eve,” Mason said, defending Henley’s side. “Delivering babies is not a talent of mine.”

  Everly was glaring at him when she reached for her bottle of water. Henley’s phone rang, and he immediately picked it up. He answered all of the questions fired off at him, including how far apart the contractions seemed to be.

  “Five minutes since the last,” Mason confirmed as she started another one, her hand gripping Henley’s thigh.

  “She can’t respond to us during them,” Henley added before he was given direction to take her to the hospital.

  The phone was stashed away in his pocket, his hand moving to cover hers.

  “Everly, we have to take you to the hospital. We might be having a baby tonight.”

  1

  More to This

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  Everly

  Everly’s mind was a blur as her stomach clenched in pain, causing her to whimper. The contractions were getting closer in timing, and she still refused to believe she was in actual labor. That would make her having the baby four weeks early, and she didn’t want to think of the possible complications of a premature birth.

  “Mace,” Everly groaned, the hospital band sliding down her wrist. “Call my dad, ask him to let River and Aiden know. Please?”

  “Sure thing,” Mason responded, patting Everly’s shin as he walked past to make the call. Henley was right next to her, holding her hand. He was encouraging her and praising her, and she never could’ve imagined a better partner to be going through this with.

  Turning her head, she smiled at him. She had to look like a wreck, but there he was, kissing her forehead and caressing her hand. They were alone now, and the soft beeping was the only thing making noise in the room now.

  “Hey,” she whispered, her voice already getting hoarse. It was automatic upon hearing her voice for him to grab some ice chips for her. He smoothed down her hair was she took a few pieces into her mouth. The cold of the melting ice satisfied her dry tongue in a way she would never take for granted again.

  “Hey. How are you feeling?” His tone was just as soft as hers as he took the cup of ice from her hand and set it on the small table next to her bed.

  She laughed quietly, her free hand resting against the side of her stomach. “Tired, and I’m only dilated to a four.” Her head leaned against his shoulder, and he kissed her head softly. “Did they say everything was okay with the little guy?”

  “They didn’t seem alarmed, Ev.” Henley rubbed her arm to reassured her.

  “But, I’m four weeks early. What if I did something wrong, and I caused this?” Her emotions were over powering her will to be strong. She felt the tears building as the contraction tore through her, causing her to gasp and groan.

  “Breathe, baby.” She could hear Henley’s throaty voice coaching her through her breathing. He had been researching just as much, if not more, than her about things pertaining to the baby. It was the most adorably perfect thing she had ever seen.

  The contraction tapered, and she blinked up at him. Messy strands of her hair were hanging from the messy bun her long locks were tangled in.

  “What if something is wrong?” She sniffled, trying to fight off the tears threatening to surface.

  Henley’s voice was still soft, but steady. “Everything is okay. I promise.”

  The doctor had explained to her th
at four weeks wasn’t as early as she could be, and that the baby seemed fine, just ready to meet them. Everly wouldn’t feel better until she saw him, though. Still, she tried to keep herself positive. Her emotions were all over the place.

  Mason had finally came back, letting them know that River and Aiden couldn’t get a flight out until tomorrow night. It made Everly’s heart sink. How could she be in the same room, taking care of the baby, without his parents there to remind her that she had given her word?

  She had to.

  Everly was in labor for almost eight hours before Elijah made his messy entrance into the world. She was covered in sweat, with every muscle sore from giving birth. Her bottom half hurt more than she could process, but that didn’t matter as they laid the small, crying newborn into her arms. His hair was light, and a thick curl swooped towards his forehead. He had her nose, for sure. It was a blur as they were taking him away to clean him up, and Everly couldn’t stop the exhausted and over emotional tears from pouring from her eyes. Henley’s hand was in hers, and she felt his forehead leaning against the top of her head.

  “You did so good, baby,” Henley whispered, the tears evident in his voice. She felt like they were holding onto each other to survive.

  Maybe they were.

  As they cleaned Everly up, she encouraged Henley to take a break— pee, eat, talk to Mason and Pierson who were in the waiting room. They were going to move Everly to a recovery room, and had asked Everly whether or not she wanted the baby in the room with her, or in the nursery. Without hesitation, she chose to have the baby in her room. She couldn’t imagine him being put in a nursery with a bunch of other babies, without someone that loves him nearby. Regardless of his parents, Everly loved him from the second she saw him.

  This was going to be harder than she thought.

  “He’s nineteen inches long, and weighs five pounds, four ounces. And boy, is he a hungry lad!” Mason was on the phone with Noah, explaining the majority of the night to her father for her. She was tired, and still had to feed Elijah when he was back from his tests.

  She hadn’t seen him since the seconds after his birth, but she couldn’t help the excitement and anticipation to see him again. Henley was getting antsy, too, she could tell. He was pulling at his hair a lot. She offered him a sweet smile.

  “I know. I miss him, too,” she whispered, keeping her comment between him. “Stupid, right?”

  “That’s not stupid, Ev. I just wish they were here to take him.” The sadness in his tone went straight to her heart, because she understood what he meant. He was just braver to say it than she was.

  Everly parted her lips to say something, but the nurse entering the room with Eli caused everyone’s attention to shift, even through their best efforts to try and not get close. He was stationed fairly close to Everly’s bed, and she felt her heart flutter as his adorable face came into view. He was definitely a Moore, no doubt about it. Everly didn’t want to think about how much of Henley she saw in him, because that would only make this harder— if that was even possible

  “Blimey, you are one heart stealing little man, aren’t you?” Mason was the first one to break the silence out of the four of them, and Everly couldn’t help but smile at the softness washing over her best friend.

  Pierson was behind Mason, looking over his shoulder at the tiny newborn. “He looks like the perfect mixture of you both.”

  Everly lifted her eyes to look at Henley, her hand covering his on the hospital crib. “I think he looks mostly like Henley. The exception is his poor little nose. That’s mine, for sure.”

  She could tell he was fighting back the smile that slowly won the battle. It made her feel warm inside. “I love your nose,” he said sweetly, and she leaned over to kiss his lips softly.

  “You’re sweet, babe,” she whispered, letting her hand rest on his face before turning back to the little one.

  “I’m honest,” he responded, before turning back to the baby. “They don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into, adopting a child of mine. They’re in for trouble.”

  Pierson scoffed as Mason waved his hand in front of both of them. “Especially with that dash of Everly in there, too.”

  Everly lifted her eyebrow, feeling her body heavy with exhaustion. It was catching up to her, but she didn’t want to rest until she knew Eli was sound asleep. Just in case he needed her.

  “They’re lucky,” Everly cooed, feeling her heart swell in her chest. Reaching down, she touched his tiny hands, causing his fingers to stretch out. “He’s perfect.”

  ————

  Henley, Everly and Eli were finally alone. Henley had stayed up through the night with her, so she knew he had to be exhausted, too. He fell asleep on the window couch, a book on his chest where he had drifted off. He had been helping her with Eli, but keeping his distance from the baby otherwise. She couldn’t blame him; why get attached if he was being taken away?

  She was trying her best to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, but to no avail. The soft sounds of Elijah stirring caused her to sit up. His crib was in arm’s length, and she pulled herself over enough to take him from his place in the crib. She was nervous to hold him— he was so tiny. Cradling him against her chest, she watched him blink and open his dark blue eyes. His cheeks were chubby, and they framed the nose he had inherited from her so well. Everything else was Henley. His hands, feet, lips, chin, forehead, eyebrows— all of it.

  “Hi, little man,” she whispered, her fingertips gently caressing his back. “If I sound familiar, that’s because I’m your…” She paused, trying to figure out how to word this. Not that he would ever remember it, but she needed to say it. “Biological mother. And tomorrow night, your new dads will be here to meet you. They’re so excited, Eli. They already love you so, so much.” A tear slipped over her cheek, but she pushed past it. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t love you. In fact, we love you so much, that we’re giving you a chance at a life better than we can give you.” Her heart felt like it was cracking, being held up by scotch tape and not well. “Or thought we could give you.” He grunted against her, and she wondered if he was trying to potty. Soothingly, she continued to talk to him. “I will always love you, Elijah Jacobs. No matter what.” Softly, she leaned forward and kissed his face. His expression shifted, acknowledging her contact. “And I know your daddy will, too.”

  1

  More to This

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Henley

  The nausea had been present for well over twenty-four hours, and staring at Elijah as he fed on Everly’s breasts only intensified the feeling. Henley knew that the sparkle in her eyes would be replaced with sadness, and it was making it difficult to participate in the fun of it all. River and Aiden were already on their way from the airport, so the time they had together was fleeting. Especially since they had caught an earlier flight than expected.

  It didn’t motivate him to do more than Everly asked of him. Did that make him a horrible boyfriend and bad father? He wasn’t a father, not yet. The hollow feeling in his stomach was growing into a blackhole that would suffocate him if given the chance.

  She finished feeding him and readjusted in anticipation of their arriving company. Her best friend and his twin were also wandering the hospital and could barge in at any moment. As if on cue, their eyes met as a knock shook through the door to her private room, only silence between them. Was their new parenthood ending?

  River and Aiden walked in behind Mason, and Henley felt the air escape from his lungs. Like he hadn’t been expecting it or thinking about it for the last eight months.

  “Eve, they’re here,” Mason said, even though it was obvious.

  Henley’s corner, closest to the door they had just entered through, was becoming smaller and smaller as the four men spilled inside. Everly only had a few more hours before her discharge, since the delivery was smooth and uncomplicated. As coos came from the new guests, Henley began to truly panic. They were actually taking him. It
was really happening.

  “Henley, how are you doing?” Pierson asked, his hand falling on his brother’s shoulder. The sound didn’t sound clear, but he could make out the words. It was muffled and a little deeper.

  Unintentionally, he yanked away from the contact. He forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace and excused himself to use the restroom. What he really needed was some fresh air. A whole lot of it.

  After exiting the room, he found himself in a maze of other rooms and several nurse stations. The exit signs seemed to direct him to another set of patients suffering their own traumas—his only being emotional. His chest was growing tight, and he was beginning to forget how to breathe. He clutched his chest with his right hand and tried to get himself under control. It wasn’t his first time walking outside, but all of the walls were closing in on him, confusing him senseless. Leaning against the wall, he began to gasp, his vision almost darkening.

  He might pass out.

  “’S alright, mate.”

  There were arms around him, holding his shaking body against their warm, beating chest. If the watered-down accent hadn’t given Mason away, the scent of cinnamon and cigarettes did. He was always chewing on spicy gum, therefore becoming his signature scent.

  He didn’t open his eyes just yet, only wrapped his arms around the slender frame in front of him. It was comforting to be held. His gasps were slowing, and he was feeling less dizzy as the minutes passed.

  The tears weren’t expected, but suddenly, he was sobbing. The kind of tears no one wanted to see—or be seen in public doing. His hands gripped at his friend’s back, reality falling further and further away from him. Or was it crashing right into him. On top of him. Through him.

  “I can’t believe…” Were his words decipherable through his cries?

  He tried to talk about the baby and how stupid he was for changing his mind when it was too late for them, but he couldn’t form words through his breaks to breathe. His head was beginning to throb all over, making it harder to concentrate on anything but the pain he was holding onto.