Chapter 17
Ethan hugged the new baby, Jaxon, to his chest while we waited in the small private room. Nia had checked out the child and taken a small amount of blood. Apparently, the baby was only a few days old. Even after reading Skye’s letter, I couldn’t understand how someone could leave their child behind. What kind of head space could they possibly be in just to vanish?
Nia and Dr. Matthews had both mentioned potential postpartum issues and trauma from the events of Skye’s past. Desperate people do desperate things. I wish she had gotten the help she needed. I also didn’t want to abide by her wishes not to find her.
My feelings were conflicted, but as I looked at the infant Ethan held like it was more precious than diamonds, I knew we had made the right decision. None of us could simply hand the child over to the authorities. Not now.
That wasn’t what was bothering me the most, though. It was Rayne. After we had arrived at the hospital, she collapsed, and my heart fell. Unlike Dominic, I didn’t know everything about labor, but I was confident that wasn’t normal. Dr. Matthews had rushed all of us from the room and told us he would get us later. The look on Dominic’s face told me everything I needed to know.
Part of me wanted to demand to stay with her. I didn’t want her to be alone by herself. She’d been alone enough in her lifetime.
His lips were pressed into a thin line as he clutched the arms of the chair he was sitting in. His knuckles were white from how tightly he held on. The clock ticking on the wall filled the space with Ethan’s whispers as time stretched forever.
Millions of questions filled my mind. Was Rayne okay? Was the baby okay? Why had she collapsed? Was it stress? Our lives were certainly stressful, and a baby being left on our doorstep contributed a small amount to that.
I stood up, needing to move, and walked to the window. The city of Strathmore was waking up, the sun coloring the horizon in a wash of pinks and oranges. Cars drifted down the street, and people headed to school or work. It was just another day.
Except to me, it wasn’t. Not while my heart raced in my chest. I was held in purgatory while I waited for news, and what-ifs held me prisoner. I couldn’t go back to my life before Rayne. It would be impossible. She was irreplaceable. She was my past, present, and future. We’d killed for her and would gladly do it again. But none of that would matter if destiny decided to take her from us–if something happened to her.
Finally, Nia appeared in the doorway and knocked, peeking in at us. “Rayne is fine, and the baby is healthy. A little girl.” I swallowed roughly, and my vision blurred from tears. Everything was fine. Nia continued speaking. “We want to monitor Rayne for a few days. She lost more blood than we usually like with a c-section, and her blood pressure...”
I pushed past her and headed for the room I had last seen Rayne in. I needed to see her to ensure she was okay. The sound of my footsteps echoed as I raced down the white corridor. When I laid eyes on her, everything was right again in the world. She was paler than usual, and in a bassinet beside the bed lay a tiny child—a second child. It was funny how much your life could change in a few hours.
Dr. Matthews gave me a quick nod before slipping from the room. The baby’s eyes were open, and as I gently lifted her, I fell in love all over again. Black curls peeked out from beneath the knit cap protecting her head. Her violet eyes peered at me, looking through my soul. She was tiny and fragile. I knew I would never let anything happen to her. I would protect her just like I had her mother—with everything in me.
“She looks like you,” Rayne said, her voice low and grave.
I sat on the edge of the bed so that I was closer to her. “I was worried about you. It made me realize–”
“Shh. I’m fine. Now, if they would only let me out of here.”
I chuckled at her words. She was still stubborn, even after everything. That was something that would never change. “I think you should just rest. At least for a little while. They just cut you open.”
She gave me a weak smile and put her hand on my arm. “Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”
My throat was thick from the emotion swirling inside of me. She was. Another piece of my soul I hadn’t realized I was missing.
Three days later, Rayne and I left the hospital with the newest addition to our family. Rayne had decided on the name Scarlett and dressed her in a creamy yellow sundress Ethan had bought for her. She was fastened in her car seat, ready for her first adventure.
Ethan and Dominic were home already, taking care of Jaxon. A second crib had been assembled and placed in the nursery. Nia and Dr. Matthews had given him a clean bill of health. Skye had already been found, but there was no happily ever after for her.
The night after Scarlett was born, Ignacio had called Ethan. She was found in a dirty, dark alleyway with thirteen stab wounds. She’d bled out before anyone could ever get her help.
Jaxon was now my son. I’d protect him and keep him from knowing the truth about his parents. Both were dead. One was a rapist, and the other was simply a sad girl trying to escape from the past. I knew what it was like to think that one of your parents didn’t want you. That they had abandoned you. Or the knowledge that your father wasn’t a hero but was the villain.
I’d do anything to keep him from feeling like that. It was something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
None of us knew how to care for an infant, but we would figure it out as we went along.
Rayne twined her fingers with mine as I carried the car seat to the parking lot. “Are you happy, princess?”
She squeezed tighter as we stopped at the black SUV. “Very.”