25.2
“The ambulance is on its way, sir. Try to stay calm.”
“This woman doesn’t even like me!”
I started to cry. It was true. I hated him. I hated this car. I hated how my ass felt like it was going to explode at any second. And I hated that this abso-freaking-lutely wasn’t a bad dream. Loud sobs poured out of me as I threw my head back in pain.
“I think it’s getting worse.”
“This is your chance to win her over,” the operator said with encouraging calm neither of us felt. “Help her get as comfortable as possible. Use any clean blankets you have on hand to prepare the area. You’ll need something to support the baby when it comes.”
“I can’t have my baby in a Lamborghini at a strip mall!”
“Ma’am, try to stay calm and keep breathing. Sir, keep her head supported, and her body reclined.”
“I’m in a car!” Xander panicked. “Where the hell am I supposed to find blankets?”
“I want my doctor,” I cried.
My door opened, and Xander looked down at me, the horror on his face mimicking mine. “Well, you’ve only got me right now. Fuck!” He shrugged out of his jacket. “This is a nine-hundred-dollar jacket.”
“Could you be any more pretentious? I’m in labor, you prick.”
“I’m just making sure you note my sacrifice.”
“Oh, my God.” I dropped my head back and unbuckled the seatbelt.
“Her head’s elevated, and she’s lying back,” he told the operator as he shoved the jacket under me as if it were a fitted sheet. “Do you think you can aim toward the door?”
“I think if you stuff that jacket any further under my ass, I’m going to hurt you.”
“I’m just trying to protect the upholstery.”
“I don’t give a fuck about your fucking upholstery! Ahhhhhowyowyowyow! ”
“Sir? Sir, are you there?”
“I’m here!”
“Sir, do either of you have a string or shoelace?”
We both frowned. “For what?” Xander asked.
“To tie off the umbilical cord.”
Xander’s face paled and he pressed a fist to his mouth, his skin now a sallow shade of green. “I’m wearing loafers.”
“I’m wearing flip-flops.”
“We’re so fucked.” He looked at the dashboard. “How far is that ambulance?”
“Help is on the way, but we want to be ready in case the baby comes first. Ma’am are you hanging in there?”
“I’m…trying.” Pressure pushed and I wanted to run outside of my body but there was no getting away from it. I kicked my leg, nearly kicking Xander in the face. “Sorry!” I squirmed, but no matter what position I tried, there was no relief.
“Have you been timing the contractions?”
“No.” I was doing everything wrong. “But they’re close. I don’t know how close.” Hale would know. He’d done so well at all of our birthing classes. He was supposed to be here, holding my hand and encouraging me and ordering drugs to make the pain go away.
“Would you say they’re less than five minutes apart?”
“Yes,” both Xander and I answered at once.
“Then we need to check if the baby's head is visible.”
Everything stilled.
“Sir, are you there?”
Xander held my stare, his expression one of absolute horror. “I’m here.”
“Can you check if the baby’s head is visible?”
Mother Earth, swallow me now. The only person allowed to see my unmanicured nine-month pregnant hoo-ha was my husband and my doctor. “Absolutely not.”
Xander nodded in agreement and told the 9-11 operator, “I’d rather wait for the professionals.”
“Ma’am are you having the urge to push?”
“No,” I lied, then admitted, “Mostly because I don’t want to.”
Tyler would be proud if I ruined Xander’s car. But even that wasn’t enough to make me push.
“Ma’am, for your safety and the baby’s, I need you to get into position and let him take a look to see if the head is visible.”
I closed my eyes and whimpered. I should have expected catastrophic level calamities. Things had been too good, too easy. I was happy. I knew better. I should have anticipated my worst nightmare coming to life.
A hand squeezed mine and I opened my eyes. Xander was there, fear clear on his face, but something had changed. Was that compassion in his stare?
“It’s okay,” he assured. “We can do this.”
With a shaky breath, I nodded and turned my body so my legs hung out the door. “You make one snide comment, and I swear I’ll kick you right in the nose.” I lifted to pull down my underwear. They only made it to my thighs before I was bowing backward in pain.
“Shit. The contractions are getting worse,” Xander snapped at the 9-11 operator. “Where the hell’s this ambulance?”
I howled. “Something’s wrong! What do I do?”
He yanked my underwear off and pushed up my dress. “Holy shit.”
“What? What is it?”
“It’s a brunette.”
“Don’t tell me that!”
“What should I do?” Xander yelled. “I see a head!”
“Place your hands under her and support the baby’s head, sir. Ma’am, once he’s in position, you have to push.”
“I want Hale!” I wailed. Wheels squealed in the distance as sirens blared, blending into a roar with my own screams as I had no choice but to start pushing as the pressure took on a life of its own. “I can’t do thissssss!”
“Rayne!”
My breath hitched as I tried to see past Xander’s sweaty head, but tears blurred my vision. “Hale?”
“I’m here!”
“Oh, thank fucking God.” Xander disappeared and Hale was there, kissing me and taking my hand as he checked the situation.
“Hale, it’s happening!” A demon-like guttural growl bellowed from my lungs.
“You got this, baby! Keep pushing! Keep pushing!”
White light burst behind my eyes as the pain made me momentarily deaf and the world slowed in its orbit. There was Hale, smiling and cheering me on with his sleeves rolled up and his hair a mess as my body seemed to split in two. I couldn’t hear over the pain. My life flashed behind my eyes, and all my focus turned to survival. I pushed harder than I ever pushed. Then…
Sound came back with the whooshing sound of a gas igniting into flames. A battle cry ripped from me, loud and deep. And then there was a smaller sound, fragile, like the delicate squawk of a bird, and tiny, like the voices of the little Whos of Whoville.
“You did it!” Hale cried and laughed in awe, his compulsion for cleanliness gone as he pulled our newborn to his chest.
Then…there was peace. Hot, searing, sit-me-in-an-ice-bath peace. I sagged back in relief and caught my breath as those tiny squawks filled the air.
“Oh, Rayne, she’s perfect.”
She? I closed my eyes and smiled victoriously. We had a girl. Elara had a sister.
Tipping my head, I weakly watched as he used a pristine pocket square to wipe her mouth and nose. Of course, Hale would know exactly what to do.
He gathered her little body in a pure white towel, and I frowned. “Where did you get that?”
He winked at me. “My beautiful wife gave her to me.”
My laughter was a mix of tears and euphoria. “I meant the towel.”
He smiled. “I always have a clean towel in my car in case of emergencies.”
Of course, he did.
The 9-11 operator instructed Hale to place her on my chest, skin-to-skin, so she stayed warm until the ambulance arrived.
“She’s so tiny.” It was hard to believe Elara was also once this small.
Lights flashed against the windshield, and Hale kissed his fingers and pressed them to my lips. “The EMTs are here.”
The paramedics rushed into action, and I was moved onto a stretcher. As soon as I was transported to the back of the ambulance, the cord was cut.
“You’re doing great, Mom.”
I smiled into my daughter’s squinting, silver eyes. “Hello, angel.”
“She has your hair,” Hale said, crouching by my side, staring in awe.
“And your eyes.”
“What should we call her?”
There were so many beautiful names that I honestly didn’t know which one I would choose until the moment I met her. “What do you think of Avalyn?”
“Elara and Avalyn,” he said, testing the names together. “I like it.”
“It means breath of life .” That was what Hale did for me. He breathed life into my soul and from our love a family bloomed.
“I think that’s the perfect name for her,” he whispered, gently tucking the tip of his pinky into her little curled fist. “She’s our little breath of life. Plus, it sounds a lot like Avalon.”
“Oh, where you were born.”
He smiled. “That, yes, but it’s also where we first met.”
“Aw, now I love her name even more!”
We looked into our daughter’s eyes, both of us blinking back tears of joy. Hale kissed my head and traced a finger over Avalyn’s tiny eyebrow.
The irony of childbirth was that it was absolute hell, and then it was heaven. All the pain and fear and heartburn and morning sickness was worth it in the end.
Hale’s phone rang, and in a matter of minutes, we were en route to the hospital. As soon as we arrived, we were swarmed by nurses and family. It took a while for everything to calm down, and I was so tired that I was somehow wired.
My mom hovered close by, adjusting my blankets and tracing gentle touches over Avalyn’s soft hair and tiny fingers. “She’s a little you, Ray.”
“Oh, boy,” Remington said, entering the crowded room with an armful of balloons. “That’s just what the world needs, another Meyers running around.” He handed off the balloons to Barrett and stepped close to my mom, looking down at his granddaughter. His gruff expression softened. “That’s a Davenport if I’ve ever seen one.” He turned and faced Hale. “Congratulations.”
Hale held his father’s stare, then stepped forward and hugged the man. My heart stopped as Remington tensed in surprise. Then I melted as he wrapped his arms around his son.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Do you want to hold her, Remington?”
His stare met mine and I felt life correct itself. Despite how perfect the Davenports appeared to the outside world, on the inside they were like everyone else—a little broken and living for the first time. They didn’t always get things right on the first try, especially the emotional stuff. But Remington did know how to love, and I felt his love now.
He stepped closer and gruffly cleared his throat. “She sure is a pretty thing—like her momma.”
I smiled up at him and turned Avalyn for the pass-off. He carefully lifted her slight weight out of my arms, and I blinked back tears as he lowered his face close to hers and whispered, “Spit up on whoever you want while you can. Later, it'll cost you in lawsuits.”
“Nice, Remington.”
“What? It’s true. Someone has to teach her these things.” He nuzzled her with his nose. “And don’t you worry about the ABCs. Davenports only focus on ROIs.”
“Okay, that’s enough advice from Grandpa,” Seraphina said, taking Avalyn from her father. “Let Aunt Phina teach you about shopping.”
“How about we worry about her tycoon training later?” Hale said, retrieving our daughter. Then he smiled and changed his voice to the playful tone he used with Elara. “Because we’re only a few hours old. Yes, we are.”
Love filled my heart as I watched him. Them. Elara also watched curiously, and Hale lowered Avalyn so she could see her new sister.
“Can you say Avalyn?”
“Ab-lyn?”
Oh boy, that sounded a little like goblin when she said it. We’d work on that.
Amid the chaos, I looked over Hale’s shoulder and met Xander’s stare, surprised that he lingered. He’d been so anxious to escape the situation earlier, yet he stuck around for what was clearly an intimate family moment.
Although he didn’t fully enter the room, he watched the scene unfold with a look of longing in his eyes. I took pity on him. Today had been rough on everyone.
Looking back at me, he smiled and gave a subtle nod. My earlier frustration disappeared. In a way, Xander saved me today. If he hadn’t stopped by the house when he had, I would have been all alone, unable to find my phone, and terrified for my life and Avalyn’s.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
His lips curved in a subtle grin. Then his expression turned to one of surprise and his expression shuttered. I frowned as he stepped aside but soon understood .
“Tyler,” he said, with flustered shock.
Tyler paused in the doorway, also surprised to find him there. “Xander.” He frowned but then thought better of making small talk with the man who emotionally screwed him over. “Excuse me. I’m here to see my friends,” he said, making it clear that Xander didn’t fit that category.
Tyler entered the room and Xander took that as his sign to leave. He quietly left with little notice. My gaze turned to Ty. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” He bent to kiss my head. “How was it?”
“Oh, it was lovely, like passing a watermelon through a keyhole.”
“I’m sure you weren’t at all dramatic,” he teased.
“Drama’s not my style, Ty. You know I’m all sophistication.”
He laughed then greeted Hale.
“Meet Avalyn,” Hale said as he placed her in Tyler’s arms.
Tyler cradled her gently and smiled. “Wow, Rayne. She’s beautiful.”
I wiped a tear from my eye because, apparently, the crying thing didn’t stop for something like eighteen years once a person became a parent.
“You okay?” Hale asked softly, kissing my head.
“Oh, yeah.” I sniffled. “These are happy tears.” Despite all the unpredictable calamities, today had turned out to be a perfect day—one I’d never forget.
The family stuck around for a few hours, but when I started nodding off, they left so I could rest. Tyler left with my mother and Elara, promising to return in the morning. Seraphina promised the same.
The nurses tried to take Avalyn to the nursery, but Hale wouldn’t have it. He slept in the chair beside the bassinet while I slept in the bed, waking only to nurse when Avalyn started to cry.
I awoke the following day to daylight flooding through the curtains and Avalyn being wheeled out of the room. “Where are they taking her?”
“For some routine tests. Nothing’s wrong.”
My sudden panic shifted to relief, and I sat up. Breakfast had been delivered, so I perused the bed tray. The eggs looked rubbery .
“Don’t eat that,” Hale said. “Phina’s bringing real food.”
“Thank God. How long have you been up?”
“A few hours. Avalyn and I returned a few emails and checked some accounts.”
“She’s only a day old, Hale. The rule is they have to be at least a month old before prepping for their MBA.”
I was moving slower than usual, and my body was sore, so Hale helped me shuffle to the bathroom. While I peed, he tidied up the bedding and sanitized the bed rails.
My rubber-treaded hospital socks stopped at the bathroom threshold as I watched him. “I leave you alone for two minutes, and the whole place smells like disinfectant.”
“Germs are dangerous for newborns.”
“I’m sure that’s why you bleached the bed.” He helped me get comfortable and situated under the sheets. He looked at me in a strange way that made me frown. “What? Why do you look like you have bad news?”
“Not bad.”
“But something. What is it?”
He sat back and sighed, which did nothing to ease my sudden anxiety. “I wanted to wait until you were?—”
“Just say it, Hale. Whatever it is, I’ll handle it.” He knew I didn’t do well with suspense and could make a mountain out of a molehill.
“It’s about Xander.”
Ugh. That could go either way. I still didn’t trust the guy, but since giving birth in his very fancy car, I sort of decided to give him a mulligan. “What about Xander? Did he say something to Tyler?”
“No, this has nothing to do with Tyler.”
“Then what?”
He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees as he interlaced his fingers. “You know I like to do thorough research whenever I go into business with anyone.”
“Yes,” I said slowly.
“Well, when I look into any company, I also look into the shareholders’ personal lives.”
“Okay.”
“I never meant to cause problems between you and my dad, Rayne.”
“I know.”
“But Xander was never going to sell to him. ”
I knew that too. “We’ve been over this.”
He sat back and scratched his jaw where stubble had grown. “Xander’s mom passed away last year.”
“He told me he didn’t have family.”
“That’s not exactly true.”
“Oh.” As someone who had no contact with a parent, I understood how complicated family situations could get. “Well, he strikes me as a bit of a loner, so maybe that’s by choice.”
“Rayne, he has family. Quite a bit. It turns out he has two brothers and a sister.”
“Okay.” I didn’t know what he was getting at. “Are they not close?”
“Not yet.”
I frowned. “Why are you being so cryptic? Just say whatever you're trying to say.” Honestly, who cared what Xander did in his personal life?
“Rayne, I’m trying to tell you that Xander and I have more in common than our business interests.”
The hair on my arms stood up and I slowly sat back. “Wait. What do you mean? Are you saying…?”
“It turns out we also share a father.”
I stared, slack-jawed. “ He’s your brother?”
“Who?”
My wide eyes jerked to Seraphina as she stood in the doorway holding a caddy of coffee. I looked back to Hale with wide eyes. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not. I didn’t want to tell you until after the baby was born because I didn’t want to stress you out.”
“How long have you known?”
“Known what?” Seraphina demanded, setting the food and coffee on the counter by the sink.
My heart pounded. Did we tell her? She had a right to know. As did Barrett. Holy shit! “Does Remington know?
“My dad doesn’t know. I’ve only known for a week. I wanted to make sure it was absolutely certain.”
“Jesus Christ, your dad will have to buy another yacht.” It was common knowledge that he bought one to represent the mother of each of his children.
“Will someone please tell me what the hell you two are talking about!” Phina demanded.
I looked at her, shock making my brain slow, then I covered my mouth. “Oh, my God. You almost hooked up with him! ”
“Who?”
Hale’s lips firmed. It was clear he hadn’t expected an audience for this conversation, but he was getting one as Barrett also walked in.
“Good morning, parents!” He greeted, carrying a beautiful bouquet. “Where’s my goddaughter?”
I frowned. We already made it clear that Tyler would be the godfather. “Those flowers are beautiful.”
“Thanks. They’re for Hale.”
Hale rolled his eyes. “Maybe it’s good that you're both here. I have some news.”
The room sobered, and Barrett crossed his arms. “What’s going on?”
“It’s about Xander Landry.”
Seraphina perked up, and Barrett glanced at me in question. I was staying out of it. “What about him?”
“As it turns out…” Hale cleared his throat. “He’s our brother.”
Both of their jaws nearly hit the floor.
“What?” Seraphina snapped in a high pitch voice. “That’s impossible.”
“Come on, Phina. Nothing’s impossible with Dad.”
“No,” she argued. “We…” She sh ook her head. “I… There has to be some kind of mistake. Who told you this?”
“A doctor.”
“Does Xander know?” Barret asked, on an entirely different train of thought, one that likely had to do with math and word problems revolving around inheritances and fractions that just got a lot smaller.
“He does now. We saw a specialist to confirm everything last week. I wanted to be sure before I told you guys.”
“What would make you even suspect that?” Phina demanded. “He looks nothing like a Davenport.”
“He brought his suspicions to me after we returned home from New England. His mom passed away a few months back, and he had been sorting out her assets. He came across some old pictures of her and Dad. Apparently, they dated somewhere between my mom and yours, Barrett.”
“Does Dad know?”
“No. And Xander asked that we keep it that way until he’s ready to tell him. He’d like to break the news himself.”
“I don’t like that,” Barrett said. “Why the prolonged secrecy?”
I was with him on that. Secrets only complicated matters, and the Davenports were complicated enough.
“He wants a chance to make things right with Dad after the dispute last fall. Xander made it clear he’s not after money or any sort of compensation.”
Barrett scoffed. “Oh, please. I don’t trust that guy as far as I could throw him.”
“He has his own money, Barrett,” Phina said defensively.
“Everyone thinks they have money until they see Davenport money. And why are you sticking up for him, brother lover?”
She gasped. “Don’t call me that!”
Barrett shrugged. “You’re the one who tried to sleep with him.”
“We went for one walk!”
“Nothing would have happened anyway,” I jumped in before they broke into full-on juvenile bickering. “Xander’s gay.”
“ What?” Phina’s eyes bulged. “He likes men? What the hell is going on with my instincts?”
“You’re upset your half-brother didn’t have a crush on you?” Barrett asked.
“Shut. Up,” Phina growled through bared teeth.
Barrett looked back at Hale. “What do you think of all this?”
Hale, the ever-patient, pragmatic one, drew in a slow breath. “I think it is what it is. He’s our brother. We should probably get to know him.”
I smiled, proud of how accepting my husband was. “I like that idea.”
“Me too,” Phina said.
“You already know him well enough,” Barret joked, and she shoved him.
I looked at Hale, and my grin widened. Our eccentric, little, dysfunctional family grew by two in only one day. Color me surprised! I had foolishly assumed this was the part of the story that got boring. But, apparently, we Davenports had a whole world of fresh drama to look forward to. And I was here for it…
As I’m sure you will be too.
THE END