Chapter 22
CARTER
“I’m just going to say it, man,” Theo says as he walks into the waiting area on the labor and delivery floor of Atlanta General. “For not actually being in love with her, you really know a lot about your wife’s clothes.”
He drops a bag of food on the seat beside me, then adds one of the canvas grocery bags Sarah keeps in our pantry. I look inside to see the jeans, hoodie, and sneakers I had Theo grab from Sarah’s closet.
Sarah and I have been at the hospital for almost an hour, and we came here straight from the art show.
She told me I could head home and come back for her later, but then, Anna’s labor progressed so quickly, I decided it’d be easier to stay.
That way, I’m here whenever Sarah’s ready to go.
Plus, I might get to meet the baby. Assuming Miles will let me anywhere near the hospital room.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say, reaching for the bag of food and sorting through what Theo brought. “I folded her laundry yesterday.” I look up to see his dubious expression. “And don’t say anything about me folding her laundry. It was in the dryer, and I needed the dryer.”
“Uh-huh,” he says. “I’m sure that was your only motivation.”
I ignore him and text Sarah, letting her know her cheeseburger and fries have arrived.
We were planning on grabbing some food after her show, but then we came here instead.
When Theo texted and said he’d dropped by my house and wanted to know why I wasn’t there, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to see him, feed us, and get a change of clothes for Sarah, since she’s still in the heels she wore to her show.
I toss Theo his burger, then pull out my grilled chicken wrap. Because my brother apparently has both superior pectoral muscles and a faster metabolism, I can’t do a cheeseburger this late.
Seconds later, Sarah drops into the seat beside me.
“How’s everything going?” I ask.
“It’s going,” Sarah says. “Anna just got her epidural, so she’s feeling pretty good now. And she’s already at eight centimeters, which is awesome.”
I look down at her. “I have no idea what half those words meant.”
Sarah grins. “She’s drugged, meaning she’s numb from the waist down, and she’ll probably be pushing within the hour.”
“I appreciate the translation. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” Sarah says, and I hand over her food. “Can you believe that had we not gotten married, I’d be leaving next week? One week with baby Fiona. That’s all I would have gotten.”
“I’m really glad that isn’t happening,” I say, and I genuinely mean it. For all kinds of reasons—even the ones I’m not willing to admit out loud. “Also, I had Theo bring you some clothes.”
Her eyes widen. “Shut up.” She takes the bag and looks inside. “This is perfect.”
“I figured you were probably ready to get out of your heels.”
“You’re officially my new favorite person.” She leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“What about me?” Theo says. “Do I at least get bonus points for being the one who actually went to get them?”
Sarah stands, patting Theo on the arm as she walks past. “You can have all the bonus points, Theo. Whatever your ego needs.”
He frowns. “Why do I feel like she was making fun of me there?”
I chuckle. “Because she was making fun of you.”
“I’ll allow it,” Theo says. “But only because I think you really are in love with her.” He takes an enormous bite of his cheeseburger, watching me like he’s waiting for me to respond.
I’m not sure what to say. It’s too soon to admit it. It’s probably too soon to even be thinking it. But the thought has definitely crossed my mind.
“You know,” Theo says, “denying your feelings won’t make them go away.”
“I didn’t deny anything,” I say. “I just didn’t confirm anything either.”
“Fair enough,” he says. “So, how’s it been with Miles? Holly told me he was basically murdering you with his eyes after the game last night.”
“We barely talked tonight,” I say, opening my wrap. “He was civil at the art show, but I could tell he didn’t really feel like talking to me.”
“But why?” Theo asks. “It doesn’t make any sense. He can’t be pissed at you for doing the very thing he asked you to do.”
“No clue,” I say. “I can’t think of anything I’ve done that might have made him mad.”
Theo takes another bite of his burger. “Oh, man. Is there bacon on this thing? I didn’t know about the bacon. That’s good.”
“You’re going to regret that on the ice tomorrow,” I say.
“Probably,” he says. “But right now I really can’t bring myself to care.”
I hold up my wrap. I’m waiting for Sarah to come back before I eat it, but I’m happy to use it as a prop to make my brother feel guilty about his choices.
“I’m not going to regret anything,” I say. “Because I respect my body. And I follow the rules.”
“You know what’s going to be funny?” Theo says. “When I skate circles around you tomorrow night, and you don’t have a cheeseburger to blame it on.”
“Who’s skating circles around who?” Sarah asks as she comes back in, letting her fingers skim over my shoulders as she passes behind me. She looks much more comfortable now in her jeans.
“Mr. Righteous is making me feel guilty for my food choices,” Theo says before shoveling in a handful of fries.
Sarah looks over at me and grins. “He does get a little pious about his food.”
“I do not,” I say.
“Then eat some fries,” Theo says.
Sarah pulls a couple out of her container and holds them up. “He won’t do it,” she says to Theo, and I frown as I look between them.
I hold up a finger, pointing from one to the other. “You two are not allowed to gang up on me.”
Sarah grins. “Eat the fries, Mr. Righteous.”
She moves them a little closer, still taunting me, so I lean over, eating all three fries out of her hand.
My lips brush over the tips of her fingers before she draws her hand back.
For a split second, I think about grabbing her wrist and licking the salt right off her fingertips.
If she were teasing me like this at home, I might do it, but I’m keenly aware of Theo’s eyes on me and his certainty that I’ve already fallen in love.
“Happy now?” I ask instead, and she bites her lip, gaze dropping to my lips just long enough to make me wonder if she had the same thought.
“Look at you,” Theo says to Sarah. “You made him break a rule. Might be the first time ever.”
“Why did you come here again?” I joke, looking at Theo.
He throws a French fry at me, which I retrieve from my sleeve and pop into my mouth, just to prove a point.
“Because my brother got married and is too busy to hang out with me anymore, so I decided I had to go to where he was. Also, we need to figure out what to do about Holly. I was thinking we golf on Thursday? He needs the distraction.”
“We can’t golf this close to playoffs.”
“The driving range, then,” Theo says.
“What’s the matter with Holly?” Sarah asks.
“Charlie’s in Canada with her grandparents,” I say. “He doesn’t love it when she’s gone.”
“He tends to mope and think about Claire when he’s alone,” Theo says. “Which I get. We just try to keep him busy.”
“Hey, Sarah?” A nurse appears at the edge of the waiting room. “She’s gonna start pushing soon. She wanted me to come get you.” The nurse’s eyes move from me to Theo, then back to me again, widening the slightest bit. Sometimes I forget how truly identical we are until things like this happen.
Sarah crams the last bite of her burger into her mouth.
“I’m totally coming,” she says. “I’ll be right there.
” She makes quick work of cleaning up her trash and wiping off her hands.
“I’ll text you updates,” she says to me.
“But it shouldn’t be long now.” She reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “Thank you for being here with me.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” I say.
She stands and moves to the edge of the waiting area. “Thanks for the food, Theo.”
He lifts a hand in acknowledgement, then I watch as she hurries down the hall, not realizing my brother is watching me the entire time.
“You really do seem like you’re married,” he says as soon as she’s gone. “You’re just…easy with each other.”
“It’s always been like that,” I say. “From the very start. Even before we got married.”
When Theo finishes his food, he stands and gathers up the last of the trash. “I’m gonna go wash my hands and find something to drink. You want anything?”
“I’ve got water,” I say. “I’m good.”
I watch as he steps into the hall, but then he immediately turns and comes back into the waiting area, swearing over and over again.
“What is it?” I ask. “What happened?”
He looks around the room, then moves into the back corner, stepping into the foot of space in between a snack machine with an Out of Order sign taped to the front and the wall.
There’s a fake plant sitting a few feet away, and Theo grabs it, pulling it in front of his hiding spot.
For being such a big dude, it’s surprisingly effective.
But why is he hiding?
“Theo?” a woman says from behind me.
I turn, and suddenly I’m face-to-face with a woman in navy blue scrubs, a nurse’s badge looped around her neck. I haven’t seen Rebecca Bradley since high school, but there’s no mistaking her. I could never forget the only woman my brother has ever loved.
“I’m Carter,” I say, and her shoulders drop the slightest bit, maybe from relief, maybe from disappointment. “Hi, Rebecca.”
“Hey.” She looks around the room. “He is here, isn’t he?
My friend said there were two of you. I thought there was no possible way, but then she said her patient was married to a hockey player and some of his teammates were here and…
” She shakes her head. “I mean, there aren’t that many hockey players who are identical twins. ”
“Yeah, we’re the only ones,” I say, wanting to punch my brother for hiding instead of just facing this woman. “At least, in the NHL.”
She lifts her hands to her cheeks. “So, he’s here? My friend wasn’t seeing things?”