33. Rhett
I’ve said it before, and I’ll damn well say it again. I am not equipped for this shit. What the fuck do I know about families, and emotional trauma and healing and love? It was ridiculous for me to be right at the center of this unfolding soap opera. Madness.
I took a deep breath and forced myself out of the car. Sitting there wallowing in my own discomfort wasn’t going to help Scarlett. She needed me, whether I felt equipped for this emotional shitstorm or not.
The hospital hallways were quiet as I made my way up to Scarlett’s room. My steps felt heavy, weighed down by the dread of whatever new bombshell was waiting for us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the other shoe was about to drop again. Fuck this shit. Honestly.
It had been three days since the Parkers had descended on the hospital to get tested. I was hoping that today was the day we’d find out if any of them were matches. If they weren’t…well, I refused to think about how hard it would be to find matches in the big wide world. Still, I’d make that happen, one way or another.
Standing just outside Scarlett’s room, I fought the urge to run. Just get it over with, asshole. I pushed open the door to Scarlett’s hospital room, my stomach clenched in knots. The doctor was already there, looking serious. Just fucking great. Another piece of bad news, no doubt.
“Rhett.” Scarlett’s eyes found mine instantly. She looked so small and fragile sitting in that hospital bed. It twisted something deep inside me to see her like this.
“What’s going on?” I asked brusquely, crossing the room to stand beside her. The doctor cleared her throat.
“We’ve received the test results back from Mrs. Parker and her family,” she began. Scarlett tensed beside me. “There are eleven viable donor matches for the immunoglobulin transfusions needed to treat the twins’ condition.”
I huffed out a breath of relief as I felt the knot in my gut loosen just a fraction. Finally, some good news. “Eleven? That’s a lot, right? Is it enough?”
“It is a lot, and it’s more than enough,” Dr. Morris confirmed.
“Thank fuck for that!” The smile Scarlett gave me had my heart squeezing so hard I could barely draw breath. “I should tell my mom.”
I watched as Scarlett’s hand drifted to rest on her belly - such a sweet, maternal gesture. Then it hit me - she meant Laura, her birth mom, not her crappy adoptive mother.
I couldn’t tell if she even realized what she’d said, so I just said, “Yeah, I think she’ll be rapt.”
Dr. Morris smiled as she pushed to her feet. “I’ll let you get on with that, then, while I go and visit Dr. Jennings. I can’t wait to get the treatment schedule in place as quickly as possible and get these babies back on track.”
“Thanks, Doctor. Me too!” Scarlett was up off the bed before the doctor had left the room. “I met with Laura again yesterday.”
“You did? How did that go?”
“Not as harrowing as the first time. We just went to the cafeteria for coffee. They’re all staying in a hotel in Raleigh, but they have to head back to New Bern soon. The kids have all got summer holiday stuff to do. Fuck, where is my phone?” She bent down and grabbed her purse from next to the desk and because I was a weak, weak man, I definitely checked out her ass.
Annnd, fuck, she caught me when she looked over her shoulder to say something. Like a bloody middle school kid, I shoved my hands in my pockets and stared up at the ceiling. Oh, was that a little breathy laugh? Moving right along. “What else did she say?”
“Just some more stuff about her and Ethan. They’re jobs and stuff like that. A bit about the kids. They, um, they really want to meet me.” Her head was bent over her phone as she typed out a text message, so I couldn’t read the expression on her face, but I didn’t miss the quaver in her voice.
“They know about you?”
“Yeah. Apparently they’ve always known.”
“That’s amazing.”
“That’s what I said.”
And there she went again, with that smile that cut straight through my heart.
Her phone pinged, and she quickly flicked open the message. I watched her face intently as she read the text message, her expression shifting from nervous anticipation to something more vulnerable. It was when she started chewing her lip that I stepped forward.
“It’s from Laura. So, um, she and Ethan... and the kids... they all want to meet up in the cafeteria.”
“Now?”
She nodded, dragging in a deep breath. I could tell she was trying to keep her emotions in check. Without a second thought, I stepped closer and placed my hands on her arms, rubbing up and down. “Take a breath.”
She did.
“And another.”
She did, then said, “Don’t you dare say, ‘good girl’ to me right now.”
I stepped back with a chuckle. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Liar.”
“Okay. So, we’re doing this?”
“You’re…you want to come with me?”
Oh. Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have assumed. Trying to keep it casual, I said, “Sure. If you want me to. I know this is huge, meeting your birth family all at once. But you don’t have to do it alone, alright? I’m right here with you, every step of the way.”
“Look at you. Being my emotional support playboy billionaire. Who would have thought?”
I chuckled. “Fuck off. Yes, or no?”
Scarlett searched my face for a moment, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Then she gave a small nod, some of the tension leaving her body. “Yes. Thank you.”
“It always weirds me out when you use your manners.”
From chewing her lip to rolling her eyes at me. “Jack ass.”
Clearing my throat, I forced a crooked smile. “That’s my girl. Now come on, let’s go introduce you to the fam. Maybe don’t mention my sordid past as a lovable rogue just yet though, yeah?”
The corners of her mouth twitched upwards at my lame attempt at humor. “I’ll try to restrain myself,” she deadpanned.
As we entered the cafeteria, I could sense Scarlett’s nerves returning. Her steps slowed, and she kept shooting me sidelong glances, like she was silently begging me not to abandon her. As if I’d ever dream of doing that.
“Hey,” I said, gently nudging her with my elbow. “Let’s grab a table over there.” I steered her towards a secluded corner, figuring a little privacy might make her feel less stressed.
Once we were seated, I immediately got up again. “Tea? Or coffee?”
“Tea, thanks. Can’t have coffee, no matter how much I need it.” She didn’t quite meet my eyes as she placed her hand over her stomach.
“Right. Sorry.” I resisted the urge to lean down to press a quick kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll be quick.”
As I waited in line at the cafe, I couldn’t resist scanning the room, looking for any sign of Laura and the rest of the family. So far, no luck. That was probably a good thing, giving Scarlett a few more minutes to mentally prepare herself and calm the fuck down.
When I returned with her tea and a fruit salad, she looked pretty pale and her hands were fidgeting restlessly on the tabletop. Shit, this was really getting to her.
“Here you go. Why don’t you try taking a few sips? See if it’ll help you get over yourself.”
Scarlett shot me a look, a gleam of amusement in her eyes, then obediently lifted the cup to her lips, taking a sip. “Nope, still feel like shit.”
“I could put on a dance show, if you think that’d help.”
“Off you go then. Although I’m not sure we’d want to inflict that on all the sick people here.”
“You’re probably right.”
She laughed and finally, some of the tension seemed to be seeping out of her shoulders. Fucking excellent, because that was what I was hoping for. “Okay, so tell me the kids” names again.”
“Right, so oldest to youngest, Grace, Lily, Oliver and Mia. I think. Fuck, what if I get it wrong? The least I could do was remember their damn names. We talked about them for ages yesterday. No, I’m sure that’s right.”
Okay, fuck, my attempt to get her looking forward to the meeting just backfired catastrophically and now she was more nervous than ever. Well done me, I guess. “I’ll make sure I ask, just in case, but I bet you got it all right.”
“I hope so.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes; me popping grapes into my mouth while Scarlett sipped her tea. Just as I was about to make another lame attempt at small talk, she suddenly froze, her gaze locked on something over my shoulder.
“Oh fuck,” she breathed, so low I could barely hear her.
I twisted around, my eyes landing on a small group entering the cafeteria. Laura, with a tall, sandy-haired man. Obviously, that was Ethan. And of course, the four people with them were the kids.
The older one, hopefully Grace, if Scarlett was right, had long brown hair and soulful brown eyes. She looked about twenty years old. The girl next to her looked a bit younger, but not by much, so that was probably Lily. She was blond with big blue eyes. The guy, obviously Oliver, you couldn’t get that wrong, had Laura’s coloring. And so did the youngest, who looked about fifteen, so that was Mia.
Laura spotted Scarlett. Her face broke into a tremulous smile and she gave a little wave, her free hand automatically reaching for Ethan’s arm.
Beside me, Scarlett went utterly still, like a deer caught in the headlights. Before I could say or do anything to reassure her, Laura began leading the family straight towards our table.
“Oh god, what if they don’t like me?” Scarlett’s voice was barely more than a whisper but holy fuck, her words almost broke my heart.
“Don’t be dumb. They’ll love you. You’re adorable.” I stood up, dragging Scarlett with me, keeping my hand on her back to give her as much reassurance as I could.
I wasn’t sure it worked. Her entire body was tense, like a coiled spring about to snap.
“Hey, relax,” I murmured in her ear. “I’ve got you. Just breathe.”
She gave a tiny nod, but I could feel the tremors running through her. Laura was the first to reach us, her smile warm but a little uncertain.
“Hi.” And there was that lip biting thing again. “I’m so glad you could meet us.”
Scarlett seemed frozen, so I gave her back a reassuring rub. “Laura, it’s great to see you again. Scarlett’s just a little overwhelmed at the moment.”
“Oh honey, of course you are,” Laura’s eyes were shining with sympathy. “This must be so strange for you. But we’re all here, and everyone’s so excited to meet you at long last.”
She turned and gestured to the others crowding behind her. “This is my husband, Ethan. And our children - Grace, Lily, Oliver and Mia.”
Each of them gave a little wave or nod, as their name was called.
“It’s wonderful to meet you all,” I said, squeezing Scarlett’s hip. “Please, have a seat.”
They quickly claimed the empty chairs around the table, a few of the kids throwing curious glances at Scarlett. An awkward silence fell as we all studied each other.
“So...” Ethan began, his deep voice seeming to shake Scarlett from her stupor. She blinked rapidly, then straightened her shoulders.
“I’m sorry, this is just... a lot to take in,” she said, her fingers twisting together nervously. “I never imagined I’d have this whole other family out there.”
“We understand, honey,” Laura said, reaching across to pat Scarlett’s hand. “We’ve had over thirty years to get used to the idea of you. This must be so overwhelming.”
Scarlett’s eyes slid to mine, and I gave her an encouraging smile. She drew in a shaky breath. “I want you to know how grateful I am that you all agreed to help with... everything,” she said, her hand drifting to her belly. “I can’t tell you what it means, knowing my babies will be okay because of you guys.”
“We’re... we’re so glad you reached out,” Ethan said, his voice thick with emotion. “Having the chance to meet you, to try to make up for all the lost time...” He trailed off, his jaw working as he visibly swallowed back his feelings.
The children all watched the exchange warily, casting uncertain glances at one another. Grace, the eldest, gave Scarlett a small, hesitant smile. “It’s really nice to meet you. We... we’ve thought about you a lot over the years.”
Lily nodded in agreement. “We just want you to know that we’re here for you. For whatever you need.”
Mia remained silent, chewing on her bottom lip as she studied Scarlett intently. Oliver offered a shy nod, his gaze flicking between Scarlett and his parents.
Fuck, this was all so tense and uncomfortable. My go to move here would normally be to be a wiseass, lighten the mood with a bit of a joke, but something told me this was not the time or the place for that.
“So, um, Mia, your mom was telling me that law is your favorite subject at school?”
“Oh yeah, it is. I’m really considering studying it at college, so I was wondering if I could talk to you about it.” She leaned forward, folding her arms on the table, absolutely looking like she was in for a big chat. “Having a sister who is already doing that line of work would be super helpful, because I have so many questions.”
Laura laughed awkwardly. “Take it easy, Mia. We don’t want Scarlett to freak out at the first meeting.”
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to?—”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind. I think it’s really cool that you want to do that and I’d love to chat with you about it.”
There was no mistaking the triumphant look Mia threw at Laura, or the way Laura rolled her eyes at Ethan when Mia wasn’t looking. Jesus, she was so much like Scarlett; it was uncanny.
“Alright, well, if we’re in for the long haul, how about I get us some snacks?” Ethan pushed to his feet, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket.
“How about I help you?” I got up too, bending down to whisper in Scarlett’s ear, “Told you they’d love you. You’ve got this.”
The brilliant smile she gave me in return was all the thanks I needed.