Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
T here was so much that Sophia wanted to say to Palmer, but as she sat next to him quietly eating dinner, her nerves grew.
Her eyes kept running over his handsome face. The white bandage that had covered the large bump and gash over his eye was gone. It allowed her to see the severity of the wound. It was red and puckered under his thick dark hair.
No wonder he needed rest. There was no way his head didn’t hurt. Without saying anything, she stood up, walked around the island, and pulled out a few of the pills Dr. Steven had given him for pain. She handed them to him.
“Dr. Stevens said you can have these for pain.” He downed the pills without question. “You should have let me know before that you were hurting.”
He sighed. “It’s duller now. Still, I can feel it growing.”
“I will leave you to rest after I clear the dishes,” she said, finishing up her plate.
“Do you have to?” he asked. “Go?”
She smiled. “Not until later.” She moved closer to him, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him. He lifted her, pulled her closer, then carried her to his bed and gently laid her down.
She made a point not to bury her fingers into his hair like she wanted to. She didn’t want to cause him pain. Instead, she let her fingers gently tug at his shirt, over his exposed skin, enjoying the feel of the muscles that bunched and twitched under her touch.
The rest of their clothes disappeared as they were both lost to their shared passion. He did things to her that she’d never believed were possible. Her body responded to his touch, to the sweet words he murmured into her hair.
When they fell together, she could have sworn the earth shifted, vibrated along with their joint release.
Almost an hour later, they were still lying naked in each other’s arms. The room had cooled after the last rays of sunlight disappeared.
“I take it back.” She sighed into his chest.
“Mmmm?” She heard him groan.
“I don’t think I want to leave tonight.”
He chuckled and rolled back over on top of her.
Every time that she was with him was different. They matched each other’s speed as the night grew darker around them.
In the early morning, she realized she’d missed half a dozen messages. Rolling over, she squinted at the screen, the glow harsh against the darkness of the bedroom. She blinked, her heart skipping a beat when she realized they were all from her brother.
“Avery’s water broke. Heading to the hospital.” This message was at one in the morning.
“It’s really happening.” This one was at 1:45.
At 2:30: “1 cm. This is going to take forever.”
“ 3 cm. Okay, maybe not forever.” This one a mere half an hour later.
“ When you get these, bring good coffee. We’re still only at 5 cm.”
The last message had just come into her phone. It was a quarter past four. How had she not heard the previous messages?
She shot her brother a text telling him she’d be there in half an hour, then she threw off the blankets and scrambled out of bed, adrenaline jolting her awake. Loki scrambled up with her.
“Are you okay?” Palmer asked, sitting up.
“We’re having a baby.” She did a little booty dance, then realized that Palmer was looking at her oddly. Then she laughed. “Not us, my brother and sister-in-law.”
He chuckled. “My brain registered that a second too late.”
She smiled and rushed to pull on her hoodie and jeans.
Palmer was putting on his clothes as well, no doubt to let Loki out, as the dog was whining and dancing by the door.
“I’m coming, Loki.” He chuckled. “Will you head to the hospital?”
She nodded. “Yes, but you’ve got a car being delivered soon.”
“Yeah, then I have work to catch up on before we start tomorrow at the lighthouse.”
“Right,” she said, shoving on her shoes. “I’ll keep you posted.” Her smile grew. “I’m going to be an aunt.”
“Not to split hairs, but technically, you’ve been one for about nine months,” he joked before kissing her.
“True,” she said as they walked towards the front door. She grabbed her keys from the counter and followed Palmer and Loki out front.
There was a layer of dew on her car as she drove to Edgeview in the quiet. The streets were empty when she went through Pride, except for a few cars at Sara’s Nook.
She knew it was too early for the bakery to be opened, but she parked in front and rushed to the door. She knocked on it when she found it still locked.
When Sara came out from the back, she waved at her. “We’re having a baby and my brother needs food and coffee.”
Sara clapped and rushed to open the door.
“Oh, how exciting. I just finished a batch of apple fritters. I’ll pack some up if you want to make the coffee. Brook isn’t in yet.”
“Sure.” She stepped behind the counter to make coffees the way she and her brother liked.
Sara came back with a large pink box of pastries, and she balanced that and the coffees in her hands and went back out to her car. She sipped on her coffee and downed a warm apple fritter while she drove the rest of the way to Edgeview.
When she finally arrived at the hospital, Lucas was pacing in the waiting room, his phone in one hand and a Styrofoam cup of coffee in the other. His hair was a mess, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Soph!” he called and rushed to hug her, relief washing over his face. “Finally. Oh thank god you brought good coffee.” He set down the Styrofoam cup and took the one she offered.
“Well, hi to you too,” she teased, then held up the box of pastries. “How’s Avery?”
“They’re switching out her sheets. I was just getting coffee. I paid three bucks for that dark toilet water.” He motioned to the cup. “Come on back. She’s doing great, but man, this whole labor thing is intense.”
Sophia smirked. “Oh, poor you. Isn’t she the one in labor?”
“Ha ha,” Lucas deadpanned. “You’re hilarious.”
When they stepped into the room, Avery was sitting on a large yoga ball.
“Shouldn’t you be lying down?” Sophia asked, rushing to hug her sister-in-law.
“No, I’m good. I’ve decided to skip on the epidural so I’m free to roam around.”
“Seriously? You’re forgoing drugs and doing yoga while in labor?” Sophia shook her head. “You’re Wonder Woman.”
“I’m not doing yo—” Avery started, but then she closed her eyes and hissed slightly as she rubbed her belly.
“What was that?” Sophia asked when Avery’s eyes opened again.
“That was a contraction. They’re getting stronger but still nothing I can’t breath and concentrate through.” Avery took several more deep breaths.
“Shouldn’t your parents be here?” Sophie asked, glancing around.
“They are. They’re downstairs in the cafeteria,” she said. “My dad is a fireman, so you’d think he wouldn’t panic in times like this.” She smiled. “He’s freaking out. Big time.” She went to stand.
“I’ve never seen the man look so pale.” Lucas laughed.
Sophia felt stupid, but she rushed forward to help Avery stand.
“Thanks, I’m good.” She steadied herself. “It’s funny, I thought I’d be more nervous.”
“It’s not over yet,” Lucas joked as he helped his wife stroll across the room.
“Walking helps with the pain,” she told Sophia as she rolled her shoulders.
“I don’t know how you’re standing. I slice my finger open and I’m going home for a sick day,” Sophia said.
Avery smiled. “My mother has prepared me for what I’m about to go through better than any class or video we watched. I’m in good hands here.”
“Good.” Sophia sat in the chair and watched for a while. When Avery’s parents, Lane and Abby, returned, she slipped out to sit in the waiting area with Avery’s brother Wyatt and his wife Hannah, who had shown up almost half an hour after she’d gotten there.
They caught up for a while, and she found out that their young daughters, Ivy and Sienna, were at Hannah’s parents’ place.
She enjoyed catching up with them. They were a couple she’d quickly gotten comfortable around. Wyatt had taken over O’Neil’s Grocery in Pride before she and her mother had moved into town, and she knew him from the store. Hannah was the reason she and her mother had moved to Hidden Cove in the first place. She worked in the construction office selling homes for Todd Jordan, Parker’s father-in-law, who was the owner of the development.
Almost four hours after she’d arrived, the waiting room was filled with Pride’s townspeople. The noise was so loud that it was difficult to hear just one conversation. However, every bit of noise stopped when her brother walked out, grinning ear to ear.
“I have a boy!” he said with a whoop.
Cheers erupted.
Sophia rushed over and hugged him. “You’re a dad,” she said as he spun her around.
After shaking hands with almost everyone in the room, he turned to her. “Want to come back and meet your nephew?”
“Yes,” she said eagerly.
Avery was propped up in bed, looking exhausted but radiant. In her arms was a tiny bundle wrapped in a blue blanket. “Meet Lucas Marcus Rodriguez the fourth. The Marcus is after his grandfather.” She smiled at her. “We’ll call him Luke for short,” she said softly.
She walked over and looked down at the little bundle wrapped in the soft green blanket that she’d gifted them at the baby shower.
“Hey, buddy,” she murmured, her voice soft with emotion. Her breath caught when she got her first look at her nephew. Luke’s tiny face was scrunched up, and a tuft of bright red hair peeked out from beneath his little cap, which matched the blanket.
“Whoa,” she said, her eyes going wide. “He’s got his mama’s hair.”
Lucas laughed, glancing at Avery. “You’re not gonna believe this, but the first thought I had when I saw him was, ‘Where did my genes go?’”
Sophia snorted. “Right? He’s all Avery. You’re just the assistant in this operation.”
Avery rolled her eyes but grinned. “Don’t listen to them, Luke. You’ve got your dad’s nose.”
Sophia leaned closer, inspecting the baby’s features. “Hmm. Jury’s still out on that. But that hair? Total showstopper. He’s gonna be a heartbreaker.”
Lucas groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “Don’t start with that already. He’s like ten minutes old.”
Sophia grinned, reaching out to gently touch Luke’s tiny hand. “I’m just saying, he’s got star power. Aunt Sophia knows these things.”
After that, everyone shuffled in and out of the room for the next half hour, getting a quick look at the star of the day. When the last visitor left, Sophia decided it was time to head out herself. She wasn’t supposed to work that evening but, knowing that Lucas wouldn’t be, she headed to the restaurant to make sure everything went smoothly.
Besides, she had to show off the two dozen pictures she’d taken of her new nephew to everyone.
Shortly after the dinner rush, she was sitting at the bar nursing a margarita for celebration when Palmer strolled in. She had sent him the good news along with several pictures of her holding Luke.
Seeing her at the bar, he strolled over and, without hesitation, kissed her right there in front of all her coworkers.
She registered a few catcalls and whistles before Palmer leaned back.
“There, now we’ve made it official,” he joked as he sat next to her.
“Wasn’t it official before?” She enjoyed the smell and look of him. Her eyes quickly scanned the spot on his head and noted that the bump had gone down by half.
“Oh, for us, but not for all of…” He motioned around the room. “Rumors can go wild. In one move, I confirmed them all.” He winked at her.
“Good job.” She laughed. “Beer?”
He nodded and Lisa, the bartender on duty, took his order. While they sipped their drinks, she showed him all of the pictures of Luke that she’d taken.
“It’s strange to love someone so much when they’re so little.” She sighed and pushed her empty glass away.
“No it’s not. Not when he’s got fiery red hair and cheeks like that.” He motioned to the photo she’d put on her phone’s lock screen.
She laughed and then stilled when Palmer frowned at something behind her.
“What?” She glanced over and saw a woman standing across the street, looking at the building. When she turned back to Palmer, the look on his face had changed to anger. Instantly, she understood and glanced back at the woman. It was obvious now, this was his mother.
“I’ll be back.” He touched her arm and turned to head out the front door.
She jumped up to stop him. “What are you going to say to her?”
His eyes never left the woman. “That she and my father are not supposed to get within a hundred feet of me or my brother’s family, or step foot inside Pride ever again,” he said in a low tone.
“Why don’t we call?—”
“I’ll handle it this time.” He touched her shoulder. “Stay put.”
She leaned against the bar as Palmer strolled across the street and talked to his mother. She could see his frustration in the way he waved his hands around in the air. It looked like the woman was using crying as a tool, since she kept glancing around, as if making sure she had an audience.
She moved to grab her phone to call Parker, but a strong hand covered her phone on the bar.
“You wouldn’t want to spoil their special reunion,” the man said, picking up her phone and looking at the image of her new nephew when the phone came alive.
She moved to grab her phone from him, but the man held it out of reach.
He was six-two, around fifty or sixty years old. His hair was an unnatural jet black, obviously from a box of coloring. His skin was tan, too tan for someone living in Oregon and just coming out of a long winter.
She glanced back towards the windows and it hit her. This was Parker and Palmer’s father, Jack.
She took a step closer and lowered her voice. “If you don’t give me my phone right now, I’ll scream.”
The man tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Do that, and I guarantee your new boy-toy out there will regret it.”
“You can’t hurt Palmer anymore,” she said between clenched teeth.
The man smiled slowly and ran his eyes over her, then glanced towards the windows. “Oh yeah? By the look of that knot on his head, it looks like we did a good job the other day.”