Chapter 27 Beau #2
“Not long after you showed up at Westwood’s and had a chat with my brothers and me in the conference room, Jules had a problem with a mixer at the bakery.
If I didn’t have the things you said in the back of my mind that day she reached out about the mixer, I probably would’ve sent someone else to take care of it.
And I would’ve missed having the chance to see just how big of a fool I’ve been.
Seeing the changes to her body that were the result of my niece or nephew growing inside her was the biggest slap in the face of how long I’d been unnecessarily holding a grudge.
But the worst part was when she left me to fix the mixer and returned to the front of the bakery.
I watched as she stood there in front of that door trying to collect herself, and I realized just how badly I’d hurt her.
Like Wyatt said, you both deserved better from us. ”
As great as all of this was, I couldn’t stop myself from believing the worst. What if it took this horrible, horrible situation to get the family to accept me only for Jules never to witness it?
When I remained silent for too long, considering that very real possibility, Tate said, “I think what we’re all trying to say, Beau, is that we were wrong.
About you and your intentions with Jules.
You told us you didn’t need for us to like you or want to get to know you.
All you wanted was for her to be happy, to have her family back in her life.
That selflessness tells me how much you love her.
But I know my sister well enough to know that she senses we haven’t really given you a fair shot. ”
I chuckled and nodded. “She hasn’t stopped talking about it. I just keep reassuring her that it’s fine, and things will take time, even though I don’t expect them to improve.”
“And that right there tells us how mistaken we were,” Ivy chimed in. “You could’ve told her that you wouldn’t come around or that you wanted her to stop seeing us at all. You didn’t. You sacrificed and were left to feel uncomfortable just to make her happy.”
Malcolm added, “A few minutes ago, you mentioned that you know you aren’t the man we would’ve ever chosen for Jules.
I think you’re right about that.” Even if I knew that was the truth, hearing him admit it was like taking a knife to the heart.
“But I guess that’s why it’s a good thing it was never our choice.
Because Jules found the right man for her all on her own.
And if you’re willing to give all of us another chance to make things right with you, I’d like to formally welcome you to this family. ”
I pressed my lips together as the air rushed from my nostrils. Nodding, not wanting to break down again, I held out my hand to shake his, and said, “I’d really like the chance to start over with all of you.”
Malcolm looked down at my extended hand and ignored it.
Because instead of starting things over like that, he thought it’d be better to wrap his arm around my back and hug me instead.
“Welcome to the family, son. I’d tell you to look after my daughter with everything you’ve got, but I can see that you’re already doing it. ”
I hugged the man back and insisted, “It has been my honor.”
The second the word was out of my mouth, the door to the waiting room opened, and a couple of doctors walked in. All of us stood, and I was certain nobody was breathing. My heart was pounding. It seemed like far too many doctors for good news.
“I’m looking for the family of Jules Easton?”
“That’s us,” Liam said.
“All of you?”
I stepped forward. “I’m her husband, and these are her parents and siblings. Is she… Is she okay?”
He hesitated, and my heart felt like it was in my throat. “She’s okay,” he finally shared.
“And the baby?”
“Perfectly fine.”
I nearly collapsed. I probably would’ve if Marco hadn’t been there to catch me as I stumbled backward.
“What happened?”
“I would’ve been here sooner, but things were a little worse off than we initially thought,” he shared.
“Jules had a blockage in her ureter from a kidney stone. Normally, we medicate to offer relief from the pain until the stone passes, but in her case, I’m glad we didn’t.
We wound up taking her into surgery and placing a stent that I’d like her to keep in for the next week or so.
The blockage was so bad, because it wasn’t just a single stone.
Everything inside that ureter had turned to sludge, which is the kind of thing I’d expect to see in an eighty-year-old patient.
If we had only medicated and not cleared that blockage, it’s possible her kidney could have burst. If that happened, she’d get septic, and that would’ve been life-threatening for both her and the baby.
The baby likely wouldn’t have survived.”
I rubbed at my chest, attempting to soothe the ache that had formed there. “But she’s okay now?”
He chuckled. “Oh, she’s okay, alright. She woke up after that procedure and refused to answer anybody’s questions until we proved to her that the baby was still okay.
She didn’t believe us when we told her, because she’d been under such immense pressure that once we relieved it, she thought the baby was no longer there.
We had to have someone come down from the Labor and Delivery unit with a Doppler, so she could hear the baby’s heartbeat. ”
Malcolm squeezed my shoulder. “That’s our girl. I told you she’s a fighter.”
“Can I see her?”
The doctor nodded. “Of course. You can follow me.”
I didn’t hesitate to fall into step beside him.