Chapter eleven Shane
Chapter eleven
Shane
Written in the stars.
We all arrive at the hospital at the same time—Cecilia walks in before us all, getting a nurse as she explains everything very directly.
“We have a thirty-six-week pregnant woman with twins in labor”—she points to Morgan, who’s now seated in a wheelchair crying through her contractions that seem to be getting closer and closer—“a thirty-one-week, also pregnant with twins that slipped on ice”—she turns her finger to Emma, who looks a bit in pain and holds her belly—“and he was in an altercation and needs to get his cuts checked.”
“Wow, okay.” The nurse stares with wide eyes before snapping into action, telling another nurse to take Emma while she goes to Morgan’s side. “Sir, just take a seat, someone will see you shortly,” she tells me, then speed-walks away with Clay and Morgan.
Aubrey and I take two chairs, while Silas, Cecilia, Nancy, and Andrew do the same. I can tell by the way my Angel looks down at her hands that she’s still blaming herself for what happened. And when she brings her thumb up to her mouth, it’s a direct confirmation.
I take her wrist before her finger can make contact with her teeth and bring it over to my mouth instead, kissing the inside of her wrist. “Angel, stop it. You did nothing wrong.”
She lifts her gaze to mine, eyes filled with unshed tears, and my heart squeezes.
“What if we’re making a mistake… What if we’re rushing into things, or we’re just blinded by lust…
I’ve never done all of this, Shane. I don’t know how to tell the difference.
” A tear slips out. “What if we’re wrong about our feelings and we bring a baby into this world when we’re not meant to be forever?
” she whispers, and my heart breaks with every new word falling from her lips.
Releasing her wrist, I stand from my chair and kneel at her feet, cupping her cheeks in my palms. “No, sweetheart. Don’t say that.
Don’t even think it. This, what’s happening between us, is one hundred percent real.
I’ve never felt anything more real in my life.
I’ve never been more sure about anything in this world.
Our baby is simply life proving to us that it’s real, that we’re meant to be. ”
I lean in, kissing her wet, voluptuous lips that now hold a few more tears. “I believe our destiny was mapped out a long time ago, that every encounter we’ve had since we’ve met was supposed to happen. Don’t you see, Aubrey? We’ve been written in the stars for years.”
“Shane,” she whispers my name as her eyes close, and she lets out a breath.
“Don’t let this misplaced doubt and blame cloud your heart and mind on what you know is real. Because I know you feel it, Angel. Deep down, I know that you know it’s real.”
“I do,” she breathes against my lips. “I do.”
I kiss her a few more times until I feel a smile spreading on her lips.
I know we have an audience, but I couldn’t care less.
My girl needs some cheering up, and that’s all that matters to me at this moment.
When I finally pull away and reclaim my seat, I find Nancy beaming at us as well as Cecilia.
“I think that was the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” Nancy tells me, placing her hand on my forearm.
“Hey, I say romantic things to you all the time.” Andrew frowns at his wife.
“Asking me to wash your clothes and to scratch your feet is not romantic, Drew. Stop trying to steal our girl’s moment.” She rolls her eyes at him before refocusing on me and Aubrey.
She removes her hand from me and reaches over for her daughter’s.
“Sweetie, you have nothing to blame yourself over. This was a misfortunate event, but it wasn’t your fault.
You’ve always known how your brother gets when he’s emotional, certainly when it involves you.
Greyson loves you and only wants what’s best for you. ”
“But this is it, Mom. Why can’t he see that?” she asks in a brokenhearted voice.
“Because he still sees you as the little girl you once were. Because he hasn’t seen how well you two truly fit together. He knows you both separately, but once he has a chance to see you together, he’ll see what we all see. That you’re soulmates.” She squeezes her hand.
“I hope you’re right,” Aubrey whispers, still looking a bit uncertain.
“Now, enough about that. I believe congratulations are in order.” Nancy’s grin widens as she rushes over from her chair and hugs her daughter. “Oh, I can’t believe my little girl is having a baby! I’m so happy for you two.”
Aubrey smiles now—a weight being taken off her shoulders at her parents’ acceptance. This is what she needed, to know that people would be happy for us. “Thank you, Mom.”
Nancy then comes to me, hugging me as well. “Thank you for making my daughter happy,” she whispers in my ear.
“It’s the only thing I plan to do for the rest of my life, Mrs. Ford,” I answer truthfully.
She giggles as she takes a step back. “Oh please, you can call me Nancy. And don’t you dare call that one ‘Mr. Ford’, it’ll go straight to his head.” She points to her husband. “You’re part of our family now, Shane. There’s no need for formalities.”
Andrew comes over as well, congratulating us both and taking an extra moment to hug his daughter. Then Cecilia comes next, taking Aubrey in her arms. “And here we were, joking about me being pregnant next. I’m happy it’s you, you deserve this so much, Brey.”
She then steps over to me, and this hug is much more awkward given our height difference. I’m at least a whole foot and a few inches taller than her. “And I guess in a way this is all thanks to me.” She giggles. “You know, since I did introduce you two and kept pushing you together.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Yes, we do owe you a thank you. Although I think I still would have found my way to her.” I watch Aubrey from the side as Silas wraps his arms around her in a brotherly way.
“You’re perfect for her, Shane. I knew it from the start.” She pats my chest and goes back to her seat, just as her husband steps up to me.
Silas and I have always had a strange relationship.
He’s my main player, and we’ve also played each other on the ice in his rookie years.
But I also consider him a friend. “Congrats, Coach. I’m happy for you guys,” he says as he shakes my hand and takes me into a manly hug.
“But I feel like I need to say this on Greyson’s behalf. Hurt her, and I’ll break your legs.”
“Understood.” I laugh. “Although I have no intentions of ever hurting her.”
“Good.” He nods, taking a step back. “And also, don’t worry about Ford. I’ll deal with him on the ice as much as I can.”
“I appreciate that, Hayes. I’ll most likely get Randy to take over practices for the next few days, at least until he cools down a bit.”
Randy’s one of the two assistant coaches for the team. He’s usually in charge of the defensemen, but I’m sure he won’t mind stepping up a bit more. He’s basically my right-hand man behind the bench, and I know I can trust him with this.
“That might be wise.” Silas gives me a tight smile filled with sympathy as his eyes roam over my face and the damage done to it.
An hour later, I’m finally getting checked by a nurse, and as I thought, she informs me as she cleans up my wounds that I won’t be needing any stitches.
She then instructs me to apply some cold compresses to my bruises, which I already knew, but the look of relief on Aubrey’s face makes the long wait and wasted time worth it.
As we head back to the waiting room, I can hear her mind working as she looks down at her feet. I pull on our intertwined hands, forcing her to stop walking and turn toward me. “What is it, Angel?”
She takes a deep breath as she convinces herself to speak her mind. “Is Grey going to get in trouble for hitting you?”
I shake my head. “No, I have no intention of telling anyone what happened, and I don’t think the boys will either. What happened tonight has nothing to do with the team; it’s a personal matter and will be settled that way. I won’t penalize your brother for expressing his feelings.”
She steps into me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head against my chest. “I just don’t want it to cause you both problems. I couldn’t live with myself if one of you lost your job because of me.”
“That won’t happen, sweetheart. We’re both grown men, and I think your brother is smart enough to separate his personal feelings from the game.”
“I hope you’re right,” she whispers.
When we finally make it back to the waiting room, Greyson is standing by his parents, and my back straightens instantly. I’m not sure how he’ll react to seeing me still here, but I don’t care. If my girl wants me here, then that’s where I’ll be.
When Aubrey spots him, she rushes over to his side, placing her hand on his bicep. “How’s Emma? Is she okay? And the babies?”
Greyson’s eyes connect with mine, and I can practically feel the daggers he’s throwing at me. He then turns his glare to his sister, brushing her hand off him and taking a step to the side. “They’re all fine. You and your boyfriend can leave now,” he says with venom in his voice.
I can see the pain in Aubrey’s eyes, the way her hands hold a slight tremble, the way her throat keeps bobbing like she’s swallowing down her tears. “I’m not going anywhere. My family is here; this is where I should be.” She stands her ground despite the wobbliness of her voice.
Greyson scoffs. “Oh, now family’s important to you? I could have sworn differently.”
Her face scrunches up as she loses the fight against her emotions, her neck turning red.
I step up quickly, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her into my chest. “That’s enough!” I bark out at him with the authority I use on the ice. I’ll tolerate a lot from him, but hurting my Angel won’t be one of them.