Chapter 37
I sit on the chair beside the bed and watch the nurse prod and poke Everleigh, all the while her eyes remain tightly shut and her hand squeezes mine.
“Well, it looks as if the fall didn’t harm you, there's no tenderness. And the baby has lots of protection in there.” Her smile is warm and reassuring, though Everleigh doesn’t see it because her eyes are still closed.
“I don’t even know if I’m pregnant, the test said I was but I can’t…” She shakes her head and breathes slowly.
“Tests are rarely wrong, but we can take a look if you’d like peace of mind.”
“Yeah, we want that.” I jump in. Needing to know for sure that they’re both okay.
“Sure, I’ll go find a sonogram machine, just try to relax.” She leaves us alone and Everleigh still keeps her eyes shut.
“Darlin’, you can open your eyes, I’m here, and everythin’s okay.”
“I can’t. I hate these places, the lights are too bright and it reminds me of those first few days I was free. Everything was so loud and chaotic. It was too much. I was so scared they’d never let me go.”
“Well, you're free now, and you're safe.” I kiss her hand and wait for the nurse to return.
“Everleigh, do you remember how long ago your last period was? It will help me determine whether to examine you externally or internally.”
“Externally,” I answer for her, knowing that an internal examination would be too much for her. “She’s, erm, she’s suffered some trauma in the past,” I explain, hearing my voice go weak when I think about how close she came to suffering it again.
“No problem, early pregnancy can be hard to detect that way, but we’ll do our best.” I watch her prepare the machine until she asks me to dim the lights.
“This might feel a bit cold,” she warns Everleigh before squirting some gel on her stomach. I take her hand again, to let her know I’m right with her as the nurse presses the wand that’s attached to the machine, against her lower stomach.
“The lights are low, you can open your eyes,” I whisper. But Everleigh shakes her head. The nurse is taking her time and I’m starting to wonder myself if that test was wrong, but then a sound fills the room that makes it undeniable.
“Is that?”
“That is the heartbeat of a very, healthy baby,” she confirms, twisting the screen around so I can see for myself. I squint to see what she’s pointing at, but it soon becomes very clear.
“Everleigh, open your eyes,” I encourage her. “You really need to see this.” I turn my attention to her, wanting to see her reaction. “Please, trust me, you don’t wanna miss this.” Eventually, she opens them and when she sees the image on the screen she bursts into happy tears.
“Is that really our baby?” She covers her mouth, laughing and crying all at the same time.
“It sure is, I’d say you're about seven weeks along from the measurements. Congratulations.” The nurse leaves the image on the screen as she puts the wand back in its place and hands Everleigh some tissue.
“But I was told I couldn’t have kids. They… She made it so I couldn’t.” Everleigh speaks up and the nurse looks confused.
“Were you told that by a medical practitioner?” she asks, with a frown.
“No.”
“Well, I’ve been doing this for a long time and I can assure you that you are one hundred percent pregnant.” The nurse smiles again.
“She’s sure.” Everleigh looks at me and bursts into tears again, and I take her face in my hands and kiss her, trying to think of a time in my life when I’ve been this happy.
“Come on, let’s get ya home.”
“What about Annie?” she asks, suddenly looking panicked again.
“I texted Garrett, he’s makin’ sure she and her kid have a room at the guest house, Cole and Maisie are waitin’ with her down in pediatrics,” I assure her.
“Here’s some information you need about the do’s and don’ts. I’ve also written you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins. You’ll need to make a follow-up appointment with your local midwife in a few weeks, to check on baby’s development.” She opens the door for us and sees us out.
Taking Everleigh’s hand, I lead us out the hospital, feeling like the luckiest man on the planet.
Everleigh’s lying out on the couch fast asleep, what happened today has really taken its toll on her, and I’m so relieved that she’s resting. I sit beside her with her legs resting on my lap and my hand splayed over her flat stomach. I’m gonna be a dad, I still haven't let it sink in completely because it feels too good to be true.
I’m scared as hell, but she’ll never know it. Being scared only proves how important it is to me to get this right and from now on all this girl will ever know is happiness.
Everleigh is gonna be the most perfect mother, and yeah, I’m gonna be a little older and stiffer than the other dads in the schoolyard, but I’m gonna take this life I’ve been blessed with by the balls and enjoy every second of it.
A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts and I’m careful not to disturb her as I get up and make my way over to answer it.
“Hunter.” I smile at him as I let him in, heading straight for the cupboard where I keep the good stuff and grabbing two glasses.
“She okay?” He looks over the top of the couch, looking pleased to see her sleeping.
“Yeah, thanks to you.” I hand him a good measure of scotch and clink my glass against his.
“I didn’t do nothin’.” He shakes his head and takes a seat at the table.
“You convinced your mom to come and let us know where ya were, and you kept her from freakin’ out when you two were locked in that store buildin’. I owe ya, kid.”
“Ronnie Mason’s my father,” he blurts the words out, and I knock back what I’ve got left of my drink and pour myself another.
“Did ya hear what I said?” he asks when I remain silent.
“Aye, I heard ya.” I nod my head and keep my eyes focused on the liquid in my glass.
“He raped her.” Hunter keeps his voice low and when I look up and see the anger on his face, I pour him another drink too.
“I can’t stay here, the Carson’s hate the Mason family.”
“You ain’t a Mason!” I hiss through my teeth, feeling the anger building inside me too.
“We can pretend, but it ain’t gonna change the truth, and there is no way I’m gonna be accepted here once the others find out.”
“Hunter, there was a man who raised you for twenty-five years before you came here. A man who loved you. Ronnie Mason is not your fuckin’ father ,” I remind him.
“I lied.” He hangs his head looking ashamed of himself. “I didn’t have a good upbringing before I came here, at all. My adoptive mom tried to be good to me but my father hated me. They thought it was me that knocked up that girl from my school because we were close, and my dad used it as an excuse to be rid of me as soon as he could. He kicked me out of home the day after I graduated and my mom just stood back and let him. I’ve been sleeping rough ever since.”
“Hunter.” I shake my head, wondering why the hell he felt the need to lie to me. “Why didn’t you just be honest with me?”
“I didn’t want you to think I was the poor, broken kid that came lookin’ for his real dad because I was all out of options. It wasn’t like that. And when I learned about you, and spent time around this place, for the first time in my life I felt like I belonged somewhere. Now, this….” He cracks his knuckles and tenses his jaw.
“It makes no difference that Mason’s your father, Hunter, how many times do I have to tell you that?”
“But he is my blood. And what he did to her…” He knocks back his drink so he doesn’t have to say it. “What if one day, I turn out just like him?” All the anger in his eyes turns to fear and I can’t help feeling sorry for the kid.
“Ya won’t, you're a good person, I knew that from the second I met ya and you proved it today when you took care of Everleigh. Mason may have been the one who knocked up your mom, but it’s my name that’s on your birth certificate. I’m holdin’ myself fuckin’ accountable for makin’ sure you continue to be that good person,” I tell him, and I mean every word. I’ve raised men who weren’t my sons before, there's no reason for Hunter to be any different.
“You don’t have to do that, I ain’t a charity case.”
“I know damn well I don’t have to. I want to.” I look him dead in the eye so he knows I mean it.
“A lotta things have happened lately that got me believin’ in fate, and all those years ago when your mom named me as your father because she was all outta options, I believe she set a path for ya.” I top our glasses and hold mine up. “Stick around, and I’ll make a cowboy outta ya, Hunter Hudson.”
The boy frowns at me like he’s confused.
“Are you sayin’…”
“The name’s on the certificate, if ya don’t wanna keep your adoptive dad’s name, I’d be proud for ya to take mine.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Kid, you’ll learn fast, that I never say anythin’ I don’t mean.” I clink my glass against his when he smiles.
“Does this mean I get to take the bran?—”
“No.” I shut him down.