31. Wombat
Chapter Thirty-One
Wombat
Thirty-seven weeks and four days. Lemon decorated the farm with corn stalks.
There were autumn leaves tied into wreaths, Sonnet’s brightly painted pumpkins scattered everywhere, and a myriad of fall-toned strips of fabric fluttering in the breeze.
I helped Honor out of her car and took the pie she’d baked from her hands so she wouldn’t trip on her feet.
Not that she could see them. And that was all my fault.
I handed the pie back. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” We’d traveled to her parents’ earlier this week, and the trip wore her out.
She’d woken up this morning complaining her back hurt.
“I’m fine.” That was her go-to response every time I worried about her.
Okay. I whistled into the air. Hoot fluttered down from a branch and landed on my shoulder. He pecked at my hair tie, trying to eat it. I slipped a plastic bag out of my pocket. Like Honor, I’d arrived bearing food. I warned Honor as I opened it up. “Don’t look, and stand upwind.”
“I’m not throwing up anymore.”
Maybe not, but I wasn’t taking chances. I slipped one of the freeze-dried grubs out and let Hoot snatch it from my fingers.
He chittered a bit and flapped his wings as I shifted him to study the new flight feathers growing in and feed him more grubs so he’d stay calm enough for me to examine him.
“I think this will be the final graft. He’s mostly healed. ”
Honor smiled and scratched his head.
Hoot’s eyes rolled closed and he let out a little purr of pleasure.
I noted her technique. “You’re getting good at that.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Well, I had a good teacher.”
“Speaking of teaching, how about we try for five tonight?”
Her eyes flashed. “We’ll see.”
I’d take that as a maybe. I pushed Hoot into the sky. He flew over the farm twice, then disappeared into the trees. I scanned the property. Sonnet’s sedan sat next to Lemon’s SUV. Fly’s truck was next in the row. Behind that was a rental car. “Dad and Hal made it.”
It was our first Thanksgiving together since...
I pushed away a bad memory. Pop-pop would be happy to see most of the family here.
I think he would have been tickled pink to meet Honor and her family.
I was. Honor’s dad was pretty cool and her mom?
Well, she was everything I’d wished my mom could have been.
And as soon as Honor’s case was settled with an acquittal, we wasted no time in getting to know every bit we could about our extended families and mend the rifts that kept everyone apart.
That included several visits to the club’s barn.
Walt finally warmed up to Honor and asked her to call him by his name, not his road name.
Sierra proved to be a godsend. She’d been with Honor through all the scares and the swollen feet, gotten her morning sickness tamed to a manageable inconvenience, and kept up with Honor’s strange cravings with almost uncanny precognition.
Her grandmother was a midwife back in West Virginia, and Sierra benefitted from her training. Which in turn, benefitted both of us.
The club still teased Honor, but had finally settled on a nickname. They called her “Babe” to her face, and “The Great Bambino” behind her back. I’d warned them not to say that one to her face for fear she’d freak out.
We were still counting days... weeks... dare I say it? Months.
Honor slipped her hand through my arm. “Are you upset your mom didn’t come?”
No. “She’s relapsed, again.”
Honor’s fingers squeezed to let me know she was with me. I patted them, and tried to reach for the pie.
“Ew, no. You’ve got grub dust under your fingernails.”
“All right, but please let me hold your elbow.”
“I’m perfectly able to walk on my own.”
No sooner than she said that, she grunted.
I snatched the pie away before it could fall. “You were saying?”
“Shut up.” She breathed heavily.
“Babe?”
“Wombat...” she warned me about using that nickname through gritted teeth.
“I know, it’s all my fault. Braxton Hicks again?”
Her face was pale when she looked up, panting. “I don’t think so.”
Wait... what? My skin went cold. “Lemon!” I didn’t wait for her to answer. “Sonnet!”
“What are you bellowing for? We’re right here.” Sonnet approached first. But Lemon rushed to Honor’s side.
“Is it time?”
Honor blew short breaths through her mouth. “I think so.”
“Hot damn! I’m going to be an aunt!” Sonnet danced in a circle.
“Knock it off. Call Sierra, call the hospital, and go back to Honor’s and get the suitcases in the hall closet.” I shoved a set of keys into her hand and followed Lemon to her SUV.
“Why aren’t we taking the Beemer?” I asked.
“Do you really want her water to break on four-thousand-dollar leather seats?”
Put that way, no. “You sure this isn’t another false alarm?” I said it carefully because we’d been back and forth at least a dozen times in the last two months.
Lemon glared at me. “Her aura is green dipshit.”
“What does that mean?”
Dad slapped his hand on my shoulders. “Trust the process, son.”
“Yeah, hi to you too.”
Hal was almost as excited as Sonnet. “Do I get to watch?”
“No!” More than three adults voiced that dissent, including me. Of course Dad was the lone voice of stupid.
“You should watch.”
“Dad!” Sonnet took Honor by the arm Lemon hadn’t commandeered. “Honor barely wants Wombat there, and he’s the one who put her in this predicament.”
Their circus followed us to the hospital. I sat at Honor’s side as the doctor on call and the nurses checked heartbeats, blood pressure, and hooked her up to machines. I felt a little light-headed despite their calming assurances that everything was normal.
What did me in was when the nurse pulled her wet gloves free and announced, “seven centimeters.”
My ass slid to the floor.
“Are you sure he should stay in the room?”
I didn’t know the voice, but Honor replied. “As long as he doesn’t pass out, yes. It’s okay, he’s the father.”
It was happening.
I glanced up. “It’s happening.”
Honor’s eyes glistened. “It is.”
Holy shit. Holy shit. “I gotta call Jim.”
“The fuck you do.” Honor’s hand swept out toward me and grabbed on to air.
“No, I mean...” I grabbed her hand and slid closer so I could press it against my chest. “He asked me to let him know if you went into labor. He...” He wanted to be here for her.
“You didn’t.” Her tone almost peeled the paint off the walls.
Yeah, I sort of did. “I’m sorry?”
Honor rolled her eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re being nice, again.” She let out a heavy sigh. “Call him after.”
I could do that. “Things went too fast. I didn’t have time.”
She shook her head. Then her face changed. “Okay, another one.”
I stood by her side and kept her hand in mine. This time, I remembered to breathe with her and focus on what she needed.
Four hours later, I held our sleeping daughter. Nine out of ten APGAR, perfect, fed, and happy. Honor was tired, but still fierce as hell. I stared at both of them. “I think she has your hair.”
It was dark and straight. But that could change, right?
“Did you see those eyes? Those are yours.” Honor curled closer to lean her head against mine so we could admire our baby.
The door opened, and Sonnet and Lemon fought over who got to come in first. Dad followed on their heels, Hal was last, trying to peek over his shoulder.
Sonnet pulled a chair close and leaned on me. “She’s beautiful. Did you pick out a name yet?”
Both of us shook our heads. “We didn’t want to jinx it.”
But this was finally real. I stared at my woman and marveled at how gorgeous she was. Even puffy and disheveled, she was the most beautiful human in the world. Of course, the baby in my arms was definitely a close second place.
“What about Rainbow?” Hal suggested.
“Ooo, that’s pretty,” Lemon replied.
I glanced at Honor and shook my head hoping the horror on my face wasn’t too visceral in case she liked the name. Luckily, she agreed, and said, “No.”
Sonnet chimed in, “They don’t want something weird. Pick a real name.”
Dad couldn’t resist adding his two cents. “You know, you can put anything except symbols and few banned words on a birth certificate.”
That didn’t merit consideration.
“Last name, Blessing, obviously,” Hal waited for everyone to shoot her down.
Sonnet was first to say no. “Calvert. Duh.”
“Like hell,” I replied. “How about Ryder?”
Honor shook her head. “Blessing, she’s definitely that.”
Okay. Poor kid. But the more I stared at her, the more I agreed with Honor. This little thing in my arms was more than a blessing, she was a miracle. It was hard to keep the tears in my eyes from landing on her face.
Lemon leaned over and dabbed my eyes dry.
“Thanks.”
“Hand her over.” She tried to trade a Kleenex for my baby.
“Over my dead body, she’s mine. Get your own.” I’d never get my baby back if I gave her to Lemon.
“Mine... Mia.” Sonnet played with the name a bit. “Mia Blessing. She’s both of yours so, it works.”
I held my breath and looked at Honor. “Mia?”
“I like it. Mia.”
“She needs a middle name. How about something pretty, like a flower?”
Dad’s suggestion was shot down. Especially when he listed the oddest possible choices.
No wonder all of us got weird names. “There ain’t no way I’m naming her Mia Larkspur Blessing.”
“Hyacinth?”
“Dad!” All three of my sisters protested in unison.
“Penelope,” Lemon’s voice broke through their argument. “It’s bright. Fun. Not too weird.”
Honor’s face slipped into a secret grin. Between house arrest and Sonnet’s obsession with Netflix, there were weekly watch parties with books, naked butts, and period clothing. And through all that, I paid attention.
I liked it, too. I tried it on for size. “Mia Penelope Blessing.” One name from each of my sisters. I handed her back to Honor before I drenched the poor thing.
Honor rocked her softly. “Mia Penelope Blessing. Hi.” Her chest hitched once. “You made it. I’m so glad you’re here.”
This woman. I laid my head next to hers so I could lend her some strength. “You made it. I love you.” And not to leave Mia out of it, I whispered it again against her hair.
A blessing. Mine, Honor’s...