FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “You’re a wonderful painter, Mr. Black.”

  A few days later, Ellery finished the nursery just in time for the furniture to be delivered. I got home from the office and headed upstairs to see the finished room. I walked in as Ellery was sitting in the rocking chair with her hands on her belly. I walked over and kissed her as I helped her up from the rocking chair. She had everything in its place. People had been sending us gifts every day, not to mention everything we got from the baby shower. I looked around at the furniture and all the items on the shelves.

  “This is going to be one spoiled baby,” I said.

  “Of course she’ll be spoiled because you’ll be the one spoiling her.” Ellery smiled.

  I looked up at the ceiling. The mural Ellery painted was perfect, and nobody could’ve painted it better. I walked over to the crib and stared down at it.

  “I can’t believe that in a couple of weeks, our daughter will be sleeping in here.” I smiled.

  “It went by so fast,” she said as she put her arm around me.

  “Are you still up to going out for dinner with Peyton and Henry tonight?” I asked her.

  “Of course I am. Why would you ask?”

  “I’m just making sure you’re feeling okay, and you’re not too tired,” I said as I kissed her head.

  “Actually, I feel great. Better than I have in a long time.” She smiled. “Would you like to join me in the shower before we leave?”

  “I’d love to join you.” I took her hand and led her to our bathroom.

  * * *

  Denny drove us to the restaurant where we met Peyton and Henry for dinner, and they were already sitting down in a booth when we arrived. The waitress showed us to our seats, and Ellery stood there looking at the booth.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “There’s no way I’m going to fit in there.” She frowned.

  Ellery was big, and she looked like she was going to give birth any day.

  “Elle, I’m sorry, I should have requested a table. I don’t want you squishing my goddaughter.” Peyton laughed.

  I called the waitress over and told her we needed a table. She accommodated us immediately. We sat down, and I asked Ellery if she was okay. She looked at me as we both started laughing about her not being able to fit in the booth.

  “I better lose all this weight,” she said.

  “We’ll go to the gym together, and I’ll hire you a personal trainer,” I said.

  Peyton grabbed Henry’s hand and told us they had an announcement. She held out her left hand and showed off her exquisite engagement ring. Ellery wanted to jump up and hug her, but she couldn’t.

  “Peyton, it’s gorgeous! Congratulations!” she exclaimed.

  I got up from my seat, kissed Peyton on the cheek, and shook Henry’s hand. “Congratulations to both of you, and may you have a wonderful life together,” I toasted as we all held up our glasses of wine, with the exception of Ellery who had her water. Ellery turned to me and gave me a look as if she was trying to figure something out.

  “You knew, didn’t you?” she asked.

  “Knew what?”

  “You knew Henry was going to ask Peyton to marry him, and you didn’t tell me.” She glared.

  I smiled and that was enough to let her know that I knew. “Of course I knew. Who do you think went with him to pick out the ring?” I laughed.

  “Wow, Connor, how could you not tell me?”

  “Maybe because it was a surprise, and I know you and that you would’ve called Peyton and told her about the ring.”

  “No, I wouldn’t have,” she said.

  “Yes, you would’ve, and then you would’ve told her to act surprised,” I said as I kissed her cheek.

  Peyton looked at Ellery. “He’s right. You probably would have,” she said.

  “I know,” she said as she rolled her eyes.

  The waitress brought our meals to the table. I looked over at Ellery, but she wasn’t eating like she normally did. She was picking at her chicken. “You okay, baby?” I asked.

  “I’m fine, honey. I’m just not very hungry.” She smiled as she turned to me.

  Henry and I talked about sports as Peyton and Ellery threw around some ideas for the wedding. We had a nice dinner, and we were in the company of great friends. I couldn’t ask for a better evening. I ordered us another round of drinks and dessert for everyone. The waitress had been flirting with me and Henry all night. She brought the desserts to the table and brushed up against me with her breasts.

  “Excuse me,” Peyton said. “I saw what you just did, and don’t think I haven’t noticed what you’ve been doing all night. That man right there, that you just boob-brushed is married with a baby on the way, and this man right here is my fiancé. If his wife wasn’t about to give birth, she would have kicked your ass by now. So back off our men and go find someone who isn’t already taken.”

  The waitress glared at her and then looked at Ellery.

  “Yeah, what she said,” Ellery spat.

  The waitress turned and walked away in a huff. Henry took Peyton’s hand and started laughing. Ellery put her hand on my leg under the table and squeezed it. I looked over at her as she stared at me.

  “Connor, my water just broke. It’s time to go to the hospital.”

  Forever Us

  New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

  Sandi Lynn

  Forever Us Copyright © 2013 Sandi Lynn

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used factitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Editing by B.Z. Hercules

  Created with Vellum

  Mission Statement

  Sandi Lynn Romance

  Providing readers with romance novels that will whisk them away

  to another world and from the daily grind of life – one book at a time.

  Chapter 1

  Ellery

  Connor stared at me as if he didn’t understand what I’d just told him.

  “What did you say?” he asked.

  “My water broke, Connor. The baby’s coming. We need to get to the hospital,” I said as slowly as I could.

  He jumped up out of his chair and helped me out of mine as he looked at Henry and Peyton.

  “Her water broke. It’s time!” he exclaimed.

  Peyton quickly got up from her seat and ran over to me while Henry remained calm.

  “OMG! It’s time! Henry, what do we do?” Peyton asked in a panic.

  “Everyone, relax. “Ellery, are you having any pain yet?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Okay, good. Let’s get in my car, and we’ll get you over to the hospital.” Henry smiled.

  Connor put his arm around me as he guided me out of the restaurant. Before we made it to Henry’s car, I abruptly stopped and doubled over in pain.

  “HOLY SHIT!” I screamed.

  Connor stopped with me and put his hands on my stomach.

  “It’s okay, baby. Breathe in and out, like we learned in our class.”

  I nodded my head and did what Connor said as the pain started to subside. Henry and Peyton told us to wait while they pulled the car up. When Henry drove up to the curb, Connor opened the door for me, and I slid in the back seat. He shut the door and walked around to the other side. Connor climbed in, sat beside me, and pulled out his phone to call Denny. After he hung up, he reached over and pulled me into him.

  “I can’t believe our daughter is coming,” he said as he kissed my head.

  I buried my face into Connor’s neck as another contraction started. The pain was unbearable. It wa
s worse than my cancer treatments, and I didn’t think that could be possible. Connor held my hand and kept telling me to breathe. I swore I was going to lose it if he said it one more time. Peyton kept turning around and looking at me from the front seat.

  “Are you all right, Elle?”

  “Do I look like I’m all right, Peyton?” I said with gritted teeth.

  It seemed like it took forever to get to the hospital. Once we arrived at the ER, Henry got a wheelchair, and Connor helped me from the car. I’d only had a couple of contractions, and I was already wishing this was over. Connor wheeled me inside, and Henry led us up to the Labor and Delivery unit. Stopping at the unit desk, Henry gave them my name as the clerk showed us to my room. She handed me a cloth gown and said a nurse would be in shortly.

  I changed into the cloth gown that was all too familiar to me. Connor helped me as Peyton and Henry stepped out of the room. I could feel another contraction coming, and I bit my bottom lip as tears started to fill my eyes. A nurse walked into the room and looked at me and Connor. It was Nurse Bailey. She looked at me with a smile as she walked over and patted my hand.

  “It’s good to see you again, sweetie.” She smiled. She turned and looked at Connor. “Are you still the friend?” she asked.

  Connor grinned as he replied, “No. I’m the husband.”

  Nurse Bailey smiled and nodded her head. “Very good. I’m glad to see things worked out for the two of you. I knew they would.”

  She turned back to me as she hooked me up to the fetal monitor. “Look at you! You’re having a baby.” She grinned.

  I tried to smile back, but another contraction was starting. I bit down on my bottom lip as Connor grabbed my hand. Peyton and Henry walked back into the room, and Peyton rushed to my side.

  “I paged your doctor, Ellery, but I haven’t heard anything yet,” Henry said.

  “Who’s your doctor, sweetie?” Nurse Bailey asked.

  “Dr. Keller!” I yelled through the pain.

  “Dr. Keller had a family emergency yesterday and had to leave town for a few days. His partner, Dr. Reed, is taking care of his patients. I’ll go call him,” she said as she patted my hand and left the room.

  The contraction ended, and I felt like I could breathe again. Connor sat on the edge of the bed and softly kissed my lips.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too,” I whispered back.

  Henry walked over and explained to us how the fetal monitor worked. He showed us at which point a contraction was starting, when it was at its peak, and when it was ending. Connor looked intrigued as he studied it. Peyton and Henry left the room to grab some coffee and to bring me back some ice chips.

  “Can you believe Nurse Bailey is my nurse?”

  “No, baby, I can’t believe it. But I’m glad she is.”

  “Me too.” I smiled.

  “Look at our daughter’s heartbeat,” Connor said as he pointed to the number on the fetal monitor.

  I smiled as I looked over at it and another contraction began. I grabbed Connor’s arm and dug my nails into his skin. Did I feel bad? No, the pain of my nails was nothing compared to the pain of childbirth.

  “Breathe, baby.” He smiled at me as he stroked my forehead.

  Peyton and Henry walked into the room with a cup of ice chips. She took one out and started rubbing it across my lips.

  “Maybe this will help you feel better,” she said.

  “The only thing that’s going to help me feel better is getting this baby out of me!”

  Nurse Bailey walked in and said she needed to examine me. Henry and Peyton stepped out of the room again while Connor sat on the edge of the bed next to me, holding my hand. She explained that she needed to see how far I was dilated. When she finished, she looked at me and pursed her lips.

  “Hmm, you’re only dilated to one centimeter. You said your water broke while you were at the restaurant, correct?”

  “Yes, I was sitting down at the restaurant when it broke,” I replied.

  Nurse Bailey looked directly at Connor. “You didn’t by chance have sex today, did you?”

  I looked at Connor, and he looked at me. “This is your fault!” I said.

  “My fault? You’re the one who invited me to take a shower with you before we left for the restaurant.”

  “Just relax, Ellery. Everything will be fine. I don’t want you to worry,” she said as she walked out of the room.

  * * *

  A few hours passed, and I wasn’t any further along. The contractions were getting worse, and Nurse Bailey stepped out of the room to call Dr. Reed. Henry was keeping a close eye on the fetal monitor, as was Connor.

  I was lying on my side, and Connor wiped my forehead with a cool cloth. A contraction had just ended. I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes. I felt Connor kiss me softly on the forehead as he pushed back my hair.

  “Get ready, Elle. Here comes another contraction,” he said as he stared at the monitor.

  “Why do you have to tell me, Connor?!” I yelled.

  “I want you to be prepared so you can start your breathing. I don’t want you to be caught off-guard.”

  Every bit of me wanted to kill him at that moment. The pain with each contraction was intensifying, and I felt like my body was trying to rip itself in two. As always, he was right, and another contraction came.

  “Breathe, Elle. Come on, baby, deep breaths.”

  “Connor, I think you better lay off. She’s getting pissed,” Peyton said.

  I started screaming in pain. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to be one of those women, but at that moment, I didn’t care. I didn’t care who heard me, and I didn’t care what they thought. Connor was still telling me to breathe, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

  “Tell me to breathe one more time, and I swear I’ll castrate you, Connor Black!” I screamed.

  I heard Peyton burst into laughter, and Connor looked at me.

  “Wow, Elle. That was uncalled for,” he said.

  “No! What’s uncalled for is you making me feel worse than I already do. I don’t want to know when another contraction is coming! I don’t want you to tell me to breathe! I know you’re trying to help me, but all I need from you, babe, is silence.”

  Connor stared at me and took my face in his hands. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean—”

  “I know you didn’t, Connor. It just hurts so bad, and I want it to be over,” I said as I interrupted him.

  “I know you do, and I can’t wait to see our daughter. She’s going to be beautiful, just like her mother.” He smiled.

  A tear fell from the corner of my eye and down my cheek as another contraction started and it was the worse one yet. I looked over at Henry.

  “Please, Henry, give me an epidural. Please, I’m begging you.”

  “Ellery, I can’t. You’re not dilated yet. I’m sorry,” he said as he shook his head.

  I wanted to die. This baby was tearing me apart inside, and something didn’t feel right. Nurse Bailey walked in and told Henry that Dr. Reed asked her to call him when I was dilated to five centimeters. Connor sighed, got up from the bed, and walked over to Henry.

  “How much longer is she going to be like this?” he asked.

  “Every woman is different, Connor. It’s hard to tell. She’s not even dilated to three yet. This could go on for another twenty-four hours.”

  “WHAT!” I exclaimed.

  Peyton took my hand and started rubbing it softly. “Don’t worry, Elle. We’re here to help you through this.”

  Connor turned and looked at me. He tilted his head and gave me a small smile as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “If I could have this baby for you, I would. I hate seeing you in so much pain,” he said as he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips.

  “I love you, Connor,” I whispered as I closed my eyes and braced myself for the next contraction.

  “I love you, Ellery.”

 
; Chapter 2

  Connor

  Seeing Ellery in pain like that was killing me. My heart ached for her with every scream she let out and every tear that fell from her eyes. I called my mom, dad, and Cassidy to let them know that Ellery had gone into labor. They stopped in the room for a few minutes to talk to her and then took seats out in the waiting room. Ellery and I had discussed that we didn’t want anyone else in the room during the delivery. Peyton had a hard time with our decision at first, but then understood. As Peyton and Ellery talked in between contractions, Henry asked me to step out into the hall.

  “I don’t want you to worry, but Ellery isn’t dilating like she should be. I’m getting concerned because her water broke, and I don’t want to risk an infection setting in. I think we need to let her get up and do some walking around to try and get her dilated.”

  “You tell me not to worry, but you’re worried about an infection,” I said.

  “I’ll call Dr. Reed and ask him what he advises,” he said as he put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m watching her and the baby very carefully.”

  “Thanks for keeping me posted, Henry.” I sighed as I walked back into the room.

  Ellery was lying on her side, panting and trying to breathe through another contraction as she squeezed Peyton’s hand. I walked over to her, sat on the edge of the bed, and grabbed her other hand.

  “Ellery, look at me. I need you to focus on me, not the pain.”

  She nodded her head and looked at me as her pain continued to spin out of control.

  “Our daughter is killing me, Connor. She’s going to KILL me!” she screamed as the contraction came to an end.

  Ellery closed her eyes. I took the cloth from the table and gently wiped her forehead with it.