Christmas Forever
Page 20
“Is she coming? Is it happening?”
Emily ruffled her hair. “I was just woken by my first contraction. It’ll take a little while though, so don’t get too excited! We’ll have plenty of time for breakfast.”
Chantelle pouted. “Okay. Can we have pancakes?”
“Definitely,” Emily said.
They went downstairs, still in their night clothes. To Emily’s surprise and delight, many of the guests had now gotten up, roused by the alarm, and were in the dining room waiting for her. Either that, or an early breakfast shift to begin.
As she entered, they erupted into applause. Friends came up to her, kissing her cheeks, wishing her the best.
“Thanks,” Emily blushed. She felt another sudden contraction and stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh boy, that seriously is not pleasant.”
Two people stood suddenly and rushed forward -- Sunita Patel and Rose Arkwright. They both offered Emily a seat, laughing as they bumped shoulders.
Emily took the seat and smiled up at the two doctors. “I didn’t know you were at the ball,” she said to Doctor Arkwright. “It was so busy I didn’t manage to greet everyone.”
“I wasn’t going to miss a Roman Westbrook gig,” the doctor replied. “No chance!”
Daniel came into the dining room then, taking in the sight of Emily huddled in the chair in the clear grips of a contraction.
“Okay, that was six minutes,” he told her. He looked appealing at the two doctors. “How are we doing?”
“You’re fine for now,” Rose replied. “You can have some breakfast. Take it easy. I’ll take over the timing.”
The door opened then and in came Terry, Matthew and Parker, carrying trays of pancakes. Emily couldn’t help but find the whole thing amusing -- in between the bursts excruciating pain, that was. Usually she hated being the center of attention but right now she didn’t mind at all. In fact, it was extremely comforting having everyone around her.
“Where’s my dad?” Emily asked, searching the crowd and finding Amy.
“He must still be sleeping,” she said. “It’s super early after all.”
Emily shook her head. “He always wakes up early.” She felt a surge of panic. “Can someone go and search for him?”
Several people leapt up, including Chantelle and Amy, and went off to search the inn for Roy.
“Is that him?” someone said.
Emily looked up and saw they were pointing out the large windows. Out on the grass, Roy was pacing backwards and forwards, looking like he was lost in thought. A sense of relief overcame Emily to see he was alive and well, even though his pacing behavior troubled her.
Through the window, she saw Chantelle run up to him, tugging him by the elbow. They exchanged some words, then a huge hug. Chantelle pointed back at the inn, next, and Roy’s expression changed. He took her hand and they trudged back together.
Emily looked up to the door, waiting for them to emerge through. Roy was first.
“You’re in labor?” he asked, sounding concerned but excited at the same time.
Emily nodded. “The contractions have just started. We have time for breakfast though. Please, take a seat.”
Roy sat opposite her, accepting a plate of pancakes from Matthew.
“What was that conversation about with Chantelle?” she asked Roy as she attempted to eat through the echoes of pain.
“She asked me if I was leaving today,” Roy said. “And I told her that I didn’t want to. I don’t want to go home, Emily. I want to stay with you. To see out my last fews weeks here, with my family, in this place I love.”
Emily hiccuped her emotion. “Dad, I want that more than anything,” she said.
“Really?” he asked. “I could live here with you until.. Until I pass?”
She nodded, feeling tears of relief spring from her eyes. “Yes! I can take care of you here.”
“Even with a newborn?”
“Even with a newborn.”
Just then, another huge contraction took hold of her. Rose Arkwright leapt up from her seat.
“They’re getting quicker, and fast. Emily, I think it’s time.”
The whole room erupted into a hubbub of noise. Emily grit her teeth and looked around at her friends eager expressions, at Daniel’s look of awe, terror and excitement. She waited until the pain subsided and allowed Daniel and Roy to help her to her feet.
“I should probably say goodbye in that case,” Emily said to the room. She paused, glancing around again at all the faces of everyone she loved. “You’ll come and visit, won’t you? At the hospital? I’d hate to be there alone again.”
She was met with a huge chorus of “YES!” and people telling her to “GO!”
Laughing, Emily turned, taking Daniel’s arm.
“Ready to meet our little girl?” she asked him.
“I’ve never been more ready,” he told her, smiling back.
Together, they headed for the door. Emily didn’t feel scared at all. All she felt was the warmth and love behind her, coming from her inn and all the people inside whom she adored. This was what Charlotte had been waiting for all along. This was the perfect moment for her to enter the world; a new year, a new beginning, surrounded by an abundance of love.
NOW AVAILABLE!
LOVE LIKE THIS
(The Romance Chronicles—Book #1)
“Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….[This is] the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”
--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re: For Now and Forever)
“A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”
--Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re: For Now and Forever)
LOVE LIKE THIS (The Romance Chronicles—Book #1) is the debut of a new romance series by #1 bestselling author Sophie Love.
Keira Swanson, 28, lands her dream job at Viatorum, a slick magazine in New York City, as an aspiring travel writer. But their culture is brutal, her boss is a monster, and she doesn’t know if she can last for long.
That changes when Keira, by a fluke, is handed a coveted assignment and given her big chance: to travel to Ireland for 30 days, witness the legendary Lisdoonvarna festival of love, and to debunk the myth that true love exists. Keira, cynical herself and in a rocky place with her long-term boyfriend, is all too happy to oblige.
But when Keira falls in love with Ireland and meets her Irish tour guide, who just may be the man of her dreams, she is no longer sure of anything.
A whirlwind romantic comedy that is as profound as it is funny, LOVE LIKE THIS is book #1 in the debut of a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, and will keep you turning pages late into the night—and will make you fall in love with romance all over again.
Book #2 in The Romance Chronicles is now also available!
LOVE LIKE THIS
(The Romance Chronicles—Book #1)
Sophie Love
#1 bestselling author Sophie Love is author of the romantic comedy series THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which includes eight books, and which begins with FOR NOW AND FOREVER (THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR—BOOK 1)— a free download on Kobo!
Sophie Love is also the author of the debut romantic comedy series, THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES, which begins with LOVE LIKE THIS (THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES—BOOK 1).
Sophie would love to hear from you, so please visit www.sophieloveauthor.com to email her, to join the mailing list, to receive free ebooks, t
o hear the latest news, and to stay in touch!
BOOKS BY SOPHIE LOVE
THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR
FOR NOW AND FOREVER (Book #1)
FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS (Book #2)
FOREVER, WITH YOU (Book #3)
IF ONLY FOREVER (Book #4)
FOREVER AND A DAY (Book #5)
FOREVER, PLUS ONE (Book #6)
FOR YOU, FOREVER (Book #7)
CHRISTMAS FOREVER (Book #8)
THE ROMANCE CHRONICLES
LOVE LIKE THIS (Book #1)
LOVE LIKE THAT (Book #2)
LOVE LIKE OURS (Book #3)
LOVE LIKE THEIRS (Book #4)