Taming the Texas Playboy

by Crystal Green

  The adoption facilitator had already drawn up a birth plan and given it to the hospital, so the staff was basically treating Ally like one of their patients, checking her in to this room, bringing her food. The only inconvenience seemed to be that she couldn’t be in the delivery room with the birth mother and the baby, and Jeremiah could see the wear and tear on Ally.

  “What time is it?” she asked, stopping her pacing for a second.

  Her hair was askew. It was the only time Jeremiah had ever seen it out of place, and he wasn’t sure if it was because she’d been running her hands through it in her anxiety or…

  His thoughts strayed back to what had gone on at that winery, where they’d kissed each other senseless, plus a little more.

  It all came back with a pounding that wasn’t so much physical as emotional. And that was another reason to get out of here—because he didn’t know what to do with these feelings she brought out in him.

  “It’s now five minutes since you asked what time it was before,” he said, injecting some levity into his tone, thinking they both needed it.

  “And there’s no news about the baby yet?” Ally nervously pushed back her hair. “Even on the phone, Michele said the baby was on his or her way and that the delivery was happening fast. The baby’s due date isn’t even here, and I was hoping their estimation wouldn’t be that off…. The nursery’s not even done yet….”

  “The cradle’s in your room, right?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Ally, why don’t you sit down until Michele gets back with an update?”

  She shook her head, walking toward the door, which was open. Outside in the hallway, nurses passed by, carrying clipboards, going about their business.

  When they’d checked Ally in, everyone had looked at Jeremiah as if he was going to be a father, just as she was going to be a mother, and he felt like an impostor, even though he was determined to stick by Ally’s side.

  For as long as she needed him.

  But how long would that be? From this point on, she would have a baby, and he knew that he had no business hanging around with her any longer.

  He glanced at his watch again, needing to occupy himself. Despite everything, Ally’s anxiety was his own, because he wanted everything to go right, too.

  “You said your house is at least an hour away?” The winery was much closer to the hospital, so he hadn’t hesitated in taking her straight here, although he didn’t know what more he could do for her. “Jessica and Mrs. McCarter should arrive soon.”

  They were the ones who belonged here—not him.

  Ally stopped her pacing, sending him an unexpected, soft smile that just about tore out his heart. “You’re here, though.”

  She said it as if she needed him…wanted him around.

  And he realized that he didn’t want to be anywhere else but here, even with that candid gaze she’d revealed to him at the winery.

  “I’ve got nowhere better to go,” he said.

  Ally’s smile grew. So did his heart.

  But then a voice sounded in the hallway, and that snagged her attention back to the situation at hand.

  When nobody came busting into her room with baby news, he said, “Don’t worry. Everything’s going fine in that delivery room. I’d put a bet on it.”

  “It’s not just…that.”

  Her tone was ragged, and Jeremiah stood from his chair, his first instinct to comfort her.

  He walked toward her. “What else is it?”

  She twisted her dress, hesitating, then she shook her head, as if the words weren’t coming easily.

  “Ally?” he asked.

  She looked up at him with shiny, tear-brimmed eyes. “Cheryl’s in there giving birth to a child, and that has to do something to a mother. It has to bring out high emotions, and I’m scared to death that when she looks at that little baby…”

  “Shhh.”

  Jeremiah held Ally against him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face against his chest.

  “What if she calls this whole thing off?” she asked.

  “Don’t think that way. Don’t ruin this day by dwelling on something that won’t happen.”

  “But Cheryl’s going to be spending time alone with the baby. It’s in the adoption agreement. She’s allowed to say goodbye, and then the facilitator is going to ask her if this is what she really wants to do. She has an opportunity to take it all back. She can contest the adoption up to thirty days after the birth.”

  Thirty days of hell. Jeremiah hugged Ally tighter, wanting to shield her.

  “And after those thirty days,” he said, “you’re going to have a happy life with your new child. You’ll see, Ally. You’ll see.”

  They stayed like that, in each other’s arms, for what seemed like a lifetime. Jeremiah never wanted to let her go, and it didn’t have anything to do with carnal impulses, either. He wanted to be here as long as it took for her to stop trembling.

  He even wanted to see the look on her face when they brought that baby to her….

  His shirt had gotten wet from her tears, and he stroked her hair.

  “Jeremiah?” she finally whispered.

  “Yeah.”

  She sniffed, angled her head so that she was looking at him.

  His heart…

  It wasn’t his anymore. Maybe it hadn’t been for a while.

  “Remember what you said about how I make you think that a person doesn’t have to be in a situation alone?” she asked. “You make me feel like I’m not going to be that way. It’s good to have Mrs. McCarter, and even Aunt Jess, too…. But I don’t know if anyone could’ve talked me down the way you just did.”

  There went that glow in him again. “You’re not nervous now?”

  “No, I’m still about to jump out of my skin.” She gave a little laugh that sounded as if it was on the edge of more tears. “But you’re steady. And I’m glad circumstance brought you here to be with me now.”

  She went back to laying her head against his chest.

  God. If she had found the purpose in her life with this baby, Jeremiah had just found his, too.

  Her.

  How long he would fit into this existence of hers, he just didn’t know. It couldn’t be forever though. Today had just been full of high emotion, and he was sure that as soon as it burned off and life settled into normal for Ally, she wouldn’t need him around at all. She would go back to looking at him with distrust. He couldn’t imagine it any other way.

  As disappointment weighed him, he heard footsteps on the tile.

  Ally lifted her head, and he turned around to find a brunette in glasses and a business skirt suit.

  “Michele…?” Ally said, obviously hoping the woman had news.

  She was smiling, her gaze tearful. “Hi, Mom. You’ve got a beautiful little baby girl.”

  Ally might’ve fallen to the floor in utter joy and relief if Jeremiah hadn’t been there to prop her up. He’d even brought her to a cushioned chair, helping her to sit down with the utmost gentleness.

  He stayed with her for the next twenty minutes or so as she shook, giving in to her tears.

  But Ally didn’t want her baby to see her as an emotional wreck, no matter whether her little girl would recognize that quality or not at this point in her new life. Ally didn’t want to give off the impression of a woman who was terribly afraid of losing the child she so dearly wanted. What had Cheryl thought when she’d first seen the baby? Did she want to keep her?

  As the thoughts chomped on Ally, Jeremiah made sure they both sanitized with gel. His skin was warm on hers as he rubbed it into her hands.

  “A little girl,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.

  His reaction made her tear up even more.

  Luckily, just after about twenty minutes, when she’d contained herself, Michele came back into the room alone.

  “How’s Cheryl?” Ally asked.

  “Fine as can be, but she’d like to have a moment alone wit
h her brother while we bring the baby in here. You can see Cheryl soon, if you’d like.”

  “I would.”

  Then Jeremiah took hold of Ally’s hand as a nurse appeared in the doorway, and in her arms…

  Ally choked back a sob. In her arms was a pink-swathed bundle, with a tiny pink face and a cap on her head.

  “Are you ready?” Michele asked.

  “Yes,” Ally said. Yes.

  Jeremiah let go of her hand, backing away. She felt his absence sharply, but he remained in the room as the nurse brought over her baby.

  She eased the child into the cradle of Ally’s arms. Her baby’s eyes were closed, her lips pursed, sweeter than anything Ally had ever seen.

  Tears spilled down her face, but they weren’t worried or nervous tears. This was what she’d been meant to be—a mother.

  “Hi, Caroline,” Ally said, brushing her finger over the baby’s oh-so-soft cheek. The child stirred in the blanket, her eyes still closed, her fists bunched. The most perfect baby ever.

  And when Ally looked up, she found Jeremiah right there, smiling, with an emotional glint in his eyes she’d never seen…nor expected.

  He was a real man, not just a playboy or a tycoon. And he was touched, maybe even overwhelmed, by seeing mother and daughter together.

  She glanced back down at Caroline, thinking of their future: nights spent sitting in front of the fireplace while she hummed lullabies to her child. The smell of baby powder and soft skin. The feel of her baby held against her heart.

  All of it was right there in her daughter’s beautiful little face.

  Time flew by because, suddenly, she had to give Caroline back to the nurse. Her arms felt awfully empty as she watched her baby go through the door.

  Ally pressed her hand to her chest. It hurt.

  But then Jeremiah was there again, his palm on her shoulder, making the anguish subside with every quickening beat of her pulse.

  When they locked gazes, there was no need to say anything. He’d been here during the most important time of her life. He was the only one who would ever be able to share that with her.

  The only one…

  Michele cleared her throat from across the room. Ally couldn’t even recall whether her facilitator had left and only returned now, or if she’d been here the entire time.

  “They’ll be bringing the baby back in about twenty, thirty minutes,” Michele said. “Would you like to check in on Cheryl in the meantime? She should be ready for you.”

  Ally nodded, rising from the chair. She took a step forward but, on impulse, turned around and hugged Jeremiah, loving the feel of that strong chest, those capable arms.

  Loving that he would be here when she got back.

  He smiled at her as she left him in the room to wait for Jess and Mrs. McCarter to arrive, to catch them up on what was going on.

  Please, God, Ally thought. Please make it so that Cheryl didn’t change her mind. Please…

  When she got to the birth mother’s room, Ally could see that Cheryl was wiped out, her eyes reddened as she conjured a sad smile for Ally. The man who must’ve been her brother—he looked just like her with his blond hair and big blue eyes—greeted her, too.

  Ally didn’t even say anything to Cheryl, just took her hand in both of hers and pressed her cheek to it, unable to speak because her throat had completely closed off.

  They stayed like that for a while, until Cheryl finally said, “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  Ally nodded, bracing herself for bad news.

  A tear fell from the birth mother’s eye. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but it’s for the best.” She stopped, swallowed hard. Her next words barely got out. “Take good care of her.” A blessing.

  A prayer answered.

  Unable to hold back even more tears, Ally rested her forehead against Cheryl’s hand. “I will. I’m going to make Caroline the happiest child in the world.”

  And she would live up to that promise no matter what it took.

  Back in the other hospital room, Jeremiah was trying not to feel like a fifth wheel. The newly arrived Mrs. McCarter and Jessica scurried around, decorating with “Congratulations!” balloons and streamers that Mrs. McCarter had been hiding away until this special day. They’d also brought Ally’s prepacked overnight bag.

  Both women had been highly disappointed at missing the main action, but they’d recovered quickly.

  “How long will it be before we can see the baby?” Jessica asked no one in particular as she tied a balloon to one of the chairs.

  “Too long.” Mrs. McCarter used her cane to put a stray balloon back into place among its bunch. “A little girl. I can’t wait to sew dresses and pajamas for her.”

  “We’ll make her into a regular ol’ fashion plate.” If Jessica had any doubts about the adoption, she sure wasn’t showing it now. In fact, since Ally was allowed to have guests stay overnight in the room, the spots had gone to her aunt and Mrs. McCarter.

  Jeremiah wasn’t much for fashion talk. And he was sure that he should leave this family alone while they greeted their new member.

  “Is anyone up for a snack?” he asked. “I’m headed to the cafeteria.”

  “Not hungry, but thanks,” Jessica said.

  Mrs. McCarter grinned at him. “Ditto.”

  They’d already thanked him profusely for taking care of Ally while they’d been on their way to the hospital. Thank God they hadn’t asked just where he’d taken off to with Ally beforehand.

  Maybe they knew better.

  He walked out of the room, following the small signs that pointed toward the cafeteria. Mrs. McCarter clearly enjoyed having him around, but Jessica didn’t seem to care much for him. He couldn’t blame her, either, when she’d been in the thick of his social set, hearing every rumor and story that had circulated about him.

  Probably Jessica was counting down the minutes until he skedaddled. And he had no reservations about Ally making good on her promise to keep only good influences around her baby.

  But he would respect her wishes this time and leave, even if there was still a garbage disposal that needed fixing at her house.

  For some reason, that broken disposal hounded Jeremiah as he entered the cafeteria. Ally shouldn’t have to handle something like a rogue household appliance when she had so much else on her plate. He should’ve already gotten it done, anyway.

  He grabbed a burger, fries and a soda, and just after he paid for his food, he ran into one of the nurses who’d poked her head into Ally’s room sometime along the line. She was a young one, her hair pulled back into thin braids, her eyes big and dark against creamy brown skin.

  “How’re things going with you?” she asked, holding her tray of salad and bottled water. “The baby’s doing well, isn’t she?”

  “Real well.” By now, that burger’s aroma was getting to him, just calling out to be eaten.

  “I have to say—you and your girlfriend and that baby make for a sight. You’re a beautiful bunch.”

  His…girlfriend.

  Again, Jeremiah remembered how he’d felt when they’d been checking Ally in. The staff had first thought that he was with her, a new dad. Some of them evidently were still under that impression.

  “I’m not the boyfriend,” he said. “I’m…”

  What?

  The nurse had wrinkled her forehead as he struggled for a word, then said, “…Just a friend.”

  But that sounded wrong.

  “Oh.” The nurse seemed embarrassed. “Well, good luck to you and the new mom. She’s going to need as many friends as she can get right now.”

  She went on her way, to a table full of other staff members who were also dressed in scrubs. Jeremiah glanced around, then found his own table.

  So the nurse had assumed that he was a significant other. But if people were mistaking him for a loved one just how significant had he become?

  Even as excitement rolled through him—they had to have seen something o
bvious between him and Ally—he couldn’t eat a bite. He just kept hearing an old voice in his mind.

  You’ll never change. And it was Nancy’s voice, from college. You are what you are, and I can’t set myself up for the day you go back to the old you.

  How could he even think of setting up Ally—and Caroline—for that kind of surety? It would be unconscionable when Jeremiah knew damned well that being with Ally and the new baby had only provided him with temporary feelings of constancy and commitment. That he had watched them with that glow around his heart only because it had been a glorious moment that would fade as soon as reality returned.

  But as soon as he thought about going back to Texas, his gut bunched.

  He’d never been happier than he’d been here, with her. With…them.

  He forced himself to eat the burger, then go back to the room. Who knew why when he should’ve just left altogether.

  Maybe it was just the garbage disposal. And, by the time he finished with it, this fantasy of peace and quiet would have worn off, anyway, and he would be ready to go, forgetting about how Ally had broken off a bit of his heart today.

  Good and ready.

  As he neared her room, he realized that things were quiet. Too quiet. And he found out why soon enough.

  Ally was sitting on the bed with Mrs. McCarter, holding Caroline, and Jessica was taking a picture.

  After the flash subsided, Ally saw him. Her face lit up, and he knew he’d made the right decision about staying for the time being.

  Mrs. McCarter kept her voice low as she said, “Look who’s back! It’s photo time, Mr. Barron. Get over here.”

  “I can’t—”

  “Nonsense,” said the older woman. “You came to the rescue and got Ally here on time for the birth. You’re a part of the Gale family story, my boy.”

  Jessica didn’t say much as Jeremiah gave in and sauntered to the bed.

  Ally took his hand. “Would you like to hold her?”

  “Me?” Jeremiah tried to back off. Newborn babies were delicate and he would be like a bull in a china shop.

  “Yes,” she said. “You.”