Unforeseen Heartbeat

by Maureen Mayer

  “Maddie, baby, I know now that I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I should have trusted you when you said you were sure about me… about us. I thought the time apart would help, but it only made me miss you that much more.” He cradled my face in his hands, brushing his calloused thumbs across my cheeks, and I leaned into his touch. “I’ve never, never doubted my feelings for you. Please don’t ever think that. I have loved you since the moment I held you in my arms and pressed my lips to your delicate throat, feeling your pulse race between us. That night changed my life, and I knew from that point on that you’d forever have claim over my heart… because it was always yours to begin with.”

  My chest tightened as his beautiful words grabbed ahold of me, but I shook my head back and forth, trying to drown them out.

  “Still don’t believe me?” He smiled as he reached down the front of his shirt and pulled out a silver chain with a diamond solitaire ring dangling from the end of it. “I wouldn’t have bought this ring before I left if I was having any doubts. You’re it for me, Maddie, and one day, I want to officially make you mine.”

  The hairs on my body stood on end, and my hands flew up, covering my mouth. He wanted to marry me? All this time?

  “I… I…” I didn’t know what to say. I was at a complete loss for words. I never expected to see him again, let alone hear him confess he wanted to marry me.

  “Baby, it’s all right. I’m not going to ask you while you’re laid up in a hospital bed, so you don’t have to worry about giving me an answer right now.” He brushed his lips across my knuckles, lingering over my ring finger. “But when the time is right, you better damn well be sure I’m going to get down on one knee and ask you to be my wife. I love you, Madelyn Jeanne Harrington, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you and our baby.”

  I couldn’t hold back the rush of tears that threatened to spill over. It was all too much for me to take in, and I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he was even here.

  “I-I can’t do this. It hurts too much. I haven’t heard from you in over four months. Four months, Hunter! And now you’re here, and I feel like my head is spinning out of control. Every time I look at you, I see a man who I thought once loved me… who I’m still crazy, madly in love with. And it kills me Hunter. It fucking kills me. Do you have any idea what you did to me?”

  “Yes.” Hunter traced his finger along my cheekbone, capturing a tear as it fell, but I recoiled. The pained expression on his face let me know he was clearly hurt by my rejection. “I have a pretty good idea… because I was going through the same hell you were, and I have no one to blame but myself. Being away from you these past few months has been un-fucking-bearable. I could hardly focus on my internship, my parents said I was a miserable little shit the entire time I was home… fuck, baby, I’d consider myself lucky if I got even a wink of sleep since I left, because every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was you. All I wanted was you.”

  He tilted my chin up, forcing my eyes to meet his. “I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Maddie, but please don’t push me away. I know I’ve made mistakes, but I’m here now, and I promise you I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Hunter, I just… I need some time to think about this. Okay? Can you give me that?” It wasn’t like he had much of a choice in the matter anyhow.

  He dipped his chin down to his chest and nodded. “I’ll give you all the time you need, Maddie. Just know that I love you with all my heart, and I’m not giving up on us. I will never give up on us.”

  He leaned forward, gently placing a hand on either side of my stomach, and kissed the spot where she had last kicked. “Daddy loves you.” Oh God, he was seriously trying to break me all over again. I didn’t know how much more my fragile heart could take before it finally gave out. I had to squeeze my eyes shut to prevent more tears from escaping, but when I felt his lips lightly feather over mine, they shot back open to find his steely gray eyes peering down at me. “I love you, too.”

  I mewled softly at the loss of contact, and Hunter stood, proceeding to make his way across the room. He took one last look at me with a sad smile that had my heart sinking further into my chest and turned to leave, giving me exactly what I had asked for. Time.

  I laid there for I don’t know how long before I heard someone lightly tapping on the door. It slowly creaked open, and a familiar gruff voice filled the room. “It’s good to see you awake, Ms. Harrington.” I turned to see Officer Michaels, the same officer who had been dealing with this shit storm from the very beginning, tucking his hat under his arm and smiling as he approached my bed.

  “I’d say it’s good to see you too, but… well, you know…” I shrugged, looking down at my hospital gown.

  “Considering the circumstances, I won’t hold it against you,” he chuckled softly under his breath. “I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

  I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I do, but I have to be honest, Officer, I don’t remember much of the accident. I keep getting flashes of images here and there, but nothing significant. Nothing that really stands out.” I shook my head, gently caressing my stomach. “All I know is that there’s no way I lost control of that car on my own. Someone else is responsible for what happened to us.”

  Officer Michaels nodded and pulled up a chair beside me. “I’m sorry to say but, from what we gathered thus far, there’s no evidence of foul play.”

  “What?!” I sat up abruptly, setting off the heart rate monitor. “What do you mean? How is that possible?”

  “I’m not gonna lie, your friend’s car was pretty banged up, but there were no paint transfers or dents matching those of another car. The only tire tracks left matched those of the vehicle you were driving.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “What we can’t explain, though, is what caused you to veer off the side of the road before it rolled down the embankment. We had the car inspected thoroughly, and nothing appeared faulty, so we’ve yet to figure out what caused you to lose control of the car.”

  “Are… are you saying that you think this was my fault?”

  “Ms. Harrington, we’re not trying to insinuate that anyone is to blame just yet. We’re just trying to look at this from all angles. We’ll continue to investigate the accident further, but unless you can come forward with any additional information, there’s not much left for us to go on.”

  “I understand.” I sank back against my pillow in defeat. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help to you.”

  “It’s completely understandable after everything you’ve been through. If you do happen to think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to call. You have my number?” I nodded, and he patted my hand before stepping out of the room.

  Fuck, why couldn’t I remember anything? I tried to wrack my brain for something, anything, but all that flickered through my mind was the piercing sound of crushing metal, the metallic scent of blood flooding my senses, and… eyes; dark, venomous eyes. I couldn’t make out who they belonged to, but that was all the proof I needed to know I wasn’t going crazy. Someone was responsible for almost claiming my life and the life of my unborn baby.

  I rolled over onto my side, feeling more alone than ever, and buried my face in the pillow, letting the soft cotton absorb the pain that weighed so heavily on my heart. I had no idea what I was going to do. I loved Hunter. I loved him so damn much that it hurt to imagine a life without him, but I couldn’t welcome him back with loving, open arms as if nothing ever happened. He needed to understand that what he did to me, crushing my heart and leaving me without a second thought, nearly destroyed me. I didn’t think it was possible to ever feel whole again, but seeing him here in my hospital room, smiling at me, caressing my round belly and talking to our little girl in his adorable baby voice, it brought back all of those feelings that made me fall in love with him in the first place. For a brief moment, it seemed as though he had never left, and we were sharing this beautiful experience together as family.


  Then reality set in, and my heart crumbled to pieces all over again. Because we weren’t that happy family, and we might never be.

  Bed rest sucked ass.

  After I came home from the hospital with strict orders from my doctor not to leave my bed except to shower and use the bathroom, I soon learned that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. You’d think being waited on hand and foot would’ve been a welcome change, but it was more frustrating than anything. I had to take more time off work and missed the last few weeks of classes, but luckily, my professors were understanding of the situation and let me reschedule my exams for a later time.

  Robbie and Lance were like watch dogs, making sure I wasn’t wandering around the apartment when I shouldn’t be. One night, I snuck out into the kitchen to grab a snack, and as soon as I cracked the fridge open, Robbie switched all the lights on in the apartment and set off a foghorn, scaring the piss out of me. Literally. And you bet your ass I made him clean it up, too!

  The only real benefit of being on bed rest was that mom came over every day to cook for the three us. Robbie and Lance sure weren’t complaining about that part of the deal and told me I should be on bed rest more often. That earned them both an unamused eye roll and a smack on the back of the head.

  When my six-month checkup rolled around, I thought I was in the early stages of cabin fever and was glad I could finally leave the house without everyone breathing down my neck every five seconds. Brett offered to take me to my appointment, but this time, I decided to call the one person who should really be sharing in these moments of our baby’s life. It had been a month since I’d last spoken to him that day in the hospital, and he kept his promise, giving me the time and space I needed to mull things over, but now, as I was holding the phone in my hand and dialing his number, I wasn’t really sure what to say to him. The phone rang and rang, and by the fifth ring I was about to hang up, but then I heard his deep, gravelly voice coming through the phone.

  “Madelyn?”

  My words got caught in my throat when I heard my name roll off his tongue.

  “Are you there?”

  “Y-yeah,” I finally managed to croak out. “Um, hi.”

  He let out a low sigh. “Hi.” Another pause settled before either of us spoke. “Is everything okay? Is the baby okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, everything’s fine. The baby is doing just fine. That’s actually why I was calling you. I have a prenatal checkup today and I was… I was wondering if you’d like to come with me.” I chewed the inside of my cheek nervously, waiting for him to answer.

  “Baby, I would love to come with you.” I couldn’t see him right now, but I knew on the other end of the line he was smiling. “What time should I pick you up?”

  “My appointment is at noon, but I like to get there a little early, so let’s say eleven thirty?”

  “Perfect. I’ll be there. Oh… and Maddie?”

  “Yeah, Hunter?”

  He released a deep breath into the phone. “Thank you.”

  A slight grin teased my lips. “You’re welcome. I’ll see you in a little bit.” I was just about to hang up, but then I remembered one more thing I had to tell him. “Oh wait, Hunter!”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “Don’t bring the bike.”

  He chuckled softly, and God, did I miss hearing that beautiful sound. “I’ll be sure to bring Lola. Be there in a few.”

  “Thanks.”

  After I hung up the phone, I took a quick shower and slipped on a pair of yoga pants, which as of late had become a staple part of my wardrobe, and one of my more form-fitting maternity shirts that had “Precious Cargo” stretched across the belly. I threw my hair up in a high ponytail and padded across the kitchen to fill up a glass of water. The ultrasound techs told me it was easier to see the baby when I had a full bladder, so I had to drink almost three full glasses. If I didn’t pee all over the exam table in the doctor’s office, it would be a miracle.

  Just as I was finishing the last glass, I heard the front door creak open and figured Robbie had come home on his lunch break. It wasn’t until I saw that oh so familiar tattoo come snaking around my waist and felt lips pressed against my right shoulder that I spit the rest of my water out and yelped, elbowing him in the ribs.

  “Easy, it’s just me!” Hunter stepped back with one hand raised in the air and the other nursing his ribs. “I knocked, but no one answered, so I let myself in.”

  “Jesus, Hunter, don’t do that!” My hand flew over my chest as I caught my breath.

  “Sorry. He pinched my elbow playfully. “Geez, did these scrawny little things get bonier while I was gone? No wonder that felt like it went straight through my ribs.”

  I smirked over my shoulder and shoved his chest back, giving me room to push away from the counter. His eyes grew wide at first, but then softened, almost in awe, as he drank me in.

  “Fuck, Maddie.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Not looking so boney now, am I?”

  Hunter moved in closer, my swollen belly and tender breasts brushing against him until he had me backed up against the counter. My chest rose and fell in heavy pants as I watched his hand come up to stroke my cheek, and his stormy gray eyes locked so tight onto mine that I couldn’t blink. Slowly, his hand lowered, and he trailed his fingers over the delicate flesh of my neck and skimmed them across the outside of my breast. My body quivered at the feel of his gentle, yet intimate touch, and as he placed his hand atop my distended abdomen, he smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of my lips. “You are so damn beautiful, Madelyn. Every. Single. Inch of you.”

  “Even the extra inches?” I cocked an eyebrow.

  He ran his hands along the swell of my hips and grabbed my ass. “Baby, those extra inches just mean there’s more of you to love.” He gave me another quick peck on the lips before pulling away. I wanted so badly to scold him for that little comment, as well as for the stolen kisses, but really, it made me feel good to know that he still found me attractive. Lately, I’d felt as big as a house, and I still had a few months to go. I quickly pivoted around so he couldn’t see the blush staining my cheeks and reached for my purse.

  “We should probably get going.” I turned back with my head dipped down, avoiding any chance of him hypnotizing me again with those dreamy eyes.

  Hunter tucked his finger beneath my chin, drawing my attention back to him. “Please stop trying to hide from me, Maddie. I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”

  I gave him a weak smile, and while I locked up the apartment, he went ahead and pulled his car up in front of the building before coming around the passenger side to hold the door open for me.

  “I know I’m pregnant, but I’m capable of opening my own door.”

  He traced his tongue over his bottom lip and cocked his head to the side, grinning down at me. “Just humor me.”

  God, sometimes I really hated how easily he got to me, and seeing him standing there in a navy blue V-neck tee that hugged his chest perfectly and jeans that hung so low and fit so snug around his firm ass… Ugh, I just wanted to bite it! And I couldn’t even blame it on the pregnancy hormones; that was just the effect Hunter Bryant always had on me.

  I blinked rapidly, so he wouldn’t notice I was ogling him when he came back to the driver side of the car, and as he sank into the seat next to me, he turned to me and winked. Oh, he noticed all right. I quickly rambled off directions to my doctor’s office, and we sat in silence as he drove. There was still a slight awkwardness hovering between us that I just couldn’t shake, and I knew I was partially to blame. I wasn’t ready to take the leap and let him all of the way back into my life just yet, but allowing him to come to my appointment today was the first of several baby steps I would need to take to get us there.

  By now, I was a pro at these prenatal checkups, and after going through the usual routine of having my weight and blood pressure taken and my stomach measured, the doctor came in and asked how I was feeling. She checked to make sure there wasn
’t any more bleeding and gave me the okay to get off bed rest. We then discussed what to expect for the last three months of my pregnancy, and Hunter sat there the entire time, listening intently to every detail. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he made mental notes. I couldn’t help but smile, because it was too damn cute.

  Once the appointment was over, Hunter pulled the doctor aside to speak to her privately before we went next door to have the ultrasound done. I had a tiny hunch what he might’ve been asking her, but I let it slide for now, because chances were, my pregnancy brain would cause me to forget the whole conversation between them ever happened in about two-point-five seconds anyhow.

  Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long when we got there. The ultrasound tech took me back to a room right away and prepped me, smearing a big glob of warm gel over my belly. I had to admit I was a little nervous, not for myself, but for Hunter. This would be his first time seeing our little girl, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to handle it.

  The first thing I heard was the woosh woosh woosh of her tiny heart, and each and every time I heard that beautiful sound, my eyes would instantly fill with tears; it made her feel that much more real, almost tangible. I looked down to see Hunter’s hand curled around mine, and he gazed up at me, completely awestruck by the sound filling the room.

  “Looks like your baby has a good, strong heartbeat. It’s about one hundred and fifty beats per minute, which is right around where it should be.” Shannon, my usual ultrasound tech, smiled down at me, and by the way she was chewing her bottom lip, I knew exactly what was going to come out of her mouth next. “So… do you think y’all are ready to find out if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

  Hunter looked surprised to hear that. “You mean you can tell us right now?”

  “I would love to! I’ve been waiting to tell this one over here,” she tilted her head in my direction, “since her last visit, but I think she’s been waiting for someone to share the special moment with.”