by Marie Force
Finn wished there was a way he could look up the meds on his phone, but his phone was in his pants pocket on the floor of her bedroom where she waited for him to bring water. He refilled the glass and brought it with him when he turned off the light and returned to her, forcing a smile for her.
He didn’t want her to know that he’d seen the meds. He wanted her to trust him enough to share the truth with him. Maybe that wouldn’t happen tonight, but now, at least, he had an inkling of what was standing between them.
Although why she thought her health problem would stand in their way was beyond him. When he’d told her there was nothing she could say that would make him not want her, he’d meant it. That included health concerns.
Chloe seemed tense when he got into bed with her, handed her the glass of water and pulled the covers up over both of them.
“Thanks.”
Was it his imagination or was she having trouble looking at him? Had she realized what he would see after she let him go into the kitchen?
Finn decided to address the elephant in the room. “Chloe…”
She yawned. “God, I’m so tired, and it’s getting late. I’ve got to get some sleep, or I’ll be a zombie tomorrow.”
Okay, so the conversation wasn’t going to happen tonight. Finn could be patient and let her get around to telling him when she was ready—or not. He couldn’t force her to tell him anything, nor would he ever push her to do something that made her uncomfortable. No, he could only hope that she would level with him so he’d know what he was up against.
And if she didn’t? He had no answer to that question. “Come here.” Raising an arm, he waited and hoped she would snuggle up to him.
After a brief hesitation, she turned toward him and rested her head on his chest.
Finn wrapped an arm around her. “Get some rest.” He made small, smoothing circles on her back, hoping she would relax enough to sleep. “And just so you know, there is nothing I wouldn’t do for more with you. Nothing at all. So if you think there’s something I can’t handle or wouldn’t want to handle, you’re wrong. I want to be with you, any way I can have you.”
* * *
Chloe squeezed her eyes closed, hoping to contain the tears that wanted out after his sweet words. Did he have any idea what those words meant to her? To know he cared enough to put that out there, to perfectly summarize everything she had been thinking and feeling since they met? He couldn’t possibly know what the medications were for, but he’d put two plus two together to understand that she was dealing with a serious health problem.
Tell him.
Her inner voice registered its vote even as her better judgment voted to refrain from sharing. It was too much to unload into a brand-new relationship that wasn’t even really a relationship at all. Rather, it was more like a flirtation that had gotten out of hand.
If she kept telling herself that, maybe she’d begin to believe her own lies.
This had been way more than a flirtation from the beginning. And as she breathed in the fresh, clean scent of him while his chest hair tickled her face and his hand made soft circles on her back, she began to accept that she was well and truly screwed when it came to him—in more ways than one.
The sex had been astonishing, not that she should be surprised. He could practically make her come just by being in the same room. For the rest of her life, she’d never forget the sexy way he’d pulled his dress shirt over his head to reveal the beautiful chest that now served as her pillow.
Thinking about the sex made her want more of it, but she couldn’t have that. Not now anyway. She wasn’t kidding when she said she’d be a mess in the morning after being on her feet all day into the evening at the fundraiser and then giving her body an aggressive workout in bed with him.
Tell him.
The words sat on the tip of her tongue. I have rheumatoid arthritis. Over the next few years, it’s likely that I’ll become unable to work, among other possible challenges. I’m terrified of what the future holds, and the last thing I want to do is drag a sweet guy like you down with me.
He would argue with her, tell her that it didn’t matter when they both knew it did matter. It mattered greatly. If they’d been dating a couple of years when she got the diagnosis, that would be another story. But they’d only just met, and while the attraction was intense—and mutual—it couldn’t be more than that. It just couldn’t.
Chloe needed to talk to someone about this, and as much as she wished she could unload on a professional, she couldn’t bring herself to take this particular issue to Finn’s father. It wouldn’t be fair to Finn or his dad. In the morning, she would ask Katie to meet her for a drink after work, and Chloe would ask for her friend’s take on it. She trusted Katie to keep the information about her condition confidential, but more than that, Katie was engaged to Finn’s cousin, which would give her the kind of insight she desperately needed to figure out what to do about the man who had upended her well-ordered life the second his head smacked into hers.
Satisfied that she had a plan, Chloe closed her eyes, released the deep breath she’d been holding and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
At midnight, Adam tiptoed up the stairs to check on Abby, who’d been asleep for two hours following another bout of vomiting. Hearing that others on the island had the same flu made him feel slightly better, but he was still concerned about how lethargic she had been earlier. She hadn’t even had the energy to hold Liam, which meant she had to be truly sick. Under normal circumstances, she rarely put the baby down, going so far as to strap him to her chest while she worked at the store.
Liam was fast asleep after taking his last bottle from Daddy, who had also bathed and dressed him in the cute little footie pajamas that had become part of Adam’s daily life, along with the many other things that had come with having a baby.
The little guy had utterly transformed their lives, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Adam had cut way back on work so he could spend most of his time with Liam, and Abby had even hired someone to help out a few hours a week at the store so she could be home more during the busy summer season.
Life had never been better for either of them. What did it say about how much he loved his wife that one afternoon and evening without her had left him craving her company? He brushed his teeth and changed into lightweight pajama pants, checked the baby one more time and then slid into bed next to his sleeping wife.
Adam gently rested a hand on her forehead, which was thankfully cool. At least she didn’t have a fever. He hoped Liam wouldn’t get whatever had felled her.
Abby stirred with a moan.
“Are you okay?” Adam whispered.
“Feel sick again.”
Adam turned on the light, jumped out of bed, got the bowl he’d put on the bedside table and held it for her with one hand while containing her hair with the other hand while she suffered through more dry heaves. “If you still feel shitty in the morning, I want to take you to the clinic.”
She groaned. “Can’t go anywhere like this.”
“Then I’ll call David and ask him to come here. You’re scaring me, sweetheart.”
“Sorry.”
He kissed her forehead. “Don’t be sorry.”
“I think it passed. For now.”
Adam settled her back into bed, smoothing the dark hair back from her pale face. He would text David first thing and ask him to stop by on the way to the clinic.
She was up twice during the night with dry heaves, and Adam was up another time with Liam. Exhausted after a rough night, he texted David at ten after six, asking him if he could possibly swing by to check on Abby on his way to work.
David wrote right back. Happy to. The annual stomach bug arrived with Race Week. Will be by around seven thirty.
Thanks so much.
The man who would’ve been his brother-in-law once upon a time had redeemed himself for cheating on Janey by saving Mac’s daughter Hailey and then, later, saving Janey and
her son, PJ, who would’ve died without David performing an emergency C-section. The McCarthy family owed David a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid.
Adam brewed a smaller than usual pot of coffee and sat by himself in the kitchen, waiting for the telltale squeak from the nursery that began every new day. He’d never been a morning person until he became a dad. Now the early mornings, sleepless nights and shorter workdays were a small price to pay for the boundless joy that Liam had brought them.
He yawned and ran his fingers through his hair, anticipating a long day on baby duty since Abby was sick.
Right on schedule, Liam began his morning chatter, bringing a smile to his father’s face. Adam downed his second cup of coffee and went upstairs to tend to his little man.
Forty minutes later, a light knock on the mudroom door announced David’s arrival.
Carrying the baby, Adam went downstairs to let him in. “Morning.”
“How’s it going?” David offered a finger to Liam, who wrapped his little fist around it.
“We’ve been better. Mommy isn’t feeling good, right, buddy?”
“Yayayayaya.”
“I swear he’s going to talk early.”
David rolled his eyes. “All parents think they’ve got the next Albert Einstein.”
“You’ll be singing that tune before much longer.”
“Hope so. We’re certainly enjoying the trying.”
“Spare me the details, Doc.”
David laughed.
“Let me go tell Abby you’re here and give her a minute to wake up. Help yourself to some coffee.”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Still holding Liam, Adam went upstairs. “Let’s wake up Mommy and tell her Doctor David is here to see her.”
Liam managed to grab a fistful of Adam’s hair and give it a good yank.
“Yow, buddy. That hurts.”
Liam’s belly laugh had Adam on the verge of laughing, too, but he was trying not to laugh at every naughty thing the baby did. “No, no. That hurts. Use gentle hands.”
Liam patted his face, which turned Adam to putty.
“Yeah, buddy. Just like that.” He sat on the edge of the bed and was alarmed once again by how pale Abby was. “Hey, hon. David is here to see you.” Giving her a gentle shake, he waited for her gorgeous eyes to open. But on this morning, not even the sight of Liam could bring a spark of life to them.
“David is here?”
“I texted him, and he agreed to stop by on his way to the clinic. Is it okay if I let him come up?”
“Let me at least brush my teeth first.”
He got up so she could and ended up having to grab her to keep her from falling. What the hell was going on? “Easy, babe.”
She held on to him until the dizziness passed. “I’m okay.”
Adam stayed close as she walked to the bathroom and then back to bed. The small bit of activity seemed to have left her completely drained. He was more concerned than ever. “Let me get David.” He called down for David to come upstairs and showed him into the master bedroom.
Liam picked that moment to loudly fill his diaper and begin howling.
“I’ll let you guys talk while I take care of him.” Adam wanted to be there to hear what David had to say, but Liam needed to be changed and fed. In that order.
Twenty minutes later, he had the baby in his high chair chowing down on oatmeal and applesauce when David came downstairs.
Adam’s heart was in his throat. “Is she… Is she okay?” That was the only thing that truly mattered to him—that she and Liam and the rest of his family were okay.
“She’s going to be fine. I’ll let her fill you in. I’ve got to get to the clinic.”
Adam stood to shake his hand. “Thank you for coming by. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem at all. Have a good day, Adam.”
“You, too.”
On fire with curiosity, Adam quickly got Liam cleaned up and out of the high chair over the baby’s strenuous objections. “Give me five minutes with Mommy, pal, and I’ll fill your tray with Cheerios.” Sometimes Adam was certain that Liam understood every word he said. This was one of those times, because the promise of Cheerios calmed him right down.
Adam headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He went into the bedroom and stopped short at the sight of Abby, propped up in bed, her face awash in tears. “Abby… What’s wrong?” He was almost afraid to ask.
She held out a hand to him. “Come here.”
Adam forced himself to take the steps to the bed, to reach for her hand, to sit on the edge of the mattress while his heart hammered with anxiety and dread. “If you don’t tell me what’s wrong right now, you may be visiting me in the hospital.”
Abby reached for Liam.
Adam handed him over and wiped his sweaty palms on his pajama pants.
“David thinks it’s possible I might be…” She took a deep breath. Released it.
Adam died ten thousand deaths.
“Pregnant.”
It took a second for the word to register, and when it did, he tipped his head, hoping he had heard her correctly. “You… You’re… How is that possible?”
She laughed even as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I can’t explain how it’s possible in front of Liam, but Adam, he thinks that’s what it is.”
And then he was sobbing as he reached for her and wrapped them both up in a tight hug that had Liam squeaking in protest.
“Are you happy?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Abby, honey, if I was any happier, my heart would explode. I can’t believe this.”
“I’ve heard of it happening to people—they adopt and stop trying and then bingo. It happens.”
“You hear that, Liam? You were the secret weapon.”
Abby cleared her throat. “Um, well… I think you might be in possession of the secret weapon, actually.”
They laughed through their tears, and then he kissed her and rested his forehead against hers. “Is this real?”
“We won’t know for sure until they confirm it at the clinic, but he said my uterus felt enlarged. And until he asked when my last period was, I hadn’t even realized I’d missed one. Remember when we used to know down to the hour when I was going to get it?” She swiped at the tears that continued to slide down her cheeks. “Now we don’t even pay attention.”
“Because we have what we wanted, so we quit worrying about it,” he said, amazed and thankful. So incredibly thankful. “How soon can we go to the clinic?”
“I have an appointment with Victoria at eleven.”
“Do we have any tests left from before?”
She gasped. “Oh my God! Yes!” Handing the baby back to him, she bounded out of bed, stopping when the dizziness caught up to her again.
Adam was right there to hold her up with an arm around her waist. “Slow down, sweetheart.”
“I’m so excited, I can barely breathe.”
“I know. I am, too, but we don’t want you to fall. Especially not now.”
“No, that wouldn’t be good.”
“You need to breathe.”
She took a series of deep breaths and squeezed his arm. “I’m good.”
“Go slow.”
He stood outside the bathroom door, focused on entertaining Liam so he wouldn’t go crazy waiting. Time slowed to a crawl, or so it seemed anyway.
“Adam. Come in.”
As he took the first step, he felt like he might faint, so he took his own advice. He took a deep breath and then another as he joined Abby in the bathroom, where her huge, tearful smile told him what he wanted to know. “Yes?”
She nodded. “We did it, Adam. We really did it.”
He put his arm around her and kissed her. “We certainly did, and now…”
“Another baby.” Gasping, she looked up at him. “We’re going to have two babies in one year. Adam!”
Damn, he hadn’t thought of that. He tightened his hold on
her. “It’s going to be awesome. I promise.” He only hoped that was a promise he could keep.
Chapter 20
Finn woke before Chloe and got to enjoy the sight of her sleeping as the sun streamed into her colorfully decorated room. The walls were an intriguing shade of dark pink, with the wall behind the bed boasting a white pattern that had been painted over the pink base. He wondered if she had done that herself or had it done. Like the woman who slept here, the room was funky and original and eclectic.
His phone buzzed with a text, so he got out of bed to retrieve it and read the text from Mac. Can you help me with something at the Wayfarer around eleven?
Finn wrote back. Yep, no problem.
Thanks!
With the Wayfarer all but finished and work not set to begin on the Curtis place until after the grand opening at the Wayfarer, Mac had told his construction team to enjoy a little downtime while he and Luke saw to getting the marina up and running for the season. Finn had no idea how Mac kept so many balls in the air and made it look so effortless when it had to be anything but. And now that he had twins on the way and would have five children, he’d be busier than ever.
Bringing the phone with him, Finn stretched back out on the bed, careful not to disturb Chloe. She didn’t have to be at work until ten, and it was only seven thirty. Maybe he could entice her into going out for breakfast before work. Anything to spend more time with her.
After making sure she was still asleep, he opened the browser on his phone and did a search for methotrexate, his heart nearly stopping at the word chemotherapy, which was the first thing he saw in the description of the drug.
Oh my God. Did she have cancer?
As he skimmed the information about the drug, he became more despondent. Having seen more than enough, he closed the browser.
Was this why she didn’t want to get involved with him? Because she was sick and scared? Did she think that would matter to him? It wouldn’t. But how could he express that to her without letting on that he had invaded her privacy by looking up the medication she was taking?
