Cruel & Beautiful
Page 43
About eight months later, I stare into the eyes of the woman I love so completely, I’m mesmerized every time I look at her. I try not to smile at the frantic look on her face. She’s totally out of sorts as they wheel her into labor and delivery.
“Andy, don’t let go of my hand.” Her plea for my support does something to my chest and I feel almost like beating on it.
“Never,” I say gently as she squeezes the ever loving life out of it.
“It’s not fair, you’re all calm. You don’t have to push a turkey out of Louise. I mean how do they know she’s ready? She doesn’t have a basting button on the side of her head.”
“We doctors don’t know. We usually leave that up to the baby. That’s why our daughter has made her opinion known on the subject.”
Cate glares “You know it’s a girl, don’t you?” She whips out an accusatory finger pointed in my direction. “You said she. You promised it would be a surprise and you wouldn’t sneak and find out.”
They set the gurney in the room and prepare to shift her over to the specialized bed they use for the delivery. She doesn’t let go of my hand. I have to stretch in order not to pull her off it as I make my way around and next to her.
“I didn’t find out. You called her ‘a her’ and I went with it.”
Her eyes narrow and I swear the chuckle I’m holding in will burst out of me. Before she can say anything else, her face gathers at the brow, pinching in pain. “Andy, I want pain medication.”
It had been Cate’s idea to go without meds. I’d supported her decision either way. “Okay, let me see if Dr. Yancey is on the floor.”
I’m about to let her go when a man walks in as Cate continues to squeeze my hand like it’s an orange and she’s trying to make juice. The man holds a chart, but I don’t recognize him.
“Dr. Carter,” Cate says in surprise.
His face grows a smile at my wife in a way that says he’s familiar with her. “Mrs. Mercer, it’s good to see you again.”
I hold up a finger. “A moment.”
He glances up at me and I’m sure he’s dealt with plenty of fathers over the years.
“Sure.”
When Cate’s pain passes, I kiss her knuckles. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to step over here and talk to Dr. Carter.” I nod at the nurse and she steps over to reassure Cate while I confer with the good doctor.
Three steps and I stand to one side of the room with the other man. He gets the jump on the conversation to come.
“Dr. Mercer, your wife has nothing but great things to say about you. I’m sorry we haven’t met. Apparently, the two times I had the pleasure of seeing your wife, you had emergencies that kept you away.”
I take his proffered hand and shake it.
“Nice to meet you Dr. Carter. My wife mentioned you.” She had. She hadn’t said he was a he. Not that it should matter. I get to the heart of the matter. “Cate wanted to go without an epidural; however, she’s changed her mind.”
“I’m sure you know it all depends on how far along she is. Can you tell me about her contractions?”
I run down medically how labor began with her water breaking and what we did since that point. We’d opted to stay at home where I walked with her, rubbed her back and generally got her through the pain until this point. Last checked, I clocked the contractions at about five minutes apart and told him so. Although things had progressed on the drive over, she’d been so worried, I found myself talking to her instead of timing the pauses between her pain.
“As long as she’s not crowning, I can send the order for an Anesthesiologist to come down.”
“Andy, I think I need to push.”
Dr. Carter and I turn to see Cate. Her face is strained like she’s physically holding herself back. Frozen, we both watch as the nurse checks her.
“Dr. Carter, I think it’s time.”
He glances at me and I feel like an ass. He’s a doctor, not a pervert. I nod giving him permission to do his job as I quickly make my way over to Cate.
“It’s too late isn’t it?” she asks.
I give her my hand and push tendrils of hair off her forehead. “Let’s see what the doc says.”
Dr. Carter gives us the news. “Go ahead and push Cate the next time you feel it.”
And just like that, my gorgeous wife pushes our son into the world.
Over five years later, I steer my car through the streets of DC to get home. Traffic is ridiculous despite it being before rush hour. I’d hoped to be home by now. I pull into our Great Falls neighborhood in Virginia, just outside of DC. Our home is lit up and a smile forms on my face. When we first bought the place, Cate had been reluctant. I sold her on the safety of the neighborhood and good schools.
When I open the door, the real reasons for the large five bedroom house come running toward me.
“Daddy,” shouts my two and half year old daughter. Her blonde curls bounce as she wraps herself around my leg. I pry her off so I can toss her up and catch her, sending her into a fit of giggles. Her pink princess dress circles her before she lands in my arms. “Daddy, Dew called me a baby and said I need a labodomee. What’s a labodomee?”
I laugh for several reasons. One because she hasn’t yet mastered the word Drew, opting to call him Dew instead. Ethan had proved too much for her as well. Two, a lobotomy. I shake my head wondering where he hears this stuff.
“Ethan,” I call out. I had intended to ask my five-year-old about school. Instead, I will have to address his treatment of his sister.
My son with his dark hair so much like his mother’s is decked out in scrubs and carrying a doctor’s bag. He strolls around the corner as if all’s well in the world wearing a plastic stethoscope around his neck.
I bend down so we can talk man to man. “Ethan, let’s talk like men.”
“Then call me Drew, Daddy, just like Grandma calls you. I wanna be a man, just like you, Daddy.”
It’s hard to maintain my parental look. “Okay, Drew, did you call your sister a baby?”
His face changes to remorseful as I’m sure he knows he’s in trouble. “Emma cries too much and babies cry. So she’s a baby.”
I can’t argue with that logic and good thing my daughter who clings to my chest chimes in.
“He says my castle is just a bed, not a princess castle.”
I sigh. “Drew—”
“Dad, she’s needs a reality check.”
I chuckle unable to stop it. “Where did you hear that?”
“Mom said that to Aunt Shannon.”
I shake my head only imaging the conversation that preceded that statement. “You need to be nice to your sister and not tell her she needs a lobotomy.”
“But Aunt Shannon told Uncle Eric he’s crazy and needs a lobotomee. And Emma’s crazy.”
“Ethan Andrew Mercer.” I glance up to see Cate with her Mom face on. She does a better job at maintaining a stern face than I have in the past few minutes. Only, to me, she looks sexy as hell doing it. “You won’t go trick or treating if you’re mean to your sister. Now apologize.”
Drew’s head bows and he manages to eke out a “Sorree Emma.”
“Now go eat your snacks on the table before it gets dark.”
Food is more important than me as my kids rush off to the kitchen table. I stand so I can kiss my beautiful wife. It lingers and my hand catches the curve of her ass.
She giggles, which turns me on because she doesn’t laugh like that often. I have to shift because my scrubs won’t hide the evidence of my arousal. And that’s a conversation I’m not prepared to have with my kids.
“What was that for?” Her smile is infectious and it spreads on my face.
“You’re so damn beautiful Cate. I swear you get prettier every day.”
Her eyes warm her face. “You are full of shit. I look and feel like a beached whale.”
I rub her belly with my other hand. “Any day now.”
“Any day? My due date was two days ago.
And I really don’t want to have a Halloween baby. Can you imagine throwing a party every year on Halloween?”
I laugh because she’s been talking about this since we first found out she could deliver near this day.
“Then you should get off your feet.”
I bend and catch her off guard. I lift her in my arms.
“You’re crazy. I weigh a ton.” She heartily laughs.
“You two should get a room.” I glance up to see my sister-in-law.
“Shannon, can you watch the kids for a few minutes?”
“Sure.” She winks at us. “Just as long as you take that somewhere else.”
I don’t ask twice. I carry my wife up to our bedroom and close the door behind us. I set her down in her favorite chair in front of the fireplace where I remove her shoes and massage the bottom of her feet.
“Really, you brought me up here for that?” She may be joking, but there’s heat in her eyes.
“Believe me, I want you. Sex, however, can bring on contractions and you said you wanted to wait another day.”
She shrugs. “It’s up to you, but you’ll be sorry. Six weeks will be a long time to wait.”
It isn’t like Cate and I have been abstaining. We’ve had sex every night this week because she was ready to give birth hoping to avoid this day.
“I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Or maybe, I’ll do you.”
She urges me to stand and come around to the side of the chair. I follow her instructions because I know what she’s about to do. And I’m right. She gives me the best damn blow job of my life. Practice can certainly improve on perfection. I didn’t think it possible, but it is.
Later, after I take the kids trick or treating, we sit on the on the back deck on a porch swing. Ethan finds a place in his mother’s lap as Emma curls herself in mine. Our two kids sleep as my fingers twine with Cate’s.
The swing rocks back and forth in a calming rhythm. Cate’s eyes are closed and her features smooth out. Her lips are curved as if she’s is having a pleasant dream. And I think about how lucky I am.
Cate decided not to work after our son was born, which was her decision. Still, my wife can’t be idle. She started the Drew McKnight foundation, which serves people with Ewing’s Sarcoma, both young and old. She’s hired full time people now, but she still oversees it and watches the financial end of it like a hawk. She used some of the money Drew left her to start the non-profit and she involved Drew’s parents who have become true activists on the subject. We named them honorary grandparents to our kids. It was something I wanted to do and Cate too, so she readily accepted. Their faces light up every time we bring the kids around to visit when we’re in Charleston. And they come up to spend time here as well because we have plenty of room. In fact, after the baby is born, we will have rotating grandparents visiting two weeks at a time to help Cate as she nurtures our latest gift to the family.
I don’t know how Cate does it all, but she doesn’t want to hire a nanny either. She’s a superhero to the kids and the best wife ever to me.
“Cate,” I call out. I can’t help myself.
“Hmm.” Her eyes flutter open, clear, and focus on me.
“I love you and our life.”
I tell her I love her every day. Yet I feel the need to confess that to her.
“I love you too, and our life.”
I lean over and kiss her, careful not to wake our children.
Then I see it. Her face forms a frown. “It’s time.”
I nod, grateful Shannon has been staying with us. She wanted to be here to help. She doesn’t have classes the next few days and offered to come and stay for this very reason. I pick up the kids and carry them to bed. I tuck them in and kiss their foreheads. On the way, I knock on Shannon’s door and tell her what’s going on.
Then I walk back down and gather my formidable wife in my arms remembering how messed up I’d been when she left me the first time. I’d assumed after that I’d never find love. But fate brought us back together and I knew I had to win her over. Even if we did have to fight to overcome the cruel, we hung on to the beautiful and it was damn worth it.
A Final Word
Life is strange in that you often believe it is a compilation of events that mold you into the person you eventually turn out to be. In my case, however, I believe Drew McKnight (not his real name) impacted me in such a way, everything else paled in comparison. My Drew rearranged my priorities and turned me into the person I am today. The Drew in this novel is as close to the real man as I could make him. He was kind and generous, and never had a bad thing to say about anyone. I wrote it in the pages of this book, and I'll say it again here-only the good die young. AMH
A Thank You
We'd like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to read our novel. Above all we hope you loved it. If you did, we would love it back if you could spare just a few more minutes to leave a review on your favorite e-tailer. If you do, could you be so kind and not leave any spoilers about the big twist in the story? Thanks so much!
About the Authors
A.M. Hargrove
Reader, Writer, Dark Chocolate Lover, Ice Cream Worshipper, Coffee Drinker, Lover of Grey Goose (and an extra dirty martini), Puppy Lover, and if you’re ever around me for more than five minutes, you’ll find out I’m a talker.
A.M. Hargrove divides her time between the mountains of North Carolina and the upstate of South Carolina where she pursues her dream career of writing. If she could change anything in the world, she would make chocolate and ice cream a part of the USDA food groups. Annie writes romance in several genres, including adult, new adult, and young adult. Her books usually include lots of suspense and thrills and she sometimes ventures into the paranormal, sci-fi and fantasy blend.
Terri E. Laine
Wife and mother of three, I’ve always been an avid reader. In my early years, my best friend and I would tell each other stories over the phone when we were bored. We called them our “soap operas” and generally revolved around whatever boy we liked at the time.
Over five years ago, I got this crazy idea to write a novel and try to publish it. And the rest is history. This journey has been a blessing, and a dream realized. I look forward to many more memories to come.
Other Books by A.M. Hargrove:
The Guardians of Vesturon Series:
Survival, Book 1
Resurrection, Book 2
Determinant, Book 3
reEmergent, Book 4
Dark Waltz, A Praestani Novel
Death Waltz, A Praestani Novel
The Edge Series:
Edge of Disaster
Shattered Edge
Kissing Fire
The Tragic Series:
Tragically Flawed, Tragic 1
Tragic Desires, Tragic 2
The Hart Brothers Series
Freeing Her, Book 1
Freeing Him, Book 2
Kestrel, Book 3
The Fall and Rise of Kade Hart
Sabin, A Seven Novel
Exquisite Betrayal
Dirty Nights, The Novel
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A.M. Hargrove, Cruel & Beautiful