by Nancy Martin
“And what about Noah?”
“Noah?” Hart pulled away from Emma and glanced around the bar—maybe hoping another woman had walked in and desperately wanted him. But he didn’t see any candidates, so he finally returned his gaze to Emma, forehead puckered. “What about him?”
Something clenched inside Emma’s chest, and she wondered fleetingly if it might be her heart. “You left our son with my sister for how many months now? So tell me. Are you really home for a funeral? Or are you thinking it’s time to take him to Brussels?”
Hart cursed and looked into his glass. “It’s complicated, Em.”
A minute of silence ticked by, and the noise of the bar filled it. Finally, Emma said, “Tell me something I don’t already know.”
Reluctantly, Hart said, “My family—even my dad when he knows what’s going on—they think I should be raising Noah. They want me to be his father. But Penny …”
He couldn’t finish the sentence, so Emma did it for him. “She doesn’t want Noah? He reminds her of … me, right? Of your relationship with me.”
He squinted at her. “Do we have a relationship?”
“She knows we were fucking,” Emma corrected. She felt cold inside. “Before and even after your wedding, she knew what we were doing. Even after Noah was born and we were supposed to cool it, you were sneaking out to meet me. She knew that, right?”
Unwillingly, he nodded. “She looks at Noah, and she sees you. What you and I do together. She knows I get off with you like I don’t with her. I shouldn’t have told her that, but we were shouting, and I … I let it slip that I get what I like … what I want … from you.”
“Smart move,” Emma cracked. “Meanwhile, you’re leaving the kid in limbo. How long will this go on? Until Noah goes to Harvard?”
Hart’s voice rose. “What do you want me to do? Give Noah to your sister?”
“Yes,” Emma snapped. “That’s exactly what I want.”
He shook his head. “But I can’t, Em, I can’t—”
“Forget what your family wants. Give the kid to people who will love him.”
Hart’s face turned dark and he slugged from his glass, sucking on the ice cubes. When he put the glass down, he was brave enough to say what was on the tip of his tongue. “If I give up Noah once and for all,” he said, “I’ll be losing you, too.”
That news shocked the hell out of her. “Me?”
“Yes. Is that so hard to believe? As long as we have Noah between us, I get to see you.”
“Not if you’re halfway across the world, you don’t.”
He hunched closer, as if to tell her a secret. “Here’s the thing, Em. I’m making a lot of money now. I could fly you back and forth every couple of months. You know, we could meet in Amsterdam or somewhere, anywhere. I could rent us a place, nothing fancy, but we could keep seeing each other. Think of the good times we could have.”
The whole scheme flashed through her head like a movie sequence. Charming European locations, walking hand-in-hand in dappled sunlight. Then tying each other up after dark and pouring hot candle wax on bare skin. Then he catches the train back to his wife.
Emma said, “You want me for sex and Penny for propriety, is that it?”
“If you want to put it that way, yes. That’s never bothered you before, right? I mean, you and me, we’re not walking down the aisle together.”
“Hell, no,” she snapped, mustering some bluster. “But what about Noah?”
Perplexed, he said, “I don’t know what you’re getting at. Do you want him? Do you want to be his mother now?”
No, Emma wanted to say. She didn’t want to be the boy’s mother. But a crazy part of her wouldn’t mind being some kind of a family unit with Hart. They were on the same wavelength in many ways. Maybe not the way she’d been with Jake, but something like it.
Unaware of her troubled thoughts, Hart went on. “I just don’t see you as the motherly type, Emma.”
So she said sharply, “Nora should have him. Nora and Mick.”
Hart sighed. “Mick Abruzzo scares the shit out of me. He looks at me and I think he’s planning my execution. I worry I’m going to end up in pieces at the bottom of the ocean with all the other mob enemies.”
“If Mick really wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
Hart looked uneasy. “Seriously? You think he’s really everything they say about him in the newspapers?”
“He’s no angel. But he says he’s getting out of the rackets, so you’re probably safe. And he’s a good father to Noah. Better than most. He loves the kid, and so does Nora. You should sign some papers, Hart. Make it official. Make them a family.”
Hart was looking directly into her face again, but she could see he was back to thinking about sex. “I’d write it up on a cocktail napkin now if I thought it would get you across the Atlantic and into my bed on a regular basis.”
She slipped the napkin out from under her un-touched drink. “So write it up, lover boy. And I’ll think it over.”
He grinned. “You mean it?”
“I’ll consider it,” she corrected. Cutting the deal meant losing something she wasn’t ready to give up said a warning voice in her head. She couldn’t put her finger on what exactly she would lose. Her freedom? Or her chance at happiness? Both? Neither? But she heard herself say, “Write fast, because I’ve got to get going. I need to find a priest.”
Hart was already signaling the bartender to borrow a pen. “A priest? What for?”
“To break a curse.”
While he scribbled, she told him about the Blackbird Curse. About trying to find a way for Nora and Mick to get married without endangering Mick’s life. About needing to find a priest before their baby was born.
Hart laughed, but as he signed his name to what might be a legal document, he said, “I might be able to help with that. See the guy in the corner?”
5.
Mick was thinking about guys hanging around in hospital stairways and wondering which of his nasty cousins was planning on making a big play tonight of all nights. If only he had another week to make everything right. But the baby coming early had screwed with his plan.
Giving up the family business wasn’t as easy as Nora hoped it might be. There was a lot of money involved, a lot of small scams to organize and big games to settle on the right people. He had cousins and sort-of cousins all fighting each other for a piece of the action—or the whole damn thing. But Mick knew he had to unload it all. Fast. Figuring out who got what was complicated enough. Because everybody in the family was going to be furious no matter what he decided.
But his immediate trouble was more pressing.
Nora grabbed his hand with all her strength. “Ooh!”
“Breathe, sweetheart.”
She was in real pain, and nothing he could do seemed to help. Another contraction came on fast and hard, and she cried out.
The nurse must have been watching a monitor somewhere because she magically arrived at the other side of the bed. A quiet beep throbbed in the machinery attached to Nora. It sounded different than it had a while ago.
The nurse glanced reassuringly across the bed at Mick and said, “Take it easy, Dad. The baby’s fine. And the contractions are getting stronger and more regular. This is going to be a good night.”
Nora’s breathing was ragged, and she seemed to be concentrating on something far, far away. To herself, she said, “Okay. Okay—”
“Just breathe normally,” the nurse soothed, but Nora was too distracted to hear her and seemed to lock air in her chest.
Mick stroked her hair off her forehead. “Nora, you have to breathe. Like in the class we took. You can do it.”
Nora looked into his eyes and caught her breath and blew it out again. She struggled to get a grip on herself, but the contraction must have been a tough one. It passed finally. She blinked at him when it was over, looking unsteady. “That was … it was okay. I’m okay.”
/> “You’re doing great.”
“Your expression says otherwise. Distract me.”
He kissed her damp temple while the nurse bustled around them. “Okay. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but Libby’s going to spill the beans as soon as she gets back. It slipped my mind. Rawlins got a call. Zephyr’s in labor tonight, too.”
Nora’s mouth popped open, and her eyes got big. “Tonight? Really?”
“Yep. And they’re bringing Zephyr here, to this hospital.” He felt like a fool for forgetting this news, but he’d been concerned for Nora.
She said, “But I thought Zephyr was supposed to give birth in prison!”
The nurse cocked an eye at Nora. “Is there something I should know?”
“It’s a long story,” Nora said. “We’re adopting another baby. From a woman who’s currently incarcerated.”
“And likely to stay there the rest of her life,” Mick added. Zephyr Starr had murdered her own husband, and it was Nora herself who’d solved the crime. Mick had wondered if Nora might not want to be reminded of such a grim episode. But her favorite nephew was the biological dad and her heart was unstoppable when it came to babies, so she’d of course leaped at the chance to adopt the child. That was Nora all over—taking care of anyone who needed help.
Nora beamed. “So we’re having two babies tonight!”
The nurse put a cheerful spin on the situation, too. “I guess you didn’t expect to be this busy tonight, Dad.”
Mick must have looked dazed because Nora laughed. But she cut it short with a gasp and a wince that just about tore Mick’s heart out. She groped for his hand and concentrated.
For the next hour, Mick barely held onto his own self-control. Nora was hurting, and he felt powerless to help. He rubbed her back, gave her ice chips, tried to get her to breathe and stay calm—all when he really wanted to rip something out of a wall and smash the damn beeping monitor. The nurse dashed in and out, attentive to every change in Nora’s condition, but all the hard work was Nora’s alone.
The next time the door opened, it was Nora’s doctor who hustled into the room. She was a lanky young woman in hospital scrubs, her hair in a ponytail. Mick had met her when Nora went into the office for an ultrasound. He’d been relieved to find the doctor a confident and take-charge kind of person but with a good bedside empathy. She got in close and gave Nora’s arm a supportive squeeze.
“How are we doing?” she asked.
“I’m okay,” Nora said.
“She’s getting tired,” Mick added.
Nora shook her head. “I’m okay. Really.”
Doctor Stengler didn’t glance at Mick but gave the monitor a quick study and nodded briskly. “How about if we take a look? Dad? Can you handle it?”
“Handle what?” Mick felt his nerve slip.
Nora managed a smile and held his hand. “Just stay up here with me, okay?”
The doctor flipped a sheet over Nora’s knees and slid onto the stool at the foot of the bed. Mick tried to focus on Nora’s face, but he hated seeing her bite her lip.
“Looking good,” the doc said from under the sheet. But when her face reappeared, she wasn’t smiling anymore. “I wish you were a little farther along at this point, and I wish the contractions were more regular, but you’re making progress. We could give you the epidural, but maybe we’ll wait just a little longer. I’d like to see your contractions settle down some more.”
“Is the baby okay?” Nora asked.
“Her heartbeat is starting to slow a little with your contractions. It’s not bad, but we’ll keep an eye on that.” Doctor Stengler finally looked at Mick, and her manner cooled. “There’s another woman who just arrived across the hall. They tell me she’s having your baby, too.”
Before Mick could defend himself, Nora said, “Zephyr Starr. She’s here already? Are you taking care of her? Is she okay? Her baby … is everything all right?”
“They just got here. Baby’s fine,” the doctor reported. “Mrs. Starr is a little … well, she’ll be okay. But …” She looked at Mick with growing disapproval. “She says she wants to see you.”
“Now? I can’t leave Nora.”
“Nora will be fine for a few minutes. She’s not going to have the baby this minute. C’mon. I’ll take you across the hall.”
Nora looked up at Mick, her eyes turbulent. “You have to go.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
She mustered a warm smile. “We’re going to be parents for a long time, Michael. And there will be plenty of instances when we can’t do it together. So go over there and look after our other daughter.” She patted her belly. “Meanwhile, I’ll take care of this one.”
Reluctantly, Mick kissed her and followed the doctor out of the room.
6.
Before Libby left the hospital, she noticed a few peculiar things.
The first was a nurse hanging around a water fountain, doing nothing in particular, which meant she was available for consulting with visitors, right? Thinking she had a good opportunity, Libby made a beeline for her, holding Noah in her arms.
“Hi! I’m visiting my sister, who’s in labor, and I was just wondering if you could answer a question for me?”
The nurse’s gaze scooted past Libby as if hoping to spy an escape route. She turned away from the water fountain and revealed her profile, which included her pregnant belly.
Libby exclaimed, “Oh, you’re expecting? Is this your first?”
“Uh, yes.” The nurse put her hand protectively on her stomach.
“Oh, you’re in for the most joyous time of your life! I have five children, all of them delightful. Well, most of the time. Now and then, I mean. Occasionally. I love them all, but, oh, this baby isn’t mine.” Libby noticed where the nurse was looking and indicated Noah by lifting him. “I’m just taking him home so … heavens, that’s not at all what I wanted to discuss with you.”
“I’m not really on duty right now.”
“Even better! I was going to ask if you’ve ever heard of the childbirth orgasm. Or maybe you’re considering trying for one yourself?”
“Uh—”
“I am hoping to convince my sister to try it. I mean, doesn’t it sound fabulous? It’s the strongest orgasm a woman can have. And I—”
“I’m not the person to ask about this,” the nurse said. “I’m new.”
“Oh, really? Maybe you have fresh ideas!”
“Not really. And I’m going on break.”
Although she was smartly dressed in freshly ironed scrubs, the nurse didn’t look young. Libby pegged her age at maybe forty or forty-five. And she had a hard-bitten look to her face, as if she’d seen a lot of medical emergencies and survived them. In her shirt pocket was the clear outline of a pack of cigarettes. Libby considered the best way to address smoking while pregnant with a nurse. Over her shoulder the woman held a large suitcase-like bag, the kind a person could use to carry a lot of extraneous stuff onto an airplane, not just a sandwich for her lunch break.
Libby was studying the bag when Noah opened his eyes and squirmed. He gave a lazy stretch and a yawn, but stayed awake only long enough to make a prodigious noise in his diaper. He gave a squawk, and then a terrible aroma suddenly wafted up from him.
The nurse backed up hastily.
“Oh, dear,” Libby said. “I guess this means I need to change him. Where’s the nearest place to do that?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” the nurse said. And she bolted down the hall.
“Well, how totally daft,” Libby said to Noah. “How can an employee not know where the nearest restroom is? A pregnant one at that? If I knew her name, I’d report her. To somebody. I don’t know who. Okay, young man, let’s change your nappie.”
The task proved more complicated than Libby thought. The diaper bag was probably in That Man’s vehicle, but the smell emanating from Noah indicated that a change of wardrobe was needed immediately. L
ibby found the nurse’s station and pleaded with the nice lady on duty, who took her to a supply closet and found a fresh-but too-small diaper that would at least hold Noah until Libby could get him home. She changed him in a family restroom around the corner from the nurse’s station.
Noah stayed awake during the process, but once she bundled him up again, he fell back asleep.
“Whatever That Man does when he plays with you, he certainly wears you out,” Libby said to him.
She went back to the nurse’s station to ask the nice nurse about childbirth orgasms, but the woman was busy looking at her computer and talking on the phone at the same time. Libby lingered, hoping to catch her in a free moment.
That’s when she started thinking about the pregnant nurse. Who had said she was pregnant with her first child. But Libby, who felt she was very good at estimating the ages of people she met, suddenly wondered how a woman who might have been in her mid-forties was pregnant at all, let alone with her first.
“She must be one of those new medical miracles,” Libby said to Noah. Who did not respond except to give a soft snore.
Nora’s delivery room door opened and Libby’s very own obstetrician came out into the hallway, followed by That Man of Nora’s.
Libby rushed over. “Doctor Stengler! I’m so glad to see you! How is Nora doing? Does she have my powerful vaginal walls?”
That Man of Nora’s might have turned a little pale, but the doctor said, “Uh, hi, Libby. Yes, Nora’s making good progress. Not fast, but it’s progress.”
There was no time to ask more questions. From the other end of the hallway, an officer in a Pennsylvania State Trooper uniform and hat came striding toward them. In addition to the hat, Libby immediately noticed he was also wearing a wedding ring, so her interest might have subsided just a tad.
“Mick,” said the trooper. “What are you doing here?”
“Selling magazine subscriptions?”
The trooper looked amused. His name badge said, Ricci. He said, “Your girlfriend’s having her baby, huh?”
