“Alex,” a feminine voice said. “It’s okay, Alex. Are you awake?”
She tried opening her eyes, but they felt like they’d been glued shut. Finally, she could make out Charlotte, and suddenly things began to come back to her in rapid succession. She was in the hospital.
“Jake,” she said, feeling the tears begin to fall immediately.
“I’m right here, babe.”
Her eyes flew open in time to see Charlotte stand up, and then her view was filled with the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. Jake. He was smiling down at her. And he was holding their baby, who was wrapped in a blanket, a tiny cap on his head.
“Look what you did.” he said, grinning. “I’m so proud of you, Alex.”
“I was afraid something happened to you,” she said through her tears. She felt so weak, and numb, and she hated that she didn’t have the strength to sit up and hug both of them like she wanted to.
“I’m so sorry, Alex. I was in an accident just down the street. They took me into the ER afraid I’d had a concussion.”
“Oh my God!”
“I’m okay. I promise.”
He held up the little bundle in his arms just as a nurse walked up behind him. “There you are,” she said with a smile. “Let’s get this sweet boy in there with you for some more skin time.”
Another nurse came in also and suddenly there was a flurry of activity. They were pulling down her gown and setting her naked baby on her chest. The entire time Alex didn’t know where to look. She was so overcome with emotion and confusion, she wanted to take in every tiny detail of this body resting on hers, his big beautiful eyes and tiny pouted lips, but she also didn’t want Jake to leave her sight.
When the baby started to cry, that was all it took to make her choose where to place her attention. In that moment she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She pressed her nose into his skin—the softest skin she’d ever touched—and inhaled his sweet baby scent. This was everything she’d ever wanted. Heaven. Finally, she knew that everything was going to be okay.
* * *
For the next few minutes, Jake sat on one side of the hospital bed trying to help Alex as she attempted to nurse their baby for the first time. Once she’d fully come to, she touched and held their baby with such tenderness, such love, he felt like crying. Again. The minute he’d been introduced to his son, he’d lost it. After the stress of the day, the sadness of not being there for her, and then the accident, it had been almost too much emotion for him to handle. God, how he wished he and Alex could have shared that moment together. But they were together now—alive, healthy, and perfect.
Finally, their son’s tiny mouth latched onto Alex’s nipple and began to suck. Her head jerked up to him, and the look of joy and excitement on her face was so beautiful he felt as if his heart had been ripped out and was laying right there in the bed. This. This was what he’d needed all along. He’d only had to wait for her.
An hour ago, when he’d bullied his way out of the ER and up to the maternity ward, he’d been nearing a full-blown panic attack. He’d called Dean from the truck to tell him he’d been in an accident, and under no circumstances was he to tell Alex. He’d known he hit his head, and sure enough they’d driven him the rest of the way to his destination in an ambulance.
But it hadn’t taken him long to realize that it was nothing serious, and he’d nearly beat the walls down to get out of there with a promise that he’d come back in the morning for a CT scan. He knew full well that if they’d been that concerned, they wouldn’t have let him go.
He hated that he hadn’t made it in time to be in the operating room when she had her surgery, but he’d seen the baby almost immediately and had been able to hold him the entire time they waited for Alex to wake up in her room.
“He has your hair,” Alex said, petting their baby’s tiny round head.
“Maybe. But he’s got your eyes.”
“You think?” she asked, looking down at the most beautiful little face Jake had ever seen. “I don’t know.”
“I’ve been staring at him for an hour,” Jake said.
Alex looked up. “You have?” she whispered.
He nodded. “I was telling him all about you while you slept. Even the bad stuff.”
She opened her mouth. “The bad stuff?”
Jake laughed. “Yeah. I told him that he’d have to get used to folk music and chick movies.” He pulled a face and she laughed.
They both looked down when he squirmed and began to cry a little. Alex immediately began to soothe him, talking to him in a soft voice and trying to get him to latch on again. She was a natural.
“Thank you,” Jake heard himself saying.
“For what?” Alex asked.
“For this. You. Our family.”
“We are a family,” she said.
Jake nodded. “Yes we are. Forever.”
“I was beginning to think I’d never have a family,” she whispered.
“Me too. But then a beautiful woman stepped off an elevator and my heart stopped.”
She tilted her head and gave him a wry look. “You didn’t know then.”
“Maybe not. But damn, I knew you looked good that night.”
Her quiet laugh made him smile.
“We haven’t chosen a name yet,” she said, running a finger over the fine baby hairs.
“He and I were talking that over also while you were asleep. I think we came up with a good one,” Jake said.
“What is it?” she asked, a look of surprise on her face.
Jake hesitated for a moment, but not because he doubted what he was about to say. He knew in his heart, without a doubt, it was the right name. But he didn’t want Alex to be sad. He decided to just say it.
“Nathan. He should be named Nathan.”
She didn’t reply for a moment, but her lip began to quiver.
“Do you like it?” Jake asked.
She nodded, tears falling from her eyes. Unable to stop himself from touching her, Jake leaned forward and kissed her forehead, their baby—baby Nathan—quietly suckling between them.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He kissed his way down her temple, her cheek, and then her lips. “I love you, Alex,” he said against her mouth.
“I love you too. So much.”
Epilogue
“How about this one?” Jake asked, holding up another outfit.
Alex looked up from the diaper she’d just put on Nate. “Yes. I like that one.”
Once she dressed him in the little shirt and overalls, she passed him to Jake who immediately raised him up in the air and blew on his little stomach.
“Do that at your own peril,” Alex said, taking the dirty diaper to the trash can in their hotel room. “He hasn’t burped yet.”
“Oh shit,” Jake said, laughing and lowering Nate down into his car seat. “Sorry, little dude. I’m not looking to be puked on again.”
Alex laughed and grabbed her purse and the diaper bag. In the past four months she and Jake had each been barfed on, peed on, and pooped on.
And she wouldn’t change it for anything.
“Ready?” Jake asked, looking at her.
“Yep.”
They loaded up their rental car, locking the car seat into the base, and headed down the road.
“You’re sure they’re home?” Jake asked.
“It’s Sunday afternoon. They always do Sunday supper.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jake said.
The minute they pulled into the Williams driveway, Alex knew she’d been right. Juju and a now toddling Camille were playing in a sprinkler out front.
Her heart began to race as she undid her seat belt and got out.
“Aunty Alex!” Juju screamed. Within seconds Alex was hugging a soaking-wet little girl while Jake got Nathan’s car seat out of the back of the car.
“Let’s go inside and surprise Grammy Regina,” Alex said.
“Otay
,” Camille said before running up to the front door.
Alex followed the two little girls inside, holding her breath in the living room while she listened to Juju run into the kitchen calling for her grandmother. “Grammy Regina!”
“What?” Regina said.
“Aunty Alex is here with her baby.”
There was commotion as everyone in the house came into the front room.
“Oh Lord, Alexis.” Regina threw her arms up in the air and rushed over, pulling her into a hug. “What do you have against a phone, young lady?” she asked, chuckling.
Alex grinned as she squeezed her hard. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you did that,” Regina said. And as if she realized there was something better to see, she pulled away from Alex and peeked behind her. “Where is he?”
Alex stepped aside and turned to see Jake set down the baby carrier and pull back the cloth cover.
“Oh my goodness,” Regina said in a hushed tone. “Isn’t he just the thing.”
Tiana came up beside Alex and wrapped her in a hug. Together they watched as Regina carried the baby carrier over to the sofa and then proceeded to slowly undo the restraint.
“He’s so cute,” Juju said, peeking down at him.
“Of course he is,” Regina said as she lifted him out of his seat, looking him over carefully, taking in every inch. He was frantically sucking on a pacifier, but the minute he was sitting in her lap it popped out of his mouth. “Oh, look at you smiling at me. What a flirt. Do you get that from your daddy?”
“Yes, he does,” Alex said, smiling at Jake. He sat down beside her on the other sofa and grabbed her hand.
“Let me hold him,” Tiana said, sitting by Regina.
“Not yet, I’m not done.” Regina smiled at the sweet little face in front of her. “Am I, Nathan? I’m not done telling you how handsome you are.”
Tiana looked over Alex and Jake. “Can you stay for supper? We’ve got plenty.”
“Only if you’re sure. We don’t have to. I know we just showed up unexpectedly.”
“Your momma is acting crazy like we may not have enough food in this house,” Regina cooed at Nathan. “Isn’t she? Yes she is.” She turned to Juju. “June, go get Papa and tell him to get on in the house.”
Juju ran off, so Alex waited for everyone to join them. The minute Leon stepped into the living room his eyes widened. “Alex, what are you doing here, girl?”
She stood up and went over to hug him. “Brought you a visitor.”
“I see that,” Leon said as he sat down next to his wife. “Look at that,” he said, smiling at Nathan, who lifted a hand and batted it at him. Leon chuckled and grabbed his tiny finger. “So this is Nathan Cooper. He sure is handsome.”
“Isn’t he?” Regina said, bouncing him on her knee.
“We have some exciting news,” Alex said.
“What’s that?” Tiana said.
“Well, the reason we’re here, in Atlanta, is because I had a job interview.”
Regina stopped bouncing her leg and peeked around Nathan. “Where at?”
“It’s a natural energy company. And, well, they offered me a job.”
“Are you going to move here, Aunty Alex?” Juju asked, rushing over to her.
“We are,” Jake said to the little girl. “In two months.”
Regina’s mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious.”
“We are,” Alex said, biting back a smile. “Jake can do his job remotely, so he agreed to move here for me.” She grabbed his leg, loving how he reached down and laced their fingers. He hadn’t even hesitated when she’d mentioned the idea.
“Does that mean I get to be your Grammy Regina all the time?” she said to Nathan. His face lit up with a giant grin. “I think you like that idea, don’t you? And someday I’ll tell you about the man you’re named after. He’s special. Just as special as your daddy for giving you such a beautiful name.”
* * *
That night, back in their hotel room, Alex pulled out her journal.
Day 125 since Nathan’s birth
Life has been crazy lately, but so good. Nathan slept through the night for the first time last week, and although I know this trip will probably mess up our schedule a little, at least I know he can do it. Getting to know his personality has been the greatest joy, and watching Jake be a father … I can’t even describe how much I love it. Every night when Nathan wakes up, Jake gets out of bed, goes to get him, and brings him to me so I can nurse him. Sometimes I listen to them together on the baby monitor and cry because I know that this was exactly what my life was supposed to be.
That makes me feel a little bit guilty. But I know that loving Nate was part of my journey. It was part of my destiny. Meant to be. Because it was through you, Nate, that I connected with Jake in a way that is deeper than anything I’ve ever experienced. I love that he knows how much I loved you, and that he respects it. Loving you, and being loved by you, has made me a better person.
I’m still afraid. I think I’ll always be afraid, but I just try to keep seeing every single day as a gift. Jake was right—love is worth it, and loving him and our baby is worth the risk of whatever could happen. If anything, I know how strong I am, and that I can survive.
Alex glanced down at the man sleeping beside her in the hotel bed. Next to him was a tiny body, rapidly sucking on a pacifier, with his teeny fingers wrapped around his daddy’s pinky. She knew she’d have to lay Nathan in his travel bed, but right now, she felt like she could watch the two of them sleep like this forever.
I think I’m going to give the journal writing a break. Maybe I’ll come back to it, I’m not sure. In the meantime, I intend to feel the same way, every day, as often as I can: happy and grateful.
Catch up on the Whiskey and Weddings series by Nicole McLaughlin
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Also by Nicole McLaughlin
Maybe I Do
Maybe This Time
Should’ve Been You
Along Came Us
All I Ask
Praise for Nicole McLaughlin
“Nicole McLaughlin had a new fan by chapter two!”
—New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas on All I Ask
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“A wonderfully fresh voice in contemporary romance—sweet, sexy, and immensely satisfying.”
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About the Author
Nicole McLaughlin wrote her first full-length book (6 pages) about the birth of her baby sister, when she was eight years old. She only finished it because her mother bribed her with a Rick Astley cassette tape. Sad, but true. Now her characters are what keep her writing and her subject matter has gotten a little bit deeper and a lot more romantic. She resides in a small town outside of Kansas City with her husband and three sons. When she isn’t writing, she’s a wedding and portrait photographer who loves to cook and watch historical dramas or documentaries. Nicole is the author of two series with St. Martin’s Press, the Man Enough series (All I Ask) and Whiskey and Weddings (Maybe I Do).
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
&nb
sp; Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Epilogue
Also by Nicole McLaughlin
Praise
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
MAYBE FOR YOU
Copyright © 2018 by Nicole McLaughlin.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN: 9781250140036
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / September 2018
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Maybe for You--A Whiskey and Weddings Novel Page 26
