by T. L. Haddix
Emma rolled her eyes at them even as she laughed. “Good luck with that in this family.”
The sounds of the gathering faded as they walked through the barn to the back side. Once they were through the doors, Sawyer slid them closed and held out his hands.
“Dance with me?”
Sydney tilted her head to the side, taking his hands. “Aren’t we supposed to share our first dance in front of everyone? Not that I’m complaining.”
He whirled her around, catching her in his arms. “I believe that’s the tradition, yes. Shall we stop?”
“No.” She slid her arms up around his neck, letting her breasts rest against him. “Kiss me?”
“Gladly.”
By the time he pulled back, Sydney was ready to melt. “You do that very, very well,” she whispered against his lips.
“I could say the same thing to you. And if your family and mine weren’t on the other side of this barn…”
She pressed her fingers to his mouth. “Don’t even go there. Tonight’s going to have to be soon enough.”
“I’ve never felt like this before about anyone,” he told her, caressing her cheek. “I want you to know that. And it isn’t just the lovemaking. You give me a piece of my soul back. I’d be utterly lost without you.”
“I feel the same way about you. Every bit of pain I’ve had to go through to get here was worth it,” she whispered. “To get to you.”
Sawyer rested his forehead against hers. “Amen to that. I love you, wife.”
“I love you, husband,” she told him softly. “Words I never thought I’d hear or say. Precious words.”
“Very much so.”
She goosed him. “And to think, you didn’t want to hire me.”
Sawyer laughed and twirled her around and around. “I’m going to owe your father for that for the rest of my life. And that’s a debt I’m all too happy to pay.”
Looking up at the man she felt like she’d been in love with half her life, Sydney couldn’t agree more. She had everything she’d ever wanted within arms reach. “I’m living my happily ever after,” she mused. “And it’s better than I could have imagined.”
“Now we just have to help Rachel and Noah and Eli find theirs,” he murmured as he kissed her again. “It’s only fair that we meddle in their lives they way they did ours, don’t you think?”
Sydney grinned. “Oh, absolutely. And I think I have a good idea where to start.”
BONUS Short Story
Chapter One
There were two lines in the window of the pregnancy test. Two. Not one.
“Oh, God.” Emma Campbell Gibson’s breath shuddered out of her body. She reached for the hand of her best friend and sister-in-law, Zanny Campbell. “I’m pregnant.”
Zanny didn’t say anything, simply waited for Emma to get her emotions under control.
It wasn’t that Emma being pregnant was a bad thing. But since she’d married Archer Gibson, the love of her life, three years earlier, she’d had two miscarriages. She was afraid now to hope and dream and feel joy.
“Does Archer suspect?” Zanny asked.
“I don’t think so,” Emma said. “There hasn’t been any morning sickness. If I wasn’t late… Do you think that’s a good sign? It’s how things were with Sydney. And I was so sick the other two times.”
Sydney was her eight-year-old daughter.
“Maybe. I’ll take a positive sign—no pun intended—where I can find one,” Zanny said. “What do you want to do?”
That was an interesting question. “Sit here and not move?”
“Okay. I’ll have Sam take over your appointments.”
They were at the photography studio Emma owned and Zanny ran. They’d come in early so Emma could take the test in privacy. Her assistant, Sam, would be in soon.
Zanny went to open the shop, and Emma did just what she’d said she wanted—she stayed on the couch in the sitting room upstairs and stared into space. After a little while, though, she had to do something. Crossing to the phone, she called her doctor’s office and made an appointment, then went downstairs.
“I’m going to go see Dr. Jones,” she told Zanny. “They got me right in, considering. Wish me luck?”
Zanny stood and hugged her tight. “Good luck. Want me to go with you?”
“No. I need to do this alone.”
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long at the doctor’s office before she was called back. While she got into the gown the nurse had provided her, she thought about the other pregnancies. She and Archer wanted kids so badly, wanted to add to the family they had with Sydney. And since she’d not had a single problem with that pregnancy, there was no reason to expect problems in the future. But twice now she’d made it to eight weeks only to end up losing the baby.
Emma wouldn’t say the losses had put a strain on her marriage, exactly, but some of the joy she felt at building a life with the man who was her soul mate was marred. Not a tremendous amount, but enough that the edges of that happiness were burnt. Archer had never once made her feel like he thought she was less than a woman because of the losses, but Emma herself had started to carry a bit of that burden. She’d never confessed that truth to him though she had discussed it with Zanny, who’d suffered her own loss several years earlier.
So this time around when her period was first late, Emma didn’t say anything. Archer had to go out of town for one of his rare conferences the same week she was scheduled to start. She didn’t tell him she’d missed a period when he returned. Maybe it was duplicitous of her to let him assume she’d had one, but she didn’t want to get his hopes up if she was wrong.
When the time came around for her second period and nothing happened, she knew she had to take a test. She’d put it off so far, thinking that if she didn’t know she was pregnant, maybe she wouldn’t lose the baby.
Zanny, who was aware of the first missed period, had shaken her head at Emma’s recalcitrance. But she’d kept her mouth shut, supporting Emma’s decision to wait. That quiet encouragement and love had kept Emma sane the last few weeks.
As she was only a few days late past the second period, she didn’t think Archer suspected anything just yet. But she knew time was up—if he didn’t suspect now, he would soon. Her breasts were getting tender and fuller, and she’d almost swear she was starting to develop a tiny baby bump. And while she hadn’t had any morning sickness in the traditional sense of the word, certain smells were becoming rather off-putting, like that of peanut butter and of tomato soup, of all things.
A soft tap sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Emma called.
The nurse poked her head in with a smile, then came inside. “He wants me to get some blood and urine so we can do some labs while he examines you.”
“Okay.”
By the time her doctor came in several minutes later, Emma was a nervous wreck. “Well?” she asked before he even had a chance to close the door.
He smiled. “Congratulations. You’re definitely pregnant. Hop up on the table and we’ll see what we see.”
Scared to death, she did as instructed. “Are you going to do an ultrasound?”
“That depends. How far along do you think you are? The chart said you’d missed two periods?” He settled in the chair and started the exam.
“Yeah. And I’m not sure how far along. I’ve been afraid to even consider it, given my history.”
“Does Archer know?”
“No. We’re doing an ultrasound, right?”
He finished the examination, then moved back and stripped off his gloves. “Are you going to be able to sleep if we don’t?”
Emma sat up halfway, propped on her elbows. “You’ve been my doctor for ten years now. What do you think?”
“I’ll g
et the machine.”
Ten minutes later, she was ready to come apart from nerves as he hmmm’d and pursed his lips as he stared at the black and white screen.
“Well?”
He turned it so she could see better and pointed. “Right there’s the baby. Everything looks perfectly normal. Heart’s beating just fine. Want to see if we can hear it?”
With tears choking her, all Emma could do was nod. He pushed the buttons that turned on the sound, and a minute later, what sounded like a tiny, fast washing machine could be heard.
“Judging from what I’m seeing, you’re almost nine weeks along. You’ve passed the mark,” he said quietly. “So stop worrying about that. Is that why you waited to come in?”
She took the tissues the nurse gave her and wiped her face. “Yes. I was afraid to get my hopes up. It’s really okay?”
“As far as I can tell,” he said, putting the equipment back in its holder. “There’s no guarantee, but I’m hopeful. I’ll print you out a couple or three of these images. I imagine you’ll want to take them home?”
“Please.”
Now that the exam was over, she felt like she was going to throw up. As she got dressed and took care of paperwork on her way out of the office, all she could think about was how in the world she was going to tell Archer. She called the office to ask a favor from Zanny.
“Could you get Sydney tonight?” she asked after she’d relayed what the doctor had said.
“Absolutely. I’ll pick her up at Mrs. Hendricks’ when I get my brood. Want her to spend the night with us?”
“Is that going to be too much trouble?”
Zanny growled. “Emma Jean. I can’t even…”
“I had to ask. Thanks, Zan. You’re a lifesaver.”
“Any idea how you’re going to break the news?”
Emma blew out a breath. “None. I’ve got a little while to figure it out, though. Wish me luck?”
“As much of it as I can send your way, sweetie.”
She got home a little past one, having stopped to grab a salad from a drive-thru for lunch. But she was so tired she didn’t even want to eat it, so she stuffed it in the fridge and headed up to the bedroom, printouts in hand. Stifling a yawn, she looked at the bed with longing.
“A good, old-fashioned nap sounds like an excellent idea,” she muttered. She quickly changed into one of Archer’s T-shirts and crawled under the covers with a sigh. “Just a few minutes of rest, and then I’ll figure out how to tell him.”
Before she could even form another thought, she was sound asleep.
Chapter Two
Archer hurt from his shoulders to his waist. When he walked into the house that evening, all he wanted to do was take a hot shower and relax. The day had been rough, and spending time with his two favorite girls was high on his list of priorities. Even though he’d been married for three years now, he still felt a welcoming rush of love just thinking about home, much less when he walked in the door.
But the house was dark, quiet. Emma’s car was in the garage, but if she and Sydney were home, he didn’t hear them.
“Em? Syd?” he called, turning on the lights as he went in the kitchen. “Hello?”
Nothing answered him but the welcoming meows of their two cats, Huff and Puff, as they wound around his legs.
“Maybe they went for a walk,” he said as he gave them some kibble. He wasn’t terribly concerned—they’d been known to get stuck talking to a neighbor here or playing with a friend there—and he decided to head upstairs and get that shower. He’d just reached the door to his and Emma’s bedroom when he heard her soft sigh. The rustling of the bedclothes sounded, then a quiet snore.
“Em?”
No response.
Archer frowned and turned on the switch next to the door that controlled the bedside lamps. Sure enough, Emma was curled up in bed, sound asleep.
“She must be sick,” he said, inching closer. But when he saw the printouts on the nightstand, his breath caught in his throat. With hands that shook, he picked the top one up.
An ultrasound, dated today. With Emma’s name on it.
The shape on the image was fuzzy, a little tiny blob that he wasn’t even sure he was supposed to be focusing on. He might not know how to read an ultrasound, but the significance… They were pregnant.
His first instincts were to grab her up in his arms, wake her up and question her, kiss her, love her. But he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. He could be reading things wrong. This might not be good news. Besides, he was covered in grease and oil and grime from work, and he’d get her filthy. Some days that had its advantages but not today.
He put the ultrasound back on the nightstand and quietly went to the shower. As soon as he was clean, he’d crawl in bed with her and find out what was going on. He figured Zanny probably had Sydney. Again, he didn’t know if that was a good sign or bad. Praying for all that he was worth that it was good, he started scrubbing.
Emma woke up when the bed dipped and strong arms came around her. She smiled as Archer’s hand touched her face.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” he said, his voice low as he kissed her forehead.
“Mmm, no. I like this dream just fine.” She snuggled close to him, running her hands over his bare chest. When he jerked and drew in a breath, her eyes flew open.
“Archer?”
“I’m okay.”
But he wasn’t. There was a large bruise on his chest between his shoulder and his heart. Sitting up so fast she got dizzy, she reached out a hand, stopping just shy of touching him. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing. One of the guys at work swung an engine around. I walked into it. It’s just sore. I’m fine, Em.”
“Did you get checked out? Nothing’s broken, is it?”
He moved his arm in an arc, wincing when he stretched it up over his head, but managed a clear range of motion. “I’m fine. I promise. How are you?”
She blinked at him. “Um.”
“Something you want to tell me?” he asked patiently. Even so, she could feel the concern coming off of him, as well as the coiled tension.
Emma couldn’t find her voice. She bit her lip, staring at him.
Archer sat up, reaching past her to the nightstand. He handed her the printouts. “Maybe this will help,” he said, his lips quirking up at the corners.
Trembling all over, she set the pictures aside and wound her arms around him, taking care not to put pressure on the bruise. “I’m afraid if I tell you, it won’t be real anymore. And I want it to be real more than just about anything in the world.”
He held her close, pressing soft kisses to her hair. “I can wait until you’re ready, then. But are you okay?”
She nodded. “I love you, you know that?”
“I do. And I love you back.” He kissed her, this time fully on the mouth.
Emma was more than happy to follow him down to the mattress, to help him get her naked, to feel his body pressing against hers as they made love. He knew about the baby without her telling him, and that was sufficient for now. That he understood her fears and didn’t press her for more of an explanation only made her love him more.
Chapter Three
The world blew up the next morning. As it was Saturday, they’d not set the clock to go off, deciding to sleep in late. Emma hated their alarm clock, had threatened to replace it a thousand times. But she would have preferred its raucous screech to the sound that did wake her—the sound of her husband gasping for air and not being able to find it.
The memory of that morning would be etched on her mind for the rest of her life. Archer’s face so pale, his lips blue, his eyes frantic as he tried to breathe but couldn’t. The 911 call and miraculously fast response time. Getting dressed in whatever clothes she could find so s
he wasn’t naked when the EMTs got there. The ride in the ambulance to the hospital. The sight of her husband being rushed away from her, and the terror of not knowing whether that was the last time they’d see each other or not.
At some point, someone called her parents. Emma didn’t remember telling anyone not to notify them, and she didn’t much care how they’d found out. Owen and Sarah were just there. Soon after, other members of her family started trickling in. When Logan, Archer’s brother, came in with his wife Emma’s sister Amelia, Emma burst into tears.
“What happened?” he ground out as he hugged her. “Em, what happened?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. He couldn’t breathe. And they haven’t told me anything. I had to sign some papers. He’s in surgery.”
Sarah had been trying to find out details, and she came back in then with Emma’s cousin Michelle, who was a pediatrician. Both their faces were grim.
“It’s not good,” Michelle said bluntly. “Apparently, when he was shot all those years ago, they missed a bullet fragment. He’s got a big bruise on his chest that Emma said came from getting hit at work yesterday. The surgeon thinks that knocked the fragment loose. They’ve got to get it out. It’s lodged between his lung and his heart.”
“Wh—what are his chances?” Emma asked faintly, sinking into her chair.
Michelle sighed, taking a seat beside her. She grasped Emma’s hands tightly. “The surgeon who’s operating has good hands, steady hands. If anyone can get it out, he can.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Michelle hesitated. “Not good. Less than thirty percent.”
“Oh, God,” Logan said. He sat as well, leaning into Amelia, his head in his hands. “That’s not enough.”
Emma nodded slowly as she took it in. “Where’s Sydney?”
