Jeremiah's Bogus Bride

by Liz Isaacson

  “You need a better plan,” he muttered to himself, recognizing that the nerves of proposing were different than the ones screaming at him about getting engaged again.

  And he could only imagine what his brothers would say.

  He’d just decided to call Rhett when his phone brightened with an incoming call. “Speak of the devil,” he said in lieu of hello. “I was just about to—”

  “Miah, sorry,” Rhett said, his voice panicked. “Evelyn is going into labor. Can you please call everyone? I’ll text you what room she’s in when we get to the hospital.”

  “Yes,” Jeremiah said, a new kind of anxiety moving through him now. “Go. We’ll be there soon.”

  Rhett hung up without another word, and Jeremiah turned away from his work. He was not going to be sitting in a smelly, hot barn while his first nephew was born. Oh, no, he was not. He dialed Liam as he left the barn at a jog, almost forgetting to take the pups with him.

  “Call Momma,” Jeremiah said, scooping both wiggly dogs into his arms. “And then Tripp. Evelyn and Rhett are on their way to the hospital.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Rhett did not like the panic running through his body. He told himself that plenty of men had made it through childbirth with their wives. But he really didn’t like seeing Evelyn in pain. He hated that the hospital was fifteen minutes away, and he couldn’t do anything about anything.

  But drive faster. He could do that.

  “Rhett,” Evelyn said as he ran the stop sign at the end of the lane.

  “You’re in labor,” he said. “There’s no one coming.” He accelerated on the highway, wishing he had a siren and a light to stick to the top of his truck. It was Friday morning, and plenty of people were on the roads as they went to work.

  He wanted to lean on the horn, but Evelyn wouldn’t like that either. A groan tore from her throat, and Rhett went around the cars in front of them. “Hang on, baby,” he said. A couple of people honked at him, but he didn’t care. His pulse throbbed in the back of his throat.

  Evelyn panted on the seat next to him, bracing herself against the dashboard.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  “Just get us there,” she said through clenched teeth.

  He was trying. It seemed to take forever—Evelyn had two more contractions, one of which made a cry fly from her throat—before Rhett pulled up to the emergency entrance. “Stay here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

  He dashed toward the entrance, where a row of empty wheelchairs waited. He grabbed one and hurried back outside, where he helped Evelyn out of the high truck and into the wheelchair. She kept both hands on her stomach as if she could hold back the pain that way. Another contraction hit her as Rhett wheeled her inside, and thankfully, someone had seen his mad grab of the wheelchair, because a man wearing a blue set of scrubs met him.

  “My wife,” Rhett said, his voice filled with air.

  “How far apart are the contractions?” the man asked, taking over behind the chair. Rhett matched him stride for stride as they went through a set of double-wide doors. “Name and birthdate?”

  “Evelyn Walker,” Rhett said. “Birthday is February ninth….” His mind blanked on the year, and thankfully, Evelyn filled it in for him. “And the contractions were four minutes apart when we left the house, twenty minutes ago.”

  “They’re three minutes, ten seconds,” Evelyn gasped out. “And they last for just over a minute.” She held up her phone. “I have an app I’ve been using to track it.”

  People seemed to come out of nowhere, and Rhett was separated from Evelyn. A dark-haired woman attached herself to Rhett, and she pulled him out of the stream of traffic in the emergency room. “Let’s get her checked in down here,” she said. “And then I’ll tell you where they have her.”

  “I’m not going to miss it, am I?” Rhett asked. Evelyn disappeared into a room, and the curtain was closed behind her.

  “No, sir,” the woman said. “This will take five minutes. She might not even leave emergency before then.”

  Rhett reached up and took his cowboy hat off. He was suddenly so hot, and he turned toward the woman. “Okay, what do you need?”

  “Insurance?” the woman asked.

  “I’m with Texas State Police,” he said.

  She cocked one eyebrow, but Rhett wasn’t going to explain to her what he did for a living. He could buy this hospital and not even use half the money he had in his bank account.

  “What’s your name?” she asked.

  He went through the questions, and sure enough, she let him go right as the curtain opened. Evelyn had changed into a gown, and she was laying in a bed now, which two people pushed from behind her head.

  “We’re going up to labor and delivery,” a woman said. “She’ll be in delivery room six, and then recovery room four-forty-seven, if you want to meet us up there.”

  “I can’t just come with you?” he asked. “I can go into the delivery room, right?” The thought of missing the birth of his son had Rhett’s cells vibrating in a very bad way.

  “Sure,” the man with them said. “James called her doctor, and he’s on his way in.”

  “Great,” Rhett said, his emotions fluctuating so much his head hurt. “Evvy? Hey, you okay?” He matched his pace to that of her bed, and he took her hand in his. She squeezed, and Rhett loved her more powerfully in that moment than any other leading up to this event.

  He couldn’t even fathom what she’d been through over the past nine months, and as she leaned her head back and groaned, Rhett just wanted all of this pain to end.

  The hallways in the hospital were sterile and long. The elevator smelled like lighter fluid and bleach, and when Rhett stepped onto the fourth floor, he immediately wanted to leave.

  The cry of a baby reached his ears, and pure joy filled him. “Almost there, Evvy.”

  She got pushed into delivery room six, and all kinds of things happened. She got hooked up to an IV and a pulse monitor. The emergency nurses left and two women in pink scrubs entered the room.

  Jeannie and Deb introduced themselves, and they were much calmer with Evelyn. They took her blood pressure and temperature, and one of them took her phone and recorded the information from the app.

  Another contraction came, and Deb leaned over Evelyn. “Are you doing an epidural?”

  “Yes,” Evelyn said.

  The nurse nodded and stepped over to the phone. Rhett took her place, taking her hand so she’d know she wasn’t alone. “You’re doin’ great, baby,” he said. “The doctors are going to be here real soon.” He sent up a prayer that what he’d said would actually come true, and relief filled him when Doctor Partridge walked in, a huge smile on his face.

  “We’re having a baby today,” he said, and while Rhett had only met him a week ago, for a twenty-minute appointment, he liked the man a lot. He had a very good air about him, and Rhett thanked the Lord for good hospitals and good doctors as Doctor Partridge pulled a rolling stool over and sat in front of Evelyn. He checked her and said, “Oh, yes, this baby will be here soon. Epidural?”

  “Yes,” Deb said. “I called Doctor Swapp. He’s two minutes out.”

  “He has ten,” Doctor Partridge said. “And then the epidural won’t do any good.”

  “It won’t do any good?” Rhett repeated. “What does that mean?”

  “It means your wife is very close to having your son,” Doctor Partridge said. “And if she doesn’t get the epidural in ten minutes, the drugs won’t have time to do what they need to do anyway. The baby will be here already.”

  “Don’t let me have the baby without drugs,” Evelyn said. “Rhett.”

  But Rhett didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, Doctor Partridge stood up and went to Evelyn’s side. He spoke to her kindly, with plenty of encouragement, telling her that lots of women had babies naturally, but they’d do everything they could to get the epidural done on time. As if summoned by Rhett’s desperation and fear, the anesthesiologist walked into th
e room.

  “Ten minutes,” Doctor Partridge said.

  “We just need three,” Doctor Swapp said. She went to Evelyn’s side too and asked her if she wanted the epidural.

  “Yes, please,” Evelyn said, her voice full of pain and relief.

  “When was the last contraction?” she asked.

  “One minute,” one of the nurses said. “They’re coming fast, Doctor.”

  “Let’s roll her.”

  Rhett stepped out of the way and watched as Evelyn got rolled onto her side and the epidural administered. He moved back to her side the moment he could, and everything accelerated from there.

  Before he knew it, Doctor Partridge was telling Evelyn to push, and Rhett could barely breathe by the time the doctor said, “There you go, Evelyn. He’s out.” He said something to a nurse, who stepped in to do what he wanted.

  And then Rhett saw his son. His baby. The tiny infant was passed from hands to hands, where one woman wiped his face, and then the baby cried.

  Tears sprang to his eyes, and he didn’t care who saw. The woman cooed at the baby, wrapped him in a blanket, and turned to Rhett. She handed him the infant and said, “Go show your wife.”

  The doctor still worked with Evelyn, but Rhett stepped closer to her head and said, “Evvy, he’s perfect.” The baby hadn’t opened his eyes yet, and Rhett snuggled him right into Evelyn’s chest as she wept.

  He pressed his lips to her forehead. “You did it, baby.” Pure love and joy filled him, and he felt about as close to heaven as he thought a person could feel.

  “What are we going to name him?” she asked.

  “Conrad,” Rhett said. “Your momma’s maiden name, right?”

  “Conrad Rhett?” Evelyn looked up at him, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  Evelyn kissed the infant, who made a soft grunting noise and seemed to snuggle right into his momma. “I’m sure the waiting room is full. You better go talk to them.”

  Rhett turned toward the door, and a nurse caught his eye. “She needs at least twenty minutes before she can have any visitors,” she said. “We want to make sure she’s warm enough. And we’ll have to take the baby for a bath in about five minutes. If you want to come, you best be back by then.”

  “Five minutes,” Rhett said. “I won’t miss it.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Callie couldn’t sit still, and she paced from Simone to where Liam stood with Tripp and Skyler. Wyatt was at Bowman’s Breeds, which was much farther than Seven Sons, and he hadn’t arrived yet.

  Callie felt like her stomach had been hooked to a motor, and it was twisting, twisting, twisting with every moment that passed. Why hadn’t someone come out yet? Was everything okay with the baby?

  She wouldn’t be able to live if it wasn’t. In that moment, Callie was wildly reminded of how badly she wanted to be a mother. She and Liam had talked about starting their adoption file or going through the foster care parenting classes. But in the six months since they’d gotten married, they’d done neither.

  Turning back to Simone, she walked toward her sister. “Do you think everything is okay?”

  “It’s been half an hour,” Simone said. “Remember how long it took you to show up?”

  She smiled, because while she’d lost her mother at a young age, Daddy had still told all of the girls many stories about them. “Sixteen hours.”

  “If we’re here that long, I’ll go crazy,” Simone said.

  Callie would too, because the last thirty minutes had felt like thirty hours.

  Wyatt entered, his face frantic. “Well? Anything?”

  Miah assured him that they hadn’t heard anything yet, and Callie thought she might burst. Any moment now….

  Just when she thought she couldn’t wait for another second, Rhett came through the door, and he wore the widest smile on the planet. “It’s a boy.”

  A cheer went up, because the Walkers didn’t exactly mind being loud in public. Callie rushed forward with the rest of them to congratulate Rhett, who said Evelyn couldn’t have visitors for another half an hour.

  “What did you name him?” Wyatt asked.

  “Conrad,” he said, and Callie sucked in a breath. Conrad was her momma’s maiden name. “And his middle name is Rhett.”

  Miah hugged Rhett for a long moment, and it was nice to see these tough cowboys exhibit some emotion. Who knew something that weighed less than eight pounds could do such a thing?

  “They’re giving him a bath in a minute,” Rhett said. “And I don’t want to miss it.”

  “Take some pictures,” Liam said.

  “You know what you should do?” Ivory said. “There’s this lady who does newborn pictures. You should get some of Conrad. She puts them in vegetables and flowers and fruits and stuff.”

  “No way,” Miah said. “They’re not doing that.”

  “Why not?” Ivory asked, and Callie was actually impressed the woman dared to go toe-to-toe with the mighty Jeremiah Walker.

  “Because those pictures are ridiculous,” Miah said.

  “Your girlfriend is here,” Wyatt said.

  Miah stepped out of the conversation and over to Whitney Wilde, and Callie couldn’t help staring as he took her into his arms and kissed her.

  Actually kissed her.

  Good for him, Callie thought, and she did miss the talks they’d used to have. But he’d obviously found some way to move past Laura Ann, and he and Whitney made a cute couple. He turned back to the group with her, and while Rhett went back through door to return to Evelyn, Miah started making introductions.

  Whitney had met a lot of the brothers before, and she’d taken Tripp’s and Ivory’s engagement pictures. Callie hadn’t officially met her, so when Miah said, “Liam’s wife, Callie Foster. Walker. Callie Walker.” He chuckled. “That’s still hard for me.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Whitney said, but she looked like she was about to come apart at the seams. Her eyes kept darting around nervously, but she kept her grin in place. Miah would not leave her side, despite Callie’s efforts to catch his eye.

  She missed their friendship, but she returned to Liam’s side. “How much longer until we can go back and see the baby?”

  “Rhett said thirty minutes. It’s been maybe five, sweetheart.” He slid his arm around her and pulled her close. Callie wrapped her arms around him and let him hold her, comfort her.

  “Liam, I want a baby,” she whispered, and Liam brought his attention right back to her. His eyes searched hers, and Callie didn’t know what else to say.

  “On Monday, I’ll find out what we need to do to get a profile at the adoption agency,” he said. He touched his lips to her forehead, and Callie fell in love with him even more than she already was.

  Her phone chimed, and then Liam’s. All across the room, phones chimed. “Pictures,” someone said, and Callie couldn’t get her phone out fast enough.

  Finally, after thirty long minutes, Rhett returned and he said, “Two people can go back at once. She wants Simone and Callie to come first. And we have to be quiet back there, so if you boys can’t handle that, you can’t come back.” He actually looked like he meant it too, and Callie grinned at him. Already the overprotective husband and father.

  With that, Callie linked arms with Simone and followed Rhett. Down the hall, through the door, and she found her sister lying in a hospital bed, a baby cradled in her arms. A real baby. The most beautiful baby in the world.

  “Oh.” Callie paused, her hand fluttering up to her mouth as Simone moved forward. She should’ve stopped to get Daddy and Gran, but she reasoned she hadn’t known how long the labor would be. She could bring them by tonight or tomorrow, when the waiting room was less crowded.

  Simone leaned over and kissed Evelyn’s forehead, and Evelyn passed her the baby. Simone wore a light that filled her whole face, and Callie knew exactly how she felt. She crossed the room and leaned over to hug Evelyn.

  “Congra
tulations,” she whispered. “He’s just so beautiful, isn’t he?” She peered down at the baby in Simone’s arms. “I love him so much already.” The baby didn’t have a single wisp of hair on his head, and he looked so peaceful with his eyes closed and his body all bundled up.

  “You want him?” Simone passed Conrad to Callie, and tears streamed down her face.

  Simone put her arm around Callie. “Oh, honey.”

  Callie shook her head. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “Honest, I am.”

  Monday couldn’t come fast enough, and Callie hoped she could hold a baby of her own someday soon.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Because those pictures are ridiculous.

  Whitney kept her smile in place as she met everyone in Jeremiah’s family. That wasn’t the hard part, for her, at least.

  But the words he’d said to everyone about her baby photography cut through her over and over again.

  Ridiculous, she thought. Her photography was not ridiculous, and yet, she felt like she could never tell Jeremiah now. She honestly had no plan for when to tell him, and things between them had been going so well.

  But her anger simmered down low in her stomach, and she knew it wasn’t going to go away. She couldn’t deal with it with so many people around, and Jeremiah had a tight grip on her hand, almost like he needed her to stay close to maintain his own sanity. Whitney was willing to be that person for him, but she’d definitely have to tell him about Lake Winters before they got married.

  Probably before they even got engaged. After all, he wouldn’t say such hurtful things about her photography if he knew she was Lake Winters. That didn’t really matter though. He’d still think them, and Whitney knew how he felt.

  And if Evelyn hired her? How could Whitney expect to ask Evelyn and Rhett to keep her secret for her? They wouldn’t, she knew that. So she’d just say she was busy if they called, though she hated that. She wanted to do the baby photography, and posing Jeremiah’s nephew among fresh peas and carrots? That sounded like a dream come true for her.