Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (33 page)

“I know.”

“But she wants to go through with the labor if she can. And she wouldn't let the doctors give her anything.”

Christie couldn't keep from smiling. Knowing her stubborn sister, Teri was probably swearing a blue streak.

Bobby continued, his hands clenched at his sides. “The doctors don't want anyone in the room but me.”

“I'll be right outside,” Christie promised. “Just keep me updated, okay?”

Bobby nodded.

“Does Teri want me to call our mother?”

Bobby shook his head. “After, maybe, but not now.”

Christie was in full accord with that decision, although she felt she had to make the offer. Teri hadn't seen or talked to their mother since Christmas. Neither had Christie, and in her opinion, it was just as well that Ruth had stayed out of the picture.

“Okay,” Christie told him. “Give Teri my love and tell her I'm in the waiting area if she needs anything.”

Bobby nodded again.

“Give her my love, too,” James added.

Bobby hugged Christie, waved at James and returned to the labor room. When he opened the door, Christie heard her sister swearing.

James grinned at her—and, despite herself, Christie smiled back.

They sat in the small waiting room across from each other. In an effort to avoid conversation, Christie picked up a magazine. It sported a Christmas tree on the cover. After flipping idly through the pages, she set it aside and looked at her watch. It was just after three.

When she took a chance and glanced up, she found James studying her. He turned away but not before she caught him.

“What?” she demanded irritably.

“Nothing.”

“Just tell me.” If James had something to say, he might as well spit it out, otherwise they'd both be on edge.

“You don't want to hear it.”

“You don't know me as well as you think you do. I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't interested.”

He shrugged. “Fine. You asked, so I'll tell you.” His eyes met hers. “I was just thinking how much I love you, how much I wish it was you in that labor room, having our baby.” He looked down at his hands. “I was kicking myself for being such a fool and not realizing what I had with you and how much I regret ruining everything.”

James was right about one thing—she didn't want to hear it. Men had said almost identical words to her before and she'd wanted to believe them. Then, each time, she'd finally recognized that it had all been a spiel, an attempt to get what they wanted—which was exactly what she'd given them. Christie was determined not to fall victim to her own weakness again.

“I don't believe you,” she muttered.

His shoulders sank and he looked away. When he spoke again, his voice was sad. “I know.”

After that, neither spoke for what felt like hours. James stood and walked out of the waiting room. Christie felt strangely bereft without his presence. She was afraid he wouldn't return but about ten minutes later he strolled back, carrying two cups of steaming coffee. He handed her one of them, and she thanked him.

Then Bobby appeared, looking even worse than before. “They say the labor's not progressing.”

It didn't seem possible that he could be any paler and yet he was.

“They decided to do a caesarean,” he said next. “They've already taken Teri into surgery…. I can't go with her. The doctor said they're afraid I'll be in the way.”

“They won't let you stay with Teri?” The situation must be serious.

“I can wait outside the operating room—but I wanted to let you know what's happening.”

“Thank you,” Christie whispered. For the first time she was truly afraid for her sister.

Bobby left and she slowly sank back into her chair. James took the one beside her. Again they didn't speak, but after several minutes he reached for her hand.

Christie knew she should pull away, but she craved the comfort of his touch. As they locked their fingers together, heat seemed to radiate up her arm…and through her entire body.

“Teri and the babies will be fine,” Christie whispered. “My sister's a trouper.”

Apparently James had nothing to add and after a moment she leaned her head against his shoulder. Then his arm slipped all the way around her….

After another thirty or forty minutes, Bobby raced back into the waiting room, flapping his arms like a bird about to take flight. “Three boys!” he cried. “Perfect, small…but alive. They're being put in a preemie machine…. Teri's fine.”

“Names?” Christie managed to ask as she leaped to her feet. Her sight had blurred with tears.

“Names, names… Oh, yes, names. Robbie, for me,
Jimmy for James and Christopher for Christie.” Grinning, he hurried back to rejoin his wife and three sons.

Instinctively Christie turned to James. At the same time he turned toward her and then, without even knowing who moved first, they were in each other's arms, clinging hard.

“I knew everything would be all right,” Christie said with a sob. The truth was, she
hadn't
known and had been frantic with worry.

“A little boy named after me,” James whispered into her hair. It seemed almost more than he could take in.

“And me.” Christie felt the same way. She'd never dreamed her sister would do something like this. Teri was close to their brother, Johnny, and Christie had assumed that if she was going to name any of the triplets after a family member, it would be him.

“And Bobby, too,” James said.

Bobby was elated. He wasn't one to openly display his feelings, but he did now. The love and joy in his face was enough to reduce Christie to another embarrassing rush of tears. She wiped them from her cheeks, using both hands, as James continued to hold her.

“A boy named Jimmy.” His voice was awed.

They still clung to each other and neither seemed willing to let go first. Christie rested her head against James's chest. She heard the strong, even beat of his heart. James had come back—to Teri and Bobby, to
her.
He wasn't like the other men in her life.

Just when Christie was about to speak, they were interrupted.

“Christie?”

James released her and Christie turned to see Rachel Peyton, Teri's friend from the salon.

“Did Teri have the babies?” Rachel asked eagerly.

Christie broke into a wide grin. “Three boys. Bobby came to tell us a few minutes ago.”

“Are they…?”

“Small but perfect,” Christie said. “I don't know the exact weights. Bobby was too excited to give us any more details.”

“They're early.”

“How'd you find out Teri was in labor?” she asked, curious to learn who had contacted Rachel.

“I phoned her,” James said. “Teri asked me to.”

As if her legs were no longer able to support her, Rachel staggered to a chair and sat down.

Christie crouched beside her. “Are you okay?”

Rachel pressed her hand to her heart. “I…I thought I was going to pass out.”

Teri's friend looked ill. When she closed her eyes, Christie glanced at James, who nodded, obviously aware of what she meant. He left and came back a few minutes later with a nurse.

“I'm fine, I'm fine,” Rachel insisted, although she seemed anything but fine.

The nurse escorted her into an examining room, and once again James and Christie were alone.

“I feel like I've worked an eight-hour shift,” Christie said, suddenly exhausted.

“I do, too.” His smile held her gaze.

“I…I should probably go home and make a few phone calls.” But Christie didn't want to leave.

James put his arm around her waist. “Don't go.”

Indecision kept her silent.

“Not yet,” he cajoled. “Stay a bit longer.”

“I would like to see the babies,” she murmured. That was true, but it wasn't the only reason she felt inclined to linger.

“Little Jimmy.”

“Little Christopher,” Christie said, grinning wildly.

James brought her even closer to his side.

They walked down the corridor like that, and after a long sigh, Christie looked up at James. “If you ever leave me again, I'll…I don't know what I'll do, but I guarantee you it won't be pleasant. Furthermore—”

“I won't ever leave you again,” James broke in.

“I'm serious, James. I can't take the pain.”

He faced her and set his hands squarely on her shoulders. His eyes grew dark and grave. “I'm serious, too.”

“I'm going to finish my schooling.”

“I'll do everything I can to help you achieve your dreams, Christie. A man does that for the woman he loves.”

She'd been prepared for an argument. He didn't offer one. Her gaze steadily held his. “I want babies of my own.”

“Babies of
our
own. And I'm all for it.”

“Don't be so agreeable,” she snapped. “It confuses me and I—”

He silenced her with a kiss, right there in the hospital hallway. Christie's arms slid up his chest and looped around his neck as she returned his kiss.

“Three?” he asked in a husky voice when they drew apart.

Christie nestled into his embrace. “Not if they all arrive at once.” On second thought, she mused, that might not be so bad.

James rubbed his hand down the length of her back. “We'll have beautiful babies.”

She remembered his remark about beautiful babies the day he'd come to the tavern. It was why she'd run after him… “Yes, we will,” she murmured.

He kissed the tip of he nose. “But they won't play chess.”

“They can if they want to,” she countered.

“Okay,” he agreed, “if they want to play, they can.”

The nurse who'd led Rachel away returned. “I've called your friend's husband,” she said.

“Is everything okay?” Christie asked anxiously.

“No, it isn't,” Rachel said, a few steps behind the other woman. She seemed about to burst into tears.

“What's wrong?” Christie hurried after her into the waiting room.

Rachel sat down and buried her face in her hands. “This can't be true. It just can't.”

“What can't?”

Teri's friend dropped her hands and glanced up. “I'm pregnant,” she wailed.

“But that's wonderful news,” Christie said. “Isn't it?”

“It should be,” Rachel said. “I should be happy, but…we'd decided not to have a baby right away and then there's Jolene. She isn't ready to deal with this. We promised we'd give her time to get used to us being married first. We
promised.
I should've gone on the pill, but I didn't.” Looking from Christie to James, she shook her head. “This is what happens. I told Bruce we were playing Russian roulette, but he was so sure we were safe….”

“So what you're saying is—”

“Sex!” Rachel exclaimed. “This is what happens when you have the most wonderful sex…in the middle of the afternoon. We've been meeting at noon—oh, you wouldn't understand.”

James tightened his grip on Christie and whispered, “Is it noon yet?”

Despite herself, despite her worry about Rachel, Christie smiled.

A moment later, Rachel smiled, too….

Thirty-One

“W
hat do you mean you're engaged?” Linnette McAfee shouted over the phone.

Mack knew this would shock his sister—just like it would shock his parents once he told them. The engagement felt… He searched for the right word.
Strange,
he decided. Yes, strange. And awkward, too.

In the short time since they'd become engaged, things had changed between Mack and Mary Jo, and not for the better. Instead of drawing the two of them together, it seemed to have driven them apart.

Ever since that night two weeks ago, Mary Jo had gone out of her way to avoid him. Mack didn't understand it. He'd accepted her stipulation. Nonetheless she seemed to believe that Mack would treat her as badly as Rhodes had. That told Mack she didn't really know him or trust him, although she claimed she did.

Another equally unpleasant possibility was that she didn't actually care for him and was just using him as protection against David Rhodes. He was perfectly willing to play that role and had said as much. But pride—and
his own feelings for her—demanded that Mary Jo marry him for reasons other than fear.

“I hadn't even heard that you were dating anyone,” Linnette said, breaking into his thoughts.

“It's Mary Jo Wyse and—”

“Isn't she the woman who had the baby on Christmas Eve?”

“Yes. I delivered Noelle and we've been—”

His sister cut him off a second time. “Tell me again why you haven't said anything to Mom and Dad?”

“It's complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it for me.”

“Well, for one thing, David Rhodes, Noelle's birth father, is threatening to go for custody.”

“He wouldn't dare.”

“He won't now that I'm in the picture, that's for sure.”

“Just a minute,” Linnette said in that irritating big-sister way. “You don't need to marry her to keep David Rhodes out of her life. Obviously, there's more to this story than meets the eye.”

Maybe informing Linnette that he was engaged hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

“You love her, don't you?”

“Yes…”

“But you aren't a hundred percent convinced she returns your feelings?”

Apparently his sister possessed some form of psychic ability because she'd immediately homed in on the one subject Mack wanted to avoid.

“Uh…”

“You're afraid she's using you to keep Noelle's father at bay?”

When he didn't answer, she continued. “Mack…do you love her that much?”

Mack sat on a kitchen stool with his cell pressed tightly against his ear. He closed his eyes and whispered, “Yeah, I love her that much.” It would be a whole lot easier if he didn't.