Family Be Mine (21 page)

She reached for his hand. “All my life I tried to be everything to everybody else—and failed miserably at it.”

“But—”

She put her hands to his lips. His beautiful, sexy lips. “When I was growing up, I tried to be the type of daughter I thought my parents wanted—someone who never wanted to leave home and wanted to study animal husbandry and make my own curtains.”

“I don't need curtains.”

“Quiet! I mean it!” she warned him. Fred hunkered down immediately.

“Anyway, I soon knew I wasn't cut out to be a farmer's wife. That's when I thought I found the man of my dreams and followed him to New York to be the dutiful indie music groupie. Well, he didn't make much music, and anyway, I found it boring hanging out in clubs. Then came the young professional scene in Manhattan, the hip student, the committed professional and then the incredibly competent mom-to-be. And all this time I was trying to fulfill a role that I thought everyone expected me to fulfill. Only I've finally come to understand that none of them were me.”

“They weren't?” he asked.

She inhaled deeply. “No. Because what I've come to realize through you—yes, you—is that what I really should have been doing all along is to be true to myself. Because only that way would I find real happiness.”

“So have you found yourself?” Hunt asked.

Sarah nodded. “I think so. No, I know so.” She looked him in the eyes. “I've found what I was looking for. A
home. And a family. Because home is that special place in my heart, wherever I have my family—the baby, you, even Fred.”

At the sound of his name, Fred tentatively stood up and dipped his head to hers.

“I love you,” she said.

“You love Fred?” Hunt asked.

“Not Fred. Well…yes…I love Fred. But what I really mean, is I love you.” Sarah looked at Hunt. “So? Aren't you going to say anything?”

Hunt frowned. “I'm still thinking about you being an indie band groupie.”

Sarah frowned.

He kissed her hand. “You know what's so great about you, Sarah Halverson?—you're focused on what's essential. And you make
me
focus on what's essential. So, as much as I would like to fall back on my usual witty repartee, and make light of your declaration, I won't.”

“You won't?”

“No, because it deserves equal honesty.” He swallowed. Then inhaled slowly. “Just practicing a little Lamaze therapy.”

Sarah had venom in her eyes.

“Sorry, sorry. Just because I'm having problems altering the habits of a lifetime, doesn't mean I don't love you.”

“Wait a minute. Could you say that without all the double negatives?”

“I.” He kissed one eye. “Love.” He kissed the other.

“You.” He kissed the tip of her upturned nose. Then drew back to drink in her expression. “Very, very, much.” And then he kissed her lips tenderly.

Fred nudged between them.

“Oh, all right.” Hunt threw up his hands. “I'll get up and get you your dinner.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed. “See now. You've got him being a slave driver, too.”

“I'll get his food,” Sarah offered, pushing herself to a sitting position.

Hunt bent over and retrieved his boxers and reached for a pair of sweatpants. “No!” He held out his hand. “For once, you don't get to do anything for anyone else. You get to be a lady of leisure.”

Sarah lay back in bed and sighed. “I think I like the sound of that. Hurry back, though.”

Hunt slipped one leg in the pants and hopped over to her side. “Quickly, my love, as soon as I feed and walk our demented dog.”

She laughed.

He stole a kiss while she was still laughing. It felt fizzy.

He leaned over the bed and looked at her. “All kidding aside—”

“All kidding aside…”

“I want this to last longer than the baby's birth,” he said.

She nodded. “Me, too.”

“So you'll move in?”

“But what about my place?”

“Details. We'll work it out.”

“Well, in that case, okay. I'll move in.” She could feel the happiness welling inside.

He looked away and then back. “I've got to warn you, though. I can't think long-term yet.”

“If you're talking about dying, don't. I mean, I could
be hit by a bus tomorrow. There're some things you just can't know. There
are
no guarantees.”

“But I've had cancer.”

“That's in the past. And the statistics are now overwhelmingly in your favor.”

Hunt nodded. “Logically, I know you're right, but emotionally, I'm not there yet. I can't make any promises.”

“Was I asking for promises?”

He shook his head and grabbed her hand. “You're too good for me.”

“I know.” She smiled. And with time, she knew he'd truly realize the prize they had found, truly realize that what they had together would last a lifetime.

Three weeks later…

“L
IKE THE LOOK, HON,”
Hunt said, rising from the chair in Sarah's waiting room. He closed the review book for the med-school admissions test that he had started plowing through a couple of weeks ago.

He had been a chemical engineering major, and he'd actually fulfilled the course requirements for med school. And as he somewhat sheepishly admitted to Sarah since it was damaging evidence for a self-proclaimed lazybones, his three-point-eight grade point average, wasn't too shabby either. Still, cracking the books in his thirties was tougher than he had expected.

“But it's not like having a baby,” Sarah was wont to reply when he moaned particularly loudly.

He wasn't moaning now. Well, maybe internally, and for different reasons. The love of his life, now a week away from her due date and in all her voluptuous glory, had just appeared in the reception room of her office dressed as a very pregnant French maid.
I love Halloween,
he thought.

Rosemary finished shutting down her computer and got up to empty the coffeepot. “I'll see you two love-birds tomorrow then,” she said, slipping on a ski jacket and adjusting the reindeer antlers in her hair. It was an
office tradition to dress up for Halloween. “And I can't thank you enough, Hunt, for running to Kmart for me to get candy on sale. I never would have had the chance before the hordes start descending.”

Sarah came over. “I recognize what you're doing, you know.” She twirled her finger at him threateningly. “You're attempting to turn the office staff's loyalty to you—picking up everybody's dry cleaning, coming in and acting all charming. And just to show you that it's working…”

She kissed him on the lips. Then she stepped back to study Hunt's costume. “I could get used to the look,” she said.

He was dressed like a swashbuckling pirate, with a black eye patch and a rakishly angled red bandana over his hair, which had grown longer over the weeks. Sarah liked the long, loose curls so much she'd refused to let him get them cut. She also liked the white shirt unbuttoned to the waistband of his tight black pants, which she vaguely recognized as a pair she'd used for yoga. Not that she'd ever fit into them again.

“Shall we?” He removed the shawl she had over her arm and draped it over her shoulders. He picked up his review book. “See you tomorrow, Rosemary. We're off to torture ourselves at water aerobics.” He didn't bother to hide the sarcasm.

“Don't listen to him, Rosemary. He loves it, and it's made a big difference already.”

“I think all the walking and jogging and the weight program you've got me on has contributed some, too.”

Sarah waved goodbye and headed for the car. They'd switched to her Honda Accord from his Porsche since
the bucket seats were just too unmanageable at this point.

After she buckled up, she turned to Hunt, not waiting for him to pull out of the parking lot. “I've been thinking.”

“Hmm. Always dangerous.” He turned into the road.

“I know we just finished redoing the little bedroom for a nursery, but what about doing something with the bedroom downstairs? I mean, now that I've rented out my place, I've got some extra money, and seeing as Wanda is committed to taking care of the baby and Fred…”

Hunt came to a stoplight and looked askance. “Sarah, we've been through this before. You're to save that money, and Ben or I or even Katarina will be glad to help you invest it. But even without worrying about the money, I think it's time to hold off on any more renovations. Wanda's going to move in with Lena anyway, and that's right around the block.”

The light changed, and he turned left to get to the middle school.

“Okay, we can hold off on that room, but don't you think you should really look into retiling the lap pool on the roof? Even you said it needs doing.”

“Let's wait. With the baby coming, there might be other priorities to consider.” He hadn't told her that he'd already made provisions to shift some of his investments to a college savings account. He figured that would be a good gift to announce after their baby was born.

It was true. Somewhere in the past few weeks he had shifted from thinking of the baby as “her” baby to “their” baby. Of course Zach would be as much a part
of the baby's life as he wanted, but Hunt couldn't help feeling what Ben had called an “emotional bond.”

Hunt parked the car, and Sarah was already getting out while he reached in the backseat to get their gym bags.

“Here you are.” He passed a bag to Sarah. “I'll see you in there after I change.”

“I just hope this bikini still stays in place. I can't believe how big I've gotten in the last couple of weeks.”

“It might liven things up a bit if it didn't. On the other hand, just think how Doris would blow her whistle in all the excitement!” Hunt chuckled at the thought of their instructor losing her cool. He gave her a peck on the cheek and they separated at the entrances to the men's and women's locker rooms.

Two minutes later, Hunt had just managed to change his tight pirate pants for his swim trunks when Wanda burst into the men's locker room.

“Huntington, come quickly. Sarah needs you.”

Hunt's heart leaped in his chest. With his unbuttoned shirt ballooning to the sides, he rushed into the women's locker room. “Where is she?” he asked, racing past several women from the class in various states of undress. “Don't worry,” he called out, waving to them as he moved quickly past.

There were screeches and shouts of, “A man! You shouldn't be in here!”

“I'm going to be a doctor, so it means nothing,” he said on the run.

Wanda pointed to the last row of lockers. “She's back there, halfway down the aisle.”

Hunt sped on. He rounded the corner and came to a screeching halt. Sarah was standing with her legs
pressed close together and an agonized look on her face. The low-cut blouse to her costume was unbuttoned. Her breasts billowed out. She looked up. “My water broke.” She sounded in shock.

Lena grabbed her towel. “Don't worry, we can dry you up. Here.” She wrapped it around Sarah's waist and patted her dry.

“This is great!” Hunt put his arm around her shoulders. “That means the baby's coming. And don't worry about the mess. We're driving your car, don't you remember?”

Sarah narrowed her eyes. “Please remind me why I put up with you.”

Hunt took her hand and squeezed it. His own was shaking like a leaf. After a moment, the drills of the Lamaze class clicked in. “I've got to call Julie and Katarina.”

Wanda had her cell phone in her hand. “I'm already on top of that. As the designated alternative grandmother, I know my role.” She had announced to Sarah and Hunt the other day that that was her title, and hers alone.

“What's going on? Somebody said a strange man with one eye came barging into the women's locker room!” It was Carl, the elderly man with the vertical bi-pass scar on his chest who was also taking the class. He brandished a flipper.

Hunt shifted his black eye patch to the top of his bandanna. “It's just me, Carl.”

A high-pitched whistle pierced the air. All heads turned.

Doris stood at the end of the aisle, brandishing her whistle. “What seems to be the problem here?”

“Hold your horses, Doris,” Wanda snapped. “It's Sarah. She's going to have her baby.”

Doris stood up straight. “Quick then, a plan of action.”

“Anything.” Carl stepped forward.

Lena pulled on a cardigan over her swimsuit. “Hunt will take Sarah to the hospital. But, Carl, why don't you retrieve Hunt's things from the men's room and meet him by their car outside?”

Carl rushed out with purpose.

“I'll get Sarah's things and come with Sarah and Hunt. I'll also call Rufus to take care of the dog,” Lena said.

Sarah glanced up, looking confused at all the commotion around her. “And could you call Zach's and Hunt's moms? They should know, too.”

“I've already got them in my phone,” Wanda said.

“What about my suitcase and pillow?” Sarah asked.

“Don't worry. I'll stop by the house and get them,” Wanda reassured.

“They're in the bedroom.” Hunt managed to button up Sarah's blouse out of order but good enough. He grabbed her shawl from the bench and wrapped it around her shoulders. “We're good to go then?”

She nodded, holding the towel around her waist. “As good as I'll ever be.” She glanced over at Doris. “I guess this means we'll miss the last class.”

“Then I'll just have to hold you two to a makeup session. I always expect full participation and completion of assignments.”

Hunt pushed open the locker door with his shoulder, and he held Sarah, guiding her down the stairs to the
car. “You know you're going to have to marry me,” he said before they had even gotten outside.

“Why, because the baby needs a father?”

“No, I think the baby has more than enough fathers. Enough grandmothers and aunts
and
uncles. But I think it's time before he—”

“Or she…”

“Or she has any sisters or brothers that there's at least a designated official wife and a designated official husband.”

Sarah stopped and studied his face. Besides the wry smile, she saw something more—much more. She saw his love and commitment. She saw the possibility of a future, a future together. Her heart raced. “I love you, you know.”

“I know,” he said, his voice full of wonder. “And I love you.”

Lena glanced at one and then the other and offered a sigh of contentment. “Matt will be so pleased that I made him practice the Mendelssohn.” Then she quickly regrouped. “Excuse me, we all have our jobs to perform.” Lena shooed them down the path toward the car. Carl was waiting with Hunt's clothes.

Hunt had his eyes elsewhere. “So this means you accept, right?” he asked Sarah. For once, he didn't sound all that confident.

Sarah shrugged coyly. “I suppose it would provide Fred with some much needed stability.”

“Ouch! Now I know what it feels like when I kid you!” Hunt turned to Carl. “Do you think it's improper to punch a lady in the arm even under extreme circumstances? She does it to me all the time.”

“Well…I'm old-school and—”

Lena threw up her hands. “Forget the punches! Forget the schools! We have bigger fish to fry.” Lena grabbed the clothes from Carl. She found the car keys and thrust them at Hunt. “Here, be a man and drive.”

“Hold on.” Sarah grabbed Hunt with both hands. She was in a hurry to get to the hospital, but she needed to clear up something first. “So does this mean you've gotten over your fear of dying tomorrow or the next day or the next?”

“If you can go through giving birth, then I think the least I can do is to live a long life. Besides, I can already visualize us having wheelchair races down Main Street. So I'm warning you—better stay in shape. I can be very competitive.”

Sarah beamed. “No matter. I'm the one who's already won.” She bent down gingerly to get in the passenger seat. “And by the way. The answer's yes.”