Mad Love (Hearts Are Wild): Hearts Are Wild (13 page)

“Okay.”

Too busy to look his way, Mad didn’t see him
take both figurines to the sales counter.

He got the girl behind the counter to wrap
the man and woman first then the mother and child. Spotting a
beautiful blown-glass bowl he thought his mother would love, he
asked the sales clerk to wrap that too before making his way back
to Mad.

She’d moved over to the far shelves. For a
moment he just observed her while she studied the items in front of
her. Even deep in thought, she was beautiful. The sight of her
thrummed through him and kicked up his heart rate, tightening his
groin.

Would that soul-deep tug ever go away or
would she always inspire this dark need inside him?

“I’ve found a couple of things that might
work…”

Toby smiled. She was so serious about her
search. He was sure she was enjoying herself but there was that
thread of earnest concentration, as though the weight of the world
rested on the outcome.

“Show me.”

The first ornament she handed him was a
couple lying on a picnic blanket, a baby sleeping between them.
Instantly he thought of Coop and Shaye. “This one.”

She grinned at him. “Yeah, that’s my pick
too.”

“What else you got?”

“Oh, this baby in a crib.” She held it up,
tipped her head to the side and considered it thoughtfully. “Mom
and dad aren’t quite right.”

He studied the figurine. “Hmm… You’re right.
Not Coop and Shaye.” Putting that one back on the shelf, he said,
“I found a glass bowl for my mom, help me find something for
Granny.”

“Oh. I know the perfect thing!” Mad darted
around the end of the shelves into the next isle and Toby’s face
broke out in a huge smile. She was having fun—almost childlike in
her delight. Then again, from what he knew about her life, fun
appeared to be a foreign concept.

He planned to make sure she enjoyed herself
more often in the future. Following after her, they bumped into
each other as she came rushing back his way.

“This.” She held up a figurine similar to the
ones they’d picked for his sisters; they were probably by the same
artist. This one had an old woman, knitting cradled in her lap,
while she sat in a wooden rocking chair. “Perfect, right?” Mad
asked.

While the others were all porcelain, this one
was a combination of wood, porcelain and fabric. The blanket the
woman knitted was soft against his fingertips and the spindles of
the chair back were smooth, exactly like the ones his Gramps
made.

It amazed him how much Mad ‘got’ his family
after meeting them only once. Did she see him as clearly? Did he
want her to?

“Is that it? Do you need to get anything
else?”

“Nope. That’ll do for now. Do you want to
keep looking around while I pay for everything?”

“I might slip next door and grab a drink. Do
you want something?”

“Sure. A bottle of water would be good.”

“Okay. Meet you out front.”

Again Toby found himself standing still and
watching her. Before, he’d been intrigued. He’d been attracted. Now
he was in serious like. Each new facet of Madison he uncovered was
more appealing than the last. He wanted to discover all the sides
to her. Wanted to be with her when she experienced something new,
found joy in the world around her.

It was like watching a flower bloom, and the
more she opened, the more beautiful she became.

Toby slowly pulled in a breath. He was in
deep. Far deeper than he thought possible, and he didn’t know what
to do about it. Where did they go from here?

This morning he’d told her one moment at a
time—one day at a time. He should take his own advice and
appreciate the moments and stop worrying about the future.

***

Toby’s phone rang through the car speakers,
breaking the comfortable silence they’d fallen into as they drove
down the highway. The top was up because when they’d left the
sleepy town they’d had lunch in, clouds had been rolling in from
the south and he didn’t want to risk getting rained on or having to
pull over. They’d made good time, and were only a few minutes for
the turnoff.

Hitting a button on the steering wheel, he
answered the call. “Hey, Dad.”

“Your sister’s in the hospital. According to
your mother, things are moving fast. Get here as soon as you
can.”

The line went dead. Toby chuckled. “Right.
Well. Things are a little tense, I think.”

“It’s the first grandchild, right?”

“Yep.”

“I expect everyone’s a little nervous then.”
Envy stabbed her. He had such a large, close family. “Are you?”

“What’s there to be nervous about? I get to
be the favorite uncle. The one who sneaks the kid chocolate and
teaches him to swear.”

She gasped. “You can’t do that!”

Toby laughed. “I’m joking.”

“Oh.”

He reached over and grabbed her hand. “Looks
like today’s the day. Good thing we picked up a present.”

“Yes.” Glancing out the side window, Madison
thought about all the things she’d never had that he took for
granted. His brothers and his sister. His parents and grandparents.
The large extended family she’d met only yesterday. People who
loved him, who wanted to spend time with him, surrounded Toby.
Cassie’s baby would have that too.

“Hey.” He squeezed her hand. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just thinking. If it’s out of the
way to drop me home first, I’ll get a cab from the hospital so you
can be with your family quicker.”

“Oh no, you’re not going home and leaving me
to pace the halls on my own.”

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have your whole
family around you.”

Toby pulled her hand to his mouth and pressed
his lips to her knuckles. “But I want
you
there with
me.”

“But I’m not family, and I’m sure Cassie
would prefer not to have strangers hanging around.” She didn’t want
a repeat of yesterday’s disconnected feeling.

“Pretty sure Cassie wouldn’t care if the
Queen was waiting for her to give birth. At this point, it’s
probably Luc she doesn’t want to lay eyes on.”

Madison smiled. “Poor Luc. I’ve read that a
woman in labor can be especially nasty to their baby’s father.”

Toby chuckled. “Somehow I think Luc can
handle anything Cassie dishes out. Lord knows she hasn’t managed to
scare him off yet. And she’s tried.”

A part of her wanted to be there with his
family, waiting for the birth of their newest member. But she
couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t belong, shouldn’t be
intruding on what ought to be a private moment for the
Morelands.

Before she could decide either way, Toby
turned into the parking station of one of Sydney’s largest
hospitals. “That call came in at the right moment. Another five
minutes and we’d have had to double back. With any luck, we’ll be
one of the first ones here.”

Resigned to going in with him, Madison
decided she’d give it ten minutes and if she felt like an intruder,
she’d slip away and grab a taxi to take her home.

He found a parking space quickly and in
minutes they were walking through the front doors of the hospital
and looking for the information board. Toby held her hand and
tugged her over to an elderly woman wearing what looked like a
uniform. Her nametag informed them she was Renata, a patient
get-well ambassador.

Madison wasn’t sure what a patient get-well
ambassador was, or whether she’d be any help, but as there didn’t
appear to be any place to ask questions or a display with the
information they needed, they couldn’t be in worse shape after
seeking her out.

“Hi. Can you point us in the direction of the
labor department, please?” Toby asked.

“Last bank of lifts. Sixth floor.” Renata
shuffled away before they could question her further.

“Well. I guess we’re on our own.” Toby smiled
and squeezed her hand. “I’m going to hazard a guess that she means
the elevators at the end of this hallway. C’mon. It can’t be too
hard to find the right way.”

After two wrong turns and a dead end, they
finally found not only the elevators, but an information board that
told them to take the lift to the sixth floor.

“See. Not so hard.” He grinned as he pressed
the up button.

The doors opened immediately and Toby ushered
her in with a hand to her back. Madison leaned into the touch. In
the past, she would have jumped away from such physical contact.
After spending days with him caressing her in more intimate ways,
she was unable to deny the yearning that grabbed her whenever he
brushed against her, never mind when he laid a hand on her
completely.

Hitting the number six button, Toby turned to
face her. “Okay, what’s your bet? Boy or girl?”

“You don’t know? I thought you said ‘him’ in
the car.”

“Oh, I did. I’m hoping for a boy just so we
can continue to outnumber Cassie, but I’d also like to see Luc cope
with a precious princess. I’ve heard stories about the time Cassie
made him help her run a little girl’s birthday party, and legend
says he looks good in a crown.”

“Ah…” Madison wasn’t sure what to make of
Toby’s comments. Was he joking around? The smile on his lips said
he was, but she wasn’t used to banter of this kind. It was one of
the reasons she’d struggled at his family’s barbeque yesterday. She
just didn’t know how to respond to this type of conversation.

“I suppose the important thing is that mom
and bub are healthy,” he added as the lift rose.

“I would think that would be the best
outcome.”

He glanced at her quizzically. “Hmm…”

A bell dinged, the car came to a stop and the
doors swished open. Stepping out, Madison was immediately
confronted with a corridor overflowing with people. “Oh my.”

Toby laughed. “And the Morelands have
arrived.”

They’d arrived all right. It was
standing-room only, and no way was anyone moving from where they
stood. “Do you think they’ll throw everyone out? Surely you aren’t
allowed to have this many visitors.”

He slung his arm around her shoulders and
pulled her snug against him. “I’m sure Granny will put some order
into this mess in a few minutes. She’s been marshaling the family
since before I was born.”

“All these people aren’t blood related, are
they?”

Toby stretched to his toes and peered over
the crowd. “Yep. Looks like they are.”

“How many of you are there?” This was so
different from her little family of three.

“Let’s see…” He took a moment to think. “With
all the Moreland cousins, twenty-three, last time we counted.”

“Soon to be twenty-four.”

“Twenty-five, if we count Shaye and Coop’s
coming bundle of joy, and really, we have to.” He smiled at her.
“And that includes Zac’s fiancé too. Freddie’s not officially a
Moreland yet but it’s a done deal.”

“Wow.” Twenty-five immediate family members?
“That’s a lot of presents to buy at Christmas.” Madison couldn’t
even fathom having to buy that many gifts.

The thought was thrilling and intimidating in
equal measure. What must it be like to have that many relatives?
That many people to love and be loved by? She hoped Toby never took
that for granted.

Madison knew she wouldn’t, if she were lucky
enough to have a big loving family like the Morelands.

Toby stared down at the sleeping bundle in
his arms. Bennett Lucas Wilhelm was a strapping nine pound, eight
ounces and twenty-five inches long. He was a monster. And while
Cassie wasn’t small, Toby had no idea where she’d hidden this guy
or how she’d managed to give birth to him.

“God, Cassie,” he whispered in awe. “You’re
amazing.”

His sister laughed tiredly. “I’m pretty
amazed myself. He’d perfect, isn’t he?”

“You have to ask?” Toby glanced up. “He looks
like a mini Luc.”

“Yeah, well, there’s the downside right
there,” mumbled the proud dad.

Toby smiled at them both. “You guys really
did good.” He looked back at his nephew. “Hard to believe this is
what we’ve all been waiting months for.”

“Is that a tear in your eye, big brother?”
Cassie asked.

“Maybe one,” he conceded. “But only one.”
Turning to Mad standing quietly at his side, he moved closer.
“Here. Have a hold.”

“Oh no. I couldn’t.” She backed away a
step.

“Of course you can.” He followed her.

“But—”

Toby placed Bennett against her chest, giving
her no choice but to take him in her arms.

“Oh!” As he lowered his nephew’s weight into
Mad’s arms, her face soften, her eyes took on a dreamy cast and her
mouth tipped up in a beautiful smile as she gazed at the miracle in
her arms. “He’s heavier than I thought he’d be.”

“He is on the large end of the scales,”
Cassie explained. “Weight, length, head circumference. All above
average.”

“Well, you chose to breed with a monster,”
Toby said over his shoulder, his gaze on Luc, who at six feet five
was not a small man. His brother-in-law grinned.

“I’ve never held a baby before.”

Mad’s whispered words had Toby swinging his
gaze back to her. “Never?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’ve never known
anyone who had one.”

How could she have gone her entire life
without knowing anyone with a baby? “That seems completely strange
to me. I know you have no siblings but surely a cousin, friend,
neighbor, someone you’ve worked with…”

“No. This is the first baby I’ve been this
close to.”

“What?” How could she have lived such a
sheltered life? “We should go down to the nursery to have a look at
more.”

“Why?”

“New experiences, remember?” There were so
many other amazing things he wanted to show her. But right now he
was going to stand here and enjoy the wonder on her face as she
held his nephew.