Magic in Our Hearts (23 page)

The interview with Brett had been replayed all morning and afternoon. She was no longer just a local Boulder celebrity. She was now known worldwide as the charismatic and innovative coach for the U.S. Ski Team. Taylor’s eyes misted with tears as she watched her ecstatic partner express her happiness over the U.S. Ski Team’s complete sweep of the Winter Olympics. She had done it! Not only had the team taken more gold medals than ever before, Brett was being credited with turning the U.S. ski program around.

“She did it!” Taylor whispered her eyes full of pride and love for the woman who had overcome so much. “Her mother would be so proud.” 

“Just like we all are. They’re saying that her unique program was the reason for their success. I wonder where she got all her advice about mind and body athletics,” Jeb commented with a grin. Everyone knew that Taylor was as much a part of Brett’s program as she was herself. They had collaborated on the develop-ment of her strength training and her physical therapy for the ski program.

“She knows what it takes. She’s been through it all,” Taylor responded, taking Jeb’s hand and gasping as a labor pain caught her unawares.

“How’re you doing, sweetie?” Jeb bent over and kissed her cheek. They were as close as ever. He and Rex spent many of their vacations over the last three years visiting Brett and Taylor in Boulder.

“Good, excited, nervous. I miss Brett,” Taylor admitted as she breathed deeply to get through the pains.

“Honey, she would love to be here with you. You know you are her heart.” Jeb held tightly to her hand as she closed her eyes. “It’s killing her not to be with you.”

“I know, it’s been over a month and I miss her so much. God, I just need to hold her for minute. It’s been so hard with the time difference and her grueling schedule. She barely gets any time to sleep.”

“I know, sweetie, but she’ll be home before you know it.” He was aware that Brett had argued with Taylor for weeks about staying home from Torino to be with her for the births. Brett thought that Taylor and their children should come first. Taylor wouldn’t hear of Brett missing her first Olympics and demanded that she go and fulfill her destiny. Jeb was keeping a secret for now. Brett was winging her way back home after receiving his telephone call. He had promised her he would call if Taylor went into labor. Brett wouldn’t miss this occasion if she had anything at all to say about it. She had sworn him to secrecy, not wanting to get Taylor’s hopes up if she didn’t arrive in time. He knew she was about seven hours from landing in Boulder, and he was hoping Taylor wouldn’t deliver before then. Six and a half hours later, Brett threw some cash at the driver and ran from the taxi, her small shoulder bag flapping behind her. She had left everything else in her hotel to be packed up by her assistant and sent home with all of the rest of their equipment. She hit the stairway at a gallop knowing that Taylor was on the third floor in the maternity wing. People jumped out of her way as she raced down the corridor. The message Jeb left on her cell phone had said that Taylor’s delivery was imminent. She was breathing heavily as she burst into Taylor’s room. She was delighted to find it filled with family and friends. Helen and Fran were on one side of the bed, and Rex and Jeb were on the other. Taylor lay in bed looking radiant as she relaxed between labor pains that were now about five minutes apart. Taylor had insisted on natural childbirth, and she and Brett had taken classes to prepare. Brett was scared to death.

“Brett, how, what …” Taylor sputtered, looking at her frantic partner.

“I told you I wanted to be here.” Brett grinned as she bent over the bed and kissed Taylor slowly, her hand grasping Taylor’s as she felt the familiar heat and emotion fill her up. “God, I missed you.”

“But I saw your interview earlier.” Taylor was more than stunned as she hugged Brett tightly.

“They taped it yesterday so that I could get home quickly if I had to. I told them nothing would keep me away from the birth of our children. They understood,” Brett whispered as she bent and kissed Taylor again.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Taylor pulled Brett into another hug as she began to cry.

“So am I.” Brett wiped her own face free of tears. “How are you feeling? Are the labor pains very close? What does the doctor have to say? What am I sup-posed to do?” Brett panicked as she realized how close the birth of her children was.

“Brett, honey, relax. Everything is fine. The pains are manageable. The doctor has been to see me several times, and I’m right on schedule. Sit here on the bed next to me. There’s nothing to do until they decide to be born.”

“What can I do?”

“Get ready to help me breathe. We’ll be getting to the hard stuff soon enough.”

Taylor couldn’t have been more right. Within the hour Taylor was a minute apart with full-blown contractions as the babies demanded delivery. The room was cleared except for the doctor, Brett, and two nurses as Taylor prepared to deliver her twin girls. Brett leaned against Taylor’s back, giving her support while she pressed down. The doctor guided the first child’s head. She came out with a startled cry that announced her birth. While another nurse took the little girl and cleaned her up, the doctor assisted as the second little girl, fussing with outrage, slid out into his waiting arms.

Taylor was too busy to do anything but laugh and cry at the same time as she watched Brett cut both cords. Brett bent over both girls and then returned to Taylor’s bedside, her face awash with tears. “I can’t believe how perfect they are. I love you so much. God, Taylor, you are amazing.” Brett burst into fresh tears as she hugged Taylor tightly in her arms. The two women held each other for a short time before the doctor interrupted them. 

“Taylor, we need to take the babies and have them weighed, measured, and checked out. We also need to take care of you. I suggest that Brett go out and let everyone know about your beautiful children. We’ll get you cleaned up and then let you sleep for a little bit. This will probably be the last sleep you get for many months.”

“Okay, Doctor, is Taylor okay?”

“She’s fine, Brett. So are your girls.”

“Thanks so much.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“Honey, go. I’ll be fine.” Taylor kissed Brett and then gently pushed her toward the door. Her eyes stayed on Brett until the door shut behind her and then she lay back on the bed, exhausted from the long labor and delivery. It had been a long twenty hours, and she was terribly tired.

“Taylor, how are you doing?”

“Tired, more than anything.”

“I used a local so you won’t feel any pain. I need to put in a couple of stitches, and then we’ll clean you up and let you sleep. Your children will be brought back in an hour or so.”

“Are they really okay?”

“They looked perfect to me, a little small but very feisty.”

“Will you tell Brett to come back inside when you’re done?”

“I will.”

CHAPTER 24

An hour later, Taylor’s eyes fluttered open to find Brett sitting quietly beside her bed watching her sleep. “Honey, how are the babies?”

“Excellent, the nurses say they’re in good health. Rose is six pounds two ounces, and Jane is five pounds eight ounces.” Taylor and Brett had decided to name their girls after both of their mothers. “How are you doing?”

“Good—I feel pretty good right now. Can I see the babies?”

“Sure. The nurse brought a wheelchair for you, and I can wheel you over to the nursery. They were sleeping when I visited them a little while ago.”

“Has everyone else seen them?”

“Yep, Jeb cried and so did Fran. I finally convinced all of them to go home and get some sleep.”

“How are you, honey?”

Brett smiled and bent over placing her face close to Taylor’s. “I can’t remember ever feeling this good. My life just keeps getting better and better. I love you and our babies. They’re so damn beautiful, with a little bit of dark red hair the same color as their mother’s.”

“I love you, Brett. I’m so proud of you. You showed everyone in Italy what it takes to be a world-class athlete. Your mother would be so proud.”

“She would be been even prouder of our children.”

“Her grandchildren.”

“Yes, she would have been a fantastic grandmother.”

“We’ve got Helen and Fran.”

“You’re forgetting Jeb and Rex.”

“Our family, it’s so perfect, so magical. I love you.” 

“I love you.” Are you ready to see our girls?”

“One more thing and then I will be.”

“What’s that honey?”

“Will you kiss me? I’ve missed you so much I just need you to hold me for a minute.”

Brett crawled up on the bed next to Taylor bed and wrapped her arms around her. Then she bent her head and kissed Taylor gently, slowly, her heart bursting with love. She held Taylor for quite a while because Taylor slid back into a contented sleep with Brett’s arms wrapped securely around her.

Their girls were brought back to the room in bassinets before Taylor woke up.

Brett was still next to her, her eyes on the two sleeping children.

“Mom, you were right. There’s nothing that can compare with having your own child. I wish you were here to see how beautiful they are. I miss you every day, but I feel you watching over us. I finally got you a gold medal. Thank you for your friendship. I hope I’m half the mother you were to me.” Taylor had awoken in time to hear Brett speak to her mother, and she couldn’t keep from crying as she responded. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother for our girls. You’ll teach them how to love, how to work toward a goal, and how to be a good person. I’m so proud of you, Brett.”

“I think you having our children is so much more important than any medal.

Do you want to see your girls?” Brett kissed Taylor gently.

“Can we hold them?”

“The nurse said we could. She said you could start breastfeeding them when you felt comfortable.”

“No time like the present.” Taylor moved to sit up as Brett slid off of the bed.

“Why don’t you bring me one of them and you hold the other one?”

“Okay, but I’ve never picked up a baby before.” Brett looked scared to death as she slowly slid her hands underneath Rose. “Hey, Rose, are you ready to meet your mother?”

After placing Rose in Taylor’s arms, she went back for Jane who was fussing in her bassinet. “Hello Jane, welcome to our family.” Brett turned and her smile was from ear to ear as she looked at Taylor with Rose in her arms. “Well, I guess we won’t be getting any sleep for awhile.”

“Probably not for eighteen years or so,” Taylor laughed as she prepared to feed her little girl.

“I love you, Taylor.”

“And I adore you.”

CHAPTER 25

Four years later …

Taylor pulled up in front of the Boulder airport in time to see Jeb striding out of the entrance. She waved to get his attention as she stepped out of her SUV.

“Taylor, you look fantastic.” Jeb remarked as he grinned at his best friend and business partner.

Taylor was attired in a pair of forest green ski pants and a lamb’s wool jacket, her feet snug and warm in fur lined leather boots. She looked right at home in the snow-covered town of Boulder. It was the dead of winter and icy cold, with snow flurries that had lasted all day long adding to the six inches of compacted snow already on the ground.

“Thanks, Jeb, so do you. I’m so glad you decided to come for a visit.” Taylor smiled up at the handsome man as she reached up to hug him. He was wearing slate grey ski pants and a darker grey wool coat.

“So am I. How are my godchildren? Have they recovered from their two weeks in Austria?” Jeb asked as he kissed Taylor on the cheek.

“Yes, but Brett and I haven’t. What made us think taking two four-year-old children to the World Cup in Austria was a good idea. They had a blast, but Brett and I are exhausted. The girls are perfect, and they loved the trip. I thought we could drive by the slopes and let you see them in action. Brett’s teaching them to ski.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jeb looked shocked. They were only four years old and both were extremely smart, but skiing? 

“No, and I think Rose is just like her other mother. She’s going to tear up the slopes. She has no fear. Jane is a little more controlled, but her style is perfect.

They’ve been skiing with Brett for almost a year.”

“Is Brett skiing?”

“Only with the girls, and she’s very careful. She doesn’t want to take any chances with her knees. One injury could mean another knee replacement. She still skis so beautifully. I love to watch her.”

“You love everything Brett does,” Jeb chuckled. “The spa is doing very well. I can’t believe how much business we’re getting. Having a successful U.S. ski coach promoting our spa doesn’t exactly hurt.”

“We have to turn away clients in Boulder,” Taylor responded with a grin of her own. Their business couldn’t have been more successful. Taylor and Jeb’s business had improved upon its already stellar reputation and now included many international athletes taking advantage of the strong programs and rehabilitation services.

“Maybe we should think of another location,” Jeb suggested as he climbed into Taylor’s Range Rover.

“Are you serious?” Taylor looked at him with surprise as she started the car.

This was news to her.

“Well, I think by the time I’m ready to retire, your daughters will be old enough to run the business,” Jeb responded with a big smile.

Taylor grinned at her best friend and business partner. “Maybe Jane, but I think Rose is going to break some hearts on the World Cup ski circuit for awhile.

She’s so much like Brett it’s amazing. Her mannerisms are the same, she has that touch of arrogance that Brett has, and she is downright stubborn. Jane is the busi-nesswoman. You should see her negotiate her allowance. It’s like dealing with an MBA; she has her argument prepared before she even asks us for more money.” Jeb could hear the pride in Taylor’s voice.

“Like mother, like daughter. How are you and Brett doing?” Taylor sighed happily. “Life just gets better and better. A day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t show me in some small way how much she loves me. I count my blessings every day that we found each other again.”