Janessa listened to what her friend was saying and sighed. ‘OK. Let’s say, for a start that Miles does want me to go with him to the UK, to be a part of his team. What happens when
that
case is finished and he gets offered
another
case? You forget. I’ve been following this man’s career for years. I’ve read the articles he writes for the leading neonate journals, I know he likes to move around. It’s who he is. It’s what he does.’
‘It’s what he
did.’
Sheena’s smile broadened. ‘I’ve seen the way you look at him and I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and I have to say that both of my friends have been bitten by the same bug. The love bug.’ She wiggled her fingers at Janessa as she said the words but Janessa just couldn’t smile at the action, her insides churning with confusion and indecision. Sheena instantly sobered and gave her friend a hug.
‘This isn’t a bad thing, Ness. It’s a good thing. You’ve fallen in love. For real this time. You’re not an impulsive teenager any more. This is real and good and right and everything else that’s wonderful.’
Janessa stood there and processed Sheena’s words, realising that true happiness might well be within her grasp. That if what Sheena said was true, if Miles cared for her as much as she cared for him, there might be the slightest hope that they could work things out.
‘I have to go find him.’
‘Atta-girl,’ Sheena said with a wide grin on her face. She watched her friend blow a kiss to the sleeping twins and race out of the NICU.
Janessa had arranged to meet Miles at her car, and after quickly changing she headed to the old shed behind the residential wing. He’d already opened the double doors in order to drive the car out and for a moment she couldn’t see him.
She paused, her gaze searching frantically for him. Was he here? He had to be here. They were supposed to meet here. And then she caught sight of him, bent down low next to the car, rag in hand, giving the paintwork a polish. Her heart turned over with love for him.
She stood there, watching the way his muscles flexed beneath his shirt, the way his legs were powerful and strong, the way he cared for her car in exactly the same way as her father had. He was a kind, caring and considerate man and she was instantly struck with overwhelming regret that her father had never been able to meet this most extraordinary man.
‘Hey,’ he said when he looked up and saw her. ‘Just giving her the once-over. Almost ready to go.’ When Janessa didn’t move, Miles stopped what he was doing and tossed the rag back onto the work bench. ‘Is everything all right? The twins? Sheena?’
‘They’re fine. Everything’s fine. We’re good to go. But … do you mind if we take a slight detour first? It’s not far. About two blocks from here.’
‘OK. Sure.’ He opened the passenger door for her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before hurrying around to slide behind the wheel. They both put on their seat belts and Miles turned the key in the ignition, the engine purring instantly to life. ‘Oh, yeah. This car is the best.’
Janessa just smiled as she gave him directions. Soon they pulled up outside a house that was almost finished being built. There were a few workmen around, banging and hammering, but apart from the unfinished landscaping, the house looked almost complete. They climbed from the car and then leaned against it.
‘This is my house,’ she said to Miles. ‘My new house,’ she clarified. ‘The other one burnt down.’
He nodded. ‘I remember Sheena saying something about that on the day we met.’
Janessa sighed, allowing him to pull her into his arms, snuggling in as close as possible. ‘It seems so long ago. That first day.’
‘A lot has happened,’ he agreed, thinking of the way he loved her so completely.
‘Yes.’ They stood there for a few minutes, just watching, both of them lost in their thoughts. Finally, it was Miles who broke the silence.
‘Is this where you think we should live?’
‘Well …’ She looked up at him and eased away. ‘Yes and no.’
‘Great. Not ambiguous at all.’ He took her hands in his and studied her closely. She linked her fingers with his and squeezed their hands, wanting to bind them together for ever.
‘Miles … these past few weeks that we’ve been together have been the happiest of my life for many,
many
years. Even before that, from the moment you walked into my NICU, being bossy and demanding and jet-lagged … telling me I looked too young to run a NICU—’
‘Young and beautiful and way too tempting for a man who was completely exhausted,’ he interjected.
‘Well, yes.’ She smiled at his words, feeling her cheeks get a little hot. He chuckled at her embarrassment and brushed a kiss across her lips. ‘Miles, what I’m trying to say, very badly, is that …’ She paused and took a deep breath. ‘I don’t think you should stay.’
‘What? At the residential wing any more? Do you think we should move in here, to the house?’
‘No. That’s not what I meant.’ She took another deep breath. ‘What I mean is … I know about the job,’ she confessed. ‘The fax you received was mixed up with my faxes, and I’m afraid I was halfway through reading it before I realised it wasn’t for me. I’m sorry. I should have said something earlier.’
‘The job in the UK?’
‘Yes.’
‘I wasn’t going to mention it.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m not going.’
‘But you
have
to. Those babies
need
you.’
‘You want me to go? To leave Adelaide?’ He swallowed over the sudden dryness in his throat. Didn’t she want him? He was positive that she loved him, even though she hadn’t said the words … yet. Was that why she’d brought him to her house? To show him that she would be fine, living here, without him?
‘Miles, you are so incredibly talented and there are babies in the world who need you.’
‘More than you?’ The words were asked quietly, softly but earnestly.
Janessa slowly shook her head, her eyes intent. ‘No, but I can’t be selfish. I can’t keep you all for myself. It’s your own fault for being so terrific.’
‘I see.’ He thought for a moment. ‘So you’re saying I should take the job in the UK? That I should go and help those little babies?’
‘Yes.’
‘Because you can’t be selfish?’
‘No.’
‘Because you love me?’
‘Yes.’ She gasped, only realising belatedly what she’d said. She met his gaze and found his eyes twinkling with delight.
‘Well … if that’s the case, then I’ll definitely have to accept that job and I’ll also let the hospital know that I’ll be bringing you along with me.’
‘Really? You want me to go with you?’
He stared at her, an incredulous look on his face. ‘Why would you think I’d go
anywhere
without you?’ he asked, and it was only then that she heard the tenderness in his tone. ‘I need you, Janessa.’
‘What?’
‘I need you,’ he repeated, and tugged her back into his arms. ‘It doesn’t matter whether I’m working at Adelaide Mercy or in the UK or in Timbuktu! If I’m with you, I’ll be happy. I had planned to talk to you about all of this at the airfield. I even thought of having someone sky-write a note asking you to marry me. But when I called Myrna and enquired about sky-writing, she said you were the pilot who usually did that.’
‘Ma-ma-marry?’ Janessa was stuck on the one word.
‘Janessa, honey. I love you.’ His words were plain, simple, straightforward. Good, old-fashioned honesty. That was what she was getting, and a slow smile crept onto her lips.
‘You love me?’
‘Are you going to keep asking questions or are you going to answer some?’
‘Uh … sorry.’ She gave her head a little shake, needing to clear it in order to take in everything he was saying. Miles loved her! He wanted to marry her! ‘Of course I’ll answer questions. What questions would you like me to answer?’
‘Do you really love me?’
‘Oh, Miles. Yes. Yes, I do. I have for quite some time now, although I couldn’t admit it to myself. I was too scared to say anything in case you didn’t feel the sa—’
Miles silenced her the best, most enjoyable way he knew how. Janessa instantly gave herself up to his kisses, leaning into him and wrapping her arms tightly about him. ‘Nessa,’ he groaned when they finally broke apart. ‘You will marry me, won’t you?’
‘Yes. How could you doubt that?’
He kissed her again and once more received no complaints. ‘And you will come to the UK with me?’
‘I’d follow you to the ends of the earth. I don’t mind if we travel because home is where the heart is … and my heart belongs to you.’ She kissed him.
‘And I don’t mind,’ he said, ‘If we stay put for a while. It’s been a very long time since I’ve put down roots and, thanks to you, I’m ready to start again.’ He indicated the house in front of them. ‘A new home for a new beginning.’
‘Yes. Although I don’t think Charisma will be too happy at the cha—’
Miles kissed her, cutting her words off once more.
‘Are you just trying to cut me off so you can—?’
Another kiss.
‘Miles!’
Another kiss before he laughed. ‘I’ll take any excuse I can to kiss my fiancée,’ he remarked.
‘Fiancée?’ Janessa blinked slowly at the realisation.
‘You
did
just agree to marry me, didn’t you?’
‘Yes. Yes, I did.’
‘Excellent news.’ He paused. ‘You do realise I’m not just asking you to join me overseas because I love you.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘There are more reasons?’
‘Yes. You’re a highly skilled neonatologist and I’d be insane to pass up this opportunity to ask you to join the team. I know,’ he continued quickly, ‘that it will mean applying for leave from Adelaide Mercy and leaving the family you’ve gathered around you, but we’ll return. We’ll be back. After we’ve finished in the UK, we can return to Adelaide.’
‘What if another case of conjoined twins comes up? Miles, I don’t want to hold you back. You’re incredible with the way you work, the way you care, your expertise.’
‘We can assess things on a case by case basis together. at least until we’re ready to have children of our own.’ The words were said quietly … more quietly than anything else he’d said.
‘You want children?’
‘Don’t you?’
‘Yes. Yes, I do. I want to have children with you, Miles.’ Her tone was quiet but he could hear the veiled fear behind her words.
‘We’ll make sure everything goes smoothly. We have the best resources, the best teams right here at Adelaide Mercy,’ he encouraged. ‘The point is that whatever we face, we’ll face it together.’
She nodded in agreement, feeling his strength and certainty flow through her. No longer would they be alone. Together they would make a new family, a second chance at love and life. With Miles by her side, Janessa knew there wasn’t anything she couldn’t face, and she smiled up at the man of her dreams—her fiancé.
‘Together,’ she agreed, and knew that all her dreams really would come true.
SPECIAL CARE
BABY MIRACLE
LUCY CLARK
Will turned to face her. ‘You won’t be alone, Sheena.’
It wasn’t until he urged her closer that she realised she’d spoken her concern out loud. Will leaned towards her, capturing her lips with his. Sheena’s eyelids fluttered closed as she sighed into the kiss, drawing hope and strength and a yearning desire to always have this man in her life, to have him beside her, as the father of her children as they lived together for the rest of their lives. Was it possible to believe in such a fairytale? Throughout her entire life she’d wanted the fairytale, the happily-ever-after ending.
Now here she was, outside the home of Will’s parents, with Will close to her, kissing her, making her feel cherished, wanted, needed, loved. She kissed him back with all the love in her heart, wanting him to know that she’d never stopped loving him, that hurting him all those years had been the worst moment in her life and that she really wanted nothing else than for the two of them to make a ‘proper’ family with her girls. It was the fairytale … but she knew of old that fairytales never came true.
For Sheena and Will—never ‘dare’ a writer!
You two are awesome.
Pr 23:4–5
T
HE
string quartet began to play and Sheena finished fussing with her friend Janessa’s bridal veil. Sheena, Kaycee and Janessa were all in a small side room next to a large aeroplane hangar.
‘Only
you
would get married in an aeroplane hangar.’ Kaycee, one of the nurses Sheena and Janessa had worked with for years, couldn’t help but smile.
Sheena laughed, knowing it wasn’t the first time Janessa had heard such a comment.
‘Well … I
am
a pilot as well as a doctor. Besides, this airfield was part of my childhood. My dad loved to fly and my mum loved to watch him. Now that they’re both gone, I guess I feel closest to my parents when I’m here,’ Janessa replied with a nostalgic sigh.
‘There.’ Sheena stepped back and surveyed her closest friend. The two women were as close as sisters and today she was so proud of Janessa. ‘You look radiant.’ Sheena so desperately wanted everything to go perfectly. Happiness had been a long time coming for Nessa, but since she’d met Miles Trevellion just over three months ago her life had changed for the better.
Sheena tried not to sigh at the romance that had blossomed between her two friends, wishing it was her instead. She’d given up her one chance at
true
love ten years ago and it was a mistake she’d have to live with for the rest of her life.
‘Thanks for everything,’ Janessa said, her words filled with meaning. ‘You’re the best sister a girl ever had.’
Sheena felt tears start to well in her eyes and quickly blinked them away. ‘I’d do anything for you,’ she replied, hugging Janessa carefully, emotion rising within her.
‘All right, you two,’ Kaycee said. ‘No tears or we’ll be another fifteen minutes fixing our make-up and I doubt Miles will be able to contain his impatience.’
‘True. True,’ Sheena remarked as Kaycee handed her a bouquet of white roses. The two bridesmaids wore long, ruby-red dresses with sexy slits up the sides. Janessa accepted her bridal bouquet of ruby-red roses and held them in front of her with slightly trembling hands.
‘Stunning.’ Sheena nodded in approval before the photographer came in to take one last photograph of the three women together.
‘Time to head down the aisle,’ Kaycee said, and, squaring her shoulders, walked out of the little room, leaving Janessa and Sheena together for a brief moment, the music from the quartet surrounding them.
‘I’m so happy for you, Nessa. Really. No one deserves this more than you.’
Janessa blew Sheena a kiss.
‘Ready?’ Sheena stepped out the door, ensuring the train of Janessa’s dress didn’t get tangled. They walked on the red carpet laid out in the hangar, which had been decorated with a mixture of roses and wild flowers. Garlands hung around the hangar and also on Janessa’s beloved Tiger Moth biplane, which was just outside the door.
Everyone stood as Kaycee started to walk down the aisle, between the rows of chairs which had been set out for the guests. Sheena smiled once more at her friend then turned to look towards the groom standing at the other end of the aisle.
Miles was waiting impatiently for his bride. Beside Miles stood his father, acting as best man as Miles’s first choice for best man—Will Beckman—was still in America and had been unable to make it back for the wedding.
Sheena was relieved at that. She and Will had history and a shared romantic past that hadn’t ended happily. Sheena turned back and gave Janessa one more smile before holding her bouquet in front of her, shoulders back, head held high. Time to walk slowly but surely down the aisle. She lifted her foot, took one step, glanced up to where Miles was waiting … and faltered.
Will!
He was standing there. Between Miles and his father. Will was here.
Will was here!
She blinked her eyes once … twice … as though trying to clear her vision, trying to tell herself that she’d imagined him standing there, looking so devastatingly handsome in a tuxedo, a red boutonniere pinned to his lapel, his hair slightly ruffled by the cool July breeze outside.
She blinked again. It was definitely him. Will was now standing beside Miles, the two men sharing a quick but firm handshake and pat on the back. He’d made it just in time for his best friend’s wedding.
Sheena’s mouth went instantly dry, her heart starting to pound wildly in her chest, the noise thrumming through her body, almost deafening her. She gripped her bouquet tighter, channelling all the panic and fear, which seemed to have hit her like a tidal wave, into the stems of the flowers.
How could he be here? Miles had told her only yesterday that Will was unable to make the wedding because he’d been delayed by a sick patient. Until then, Sheena had been psyching herself up to see Will again. She’d gone over polite little sentences in her head in order to make small talk with him. She’d pondered whether he’d changed much during the past decade. She’d stressed over his reception of her—would it be friendly or antagonistic? She’d lost sleep over the prospect of seeing him again so when Miles had told her Will wouldn’t be able to make it, she had been intensely relieved.
And now he was here! He’d made it. She had no idea how or why but … She blinked again, clearing her vision, registering the scene before her. Nervous anxiety exploded within every cell of her body, her stomach flipping and turning. She gripped the flowers even tighter, trying in vain to steel herself. She would have to speak to him now, smile politely, be cool and calm, yet she felt anything but. It was necessary to have contact with him, given that he was the best man and she was the maid of honour, but for all the different scenarios she’d worked through in her mind, she now found she couldn’t remember a thing.
Will was here. At the end of the aisle. Standing next to Miles, his tuxedo making him appear crisp, debonair and excessively sexy. Her heart skipped a beat and she tried not to remember what it had been like to kiss him.
Will was in the same room as her—breathing the same air—for the first time in ten years. It couldn’t be … but it was. He had come and now
she
had to face him.
Sheena swallowed convulsively, her gaze trained solely on the man who had once meant the world to her. Will Beckman. They’d been so in love … and then it had ended.
She
had ended it and Will had hated her for it.
‘Sheena?’ Janessa’s concerned tone from behind snapped Sheena back to the present. ‘Something wrong?’
Sheena turned and looked at Janessa. ‘Will is here.’
‘Oh, great.’ Janessa beamed. ‘He made it. Miles will be so happy. Go. Go, Sheenie. That’s your cue.’ Janessa urged her friend forward and there was nothing else for Sheena to do except to turn, paste on a smile and walk down the aisle.
Because of the shock she’d just received, it was a wonder she could actually remember how to walk, let alone do it in time to the music. Will was here. The thought played over and over in her mind, as though stuck, and each step she took brought her closer towards him.
The aisle seemed to stretch on for ever and if she’d had half the chance, she would have turned tail and bolted as far away as possible … but she could never do that to Janessa. Sheena kept her eyes trained straight ahead, smile fixed firmly in place, one slow step at a time.
All too soon, she was standing opposite him, everyone turning to see the bride walk down the aisle—Sheena and Will on opposite sides of the makeshift altar. She knew she should be watching Janessa but she couldn’t resist a quick glance his way … and was startled to find him looking at
her.
Quickly averting her gaze, her heart started pounding even faster against her ribs and she glued her eyes to her friend, unable to believe he’d caught her sneaking a glance at him. She had no idea how her legs were still holding her up as her entire body was shaking with adrenaline at being so close to him. Good heavens, he was handsome but, then, he always had been. So handsome. So tall. So … Will.
Her breathing had now almost reached the point of hyperventilation. She parted her lips to allow the pent-up air to escape, wondering what sort of reception she would receive from him. She wouldn’t blame him at all if he didn’t speak a word to her but she hoped, more for Miles’s and Janessa’s sakes, that that wasn’t the case.
Janessa finished her walk down the aisle and Sheena accepted the bridal bouquet, glad to have something to do. She watched as her two friends held hands—eager to be married, love, honour and devotion shining clearly from their faces.
Throughout the nuptials, Sheena risked quite a number of glances at Will, her mind still processing the fact that he was standing not six feet away from her. Was he still angry about the way things had ended between them? Had he managed to forgive her sometime during the past decade? Had he moved on with his life? Found someone to spend his time with? She quickly checked his hands but found them ringless. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t attached. It didn’t matter to her whether or not he had someone—all she’d ever wanted for Will was his happiness.
‘I now pronounce you husband and wife,’ the minister announced, and Sheena jolted her thoughts back to the present, unable to believe the ceremony was done and dusted. Had she been in la-la land the whole time? ‘You may now kiss your bride.’
Miles leaned forward and lifted the veil from Janessa’s face before sliding his arms around his new wife’s waist and drawing their bodies into close contact. Sheena couldn’t help but smile at his antics, knowing Miles was determined to kiss his new wife thoroughly.
She was incredibly happy for both her friends and, with a bright smile still on her lips, she glanced over at Will, astonished to find him once more looking back at her. Sheena’s heart skipped a beat and she couldn’t help but gasp, her eyes widening in surprise. She knew she should probably look away, pay attention to her friends, but she couldn’t. She was like a deer caught in the headlights, his blue eyes as rich and deep and compelling as they’d always been.
His gaze flicked from her eyes down to her lips before quickly scanning her body in a visual caress that filled her with heat and flooded her body with a longing she’d long since forgotten. Did he still like what he saw? She hoped she looked good, especially considering that three months ago she’d given birth to twin girls … and not just
any
twins but conjoined twins. Her figure, she knew, was more curvy than it had been ten years ago. Did he still find her attractive? And why did it matter so much to her?
Janessa once more brought Sheena’s thoughts back to the present as she reached around for her bouquet. Sheena snapped her eyes away from the alluring Will Beckman and realised that she’d missed the inaugural kiss and that everyone in the hangar was now clapping and cheering the newlyweds.
The bride and groom started back down the aisle, stopping to receive warm wishes from their friends and family. Sheena stepped forward, as did Will. He was the best man. She was the maid of honour. Kaycee, the other bridesmaid, would be partnered by Miles’s father, who was the other groomsman. Sheena took another step closer to Will and breathed in a strong, calming breath … or at least that was what she’d planned to do. Instead, she breathed in the earthy, fresh scent she’d always equated with him and tried not to sigh with longing.
With another step he stood beside her, crooking his elbow in her direction, ready to escort her down the aisle behind the happy couple.
‘Hello, Dr Woodcombe.’ His tone was brisk, crisp and efficient, as though he were simply saying good morning to a member of staff at a ward round. Sheena slipped her hand around his elbow, heat suffusing through her at the touch. She tried not to be concerned with his impersonal greeting. They had been a couple a long time ago but surely the fact that they
had
been together afforded her something more than a perfunctory greeting. She licked her dry lips, belatedly remembering she was wearing far more make-up than she was used to and it wouldn’t do to have all her lipstick disappear before they started posing for photographs.
‘Hello, Will.’ She tried to ensure her own voice was without emotion. She tried to clear her throat but there was nothing there for her to clear. She continued to keep her pasted smile in place as guests snapped pictures of the wedding party. ‘I see you managed to make it in time. Well done.’
He glanced briefly down at her as they took another few steps and stopped as both Janessa and Miles paused to hug and greet more well-wishers. ‘No doubt you probably wished I hadn’t made it at all.’
She was stunned that his comment was so spot on. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘I saw the look of shock on your face before you started to walk down the aisle.’
She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Oh. Had he? How embarrassing … how telling. His comment made her feel naked, stripped bare as though after all these years he was still able to see right through her, that he still had some sort of power over her. She hated feeling so exposed. ‘Miles wanted you here. That’s all that matters.’
They took another step forward, another camera flash lighting the air around them, both of them smiling politely.
‘I understand congratulations are in order,’ he said after a moment, his words clipped.
‘For?’
‘Did you not give birth to two little girls?’
‘Oh. Yes.’ At the mention of her daughters, Sheena’s smile became natural, her eyes sparkling with happiness, yet at the same time she felt highly self-conscious discussing her daughters with Will. The main reason she’d turned down his proposal all those years ago had been because she’d been unable to have children, and now she had
two.
‘I’m sorry, Sheena,’ her specialist had said when she’d been about eighteen years old. ‘The chances of you ever having children are extremely slim. Your endometriosis is too severe.’
When Will had repeatedly talked of his plans for a large family and how much having children meant to him, she’d known she would never end up spending her life with him, even though back then she’d loved him dearly.
Now, though, she had Ellie and Sarah. Her babies, her girls, and they were her two incredible miracles she’d been assured by the finest specialists would never happen.