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‘We left her at Jill’s house over the road, she’s keeping her for the night.’
He nodded as he leaned past her to open the door.
She could hear the heavy tread of the paramedics coming up the stairs with their equipment.
‘I’ll see you later.’ He glanced back briefly at Ali on the bed. ‘You look after her,’ he said.
He slipped out of the door, held it open as the medical team rushed into the room. And then he was gone.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HUGGING her newborn nephew in her arms, Jessie stared out the windows of Ali’s bedroom at the garage apartment across the lawn.
Something was wrong with Monroe. But she had no idea what and no idea how to fix it.
It was almost three weeks since little Ethan Monroe Latimer’s tumultuous birth, and Jessie felt as if she had been in the middle of an emotional hurricane. Being flung in hundreds of different confusing and conflicting directions. The wonder of her nephew’s birth had been tempered by the fear that Monroe was drawing away from her and the rest of his family and she didn’t know why.
The house had been a hive of activity since Ethan was born, but Jessie had welcomed the chaos. By concentrating on everything that had to be done, she’d managed to keep her worries about Monroe at the back of her mind. But she couldn’t do that any longer. She had to face it. Something was very wrong.
‘Is he asleep yet?’
Jessie turned at the sound of Ali’s sleepy voice from the bed. She pulled the tiny bundle back from her shoulder and looked at his scrunched-up little face. ‘Yes, he’s out like a light.’
‘You can put him in the Moses basket. He should sleep now for a good few hours.’ Giving a huge yawn, Ali stretched and sat up.
Jessie kissed the soft fuzz on her nephew’s head. She inhaled the sweet scent of baby before tucking him into the basket by the window. ‘He’s so gorgeous. I don’t know how you can stop yourself from cuddling him constantly.’
As she said it Jessie caught sight of the garage apartment again through the window. The heavy feeling that had settled on her in the past few weeks came back full force. Monroe was never far from her mind.
‘How are things going with Monroe?’ Ali said softly.
Jessie looked at her sister. It seemed she hadn’t lost her ability to read minds.
‘We’ve hardly seen him since the birth, Jess,’ Ali continued. ‘Is something the matter?’
Jessie nodded slowly. Maybe talking about it would help. ‘I think there may be.’
‘Did you guys have a row?’
Jessie sighed. ‘No, but in a way that’s the problem. Something’s wrong, but he won’t talk about it.’ She sat down on Ali’s bed. ‘It’s really weird. But I think it has something to do with the baby?’ And me, she thought, silently.
‘How do you mean?’
Jessie frowned. ‘I really don’t know. But ever since the birth, Monroe’s been—’ She paused, trying to describe it. ‘He’s been sad, somehow, and withdrawn. And he’s made all sorts of stupid excuses not to come over here. Not to see the baby.’
‘I know. Linc’s noticed it, too. He’s pretty hurt about it, actually.’ Ali shifted on the bed, the dismay plain on her face. ‘Linc felt they were really starting to get somewhere as brothers. But now he says Monroe’s shutting him out. And he’s doing it with Emmy, too. She was crying yesterday because she said Monroe wouldn’t let her help with the cars.’
Jessie bit her lip, feeling her throat close at Ali’s words. ‘I think he’s going to leave, Al. It’s like he’s just waiting.’ There, she’d finally said it. Her deepest fear. The thing she hadn’t even been able to admit to herself. The dread flooded through her. She felt the first tear slide down her cheek.
‘Oh, Jessie.’ Ali reached over and wrapped her arms around her.
Snuffling loudly, Jessie pulled back, wiped the tears away impatiently. ‘We still make love, every night. He’s so tender, so careful with me, Al. But…’ Jessie raised watery eyes to her sister ‘…I’ve told him I love him now, I don’t know how many times. But he’s never said it back, Ali. Not once. And every time I say it, I feel him pull away that little bit more.’ She sniffed again, determined not to let any more tears fall. ‘But I can’t seem to stop myself.’
‘It’s nothing you’ve done.’ Ali’s voice was heavy. ‘You’ve been honest with him. You’ve told him how you feel.’
‘I think he needs me but he doesn’t want to.’
Ali stroked her sister’s hair. ‘I doubt it’s as simple as that, Jessie.’
