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Slater
Slater answered his cell as soon as he saw Knox’s name pop up on his screen. “Hey man, you good?” he asked.
“No,” Knox grumbled. “Beck is in labor. Her water broke and I’m worried out of my fucking mind.”
Slater chuckled, “Welcome to the club,” he said. He remembered worrying when Gina had Derrick. He thought for sure that the baby would rip her in half, with the way that she was screaming at him. But in the end, nature took its course, and with the help of the doctors and nurses, they had themselves a healthy, squawking baby boy.
“I hate to tell you this, but it’s going to get worse before it gets better. And the first six months are no picnic, but you two are ready for this, and you’re both going to be fantastic parents,” Slater promised.
“Thanks, man,” Knox said. “You going to tell Rainey?” he asked. That was the question of the hour. He had thought long and hard about what to do when Beck finally went into labor. He didn’t want Rainey to do anything crazy like take off for home, putting herself in danger, just to be by her sister’s side.
“Not sure yet,” he admitted. “You and Beck still good with whatever I decide?” he asked. Before they took off for his cabin, he sat down with Knox and Beck, going over their security detail. They asked him then what to do about the baby being born and Rainey being so far away. She was supposed to be in the delivery room with her sister when it happened, but the three of them agreed that might not be the best idea. It would not only put Rainey in danger, but would put Knox, Beck, and their newborn in harm's way if this Steve Angel guy showed up at the hospital looking for Rainey.
“Yep,” Knox agreed. “Beck hasn’t told her sister anything and she won’t. We’ll leave that up to you, man. But if Rainey’s still in danger, I’d rather you keep this from her. I won’t put Beck or our son in that situation, man.”
“Got it,” Slater agreed. “And for the record, Knox, I would never do that to any of you. The three of you are like my family.”
“I appreciate that, Slater,” Knox said. “I better get going. I just got Beck to the hospital just before I called you, and they have a room ready for her now. I’ll text you with updates,” he assured.
“Thanks, Knox. And good luck,” Slater added. He ended the call and shoved his cell phone into his pocket. He wasn’t sure what the hell to do about the fact that he was about to keep a huge secret from Rainey. When they admitted their feelings for each other, they also made promises not to keep any more secrets. Yet, here he was, about to keep a doozy of a secret from the woman he loved, and that made him feel like complete shit.
He walked down to the kitchen and found Rainey making dinner for the six of them. Their time at the cabin had been magical for him. It made Slater feel as though he had a family again and he hadn’t felt like he was part of something that special for a long time—since Derrick was just a kid, really. He couldn’t mess that all up with a lie—not now after he had finally found Rainey and the kids.
“Hey,” she said, smiling up at him. She finished stirring whatever was in the pot and put the lid on it. “Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes. I figured we can eat after the kids are finished their tutoring and then maybe go for a walk after dinner. It's such a beautiful day.”
“Where are the kids now?” he asked. She nodded to the patio, just outside of the back doors. They usually did their lessons in the kitchen, so not finding them there was a surprise. On nice days, the tutor took the kids out to sit on the patio for some much-needed fresh air. Slater knew that this was his chance to tell Rainey about Beck and the baby. He was sure that she’d give him some kick back and this way, he wouldn’t have to worry about the kids being a part of it.
“Knox called,” he breathed. Rainey rounded the kitchen island and stood in front of him.
“And,” she prompted.
“And Beck is in labor,” he sighed.
Her smile nearly lit up the whole kitchen, “That’s fantastic news,” she insisted. “We need to get the kids ready and pack overnight bags. I want to be there when the baby gets here.”
“No,” he almost shouted.
“No?” she questioned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, no,” he repeated. “We are not going to go home. It will put Beck, Knox, and your new nephew in danger, Rainey. Steve Angel is still out there and if you show up at the hospital, he might find you there. How would you feel if one of them ends up getting hurt because of you?”
“That’s not fair,” she challenged.
He shrugged, “Maybe not, but it’s the truth. You need to consider them and not your desire to be there for the birth. Knox and Beck have already weighed in and they don’t want you to put yourself or them in danger. We can facetime with Beck after the baby gets here. I’m sorry, honey, but it’s the way that this needs to be.”
“Fine,” she spat. Rainey walked back around the kitchen to check on the progress of whatever was in the big pot on the stove. He could tell that her mood went from happy and upbeat to downright sour in just a matter of seconds, but there was nothing that he could do about it. Taking her back home wasn’t an option.
“I’m sorry, Rain,” he whispered. He walked to the front door, deciding that the kids and their tutor had the right idea—some fresh air before dinner might be just the thing he needed. Besides, it would give him time to arrange extra security measures for Knox and Beck while they were at the hospital. Plus, he’d need to hire one more person to help protect the baby. He had a feeling that life was about to get pretty crazy for his high-powered boss and he needed to stay one step ahead of his security needs. Then, he’d figure out how to make things up to Rainey, if that was even possible.
* * *
Rainey pouted her way through dinner, which wasn’t like her. She never acted like this, and he wondered if her giving him the cold shoulder would last very much longer. They hadn’t heard any news from Knox in a couple of hours and he could tell that not getting any updates was driving her insane, but that couldn’t be helped. He was sure that Knox had his hands full with Beck giving birth. He remembered it well when Gina gave birth to Derrick. It was as if the whole world disappeared around them and all that mattered was the two of them and the little life that they were trying to bring into the world.
If he was going to help snap Rainey out of her funk, he was going to have to come up with a good distraction—one the whole family could participate in. “How about we take that hike that we were all talking about earlier?” he asked. The kids cheered and he hoped that Rainey felt the same way but by the sour expression on her face, she did not.
“How about you all go out for a hike with Slater, and I’ll stay behind and do the kitchen clean-up?” she asked. He knew that wasn’t going to help with her mood, so he decided to nix her idea completely.
“Or we could all help clean the kitchen so that your mom can go with us,” he countered. The kids all cheered again, and Rainey shot him a look. If she could have gotten away with giving him the finger, at that moment, she would have.
