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Chapter Nineteen
AJ
Tears fill my eyes as I watch Lexi and Linkin though the window. Linkin is skin-to-skin with Hudson, while Lexi sits in the rocker, skin-to-skin with little Hemi. The nasal cannula is there, providing him with a steady stream of oxygen. The NICU nurse, Charissa, said that his oxygen levels are already improving, and that the pediatrician is confident they’ll be able to remove the oxygen very soon.
It’s a beautiful sight, one I’ll never forget.
Longing rears its ugly head, choosing this most inappropriate time to swoop in. Linkin is watching his wife (unofficial, that is) as she talks to their younger son. The smile on his face steals my breath and makes my heart bleed, especially in light of what happened at Sawyer’s. No, we’re not anywhere close to the same place as my sister and her unofficial husband, but I was under the impression we were in a good place, slowly progressing toward a solid relationship.
Apparently, I was wrong.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” Grandma says, walking up beside me at the window.
“I agree,” I whisper, a soft smile playing on my lips.
“And there’s nothing better than admiring a gorgeous, shirtless man, holding a tiny newborn baby. If I still had my ovaries, they would have exploded,” she adds with a bit of sass.
“Why must you be so weird?”
“Nothing weird about appreciating a view like that,” Grandma flaps.
I opt to move along, steering the conversation away from Linkin’s (admittedly) sexy abs and back to them as a family. “They’re going to make wonderful parents,” I say, unable to take my eyes off the scene.
“How are you?” she asks, waving at Lexi as she throws us a wide, over the moon with happiness, smile.
“Fine.”
“I had hoped you’d bring that sexy baseball player with you again tonight so I could ogle him a bit more,” she says.
“He had…plans,” I stumble, knowing full well that the great Grandma Inquisition of the Year is about to commence.
I wait, trying to figure out if a quick trip to the bathroom fretting a sudden spell of stomach flu would keep her nosiness at bay. Of course, if I go that route, I’ve pretty much ended any future contact I might have with Hudson and Hemi tonight, and that isn’t worth a fake bout of puking.
“Plans, huh?”
“Yep. I’ll be seeing him tomorrow,” I add cheerfully, mostly because it’s completely true. We have a Monday morning staff meeting at seven, and therefore I’ll be forced to see him.
Not that seeing him will be a hardship. Oh, no. I could gawk at that man all day long and never get tired of it, especially after seeing him naked. Holy hell, God outdid himself when he created Sawyer Randall. But at the same time, things were left…weird and tense. Something happened with his ex-wife, and I’ll be damned if I know what.
My siblings all arrive and everyone oohs and aahs over the boys. Dad is exceptionally proud and even tears up a bit when he recounts how amazing his daughter was, and how cool and collected Linkin was in the delivery room. When Lexi had asked him to come in, it was to stay with her for the long haul. She had always pictured Mom being in there with her, but since she wasn’t with us anymore, she extended the invitation to Dad.
He’s currently standing in front of the window wearing his Proud Grandpa t-shirt and smiling an enormous grin, big enough to see from space.
When Grandma moves on to bug one of my older sisters, Meghan slips in beside me. “Everything all right?” she asks, a concerned look on her face.
“I guess,” I mumble, looking around and noticing no one paying us any attention. “Something weird happened tonight.”
“Define weird,” she encourages.
“We had a really great afternoon after we woke up, but then his ex-wife showed up,” I start.
“Wait, you’re telling me Carrie Doherty showed up at Sawyer’s house? Is that why he’s not here?” she asks.
“Honestly, I’m not sure why he’s not here. He was in the shower when she arrived and she started in on how much he cheated on her during their relationship, and even went on to insinuate that he’s probably already doing it to me.”
“Do you believe her?”
“No,” I reply instantly, because deep down, I don’t feel like Sawyer’s a cheater. “I really don’t think he’s that kinda man, but hey, what do I know? I’ve judged that book cover wrong before.”
