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I wiped the tears from my face as I stood tall. I grunted to clear my throat and attempted to gather myself. “I’ll give you a few minutes, and then we’ll let the parade begin.”
Sylvie smiled down at little August. “I can’t wait for them to meet him.”
The waiting room was packed. A quick scan revealed dueling sides of Kings and Sullivans, much like the Grudge.
Old habits die hard, I guess.
When I walked through the door, everyone stood in curious silence.
I clapped my hands together, trying—and failing miserably—to keep my emotions in check. “Healthy baby boy.”
It was all I could get out before the waiting room erupted into cheers, and I was pulled into a hug by my aunt Tootie.
In a blur of handshakes, hugs, and congratulations, I was enveloped by the townsfolk of Outtatowner. My brothers took turns hugging and patting my back, offering their congratulations. Collectively, the women cried and swooned when I showed them a picture of newborn August.
“Congratulations.” Royal King stood with his hand outstretched to mine. I wasn’t a fool enough to think that my relationship with Sylvie would unravel generations of contempt, but it was a start.
“Thank you.” I shook and nodded. Abel, Whip, and JP followed suit, cordially shaking my hand and offering a word of congrats.
Abel rocked back on his heels. “I want to apologize for my father.”
I swallowed. “Yeah.” I nodded. “I think it would have meant a lot to Sylvie to have him here.”
“It’s not just that,” Abel continued. “We know you went to him for his blessing before asking Sylvie to marry you.”
My jaw clenched at my anger toward their father—not because he flat out told me he would never condone our marriage but rather that he felt his daughterdeservedto marry a Sullivan. As though that was some kind of eternal punishment.
“Took a lot of balls for you to come to each of us after that.” Royal crossed his arms and watched me with assessing eyes.
“Felt like the right thing to do,” I finally admitted. Despite our past, Sylvie loved her brothers, so I had sought out each of them and let them know my intention of marrying their sister. To my surprise, each offered their congratulations and best wishes with varying degrees of surprise.
“Can we meet him?” Annie asked as she clung to Lark’s arm, barely containing her excitement.
I smiled at the pair. “The nurse said only two at a time, but yeah. She’s ready to have a few visitors.”
The duo squealed before making their way to the nurses’ station to visit Sylvie and the baby.
JP walked up to me. “Got a minute?”
Tension between us was taut as a tightrope. I had irrefutable proof he was the one who’d been looking into mineral rights on Sullivan land. “What is it?”
“I have something for you.” JP reached into his suit coat pocket to pull out a slim envelope and handed it to me.
“My father uncovered this tidbit of information during one of his backdoor business dealings. For years he has been using Bootsy Sinclair to quietly gather information. Information he held close to the vest, even from me, so he could use it to his advantage. I learned he plans to let the mineral rights on your land expire and then scoop them up and leverage that against you and your family.”
I opened the envelope and stared down at the paper, my eyes scanning the information. It was all the information I would need to ensure mineral rights for Sullivan Farms were protected. “Why are you giving this to me?”
JP shrugged. “It’s just business. Figured it might come in handy one day.”
I harrumphed a noncommittal noise as I looked over the paperwork a second time. I didn’t love the implication that I’doweJP King a damned thing, but it was hard to deny he haddone me a solid. JP walked away with arrogant strides, but I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn’t as heartless as he’d made himself out to be.
“Duke?” I looked up at MJ as she walked back into the waiting room. She was dressed in scrubs, and clearly her position as a fellow nurse had allowed the maternity ward staff to be flexible with theonly two visitorsrule. “She’s asking for you.”
I tucked the envelope into my back pocket and sucked in a breath. My entire world was waiting for me. As I walked toward her room, I smiled as I thought about my mother.Everything could change with one decision if only we were brave enough to make it.
My entire world was beyond that hospital door, and right there I made a promise to my mother that I would be brave enough to love Sylvie and our children—to love them out loud, without hesitation, and with every last shred of my soul.
One night had changed everything, and what a perfect night it was.
