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“We’ll have this chat again in six weeks,” she said. “Is that okay with you?”
“I can wait six weeks,” he said. “I might explode…”
“You’ll be fine.” She lay her head back and closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. “I just had a baby.”
He let go of her hand and smoothed her hair back from her forehead. “You sure did. I saw it with my own eyes. She’s such a cute baby, too.”
Lisa smiled with the last ounce of energy she had and slept the rest of the way to the hospital.
At noon, Ryan arrived. “They’re going to discharge you soon.” He fussed over the baby, who was in a bassinet at the bedside.
“Where’s Betsy?” Lisa asked.
“She’s at the cottage with the kids. Everyone is so excited. Megan is so mad she missed it.”
“I thought about getting her to come in, but it seemed like a bit much,” Lisa replied.
“It was nice, lying in the bed with you while my girlfriend and your boyfriend were in between your legs, delivering our baby.”
Lisa barked out a laugh. “God, don’t make me laugh. I had a few stitches down there, and I can feel them.”
“What do you want to name her?” Ryan asked. “I have an idea, but it might seem weird.”
“What is it?”
“I thought Jackie. Not Jacqueline. Just plain Jackie.” He bowed his head, letting tears drip off his chin.
“Aw, Ryan. Why? Why not save that name for a baby you have with Betsy?”
“No. This is our last baby together, Lisa. The name means something to both of us. It never occurred to me to name one of the other two after him. But this one, I don’t know. She’s special.”
“She is so special. I learned so much about myself carrying her. I learned how strong I am.”
“You are so strong. Now that you had her, are you and Zach going to make up for lost time?”
“I don’t think so. I’m not feeling it. We’re just friends. That’s confidential, Ryan. You can tell Betsy, but don’t go announcing that around the hood like you normally would.”
“You underestimate me. I’ve really grown up in the past six months.”
“Yeah, but you’re still a guy,” she said, laughing.
“So, Jackie Marie.”
“I don’t know. What a legacy.”
“What, then?”
“How about Jackie Smith Maddox? I know, I know. The actress, but it means something to us.”
“Perfect.” He bent over the bassinet and kissed his daughter on the head. “Welcome to the world, Jackie Smith.”
***
On Easter night, it was as though a switch had been turned on and the temperature had magically risen into the sixties. Creeping around the side of Kassandra’s house, Tony peeked in through the large doors along the terrace. Soft light illuminated a couple dancing—beautiful, obviously pregnant Kassandra in the arms of a tall, lean man with a full head of hair. Tony hadseen the man on another spy expedition; he was Kassandra’s doctor.
A sob escaped his lips. The pain was unbearable. He’d estimated that he’d have to walk north to at least the causeway, which was two miles from Kassandra's house. Then he’d have to swim out to sea at least a mile. He wanted his dead body to wash up on her beloved beach.
Stripping down, he left his wallet and watch on the sand and would drag his clothes into the water. He took a step out and gasped. The water temperature was a shocking fifty degrees. But the pain of the cold water as he went deeper helped push away thoughts of Kassandra, and when it hit his crotch, he cried.
Releasing his clothes, he swam out to sea. In seconds, the cold water numbed him. With his arms outstretched, he pushed the water back with each stroke. Approximately one mile out, after thirty minutes, he lost consciousness.
About the time Ryan and Betsy brought Lisa and baby Jackie home from the hospital, Tony Roman’s body washed up on the sand on the beach outside the house that his father had once owned.
While preparing a cup of coffee to take out on the terrace, Kassandra saw the swollen, naked body of her baby’s father, forever destroying the dream she’d had of living on Sea View.
The End
