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“We’ll be fine. Go.”
“Mer—”
“We’ll talk about it later.” She grins like I didn’t just put my hand in front of her face. I hadn’t meant to. But that call felt like an alarm going off in my head. Meredith deserves someone young and happy. I’m not sure I qualify as either.
She is everything pure and good. And I’m like an old Ford with a crack in the exhaust pipe. Sure, I still run, but I’m old, loud, and no one’s dream come true.
“Go on,” she says. “Give Coco my love.”
I give her a stiff nod and hurry out the door.
It’s after visiting hours. The hospital is pretty quiet but the staff lets Miles, Owen, Coop, and I into the maternity ward without question. I guess Cooper has charmed all the nurses.
“Where’s Alice?” one of the nurses asks upon seeing me—the only one of us who hasn’t been around half the night.
I lift my brows a little, feeling strange answering this question for a woman I’ve never before met. “Ah, she’s sleeping. A friend stayed with her.”
“Meredith’s at the house?” Coop asks, giving the nurse a ginger smile.
“Yeah.”
“You went back for her?” Cooper claps me on the back. “Nice. I like her. We all do, bro.”
“Yeah,” I say, ready to be taken to Coco. “She’s a nice girl.” I point forward, as we aren’t moving. “Where’s Mom? And Coco’s room?”
“Levi,” Owen calls, “this way.” He stands down the hall and waves to a door at our left. “Mom took Heidi to the cafeteria.”
I pass Cooper and the nurse as he asks her if she’ll be on call tomorrow morning. She’s got to be twenty years his senior and there’s a wedding band on her left hand. Here I am thinking I’m too old and too out of touch for Meredith.
“Dang,” I hear Coop say. “You’ll miss Alice.” He’s been bragging about our niece rather than flirting with the staff. I don’t blame him. Alice has us all under her spell. She has since the day she was born. Jude’s been my best friend since junior high, and when he stepped up as single dad extraordinaire, we all stepped up with him. Alice has had our hearts her whole life.
It will be interesting and beautiful to watch my friend and my sister raise this childtogether. With Alice as their little helper—or more accurately, their coach.
Coco lies in a hospital bed—taking me back to when she donated a kidney to our mother. But this time, she isn’t empty-handed. Jude sits next to her and her arms are full.
“One at a time, Mr. Bailey,” I hear a nurse say.
“Sure thing,” Owen says, giving me a quick wave before exiting through Coco’s hospital room door.
Jude gives me half a smile. “Alice?” There’s no accusation in his voice. Just a question. He knows I’d do anything for her.
“At Mom’s, with Meredith.”
“Come meet your niece, Uncle Bear.” Coco’s voice is strained and has me sneaking over in long quiet steps.
She’s holding a pink crocheted blanket, wrapped up like a burrito, and inside is a pink chubby face. Dark hair gathers on top of her little head and already there’s a pink bow with the small do. Oh man, Alice is going to love that. I sit in the empty chair next to my sister and crane my neck, looking at the baby.
“How did things go with Meredith? You talked to her?”
“Ah,” my eyes skirt from the baby to Coco and then Jude. “Fine. Everything is fine.”
“Jude, sweetie, will you hand Lulabelle to my brother and give us a minute?”
He leans down, kissing my sister, before scooping up his little daughter. “Here, brother.” Jude gives me a grin and lays little Lulabelle in my arms before stepping outside the room.
“Levi,” my sister says. She has got that motherly tone down, Alice has made sure of that. “I just gave birth. Like literally. I had that baby an hour ago. So, please don’t trifle with me.”
“I—” I have no idea what she wants me to say.
