West threw a few things into an overnight bag. They grabbed their coats and headed for the elevator.
Downstairs, East had a limo waiting. He barked instructions at the driver as they climbed in. “Back to the airport. Pull out all the stops.”
That driver did not fool around. They exceeded the speed limit most of the ride, squealing around more than one corner. The six-mile drive took nine minutes and when they got to King County airport, the Cirrus G2 Vision Jet was waiting. They were in the air five minutes after boarding.
And if they didn’t get there before East’s little girl made her appearance, West would never forgive himself. Was everything okay? Damn, he hoped so.
The baby was due about three weeks from now. He was afraid to ask East if there was some problem—if Payton and the baby were all right.
West knew his twin. The look on Easton’s face shouted do not disturb.
East stared straight ahead, his gaze out the windshield up front, as though he could make the plane go faster by the sheer force of his will alone. He’d missed the births of Penn and Bailey. It was a real sore spot with him, that he hadn’t even known Payton was pregnant, that he’d had no clue he had twin sons until four years after they were born.
A half hour into the hour-long flight, still staring straight ahead, Easton said flatly, “She just had to come home for Christmas. But she’s not that early. It should be okay. She and the baby should be fine.” A low, growling sound came from deep in his throat. “She’d better be fine. They’d both better be fine. And we’d damn well better get there in time.”
“We will,” West said firmly, though he couldn’t be sure and he knew it would be wiser at this moment to keep his mouth shut.
“You make it up with Alex,” East muttered out of the side of his mouth. “I can’t stand seeing her dragging around the farm, her and that sweet little old dog. It breaks my damn heart.”
“East, I swear to you. I want to make it work with her. I want that more than anything.”
“Changed your tune, have you?”
“I’m only saying, she needs to want that, too, and I’ll do my best.”
“Just make it happen. Or else.”
West kept his thoughts to himself after that.
They landed half an hour later. East had driven Payton’s SUV to the airport. They got off the plane and ran for the car.
West took the wheel and Easton called the hospital. He got to talk to Payton. When he hung up, West dared to ask if everything was okay.
“So far, so good,” East replied. “Drive faster.” A moment later, Easton actually looked at West. “Listen.” His voice was gentler now. “I want you to be happy. I really do. And I know you love her. So I’m pushing you. It’s for your own good.”
At the hospital, West dropped Easton off and went to park.
When West got inside, he followed the signs to labor and delivery, where he found his dad and Miles and Ernesto in the waiting area. Miles explained that a nurse had already come and taken Easton back to Payton. Josie, Marilyn and West’s mom were at Payton’s side, too. Hazel and Ashley were looking after the twins at Josie’s house.
Miles said everything was going fine. No problems so far. A nurse had just come out to give them a progress report. Miles rattled off something about dilation and effacement.
West stared blankly at Josie’s husband and reminded himself that Miles was a farmer. He must have seen a lot of animals giving birth. Plus, he had two daughters and he’d delivered baby Davy. It made sense he would know all about having babies.
The good news was that everything really did seem to be going well and East had arrived in time to see his daughter born.
But where was Alex? Back at the farm with Cookie?
Even if his leaving had hurt her as bad as East seemed to think, wouldn’t she want to be here for this? It really wasn’t like her to stay away from any major life event involving her aunt or her sisters.
He turned to Miles to ask him if he knew where Alex was, but before he got a word out, his mom appeared from the hallway that led back to the delivery rooms. She rushed right to him.
“Weston!” she cried and then grabbed him in a hug the minute he got to his feet. “Oh, Weston. I’m so glad you’re here.”
His gut knotted. Something wasn’t right. Gently, he took her by the arms and held her away. “What’s going on, Mom?”
She gave a wobbly smile. “Nothing!” She said it too fast and too frantically.
He held her eyes and kept his voice low as he insisted, “Talk to me. Tell me. What is it?”
His dad shot to his feet so fast, he shook the ornaments and tinsel on the small tree beside his chair. “Joyce?”
She flapped a hand at him. “Myron, sit back down. There is no emergency here. Payton’s doing well, all the baby’s vitals are strong and the doctor said it’s almost time to push.” His father didn’t look completely convinced, but he did sink back to his chair. His mother turned to him again. “Weston...”
“For God’s sake, Mom. Just say it.”
“Well, I do need to explain a few things, that’s all.”
He frowned down at her. She was up to something, he could see it in her smile—so sweet and loving, but anxious, too. And she’d walked out of the delivery room where her first granddaughter was about to be born. No way would she miss a moment of that unless...
“Is this about Alex, Mom?”
“I promise you, it’s nothing bad. Really. It’s good. It’s just...well, I only wanted to help. I had no idea that your brother would fly up there to talk some sense into you. And apparently, he got there before Alexandra did.”
“There?”
“To Seattle, of course.”
“Wait. Let me get this straight. Alex went to Seattle?”
His father was on his feet again. “What’s this about, Joyce?” he demanded.
His mom blew out her cheeks with a big gust of breath and stared up at West pleadingly. “When you called me this morning, I felt I had to do something. So I dropped by Alex’s house and we had a little chat.”
“What?” barked his father. “Joyce. You went to Alexandra’s cottage?”
His mom winced. “Yes, Myron, I did. You were still sleeping and I thought, why not just pop over there and have a little talk with her, see how she was feeling, find out more about, er, everything. And then when I got back, you were still in bed so I just started breakfast and—”
“Joyce.” His father cut her off in mid-babble. “You didn’t say a word. Not one word to me about this all morning.”
“No, I didn’t. Because Alexandra asked me not to. She said please not to get the rest of the family involved. She said that she needed to talk to Weston first. She asked me not to say anything to anyone until she called me and gave me the go-ahead.” His mom’s pleading gaze swung to West again. “She said that if you knew how she really felt, she might manage to convince you to come back to the farm. That way, you two could be on the road to Wild Rose together when she called to say she was bringing you home. And everyone would be so glad!” his mother cried. “And I...”
She was wringing her hands by then. “So of course I promised I would not say a word. And I haven’t—well, not until now when it’s obvious there’s something of a problem. I was just going to call her myself, check on her, tell her that, as it turns out, you’re already here in Heartwood. But then I thought, no. I should have a little word with you first to see what’s—”
“Wait. You’re saying that Alex is on her way to Seattle to see me, to get me to come back to the farm?”
“Yes. And she should be there about now, so I was just waiting on her call and she hasn’t—”
“Hold on a minute.” West’s phone had just buzzed in his pocket. His heart rate lurching into overdrive, he whipped the phone out and saw he had a text from Alex.
I’m here. In Seattle. Downstairs in your building. I buzzed several times. You didn’t answer. West, are you there?
His mother brushed his arm. “Weston, could that be Alexandra?”
“It’s Alex, yes.”
She slapped her hands against her mouth and immediately started talking right through them. “Oh, good. You need to...”
“Not now, Mom.” He turned and strode toward the reception desk. He loved his mother but he didn’t need her babbling in his ear while he tried to talk to Alex. He punched the call icon.
She picked up on the first ring. “West?” She sounded lost. And way too sad. “Oh, West. Where are you?”
His throat ached with all the things he needed to say. His eyes were wet, his vision blurred by hope and longing and the sudden, clear knowledge that things really might just turn out okay. “I’m right here.” He dashed the wetness away. “But, uh, not there.”
She laughed, the sweetest sound. “What?”
He heard a whine. “You’ve got Cookie with you?”
“Yeah. We, um, drove up together. West, I...” She sniffled.
“Aw, sweetheart. Don’t cry.”
“I just... I’ve been all turned around backward trying to figure out what to do with my life and that made it way too easy to lose sight of what I needed most. I’ve worked so hard, West.”
“I know...”
“I pushed myself, drove myself relentlessly, to make my family safe, to be able, always, to take care of them, no matter what.”
“I do know. I get it.”
“And over the years, I just got in the habit of obsessing over work. It became a habit so strong I sometimes lost sight of why I was working, you know?”
“I do.”
“It was always about making sure everyone’s okay, everyone’s provided for, that we never lose the farm. I put all my focus on building up my financial resources. And now, I don’t even need to work, really. Not until I find out what I truly want to do. But still, I said no to you when my heart said yes and I screwed everything up. I freaked. I’ve never been afraid of anything. But this, with us...”
“It scared you?”
“Oh, yeah. West, I’ve been so afraid to trust this. So afraid it would all go up in smoke, like my marriage, like the thing with Rob. Like my dad, who was just never there and then went and died on me without my ever getting a single chance to convince him how much I needed him.”
East had been so right. “I’m sorry I left you, Alex. So sorry. I should have stuck it out, waited for you to catch up and believe I’m for real. Instead, I left you just like those other fools did.”
“I was there, too. I pushed you away. And all I want now is to make it right and I... Look, if you could just buzz me in, if we could only talk, I’m sure we—”
“Alex, yes. We’ll talk. I want that. We’ll work everything out.”
“Oh, I’m so glad! Buzz me in, then?”
“I would if I could. But I’m not in Seattle.”
A soft, bewildered little laugh escaped her. “I don’t... Then where?”
“Alex, I’m in Heartwood, at the hospital.” She gasped. He rushed to explain the situation. “East flew up to talk some sense into me and then Payton went into labor and East and I flew back down.”
“Wait—the baby’s coming early?”
“Yeah.”
“Is Payton okay? And the baby...?”
“Everything’s fine so far. East and Josie and your aunt are in the delivery room with her. The baby should be here very soon.”
“Oh, thank God. Where’s Joyce...?”
He glanced back at his mother. His dad had his arm around her. She put on another crooked little smile and gave West a jaunty thumbs-up—whatever the hell that meant. “She’s fine. She just busted herself about sneaking over to the cottage to see you this morning.”
“Oh, West. She’s wonderful. She really is.”
“She’s got a big heart, that’s for sure. And, Alex...”
“Yeah?”
“Come back to Heartwood. I want you here, with me.”
“I will be there. Soon. It is Christmas Eve. Traffic hasn’t been too bad. I might make it in under four hours...”
“I could meet you halfway...”
She laughed again, the sound lighter than before. “With our luck, we would drive right past each other—no. You stay in Heartwood.”
“I don’t want to let you off this call,” he muttered prayerfully.
“I don’t want to let you go either, but the sooner I get going the quicker I’ll get there—and I’ll check in with you on the way.”
“I love you, Alex.”
“And I...” Her voice trailed off.
His heart sank. “What is it? Just say it.”
“It’s silly, but the first time I say it to you, I want to be looking in your eyes.”
“Not silly.” The words sounded raw as he pushed them out around the tightness in his throat. “Not in the least. Get in the car and get down here.”
“I’m on my way.” She hung up.
He turned to find his mother coming toward him. “Weston, is she all right?”
“It’s good. She’s good. She’s coming back to Oregon now.”
“Oh, I am so happy, so very relieved.” She grabbed him in another tight hug and then stared up at him, breathless. “Well.”
“What, Mom?”
“Nothing. Everything. I can see in your eyes that you two will work it out and I’m just glad, that’s all. So glad—and I guess I should go see how Payton’s doing. I’m really hoping to be there when our little girl arrives.”
“Go.”
Pausing only for a quick kiss from his dad, she headed for the doors that led back to the delivery room. West sat down beside his father.
Alex called half an hour later, checking in as she navigated her way past Tacoma. He had nothing to report, really. Except that the baby would be here very soon. It felt so good, to listen to her voice, to know that he would have her in his arms before the end of the day.
He’d just said goodbye to her when his mom came bustling through the wide double doors from the delivery room, a giant smile deepening the laugh lines on her face.
She went straight to his father, who rose as she came to him.
“Well?” his dad asked.
And she threw her arms around his neck. His dad lifted her right off the floor and spun her around.
“She’s here!” West’s mom announced much too loudly for a hospital waiting room. “Her name is Sofia Marilyn Wright. She’s got all her fingers and toes and she’s the prettiest little girl in the whole wide world!”
At ten past three that afternoon, Alex parked in the hospital lot, put Cookie on her leash and walked her to the building’s main entrance.
West was waiting out in front as promised, a small suitcase on the ground at his feet. Alex’s pulse started racing at the sight of him. He turned and saw her.
And she scooped up her dog and ran for him.
“Finally,” he said as he opened his arms and gathered her in.
He bent to her and she lifted to him and when their lips met, her world, spinning out of control for months now, found its axis at last. Cookie wriggled with happiness and swiped doggy kisses at both of them.
When they finally let go, she handed Cookie to him and he stayed outside with her so that Alex could check on her sister and meet Sofia. Before finding Payton’s room, she detoured to a restroom to wash her hands and splash cold water on her face. It felt good to freshen up a little after a long day on the road.
In the hospital room, the blinds were drawn. Easton snoozed in a chair next to Payton’s bed. Payton, too, was sound asleep.
Alex crept close enough to bend over the bassinet and get a good look at the swaddled, sleeping baby within. As she watched, the little girl yawned wide and gave the sweetest, softest little sigh.
“Alex. At last,” Payton whispered from the bed.
They shared a smile. Alex whispered back, “What a trip, Paytaytochip. You did good.”
Easton stirred. “Hey. Alex.” He got up. “Everything okay?”
“Everything is excellent, Easton.”
“I’m glad.”
She gave him a big smile. “And thank you.”
Easton shrugged. “I caused more problems than I solved, but I meant well—and I’ll give you two a moment.” He kissed his wife. “I’ll be right back...”
Payton patted the mattress as Easton left the room. “Come here,” she whispered. Alex eased around the bassinet, rolled the bed tray toward the wall a little and managed to squeeze in next to her sister.
“What a day, huh?” Payton covered a yawn.
Alex had to agree. “Never a dull moment—well, except for the driving. That got old fast.”
“Weston?”
“Outside with Cookie—I take it Easton brought you up to speed on the, um, situation.”
“He did, yes. And what he didn’t know, Joyce did.”
“I love Joyce,” Alex said. “She can be very motivating.”
Payton laughed, but quietly. “That she can—and I just want to say that happiness is a good look on you, though I’m guessing you and Weston haven’t even had a chance to really talk yet.”
“We did, a little. On the phone while I was standing in the entry of his building and then later, during my long drive back.”
Payton crooked a finger. Alex leaned even closer and Payton whispered in her ear, “What are you waiting for? Sofia and I will be back at Wild Rose tomorrow. You can start spoiling your niece then. For now, get lost.”
Alex kissed her cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you. So much.”
West and Cookie were waiting right where she’d left them. She went out into the wintry afternoon, but then hung back for a moment to admire the man she loved. His shoulders were so broad and strong. His dark gold hair could use a trim, as always. And the rest of him...
Best-looking man she’d ever seen. Coming or going. Bar none.
Cookie, sitting patiently at his feet, turned her head and spotted her. Rising and stretching, the dog gave a welcoming whine.
West turned, too. Their eyes met. He gave Alex that incomparable smile of his, the one that lit up the gray day and made her wonder how she’d lived all these years without him.
She stepped in close. “Let’s go back to the cottage.” He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth, handed her Cookie’s leash and picked up his suitcase.
At the car, she passed him the keys and got in on the passenger side. Cookie curled right up in her lap and went to sleep.
The fifteen-minute drive passed in silence. Alex tried to relax, but she had so much to say to the man beside her, so much she wanted him to know, so much to share. Her body seemed to vibrate with the need to tell him everything.
The cottage was just as she’d left it that morning, the tree alight in the window, the Merry Christmas welcome mat and the festive wreath on the door inviting them in. She paused on the walk to admire it.
West stopped when she did. “It’s a great little house,” he said.
“I’m always going to think of it as our Christmas cottage.”
He grinned down at her and she grabbed his hand and pulled him up the steps.
Inside, she unclipped Cookie’s leash. They took off their coats.
She was hanging hers on the peg by the door when he reached for her. The coat dropped to the floor. She let it fall. All that mattered was the feel of him, his scent of soap and spice, those strong arms of his around her.
His mouth covered hers and she moaned in delight—to be kissing him again, to know that he wanted her and she wanted him and they would make it work, the two of them, no matter what.
“Seattle,” she said against his mouth.
He bit her lower lip and then licked the spot. “Yes, I’m familiar with it.”
“And yes, West, I want to live there. With you, if that works for you.”
“Yes.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” He captured her mouth again, his tongue dipping in. As he claimed her lips, he walked her backward into the little hallway and two steps later, into her bedroom.
They fell across the bed together.
“All these clothes,” he grumbled, breaking their glorious kiss long enough to get hold of her sweater. She raised her arms over her head and he whipped the sweater up and away.
Things happened fast after that. He peeled everything off her as she did the same for him. They were laughing between eager sighs and hungry moans.
His boots hit the floor one after the other, followed by hers. They were both sitting up at that point, both focused on getting naked, making it so there was nothing in the way, no slightest scrap of fabric to separate them. They tore off their socks and sent them flying. He shoved down his boxer briefs as she shimmied out of her panties, popped the hooks at the back of her bra and tossed it over her head.
He turned to her. They were both naked at last. “Finally,” he said low. And his mouth covered hers again.
They fell across the mattress, holding on tight.
“Now,” she whispered, all urgency. “West, I just need you now...”
He grabbed a condom out of the drawer, freed it of its wrapper and rolled it on.
“I do want to have babies,” she informed him as he rose above her.
“Me, too. Right this minute?”
She snickered and playfully slapped his hard chest with the back of her hand. “Soon...”
And then he was there, pressing close, filling her where she needed him most. She wrapped herself around him, grabbed the hard curves of his perfect butt and yanked him into her, good and tight. They groaned in unison as he filled her.
His eyes, deep and blue as oceans, held hers.
And she said the words that mattered most. “Weston Wright, I love you. I’m in love with you. I want you now and I want you forever. I do. I truly do...”
“You have me. I love you, Alexandra. I never thought I would find you, never even believed that there was someone just right for me. But here you are and yes, forever. I want that, too...” He took her mouth. Their tongues danced together, their bodies moving in unison, rising and falling in perfect rhythm. There was no more need for words.
She surrendered completely to her love for him, trusting him, knowing him, believing in him and all they would have together. A whole life to share, a future to build, the two of them.
He pushed in so deep. She moaned in sheer pleasure as she felt her climax gathering, tightening—and then opening up, spreading out from the core of her, until her whole body shimmered with wonder as fulfillment bloomed all through her.
A moment later, as she held him so tight, she felt him pulsing, filling the condom, groaning her name.
“Eat.” West set a roast beef sandwich and a bag of potato chips in front of Alex, who sat at the kitchen island looking amazing in fleece sweatpants and his shirt. She’d gathered all that thick, dark hair into a low ponytail that trailed down the center of her back.
“Thank you. So hungry. I think you’ve depleted all my reserves.” She dug right in. He poured her a tall glass of milk, made himself a sandwich and took the stool beside her. “We missed dinner at Auntie M’s,” she said once she’d gobbled down several big bites.
“So did East and Payton.”
She grinned at him. “No one’s knocked on the door.”
“They’ve probably guessed we’re busy.”
“Very busy.” She crunched on a chip.
He leaned close and stole a quick kiss. “Not through with you yet.”
“I would expect no less.” She sipped her milk. “I’m hoping they’ll leave us alone until tomorrow morning—and I’ve been thinking...”
He made a sad face. “There’s no thinking during reunion sex.”
“Not during the sex, silly. While I was driving to Seattle and back. Plenty of time for thinking then.”
“Ah. Had me worried for a minute there...”
“Well, don’t be.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “While having sex with you, I never think about anything but how hot you are and how I can’t wait to do it again.”
“Fair enough. My manly pride is mollified.” He took her hand, brushed off the salt from the chips and kissed her fingers one by one. “So tell me. What have you been thinking about?”
“I don’t want a job, per se. I want to invest in small businesses, preferably businesses run by women.”
“My girl, the venture capitalist. Sounds good to me.”
“West, you’re so easy.”
“You’re coming to live with me in Seattle. Before you know it, I’ll have a ring on your finger. You’re mine now. I can be pretty damn easy about all the rest.”
Her brown eyes gleamed. “It might sound grandiose, but I want to help women live their dreams.”
He turned on the stool, framed her face in his hands and kissed her. “Not grandiose.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. It’s who you are, Alex. You’ve always been there for your sisters and Marilyn. You’re just casting the net wider now, that’s all.”
“I like the way you put that.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “What else?”
“Well, and babies—for right now, I just hope you’ll think about us having babies.”
“On it,” he agreed with enthusiasm.
“I mean, we don’t have to start setting the timeline for a family quite yet. We’re not even engaged.”
He was nodding. “We can practice making them—but with protection.”
“Not sure it counts as practice if we’re using protection.”
Cookie whined. She stood by West’s stool, looking up at him hopefully. He tore off a bit of his sandwich and gave it to her. She gobbled it up.
Alex said, “I love you, Weston Wright.”
He got down off his stool and grabbed her hand. “Come on back to the bedroom. You can show me how much.”
She laughed as he slung her over his shoulder and carried her to bed.