Chapter Fifteen

“I’ve been in this hospital more times in the past week than I’ve ever been in any other for my whole life,” Rick said when they alighted on the maternity floor.

It was easy to find her sister’s room since there was a crowd of people she recognized milling about in the hallway outside it.

“Hey. Any word?” Abby bent and kissed Gemma, the only adult sitting. Her husband leaned against the chair’s armrest, his hand snaked into his wife’s. On the other side of Gemma, Kandy and Josh’s two-and-a-half-year-old son Ben was asleep, his thumb secured in his mouth.

“The obstetrician went in there about three minutes ago. Mom’s been out once to say the baby’s crowning.” Her gaze flicked between her sister and Rick.

“Ellie’s in there along with Josh, and both moms,” Ky said, while he shook Rick’s hand.

Abby kissed her sister Belinda next. “Brian with the kids?”

“Yeah. Declan had soccer practice, and Moira’s with Brian’s mother. Did you call the others?”

“Yeah. I left a voice mail for Daisy, but I spoke to Fallon. She and Hal just got back from a mission trip to Haiti. They said they’d be able to come up by the weekend.”

“The last I heard, Daisy was still in Italy, so it’s the middle of the night there,” Belinda said.

“She’ll get the text when she wakes up. I called Stacy, too. She, Nikko, and Melora are all on location in Texas, but they’re due back tomorrow night.”

“You got here fast,” Gemma said, staring at Rick. “Were you two together?”

Abby noticed Ky give her hand a subtle squeeze.

“What?” Gemma said, pouting up at her husband. Before anyone could respond, they heard the unmistakable screech of a baby wailing.

“Oh.” Abby’s hand flew to her chest. Rick pulled it into his, Gemma’s piercing stare zeroing in on the action.

“Baby cryin’.” Ben pushed himself up on the bench and rubbed his eyes. “Mommy?”

“She’s okay, Benny-Boy.” Belinda picked him up for a cuddle. “She’s busy right now.”

Ben shoved his thumb back into his mouth and laid his head down on his aunt’s shoulder. The door flew open, and Hannah Laine stepped into the hallway, accompanied by the sound of a very perturbed infant.

“Well, you can tell she has Laine blood in her,” Hannah said, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“She?” Abby said.

“Seven pounds, six ounces. Ten fingers. Ten toes. The fattest cheeks I’ve ever seen.”

“You won the pool, Abs,” Ky said.

“She had a fifty-fifty chance,” Gemma said, her tone vexed and grumpy.

“Yeah, but you all said boy. I was the only one who knew she was having a girl.”

“You guessed she was having a girl,” Gemma said. “There’s a difference.”

“Cranky, much?” Abby laughed when her sister squinted at her.

“You try carrying around a twenty-pound bowling ball in your stomach all day, Abigail June, and we’ll see what kind of mood you’re in at the end of the day.”

Ky pulled his wife’s hand to his lips and railed a kiss across her knuckles. In a nano-second, Gemma’s grumpy mood dissolved.

Ellie slipped through the door. Still in her surgical scrubs, she announced, “They need a little more time to get Kan and the baby cleaned up.”

“Is she okay?” Belinda asked.

“Yeah. She’s a really fast dilator. Both deliveries in under three hours. Luckily, she’s just exhausted, not torn or anything.”

“A little too much info, El,” Ky said, his golden skin paling.

“Sorry. It’s the doctor in me. Why don’t you all go down to the cafeteria, and I’ll text when she’s ready for visitors.”

“I’m staying put,” Gemma announced. “This is the first time I’ve sat all day.”

Rick squeezed Abby’s hand. “You want to go check in on your client while we’re waiting?”

“That’s not a bad idea. We’ll be right back,” she told her family.

“Where are you going?” Gemma asked.

“I’ve got a client up on the surgical wing. We’ll be back as soon as we get Ellie’s text.”

“Gemma was giving me the stink-eye,” Rick said when then got back into the elevator.

Abby rolled her eyes. “Don’t read anything into it. She’s been giving everyone the stink-eye. This pregnancy has been hard on her.”

“I think it was more because we arrived together.” He took her hand and held it again. “She probably suspects there’s something going on between us.”

“There is something going on between us,” she said, with a shrug. “You’re in alpha protection mode and I’m the protect-ee. Plus, I happen to be involved—on the fringe, mind you—of a case you’re working on.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’s not all, Abigail, that’s going on between us.”

Back to full name. Hmm. Interesting.

The elevator doors opened, preventing her from responding.

“Come on.” She tugged his hand.

****

By the time they finished their visit, Abby’s phone dinged with a text from Ellie.

“What’s with the smile?” Rick asked.

Abby laughed. “I could be really greedy and say I’m happy I just won about five hundred bucks because I was the only one who correctly guessed I was getting a niece.”

Rick grinned.

“But the real reason is because I’m so happy Kandy has a little girl. Don’t get me wrong. I love Ben with all my heart. But if anyone deserves to have a mini-me, it’s Kandy.”

Rick tilted his head while he stared at her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

How could he tell her he’d been picturing her in his mind with her own little mini version, both in sheath dresses and heels, glasses on their faces. The image was both cute and powerful.

Kandy’s room exploded with people.

“You two do make beautiful babies,” Abby said, bending down to kiss her sister’s cheek. Kandy’s tired smile beamed up at her. “Good Lord, Kandy, she’s your clone.”

“I think I see a little of Josh mixed in there, too,” Hannah was quick to say.

“Let’s hope not. The kid’ll be doomed.” Rick smirked at his best friend, and then grinned when Josh shot him his middle finger. He bent and kissed Josh’s mother on the cheek.

For the next few minutes, cell phone pictures were taken, and the baby was passed to both grandmothers, then Kandy’s sisters.

“Your turn, Abs,” Ellie said.

“Oh, I don’t think I should since I was just sick.”

“Don’t be lame,” Ellie said. “You had a virus that’s run its course. Wash your hands. It’ll be fine. I’m a doctor. I know these things.”

“Kandy?”

“You know you want to hold her, Abs. Go ahead. I’m not worried.”

Abby washed her hands at the sink, then donned a yellow paper gown provided for visitors.

Hannah laughed when Abby tied a paper mask around her mouth and nose as well.

“Just as a precaution,” Abby said as she took the baby from Ellie’s hands. “She’s so beautiful. So precious.”

The wistfulness in her voice had his ears perking. At that exact moment, their gazes connected across the crowded room. She seemed so happy. Even with the mask covering the lower portion of her face, he could see her wide smile. It filled her glistening eyes as she cradled the sleeping baby in her arms.

Rick’s heart stuttered, the sensation jerking his head back. The image of Abby rocking their baby was so powerful, so clear, he was terrified to blink, lest it disappear. He felt his blood rushing through his body, heard his heart hammering in his ears.

He wanted that image to be a reality. Abby and him, together for life, a baby conceived in their love.

As shocking as the thought was—and it was a heart-stopper for so many reasons—Rick could actually envision it.

Christ. He was losing it. There was no way he could ever be a father. Fear of turning out exactly like his own pounded through him daily. He wouldn’t do that to a child. Couldn’t.

No, the image floating across his vision was a fantasy, pure and simple.

The moment broke when Ky asked what Josh and Kandy were naming the baby.

“Well,” Josh said, giving his a wife a smile, “since Ben was named for Granddad, we want to stick to family names.”

“I know what it is,” Abby exclaimed. The baby startled at the excitement in her voice. “Sorry, sweetie.” She lowered her voice. To her sister and brother-in-law, she said, “You’re naming her Sophie, aren’t you?”

Kandy laughed. “First you guess I’m having a girl—”

“And I was the only one who did. Remember that.”

“—then you guess the name. Yes. We’re naming her Sophie Grace after Grandma.”

“It’s perfect,” Hannah said, grazing her fingers across the baby’s head.

“Okay, super guesser,” Gemma said with a pout. “You’re being a Sophie baby-hog. I want to hold her again.”

After passing her back, Abby removed the mask and gown and came to stand next to him.

“Not a baby gusher, Bannerman?” Her lips twitched at the corners.

It took him a moment to blank what he was feeling from showing in his expression. The swift hiss of air she pulled in and the way her cheeks heated proved he wasn’t quick enough in masking his thoughts.

The feeling they were the only two people in the room, hell, on the planet, ran through him. The urge to pull her into the nearest private area, be it the elevator or a supply closet, was so powerful, he fisted his hands into his pants pockets so he wouldn’t grab her and give into the yearning.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered.

“Nothing. I’m just…antsy, waiting to hear back from Donovan.”

He knew Abby had an excellent bullshit detector. She needed it to deal with lying witnesses and clients every day, so he was fairly confident when her eyes narrowed and she pulled the corner of her lip between her teeth she didn’t believe him. Since they were surrounded by family, though, he didn’t think she’d publicly call him on the lie.

One of the maternity nurses came in and announced visiting hours were over. While the rest of her family trooped out the door, Kandy asked Rick to hang back for a moment. A frowning Abby left them alone when Kandy motioned for her to wait outside. When it was the three of them in the room, the sleeping baby in Josh’s arms, Ben snuggled up next to his mother on the bed, Kandy shot out a hand, wiggled her fingers and commanded, “Come here.”

When he got closer to the bed, she grabbed his wrist and yanked him down closer to her.

“This is for taking care of my sister when she was sick.” She lifted up and kissed his cheek. “And this is for keeping her safe.” She kissed the other side. “Thank you. She never likes to ask for help, even when she needs it.”

“I think stubbornness is a genetically linked trait in your family.”

“It is, and between Abby and Gemma they got the lion’s share. But Gem has Ky. Abby has…well, no one she can lean on. So, thanks.”

“None are necessary, but you’re welcome anyway.”

She tilted her head as she continued staring up at him. “Josh told me about her client’s husband and what he did. I can tell you the day I saw him in Abby’s office, I was terrified to my toes. He’s a scary, violent man. The way he screamed at Abby, I was afraid he was going to hit her. I think if the security guards hadn’t come in when they had, he would have.”

Rick’s jaw tightened. Not gonna happen. Not while he was around. Not ever, truth be told.

“Josh also told me how you’ve been protecting Abby in case he shows up intending to harm her.”

Rick shook his head and grinned. “I owe your sister an apology now because I didn’t believe her when she said there was no way Josh wouldn’t tell you. He wasn’t supposed to because we didn’t want you to worry, especially when you were so far along.”

“It shows you haven’t been married if you seriously thought that was never going to happen,” she said with a laugh.

“Yeah.” He threw a speaking glance at his partner, cocked his head at him. “He said the same thing. But listen, she’s safe with me. Really. I’ve got it covered, so please don’t worry. No one is gonna get close to her. That’s a promise. One you can take to the bank. You concentrate on resting and taking care of the little clone.”

His joke filled its intended purpose when Kandy laughed. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you again.”

He bent and kissed her forehead. “Any time.”

Holding the baby one-handed, Josh stretched out his hand.

“Yo, bro,” Rick said, taking it and nodding at the baby. “You guys did good.”

“Kandy did all the work.”

“You were around for the fun parts,” she said from the bed.

“And on that note.” Rick lifted his hands. “I’m out.”

Abby pounced the moment he came out of the room. “What was that all about? What did Kandy want?”

“To quote you, ‘nosy, much?’ ” He kept walking toward the elevator until she grabbed his upper arm and pulled him to a stop.

She had her determined lawyer face on. Eyes focused and laser sharp, mouth a solid, take-no-prisoners line, chin tilted up enough so his hand itched to cup it and plant a big wet kiss across her mouth.

“Is everything okay?”

He pried her fingers from around his arm and twined his own through them. With a subtle yank, he started walking again. “Everything is fine. She just wanted to thank me.”

“For what?”

The elevator arrived immediately, and because it was filled, Rick shook his head and squeezed the hand he held.

“Okay, James Bond,” she said once they were in the lobby. “Tell me.”

“You talk about me being single-minded. She thanked me for staying with you when you were sick. She was worried and upset she couldn’t come to see you herself.”

“That’s all? Because she could have phoned or texted for that.”

With a shake of his head, he led her to the parking garage. “God, you’re determined. I bet witnesses for the opposing side just vomit up information when you start pecking at them.”

“Your reaction solidifies she did say something else. I knew it. Tell me.”

Once he was settled in the car and had turned them into traffic, he said, “I’m gonna tell you this, but I don’t want any gloating. Do I make myself clear?”

“I don’t gloat.”

“Sweetheart, gloat is your middle name.”

“That’s mean. And don’t try to distract me. I hate that.”

His lips shifted upward as he snuck a quick glance at her. “Nobody’s fool, that’s you.” He took a deep breath. “Oh, what the hell. Kandy thanked me for making sure you were protected while Genocardi is still on the loose. Apparently, Josh told her everything.”

Silence came back at him. Snaking another glance her way, he wasn’t surprised to see the knowing grin on her face. “What? No comeback? No gloating comments?”

“I’m saying them in my head.”

He shook his head again and concentrated on the traffic.

At one point, he gave voice to what he’d been thinking about in Kandy’s room. “You looked pretty comfortable with the baby in your arms. Very…maternal.”

Abby snorted.

He glanced over at her. “Not experiencing the need to procreate, Counselor?”

When she didn’t respond, he glanced over again. “Abby?”

“It’s not in the cards for me.”

“What? Having a baby?”

“Any of it. Marriage. Motherhood. It’s not for me.”

She went silent again. He knew without a doubt if he stopped the car and turned to face her, she’d be biting down on a corner of her mouth. Something was upsetting her. Something he’d said? He tried to lighten the mood by asking, “Not hearing your biological clock ticking away?”

“Is that a crack about my age, Bannerman?”

Good. That was better. He knew how to deal with a snarky Abby.

He tossed her what he hoped was a cheeky grin. Her blistering glare kicked him right in the stomach and shot down to his groin.

“You’re, what? Thirty-five? Thirty-six?”

“You know perfectly well I’m thirty-two. You were at my birthday party in the Hamptons, although why Kandy invited you I have no idea. I told her I only wanted people I liked.”

She unwound her hands and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Still, I read somewhere after, like, thirty-five, your eggs are considered geriatric. Or is it senile? I think that’s the term. Ellie would know. You should ask her.”

The heat of her stare scorched the side of his face. It took everything in him not to laugh.

“For your information, Fred, my eggs are hale and hearty.”

Oh, he was gonna punish her for that. “Still, you and your eggs aren’t getting any younger. You need to find a guy, get married, and have some kids before it’s too late.”

“You know, I can’t tell if you’re just being your naturally obnoxious self, or if you’re trying to get a rise out of me. Either way, you’re being a pain.”

“Then tell me—seriously—why you don’t think you’ll get married and have kids. You come from a big, loving family. Everyone is supportive and despite the crazy lives you all lead, there’s relatively little drama.”

“You think my family has little drama? Are you kidding me? We put the dysfunction in dysfunctional.”

“From the outside looking in, you all appear pretty stable to me.”

She was silent for a moment. He pulled the car into her parking garage for the second time that day.

“Maybe,” she said while they walked to the elevator. “Maybe now we do. But when we were kids, when my father left and even before, not so much.”

“All that was decades ago, Abby. You’ve all moved on, grown up. Even Hannah has. You should be past it by now.”

She nailed him with the lawyer glare that both annoyed him and made him want to take her in his arms at the same time.

“Are you? Have you gotten over what happened in your childhood?”

“Different situation.” He shook his head when she unlocked her apartment door. “My childhood was filled with violence and physical abuse. When you’re surrounded by it, it leaves a visible scar.”

She kicked her shoes off and picked up a screaming Moonlight. “Well, I may not have been physically abused, but the emotional and psychological torture was as real and as painful. Being abandoned by the one man who should love you more than any other man in your life, who basically tosses you out of his life like you were yesterday’s garbage, leaves visible and invisible scars, Bannerman.” The cat’s insistent purring had her raising her voice to be heard. “And makes you never want to be in the situation where you’ll be left again. So don’t talk to me about scars, because mine are so deep they ache on a daily basis.”

She turned on her heel and marched into the kitchen.

They’d left before cleaning up after dinner, and the kitchen was a mess.

She put the cat down and turned the tap on. Before she could put the frying pan into the sink, he reached around her and turned it off.

“Why do you always do that?” she yelled and turned to face him, fury and heartbreak in her eyes. “It’s infuriating.”

“I’m sorry,” he told her. When her brow grooved, he reached up a finger and smoothed it again. “I’m sorry I teased you. Sorry I upset you. It was never my intention.”

Her shoulders dropped, and she dipped her chin.

Rick lifted it back up. “I get it, Abby, I really do. Your father’s betrayal sucked. For you, Hannah, and all your sisters.”

Her mouth pulled into a thin line. “There’s a but in there. I can hear it, loud and clear.”

He ran his thumb over her tight lips, pleased when they relaxed again. “But you shouldn’t allow what he did to ruin your chances of happiness.”

“I’m happy.”

“You know what I mean. When you were holding Sophie Grace, I was watching you. Love spilled out from every one of your pores and straight into her. You deserve your own family, husband and kids, to give that kind of love to.”

Her eyes filled. So many fleeting emotions passed over her features as he stood there staring at her. Before her tears spilled over, she shook her head and swiped her hands across her face.

“Love isn’t enough,” she said. “My father told my mother he loved her every day. And he still betrayed her and then left. Left her. Left his children. And he never looked back. Never cared what was going to happen to us. It didn’t matter to him if we went hungry or were forced out of our home. I will never allow myself to be put in a similar situation. Never.”

His heart broke for the child she’d been, the hurt she’d endured. “Abby—”

“No. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She scrubbed her hands down her face. “I’m tired, and I still have to clean all this up and prepare for tomorrow.”

She’d shut down, and he knew pushing wasn’t going to help. Resigned, Rick stepped back. “Go do what you need to do. I’ll clean up.”

“Rick—”

“You cooked, Abby. I’ll clean. Go.” He reached down and lifted Moonlight, propped her in Abby’s arms. “And take the noisy tripod with you.”

A tiny grin blossomed while she cuddled the cat. “Thanks.”

Hours later he finished the internet search he’d been doing, checked to make sure the apartment was secure, and then slipped in beside her. They hadn’t discussed if he could spend the night again in her bed, and if she asked him to now, he would settle for the couch.

She was almost out but must have sensed him because she turned and cuddled into him, a soft cry escaping through her lips. “You’re so warm,” she mumbled. “Like a blanket.”

Rick tucked her under his arm and pulled her close. “Go to sleep, sweetheart.”

“Hmm. Sorry about before. Sucks to know you’re not good enough to stick around for.”

She yawned, and he wasn’t sure she knew how much that statement said about her. Or how much it explained why she was the way she was. The mild OCD, the zeal with which she defended her clients.

Minutes later, he whispered, “No man you love will ever leave you, Abby.” He placed a soft kiss on her brow.

“You will,” she murmured.

And then she was out.