Untimely You (30 page)

Did you know they make evening gowns for whales?

Well, they do.

And stupid me thought navy blue would be a great color.

Nope. I certainly look like a whale now. A sparkly one at least.

“Wow,” Jenny gushes as she approaches, sipping her champagne. “You look absolutely stunning. I hope I look that good when Steven and I finally get pregnant.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes. I had to lose the strappy sandals earlier because my cankles wouldn’t fit in them and had to opt for plain nude pumps instead that were a little more forgiving on my feet. They’re the color of sand. How appropriate… “Thanks. I really couldn’t have done all of this without you and Barnes & Noble taking a chance on me. Now, I’ve got more authors than I can handle with opportunities from all over the world. You really helped a girl out. So thank you.”

She grins at me and holds her champagne flute up. I scrunch my nose up as I hold up my bottled water too. The moment Miss Luce gets out of this belly, Momma is having a drink.

“Cheers,” Jenny says, “to opportunistic women who don’t take no for an answer.”

I’m still smiling at her when two warm arms encircle me from behind. “Oh, Eric, you better not do that in front of everyone. It’ll get back to my husband,” I tease.

Adrian growls and kisses the side of my neck. “You’ll pay for that later.”

“Oh Lord,” Jenny groans. “Steven is telling that group of people jokes. This never ends well. I need to help him quit while he’s ahead.”

When she scurries off, Adrian turns me around so he can look at me. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful.”

My cheeks burn and I can’t help but grin. At least Adrian thinks I’m a beautiful whale.
If you’re going to be something, make sure you’re the best.
That’s what Abe Lincoln always said. Or something like that. Maybe it was Aristotle. Or Tina Turner.

“Damien has been gushing all day about this surprise you have for me. He can’t stop talking about how cool you are. If you’re cool to a college kid, then it must be pretty fucking amazing.” He winks at me and leans forward to kiss me.

Anxiety spikes through me and it makes me slightly dizzy. When I sway, he grips my waist to hold me steady.

“You okay, Crazy?”

I blink away the blackness eating at the corners of my vision and nod. “Yep. But listen,” I whisper. “I came up with this surprise…before…well, um…and I…please don’t hate me.”

His face darkens and he opens his mouth to question me when we hear Damien’s voice booming on the speaker.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Damien Hocksted. I’m interning here at Noble House and I couldn’t be more proud of my stepmother, Neesy. She’s had this dream and she’s gone for it. I have watched as she spent countless hours working toward this exact moment. The woman is an inspiration to me. And Dad,” he says with a grin, “you’re lucky to have her.”

Everyone claps and I smile.

“Now, I’d be honored if you would all join us out front for the unveiling of a sculpture Neesy had designed to represent her company. It will always hold a very special place in my heart and I’m honored she thought so highly of our family that she’d have such a piece made.”

Another wave of dizziness washes over me. Shit, shit, shit! I’m panicking about what Adrian will think. He clutches my hand and guides me outside, careful not to let me fall down the steps on the way down. When we reach the bottom and I see the sculpture covered by a tarp, I let out a gasp.

And then it happens.

Pain.

I squeeze my eyes shut and clutch the side of my stomach. I’ve been having small pains all day but nothing like this. Miss Lucy isn’t even due for another week and a half.

More blinding pain.

Apparently, Miss Lucy doesn’t care about schedules. She’s untimely too.

“Are you okay?” Adrian’s voice is low and concerned. It warms me to the depths of my soul. I flash him a tight smile and nod.

A light sweat breaks out over me and I grit my teeth.

“What’s under the tarp?” Eric questions as he approaches. Shawna has her arm looped through his. I can’t help but smile. Ever since our Cabo wedding, those two have been dating. Adrian was irritated at first but he’s definitely grown used to them. Once Brad was out of the picture, Eric showed her how a real man treated a woman. I’m thankful she found someone good. Eric is better than good. He’s amazing. They both deserve each other.

“Nees has a surprise,” Adrian tells them.

Another blinding painful slice sears through me.

Pay attention to the unveiling.

Don’t let Adrian run.

Have your apology ready on your tongue.

Fuck, this hurts.

“Adrian, please don’t be mad,” I whisper.

His eyes widen and he starts to ask why. But Damien is already yanking at the tarp with glee. That boy’s face is brilliant, with a smile that lights up the late spring night. As soon as the light that points at the statue is turned on and illuminates it, Adrian lets out a low growl.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I can feel the tears welling in my eyes as my husband all but drags me over to the gigantic piece that will forever remain the face of Noble House. My heart is in my throat when he stops to study it.

The sculpture has been molded and shaped into Chrissy’s likeness. She’s sitting with her legs tucked underneath her and large, feathery wings spread out behind her. A book sits on her lap and a rose is tucked into her hair above her ear. Around her throat is a necklace with a
D
for her son. The most beautiful thing about the sculpture though, is her smile. Her eyes are wide, eyebrows lifted high, and a grin is plastered on her lips. When she passed away, I’d taken a picture from her room of her reading to Damien as a small boy and had the designer recreate her. The damn thing cost me a fortune.

And Adrian hates it.

I’d ordered it before I found the notebook. Before he’d lost his mind with fury over the entire thing. It was forgotten about until it was delivered today. Now, I’m horrified.

Adrian releases my hand and I clutch my stomach when another pain cuts through me. He walks up to the statue and runs his fingertip along the plaque in front of it. The inscription says:
She reads to angels now.

“Isn’t it awesome, Dad? Looks just like Mom,” Damien gushes. My heart aches because he has no clue about his mother’s infidelity. Nor should he. It was Adrian’s wish that he never knows. He wanted him to always remember her fondly.

I don’t hear my husband’s reply because the moment another agonizing pain rips through me, I pee. Oh my God, I just peed at my own grand opening.

Dizziness and embarrassment threaten to swallow me whole as I fall to my knees in the grass. I can hear shouting but I’m too focused on the pain searing through me.

“I’m okay!” I sing to anyone who’ll listen. I’m most definitely
not
okay.

I peed.

I peed.

I fucking peed.

“Her water broke!” I hear Shawna shout somewhere in the background noise of my head.

A sense of relief washes over me. And then I’m being swept off the ground and into Adrian’s strong arms. His brows are furled together in a concerned way. Not angry, I don’t think.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him as he strides down the street toward his car. “I did it so long ago…” Blinding pain makes my words die in my throat. I grit my teeth and let out a primal scream. “MOTHERFUCKER THIS HURTS!”

My eyes are clenched closed and I barely register Adrian putting me into the car. Or the people who climbed in with us. Or the entire drive.

I remember screaming in pain.

Then begging for forgiveness.

And then cursing Adrian for putting his demon seed inside of me.

I think I may have even attempted to claw his face.

“Calm down, Nees,” he tells me as he speeds down the street. “We’re almost there.”

“I CAN’T FUCKING CALM DOWN, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!”

Eric laughs from the backseat until I twist my head around like something from The Exorcist and speak to him in my demonic voice. “WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, YOU FOOL?”

And then the ride is silent aside from my sobs and screams.

I can’t stop staring at her.

Lucille Noble Hocksted.

She’s as pretty as a princess.

Her hair is dark, thick, and curly. She has the creamiest and most perfect skin I’ve ever seen. And her little lips are plump and pouty. I don’t need a career or a husband or food. I just need to stare at her for the rest of eternity.

“She’s beautiful. Looks just like you, Crazy,” Adrian whispers, his voice a mixture of awe and pride.

I lift my chin and beam at him. But only for a moment. My husband is gorgeous but Lucy totally wins. Soon I’m back to staring at her perfect self.

“I can’t believe we made her,” I tell him.

His hand strokes my hair and he kisses the top of my head. “We did well, Nees.”

I watch with joy as he runs the pad of his thumb along her pudgy cheek, to which she lets out a sigh. It’s so damn cute. “She’s an angel.”

As soon as I say the words, a reminder from earlier this evening hits me hard. My throat tightens with emotion.

“I’m sorry about the sculpture. I didn’t know.”

His finger and thumb find my chin and he turns my head to look at him. He’s lost the suit jacket and tie. The white button up shirt has been unbuttoned a couple of buttons down and his sleeves have been rolled up revealing his toned forearms. A slight shadow of hair dusts his cheeks and his eyes are tired with dark circles. His hair is disheveled—probably from when I grabbed it during labor and yelled
You did this to me
—but he somehow looks sexier than usual. God, I totally scored with this man.

“The sculpture is perfect.” His words surprise me.

When my mouth forms a tiny O, he grins at me.

“You like it?”

“I love it, Crazy. Damien is so proud of it too. It still fucks with my head, what she did in the end. But those three or four months didn’t define Chrissy. She made a mistake. I made mistakes that led her down that path. It’s in the past and the only way I can move on is to forgive her. At least that’s what Robert Redford says.”

I chuckle because he’s taken to calling his therapist Mr. Redford as well.

“Want to know what my favorite part about that sculpture is, though?” he questions, his dark eyebrow quirking up.

“What?”

“You had that made for us. It was your kind-heartedness that wanted her to continue on in such an honorable way. I can’t thank you enough for storming into my life and painting my dark world with your vibrant colors. You breathed life into my body that I didn’t even realize was dying. Your love saved me, Neesy Hocksted. You. I have a second chance at life because of you. And I’m not going to fuck it up.”

My heart expands in my chest and relief rushes through me. “I won’t let you fuck anything up, Wacko. Lucy and I will gang up on you until you submit to our ways.”

His chuckles warm my soul and he clutches onto her tiny hand. “I promise my two girls I’ll do things right.”

Damien enters the hospital room carrying a strawberry milkshake he went to fetch for me. “I’ll kick his ass if he gets too grumpy,” he vows. That manboy is always on my side.

Tears shimmer in my eyes as I take turns looking at my family.

My adorable, brilliant stepson.

My gorgeous, devoted husband.

My beautiful, perfect little girl.

This is it.

All of it.

And it was worth the wait.