Falling in Love on Willow Creek by Debbie Mason

Chapter Four

Sadie glanced up at the man holding her and her newborn baby in the backseat of his car as if they meant the world to him. Michael Knight, her knight in shining armor. Maybe it was a rush of hormones after giving birth, but that’s how she thought of him. He was sweet, kind, and considerate, and yes, with the light from the streetlights playing off his chiseled cheekbones and square, beard-stubbled jaw, drop-dead gorgeous.

She didn’t want to contemplate what she looked like right now. Although from the admiration in Michael’s eyes, you’d think she was a reigning beauty queen or a warrior princess returning from battle.

“You doing okay? Any pain?” he asked, tucking the blankets around her and her daughter.

“No, I’m good. We’re good.” She smiled at the baby asleep on her chest, Michael’s hand splayed across her daughter’s back.

She looked so peaceful and angelic now. Unlike fifteen minutes ago when Eddie and Michael had moved them into the backseat of his car to make the trip to the hospital. It was as if Michael and her daughter had forged a bond in the moments after Sadie had given birth. The baby hadn’t settled until he’d wrapped them in his arms and rested that big, strong hand of his on her tiny back.

Sadie imagined the baby felt like she did—protected and loved. Cared for, she quickly amended. The flood of endorphins had definitely done a number on her if she was fancying herself in love with the man holding her so close, so tenderly.

How that thought brought up an image of Drew in her head, she had no idea. But there he was, the real father of her baby. No matter how difficult the past few months had been or how much crap he’d recently pulled, he deserved to know he had a daughter. He deserved to share in the happiness of the moment.

“Michael, would you mind grabbing my phone?” While Eddie had gone to get the car, Michael had meticulously catalogued every item he’d collected off the floor and seat of the SUV to put in her purse. If she didn’t know better, she might have thought he was looking for something. Either that or he couldn’t believe how much crap she could fit in her purse. “I need to call Drew.”

“Sure,” Michael said with an edge to his voice, which made her wonder just how much she’d told him about her relationship with her baby’s daddy. She didn’t think she’d overshared. But honestly, the last thirty minutes of labor and delivery were kind of a blur. All she really remembered were Michael’s words of encouragement and praise.

He reached into her purse on the floor. Retrieving her phone, he handed it to her, sharing a glance with Eddie in the rearview mirror. Okay, so that settled it. She’d totally overshared.

“I can’t remember exactly what I said about Drew to you guys, but he’s not that bad,” she said, addressing the elephant in the car.

“Any man who sits around drinking beer and shopping online while his pregnant partner works to keep a roof over their heads and pays for the debt he’s racking up on her credit card is the definition of a bad guy, Sadie,” Michael said.

“And his pregnant partner is an idiot for letting him take advantage of her,” she murmured against her daughter’s head.

She’d tried to end their relationship last December. She’d even hired a lawyer. Then, a week before the holidays, Drew had followed her to Highland Falls. The things he’d done and said had worried her. She’d been afraid he’d do something stupid and follow through with his threat that life wasn’t worth living without her. It didn’t take long for her to realize he’d simply figured out what buttons to push to get her to let him stay. But by then she was too tired to deal with him, and he was out of work.

“He’s really messed with your head, hasn’t he?” Michael said. “He doesn’t deserve you, Sadie, and he doesn’t deserve her.”

“Michael’s right. If any of my sisters’ partners treated them the way he treated you, I’d make them disappear. You want, I can take care of that for you,” Eddie said, sounding as if he meant it.

“He’s joking. He—” Michael began, no doubt picking up on her concern.

“No, he isn’t, brother. He’s very serious.” Eddie stopped at a red light and looked back at her, the scary expression on his face leaving little doubt that he was.

Don’t worry, Michael mouthed, rolling his eyes as if the big man up front was as harmless as a fly. “Eyes on the road, Eddie. The light’s green, and you’re holding up traffic.” The blast of a horn punctuated Michael’s remark.

“Thank you. I appreciate your concern, Eddie. Yours too, Michael. I know my relationship with Drew isn’t healthy, and I will take care of it. But it doesn’t negate the fact he’s the father of my daughter and deserves to be part of this.”

The grunts coming from Michael and Eddie indicated they didn’t feel the same.

“Okay, you guys are entitled to your opinions, but if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate you keeping them to yourself. I’m going to FaceTime Drew so he can see the baby. His daughter,” she reminded them.

Their muttered fines weren’t all that convincing. But as she had come to learn in the short time they’d been together, they were good guys, caring guys, and she was pretty sure they’d abide by her wishes.

She held up the phone and groaned when she saw herself. Her hair was a long, sweaty mess and plastered to her head.

As she went to fluff her hair, Michael took her hand and lowered it, saying quietly, “You don’t need to fix your hair. You’re beautiful just the way you are, Sadie.”

She wished it was him she was FaceTiming. “I can actually see what I look like, but that’s sweet of you to say.”

She angled the phone to get the baby on the screen and pressed the FaceTime icon. It wasn’t until Michael put his finger on the edge of her phone and angled it down, that she realized he’d been in the shot.

Drew’s haggard face and bloodshot eyes filled the screen. “Hey, where are you? I’m starving.”

The inside of the car went electric with unhappy male vibes.

She didn’t blame them. She wasn’t happy either. “So am I, Drew. I’m also exhausted from just giving birth to my daughter.” She should say our, she knew she should, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Michael’s arms tightened around her as if offering support.

“What do you mean you had the baby? I don’t under…wait, did you say daughter? I thought we were having a boy. I really was hoping for a boy, you know.”

Michael angled toward the front seat and whispered, “I’ll help you bury the body.”

“I’ll do it myself,” she muttered.

“What did you say?” Drew craned his neck to get a look at the baby. “Is that it?”

“If by it you mean your daughter, then yes, it is.” His cavalier attitude broke her heart. They didn’t need him. They’d be fine on their own, better than fine. “Drew, I have to go. We’ll be at Jackson County Hospital if you want to meet your daughter.”

“Okay, I might be able to make it tomorrow. Weather’s still pretty crappy though. I’ll let you know.” He leaned in, and she thought for a minute he might say something that would make up for his hurtful reaction. She knew she’d forgive him if he did. She’d chalk it up to shock or the beer she swore she could smell through the screen. “You look like you could use some rest anyhow. Get—”

She pressed End, hard. “Don’t say anything,” she said into the heavy silence.

She could feel the tension coming off Michael in waves, his chest expanding like he was having trouble containing his anger. But instead of venting, he simply kissed Sadie’s head and kept his thoughts to himself.

Ten minutes later, Eddie broke the silence. “We’re here. Stay put. I’ll grab somebody.”

Michael eased her out of his arms. “Do you have anyone you want me to call? Your grandmother? Friends?”

She didn’t think she could get the words past the lump in her throat and shook her head instead of trying to answer. She didn’t know when she’d ever felt so lonely. But then her daughter wriggled and snuffled, letting out a mewling cry, reminding Sadie she wasn’t alone and there wouldn’t be time to feel lonely.

“I don’t want to bother them. It’s late.” She managed a smile as the baby’s cries grew more insistent, raising her voice to say, “I’ll call them in the morning.”

“Sadie, I—” Michael broke off as the car door opened. “Looks like your ride’s here, ladies.” The baby stopped crying the minute he scooped her into his arms. He smiled, nuzzling her daughter’s cheek.

“You’ll be able to do that all you want later, daddy. Right now, we need to get this little sweetie inside and checked over,” a nurse said as she expertly retrieved the baby from Michael and placed her into a clear bassinet on wheels. She was off before they had a chance to correct her. Michael shrugged and gave Sadie a lopsided grin, as if secretly pleased by the misunderstanding.

Eddie rolled his eyes and elbowed Michael out of the way, scooping Sadie into his arms before she realized what he was up to. The big man laughed at something Michael said under his breath, then gently deposited Sadie on the hospital gurney.

Michael nudged the orderly out of the way and tucked her purse in beside her. “We’ll let you get settled in your room. Do you want me to grab you something to eat?”

She smiled, relieved that he wasn’t going to leave. “I wouldn’t mind a soup and sandwich if the cafeteria’s still open.”

“Sorry, folks. We have to get going,” the orderly said at the sound of sirens headed their way.

Michael and Eddie jogged alongside her as she was whisked through the emergency room doors. They glanced over their shoulders when an ambulance, siren blaring, lights flashing, pulled up to the doors, a Jackson County sheriff’s car following close behind. Sadie caught the two men sharing a glance. She didn’t have time to wonder at their silent exchange. Michael leaned in when the orderly stopped the gurney at the nurses’ station, her thoughts scattering when the magnetic woodsy fragrance enveloped her and he pressed his warm lips to her forehead.

He opened his mouth to say something as he eased away but the orderly interrupted him. “You can give the nurses the information, sir,” he said, and then wheeled Sadie down the hall and past the elevators. When the orderly took a right down a long, sterile corridor, she turned her head to look for Michael but he and Eddie were nowhere to be seen.

It took at least an hour before she and her daughter were examined and then settled in a room. Sadie smiled at the sandwich, a bowl of soup, and a vase with two pink roses sitting on a small table beside the bed. Her smile fell when she looked around. The hospital room was empty.

“Did you see the man who brought these?” she asked the gray-haired nurse.

“I certainly did,” the woman said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Sadie smiled. “Do you know where he went?”

“I don’t but I’m sure someone is bound to know. The nurses were tracking his every move.”

Sadie tucked into the sandwich while the nurse went off in search of Michael and Eddie. She had polished off everything by the time the woman returned.

“Sorry, pet. No one’s seen hide nor hair of him or his friend.”

“Michael…They didn’t leave a note?” she asked past the lump in her throat.

“No, I checked at the nurses’ station. There, there.” She patted Sadie’s arm, obviously sensing her distress. “I’m sure they’ll—” She broke off with a smile when Sadie’s grandmother and her best friends, Mallory and Abby, walked into the room carrying balloons and stuffed unicorns.

Sadie took one look at the stuffed unicorn knight and burst into tears.

The next night, Chase sat across from Sadie’s apartment in Charlotte, waiting for Drew to come home. He hadn’t gone to see Sadie or his newborn daughter. Chase had checked. The nurse he’d paid to keep an eye on Sadie kept him well informed. No one other than her grandmother and friends had come to visit her.

Pretending that he was on staff at the Jackson County Hospital, Chase had called her grandmother before pulling out of the hospital parking lot. He couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Sadie alone, and he had to stay away from her until the case was solved. Once it was, it wasn’t likely she’d want anything to do with him. He ignored the dull ache in his chest and looked up at the apartment building. At least he could take care of Drew for her.

A hulking shadow moving to the side of the building caught his attention. Nathan Black. Chase sighed and pulled out onto the road, making a U-turn to drive up to the front of the building. He powered down the passenger-side window.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked as his partner stepped from the shadows.

Black wore a patched motorcycle jacket, his hair and beard just as long and unkempt as when Chase had dropped him at his jeep yesterday. “Taking care of Drew for Sadie. Same thing as you, I’d wager.”

“I don’t know about that. I plan on threatening him with jail time unless he leaves Sadie and the baby alone.”

It wasn’t an idle threat. The guy had racked up complaints of stalking and harassment from women throughout North Carolina and Tennessee. He seemed to be good at disappearing when things got hot. The complaints weren’t serious enough to warrant Chase tracking him down, but Drew didn’t know that. There was also the matter of him using Sadie’s credit card without her permission, which Chase could use against him. Chase bet Sadie wasn’t the only one who’d found herself up to her eyeballs in debt thanks to the man.

Black rolled his eyes. “Okay, choirboy, you do it your way, and I’ll do it mine.”

“Yeah, what are you going to do? Make him disappear?” He narrowed his eyes when Black grinned.

“You want me to work Brodie’s case with you, we do it my way,” Chase said. “I don’t want this blowing back on Sadie. She’s got enough to deal with.”

“Fine.” Black looked up at the building. “Doesn’t look like he’s going to be back for a while. Any idea where he might be?”

“Yeah. Follow me.”

They found him at the second strip club on Chase’s list. As agreed, Black went in ahead of him. Chase waited an extra five minutes before going inside. Black sat at the far end of the bar. Everyone gave him a wide berth. He met Chase’s gaze and nodded at a table where Drew sat with a scantily clad redhead on his lap, leaning toward the stage with a fistful of twenties. Chase was tempted to let Black do what he wanted with him. Instead, he walked to the table and grabbed the twenties from Drew’s hand before he stuffed them in the G-string of the blonde on the stage.

“Sorry, he’s got a baby at home to feed,” Chase told the blonde.

“Hey, wait a minute. Who do you think you are?” Drew blustered at Chase.

“Your worst nightmare if you don’t do exactly as I say.”