Special Delivery by April Wilson
Chapter 10 - Bridget
Bridget McIntyre
I treasure moments like this… when Calum and I have our whole family with us under one roof—all our kids, their significant others, and grandkids.
Right now, Calum is hanging out with most of the boys at the bar. They’re all laughing over something, and I can tell by the contented look on his face that he’s just as happy as I am right now. No matter how big your kids get, they’re still your kids. They always will be. It’s bittersweet to watch them become adults, move out, and live their own lives. You’re proud of them and their accomplishments, but you still miss those days when they were dependent on you for everything.
Right now, I’ve got my newest little grandbaby sleeping in my arms. Ava is as pretty as a baby can be. She has her mama’s sweet face, but she has hints of her daddy’s brown hair. That tickles me. I’d love to see a little female version of my Shane running around underfoot.
I notice Shane keeps looking over this way, as if he’s checking to see that his baby girl is okay. None of these children lack for adults keeping an eye on them. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, I know all the members of this family will pull together to raise these kids and keep them safe.
Out of habit, I run through the birth order of my kids. Shane’s at the bar with the rest of the boys, his dad, Cooper, Sam, Tyler, Ian, and Jonah. Sophie, who I suspect is feeling a bit tuckered out, is sitting on the other sofa with Molly and Annie. Jamie’s at the bar with the guys, as is Jake. I have no idea where Liam is at the moment. That leaves my two youngest girls. God knows where they are or what trouble they’re getting themselves into, but Killian promised me he’d find them and send them in here.
Sure enough, I hear a ruckus coming from the foyer—loud female voices. I glance over just as Hannah and Lia stroll into the great room. They’re laughing as they tussle with each other, just like old times. Of all my kids, these are the two I worry most about.
I’ve never worried about my boys—well, except for Jamie when he got hurt in the military and lost his sight. I worried nonstop about him for a couple of years while he recuperated and tried to find his way in the world. Since then, he’s proven over and over that he’s a strong, resilient man who can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. Plus, now he has Molly in his life, and she’s a fierce and loyal partner.
I never really worried about Sophie because she’s as pigheaded as I am. I knew she’d never settle for less than she should—and marrying Dominic proved that. Despite some of his rough edges and his father’s colorful background, he’s turned out to be a fine husband for my eldest girl. And I know he’ll be a good daddy to their baby.
But Lia and Hannah? Those girls have given me more than a few sleepless nights, I swear. Lia, because she’s hard-headed and her own worst enemy. Thank god for Jonah. That man has the patience of a saint. Now if we can just get those two married, I’d worry less about her. I know she’s wearing his ring, and she did agree to marry him at some point in the future… now they just need to make it happen.
Of all my kids, it’s Hannah who worries me the most. My middle girl marches to the beat of her own drum, god love her. That’s fine. I want all my kids to follow their hearts and be true to themselves. I just wish she didn’t have to do that a thousand miles away from me.
Hannah’s always hated the city. Growing up, she was her happiest when Calum and I took the kids camping in our old pop-up camper. That was a hoot. Fitting us and seven rambunctious kids in a camper designed to sleep five was a real challenge. But we made it work.
As the kids started getting older, some of them would bring tents, which they’d pitch beside our camper and sleep in. Namely Hannah, Lia, Jake, and Jamie—our more adventurous ones.
But by the time she hit high school, Hannah was pretty adamant that she was destined for the great outdoors. College took her to Denver, Colorado, and after that, she stayed for graduate school, and now she lives there working for a nonprofit wildlife organization. She lives in a small mountain town near the border of Colorado and Wyoming, and she spends most of her time on horseback in the mountains checking on wildlife populations—bears and wolves, mostly. And mountain lions. She looks for signs of illegal poaching and hunting operations.
It’s dangerous work, especially for a young woman out there alone.
It scares me to death. It scares her dad, too. But neither one of us is about to rain on her parade. I don’t want to be the type of parent who holds her kids back from following their dreams.
The girls stop in front of me and peer down at Ava.
Lia props her hands on her hips. “She sure sleeps a lot.”
Across the room, Annie laughs. “All newborns sleep a lot.”
“Can I hold her?” Hannah asks.
“Of course you can.” I hand Ava over.
“Just don’t drop her,” Lia warns. And then she winks at Shane across the room.
Shane grins at Lia. “I’m pretty sure someone dropped you on your head when you were born,” he says in retaliation.
“That explains so much,” Jake says.
Lia glares at Jonah, who’s standing next to Shane. “Are you hearing this? Aren’t you going to defend me?”
Jonah laughs. “I’m pretty sure you can take care of yourself, tiger.”
Lia laughs. “Good answer, pal. I forgive you.”
Ah, it’s good to have the kids together under one roof.
Hannah smiles down at the baby cradled in her arms. “She’s so cute.” She runs a gentle fingertip through Ava’s hair and glances at her big brother. “She’s got your hair, Shane.”
“That’s what I hear,” Shane says, chuckling.
When I feel a pair of strong hands gripping my shoulders, I tilt my head back to see my husband standing behind me. Calum leans down and kisses my forehead. “We have some beautiful grandkids.”
He tips his head to Ava, then over to the other sofa, where Annie and Molly are cuddling with Annie’s twin girls, Emerly and Everly, both dark-haired, dark-eyed beauties like their mama.
I smile. “Yes, we do.”
He grins. “That’s because they get their looks from you.”
As he says that, he slides his hands down my torso, his fingers grazing the sides of my breasts. My face heats up because, in a room full of highly observant people, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone caught that.
Blushing—trying to act like my husband didn’t just cop a feel in front of everyone—I turn my attention to Hannah, who’s crooning to Ava. My heart contracts painfully. Hannah’s a hard one for me to read. I just hope she’s happy doing what she’s doing. That’s all I want for my kids—for them to be happy.
“My turn,” Lia says as she takes the baby from Hannah.
Jonah comes over to stand beside Lia so he can get a better look at the baby.
“Don’t get any wise ideas,” she tells her fiancé. “We’re just looking, that’s all.”
Hannah squeezes onto the sofa to sit beside me. “It’s good to be home, mama,” she says quietly as she wraps her arm around me. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.”
More than she’ll ever know.
Liam and Miguel come rushing into the great room, clearly excited about something.
“You guys have got to see this!” Liam says. He’s doing something with his phone, and a minute later the massive flatscreen hanging on the wall comes alive.
A video plays on the screen, showing an arena with a boxing ring at its center, surrounded by a huge crowd of cheering people.
There’s an emcee in the center of the ring, holding his microphone aloft. “In this corner, we have Jake McIntyre weighing in at two hundred forty-eight pounds.”
Jake, wearing only a pair of black boxing shorts, moves into the center of the ring and raises his gloved hands into the air. The crowd roars enthusiastically.
“And in this corner, Ronald Jackson, weighing in at two hundred fifty-two pounds.” Jackson does the same, and the crowd erupts in cheers.
“Oh, god, I can’t watch this,” Annie says, covering her eyes.
Aiden walks closer to the TV screen and cranes his neck so he can see the video. “Is that Daddy?” he asks, sounding rather dumbfounded as he points at the television screen. He looks to Jake, who is standing behind the bar popping the cap off a bottle of beer. “Daddy? Is that you?”
“Yep. That’s me, buddy. A long time ago, before you were even born.”
Aiden’s mouth falls open. “Whoa.”
After Jake left the military, he boxed professionally for a few years until he received an unfortunate series of concussions that ended his boxing career. Personally, I was relieved when he stopped boxing. I couldn’t bear the thought of my son’s body being battered. Of course, years later, Liam because a professional fighter and I had to face that torment all over again.
On the video, the match starts, and both men dance into the center of the ring, circling around each other as they vie for an advantage. Jake throws the first punch, hitting his opponent square in the jaw and snapping the man’s head back.
Poor Annie is still covering her eyes. “Please turn that off. I can’t bear to see him get hit.”
Jake laughs from across the room. “Don’t worry, baby. Spoiler. I won that match. I knocked Jackson out in the second round.”
The video plays a couple of minutes longer. We can hear the crowd cheering on their favorite fighters. It looks like a pretty even match, with both boxers taking their fair share of hits.
Aiden stares at the screen. When Jake takes a particularly hard punch to the face, going down for several seconds, Aiden runs to his father. It’s not until Jake scoops Aiden up into his arms and hugs him do we realize that Aiden’s crying.
“All right, turn it off,” Jake says abruptly as he cups the back of Aiden’s head with his hand. “It’s okay, buddy,” Jake tells him. “I’m fine.”
I glare at my youngest son. “Liam, that’s enough. Turn it off, please.”
“That was an epic fight, bro,” Liam says to Jake. “I think that was the fight that got me interested in boxing and martial arts.”
Aiden struggles to speak through his tears. “That man hit you.”
“He did,” Jake says as he brushes Aiden’s tears from his cheek. “But we were just boxing. I was okay.”
Aiden’s voice catches on a sob. “I didn’t like that.”
Jake glances across the room at Annie. “Your mommy didn’t like it either. We won’t watch any more of that, okay?”
“Okay.” Aiden wraps his thin little arms around Jake’s neck and leans in to kiss his adopted dad’s cheek. “I’m sorry that man hit you.”
My heart warms as I watch my son comfort his own son. It was a miracle that Jake and Annie found each other after having been separated years before, through no fault of their own. They were the victims of Annie’s mother meddling in their relationship. But they got their second chance. I’m so proud of Jake for how he’s welcomed Aiden into his life.
As Annie watches the interaction between Jake and Aiden, her eyes tear up. She rises to her feet, holding Everly on her hip. “Jake?”
He pauses to look her way. “Yeah, baby?”
“It’s bedtime.”
“For me, or for the kids?” He laughs at his own joke, as do all the other guys.
“I was thinking of the kids, but if you’re ready for bed too, I’m sure that can be arranged.”
Jake sets Aiden on his feet and wipes his hands on a bar towel. “See ya, fellas.” He crosses the room and takes Emerly from Molly, lifting his baby girl high enough that he can blow raspberries on her belly. She grabs hold of Jake’s dark hair and squeals in delight.
“All right, bedtime,” Jake announces. He glances down at Aiden, who followed him over from the bar and is sticking close to his side. “Pick up your toys, buddy, and let’s head upstairs.”
After collecting his cars, Aiden makes a quick circuit around the room, hugging everyone. When he comes to me, he throws his arms around my neck. “Night, Grandma. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetie.” I kiss his forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
“Good night, everyone,” he says. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Aiden smiles at the enthusiastic waves and “good nights” from his grandparents and aunts and uncles.
