Special Delivery by April Wilson
Chapter 5 – Beth
Beth McIntyre
I wake after a long nap, groggy and a bit disoriented. Shane is sitting in the chair beside my bed, holding Ava to his chest. He’s gazing down at her sweet little face, speaking softly to her. It’s hard to believe Luke was once that small—smaller, in fact, as he was born prematurely.
Quietly, I observe father and daughter. I’m glad to see that she has his brown hair. “She’s perfect, isn’t she?”
He glances up at the sound of my voice.
It’s then I see the glitter of tears in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Tears spill over onto his cheeks. “You’ve given me everything, Beth. Everything I could possibly want.” He rises up from his chair, Ava cradled carefully in his arms, and leans close to kiss me. “I’m a very lucky man.”
My throat tightens painfully. “I think you got it backward. I’m the lucky one.” He’s made it possible for me to love and be loved. That’s something I thought I could never have.
* * *
Saturday morning, Lia stops by for a visit. She drops down into the chair beside my bed and peers across the room to the sofa, where both our moms are fawning over Ava. “You’ve got another cute baby, princess.”
Hearing Lia call me princess makes me smile. The nickname she gave me when we first met has stuck.
“So, how are you feeling after pushing her out?” she asks me.
She makes a face as she shudders, probably thinking back to the day Luke was born. Lia was there with me every step of the way.
I laugh. “Much better than last time.”
There’s a flash of pain in Lia’s blue eyes, and it reminds me of the dire circumstances we found ourselves in the day Luke was born. Lia saved my life that day, and ultimately Luke’s life, too. I owe her everything.
Shane’s youngest sister props her boots on the metal bed frame as she sips a Starbucks coffee. “Jonah sends his love. He really wanted to come see you and the baby, but he was afraid his presence here at the hospital would cause too much of a ruckus. He says he’s sorry and that he’ll see you and Ava soon at the big house.”
“Please tell him it’s okay. I totally understand.”
Jonah Locke draws huge crowds wherever he goes—screaming teenagers by the hundreds. I guess that’s one of the downsides to being a rockstar. It only takes one fan to notice him out in public before the news is plastered all over social media, and the fans show up in droves. He’s easy to spot… hot guy with a manbun and tats. It’s not easy for him to fly under the radar screen.
When Ava makes a squeak, we both turn to look at her across the room. The two grandmothers are seated on the sofa, along with Luke. My mom’s now holding her very first granddaughter while Shane’s mom, Bridget, holds Luke.
Luke is uncharacteristically subdued as he stares in wonder at his baby sister.
“Is this your baby sister?” my mom asks him. “Is this baby Ava?”
Luke points at Ava. “Baby.”
“Yes, she’s your baby sister, Ava. Can you say Ava?”
Luke points again. “Baby.”
Cooper stopped by first thing this morning to bring us Luke. When Cooper carried him into my room and he spotted me and Shane, Luke burst into tears. He cuddled with me on my bed for a good long while.
Since he’s her sibling, Luke’s allowed to be here in the room with us. Right now, Shane’s out in the visiting room chatting with the rest of our family and friends who stopped by. I’m sure he’s showing them some of the dozens of pictures he’s taken of her.
Later that morning, Dr. Shaw stops by to examine me and gives me a gold star. The pediatrician who’s on call stops in to see Ava. She gets a gold star, too. Now we’re just waiting for the both of us to be released so we can head to our home in Kenilworth, north of the city. I can’t wait to get there so we can relax for a couple of days with our family and friends.
* * *
Late afternoon, I get the go-ahead to leave the hospital. Sam and Cooper have already packed our bags for us, and everything we and the kids will need has already been delivered to the house in Kenilworth. Shane will drive me and the kids, while Sam and Cooper follow us in another vehicle.
Once we’re on the road, I keep looking to the back seat to check on both kids. Luke is playing with his favorite stuffed kitty cat. Ava dozed off as soon as we reached the highway.
As Shane watches me watching the kids, he reaches for my hand and brings it to his mouth to kiss. “I love you,” he says with so much emotion and sincerity my heart aches.
I squeeze his hand. “I love you, too.”
He tips his head toward the back seat. “We made those two kids.”
“I know. I was there, remember?”
He laughs. “I remember every second of it.” He lays my hand on his thigh and covers it with his own. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He shoots me a quick glance. “You’ve given me a life and a family I only dreamed of.”
Shane’s a decade older than I am, and he had ample opportunity to get married before we met. In fact, I’ve met a couple of the women who would have gladly said yes to him if he’d asked them.
My eyes tear up as I turn my palm over and link my fingers with his. He’s given me everything—he gave me back my life at a time when anxiety and fear ruled it. Because of him, I’ve had a chance to grow and spread my wings without fear.
* * *
When we arrive at our home in Kenilworth, on a lovely September evening, it’s still light outside. Elly and George Peterson, the caretakers of this estate, come out the front door before Shane shuts off the engine.
Elly opens my door and helps me out of the vehicle. Then she pulls me gently into her arms for a hug. “Oh, sweetie, congratulations.” She releases me so she can peek through the rear passenger window at the kids, both of whom are sleeping.
Elly waves to her husband. “George, come look at her. She’s absolutely precious. And look how big Luke has gotten. It seems like it’s been ages since we’ve seen him.”
“The new nursery is ready,” George says proudly. “And the baby’s bassinet is assembled and ready for use.”
Shane asked George a while back to have someone cut a door through our bedroom wall to connect our room with the one next to ours. Now we have a two-room suite that includes an attached nursery for Luke. Ava will sleep in the bassinet beside our bed until she’s a little older.
Shane claps George on the shoulder. “Thank you. I can’t wait to see how it turned out.”
“It was all my pleasure,” George says.
Sam and Cooper, who pulled in right behind us, exit their vehicle and join us.
Cooper peers into the back seat. “They’re both asleep?” He chuckles. “We’ll see how long that lasts.”
As soon as he opens the rear passenger door, Luke’s eyes pop open. “Hoop!”
While Cooper unbuckles Luke from his car seat, Shane opens the other passenger door and retrieves Ava’s car seat. She’s still sound asleep.
“Come inside, everyone,” Elly says as she heads for the door and holds it open for us. “Are you hungry? I can fix you something real quick if you don’t want to wait for dinner to be served.”
“Thank you, but I’ll wait,” I say. Right now, I need to lie down. “We’ll take the kids up to our room first and get them settled in.”
As he follows me inside the house, Shane leans over and kisses Elly’s soft, wrinkled cheek. “Would you send up a tray for Beth?” he says in a low voice. “She hasn’t eaten much today.”
Elly nods. “I will.”
Not wanting to deal with the stairs right now, I head for the elevator. Shane, who’s carrying Ava, joins me. Sam and Cooper head up the stairs with Luke. The elevator is slow as molasses, so it’s not surprising that the guys beat us up to our suite. I’m eager to see what the nursery renovation looks like.
When we enter our room, we can hear Sam and Cooper talking in the adjoining nursery. Shane sets Ava’s car seat on our bed, and we follow the sounds of voices.
Luke is standing in the crib, holding onto the railing as he bounces on the mattress, squealing with glee.
I do a quick survey of the room—two cribs, a padded rocking chair for nursing, a bookcase filled with children’s books, a basket of toys, a shelf of stuffed animals, and new plush carpeting underfoot. The nursery has its own private bathroom.
Like our room, the nursery overlooks the rear lawn that sweeps down to Lake Michigan and our private beach and dock.
“This is perfect,” I say, taking it all in.
Sam and Cooper leave us to settle into our room. Luke is wide awake now after his impromptu nap on the drive here. Ava is still sleeping, so I remove her from her car seat and lay her in the bassinet positioned right next to my side of the bed. My milk has started coming in, so I hope she’ll wake up soon and nurse.
“Lie down and rest, sweetheart,” Shane says. “I’ll keep Luke entertained.”
I doze off for about forty-five minutes before Ava wakes up and starts crying. When I sit up, I notice there’s a cart sitting at the foot of our bed. On it is a plate of cheese and crackers, along with a bowl of fresh berries, courtesy of Elly, I’m sure. I pop a strawberry into my mouth before I pick up Ava and take her into the nursery for a diaper change.
Shane is seated on the carpet in the nursery, putting a little wooden train set together for Luke. Luke is beside himself with excitement, too eager to wait for Shane to finish. As soon as Shane connects two pieces of the train track, Luke reaches for them and pulls them apart.
Shane laughs. “He’s not quite figured out how trains work.”
After I change Ava’s diaper, I sit with her on the rocking chair and nurse her while Shane and Luke play.
I don’t think life can get much better than this.
