Special Delivery by April Wilson

Chapter 8 - Beth

Beth McIntyre

After I coax a ladylike burp out of my daughter, she falls asleep in my arms. I continue rocking her while Luke plays contentedly with the train set. I can tell he’s getting tired because he’s sucking his thumb—it’s a dead giveaway. He only does that when he’s exhausted. And he’s probably hungry. Dinner will be served soon.

Luke stands on Shane’s lap and turns to face his daddy, his little arms going around Shane’s neck.

“What’s the matter, buddy?” Shane asks as he grips Luke’s hips to steady him.

Pouting, Luke says, “Eat.”

I swear, that child is always hungry. I guess it explains why he’s growing like a weed.

Shane glances my way. “What time is dinner?”

“Elly said seven-thirty.”

Shane checks his watch. “Another thirty minutes. I don’t think Luke is going to last that long.”

Sam rises to his feet. “I’ll take him to the kitchen and get him something.” He holds out his hands to Luke. “Come on, little man. Let’s go get you some eat.”

“Eat!” Eagerly, Luke vacates Shane’s lap and runs to Sam, who scoops him up.

Cooper follows them out, leaving just the two of us with our new daughter.

Shane moves closer and crouches in front of the rocking chair. “How are you feeling?”

I reach out and run my fingers through his hair, smiling when he closes his eyes and leans into my touch. “I’m okay,” I tell him. “Ava’s quickly figuring out how to nurse.”

“That’s because she’s a smart little girl.” He gently brushes Ava’s cheek with his finger. “Unreal. I can’t believe we have two kids.”

I laugh. “This is nothing. Your parents had seven.”

“We’ve got a way to go to catch up.”

Seven kids? Good lord, I hope he’s not serious. “That’s definitely something we need to discuss.” I hand Ava to Shane so I can stand. “She needs a diaper change.”

“I’ll do it,” he says as he carries her to the changing table. “Why don’t you rest up before dinner?”

“Are you sure?”

He smiles. “I’ve got this. You go rest.”

“All right. I do need to freshen up for dinner.” And maybe I’ll lie down for a few minutes. I’m exhausted.

* * *

I feel a gentle hand stroking my arm. “Beth? Sweetheart? Do you want to go down to dinner?”

My eyes pop open with a start.

Shane’s sitting on the side of our bed, Ava tucked into the crook of his arm. “You dozed off.”

I run my fingers through my tangled hair, trying to finger comb the tangles. “I meant to lie down for a few minutes, not fall asleep.”

“You need the rest. I hated to wake you, but you should eat something. If you don’t feel like going downstairs, I can bring you up a tray.”

“No, I’ll go downstairs.” As I sit up, an unexpected wave of dizziness hits me. Wow, I could use a good straight eight hours of sleep, which I am not likely to get. I didn’t sleep well in the hospital last night. And unfortunately, with a newborn to take care of, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Shane sits in a chair near the balcony doors, holding our daughter while I freshen up in the bathroom. When I come out, I join him near the glass doors and look out toward the lake.

Shane wraps his arm around my hips and pulls me close. “You feeling okay?”

“Yes.” I gather my hair off my neck and hold it up for a few seconds. “Just warm. Is it hot in here?”

He shakes his head. “Not really. Let’s go downstairs. You’ll feel better when you’ve eaten and had something cold to drink.”

We take the elevator down to the ground floor and head for the dining room. All of our family and friends are packed like sardines around a long table. There are nearly two dozen people here.

When Luke sees us, he squeals with glee. He looks quite happy perched on Cooper’s lap, holding a little plastic cup of cut-up fruit.

We’re greeted by a lot of cheering voices.

“Hi, everyone,” I say as Shane pulls out a chair for me. I sit gingerly, as I’m still pretty sore.

Luke slips off Cooper’s lap and comes straight to me. I lift him up and sit him on my lap.

“Mama,” he says, smiling as he leans into me. He reaches up and grasps a strand of my hair. Then he leans his head back against me and makes himself comfortable as he shoves his thumb into his mouth.

“Somebody’s tired,” Shane observes with a laugh.

It’s wonderful seeing everyone at this big table. Shane hands Ava to my mom, who’s seated beside me, so he can go fill our plates at the buffet table. Since there are so many of us here, it’s more practical to have a buffet line.

As Aiden approaches to give me a hug, he glances over at his new baby cousin. “I was hoping it would be a boy,” he says, glancing up at me rather apologetically. “Now the girls are winning.”

I bite back a smile. “Maybe Aunt Sophie will have a boy, and then you’ll be tied.”

Aiden looks at Sophie. “Did you hear that, Aunt Sophie? Can you have a boy, please?”

Dominic splays his big hand over Sophie’s belly. “I’m afraid that’s out of our hands, pal.” And then he leans over and kisses Sophie’s cheek.

Aiden doesn’t seem convinced. “Why not?”

Everyone laughs.

“It just doesn’t work that way, Aiden,” Sophie says. “Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Jake says, raising his hands in surrender. “He’s way too young for the talk.”

After Shane brings me a plate, I eat one-handed. Luke has fallen asleep on my lap, and I’ve got one arm wrapped securely around him so he doesn’t spill onto the floor. Shane offers to take him from me, but I decline. I don’t want Luke to feel like he has less of my time just because he has to share me with a sibling now.

Shane’s sister Hannah comes up to say hello and give me a hug. “Congratulations,” she says. “You guys sure do make pretty babies.”

I squeeze Hannah’s hand. “Thank you for coming. We really appreciate it.”

Shane gets up to go refill his coffee. As he passes Hannah, he reaches out to muss her hair. “It’s not the same when you’re not here.”

Of all Shane’s siblings, Hannah is the most mysterious to me as we don’t see her a lot. She lives halfway across the country. She makes it a priority to come back to Chicago for special events, but I haven’t really been able to spend a lot of time with her. One thing I do know is that she’s happiest out in the wilderness, and she absolutely hates the city.

Laughing, Hannah ducks out from beneath Shane’s hand. “I missed you, too, big brother.”

I scan the table and notice that Bridget and Calum look very content. I imagine they’re just glad to have all their kids under one roof for a change.

Then I notice Killian Devereaux, who’s sitting at the far end of the table on a chair crammed between Jake and Charlotte—his team. Killian’s gaze follows Hannah as she returns to her seat next to Lia.

“Here, Beth, let me hold the little guy,” Calum says as he reaches for Luke. “You need both hands free to eat your dinner.”

When I happen to catch Hannah sneaking a look Killian’s way, I start to wonder if maybe she’s not as oblivious to his interest as she appears.