Page 56 of Stone Vows

“Oh, come on. I’ve seen the way you look at Elizabeth. I’ve seen the way youtouchher, Kyle. I’ve heard the way she talks about you. There is definitely something there if you want it to be.”

“You’ve been to see her a lot, Charlie. Has she ever said anything about the baby’s father?”

“No, she hasn’t. I don’t think she’s spoken to any of us about him.”

“It could be a big issue,” I say.

“Yes, it could be. Some of us do tend to have those,” she says, with a loving glance over at Ethan. “But you just have to figure out if those issues are worth overcoming.”

“How can I, if I don’t even know what they are?”

“Have you tried asking her outright?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No. She clams up whenever I make any references to her past. She’s got enough on her plate right now. Maybe after the baby comes she’ll be more willing to talk about it.”

“I’ll bet she will be,” Charlie says. “It’s amazing how having a child can make you want to change your entire world.”

A bottle of beer gets handed to me. It’s the same craft beer I brought Ethan a few weeks ago. I turn around and raise my eyebrows at him. “Youdolike it,” I say.

“It’s his favorite now,” Charlie whispers to me. “But don’t tell him I told you that.”

She puts Eli down for the night and then the girls get together and plan Elizabeth’s baby shower as the guys gather around the television to watch the sports highlights.

When the baseball reels come on, I can’t help my smile. When I see the Nighthawks won their game today, I might even shout out.

“Wait, what?” Griffin says with a sour face. “So now you’re a Hawks fan? Traitor.”

I toss a bottle cap at him. “How can I be a traitor when I’m not even from Ohio?”

“What’s wrong with the Hawks?” Mason asks Griffin. “Some of my good buddies are on that team.”

“What’s wrong with them is that they aren’t the Indians,” Griffin says.

“Care to make a friendly wager on who wins out at their next meeting?” Mason asks.

Gavin gets out his wallet. “I want in on this action,” he says. “I’m with Griffin. Put me down for a hundred on Cleveland.”

“Hell, yeah,” Chad says. “I’m good for a bill on my home team.”

“Wait.” I put a stop to their schoolyard betting. “You have friends on the Nighthawks?” I ask Mason. “Do you know number eight?”

“Kessler? Yeah. I’ve met him a couple of times. Had drinks with him a few weeks ago, when he and some of his teammates showed up at a Giants’ benefit. Why?”

The wheels in my head are spinning. “Is he the kind of guy who would do a favor for a friend?” I ask. “Like a big favor?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “Guess it depends on the favor.”

“Elizabeth, my pregnant patient in the hospital, loves the Hawks, and him in particular. She’s been stuck on bed rest for weeks and still has a while to go. Do you think—”

“Dude,” Chad says, interrupting me. “You want to impress your girlfriend by bringing her a baseball star?”

“Fuck you,” I say, shooting him a death stare. “She’s not my girlfriend, Chad. And if all I wanted to do was impress her, I’d have shown up in her hospital room withyoursorry ass.”

While the guys share a laugh and continue to talk about their moronic bet, Mason pulls me to the side.

“I’ll give Caden a call,” he says. “How long will she be laid up?”

“Only until she has to deliver the baby. Could be tomorrow. Could be next week. The sooner he could get there, the better.”

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