Page 19 of Unexpected Delivery

I’m not sure if they’ll let the twins bring the little one to the room without supervision, but maybe that’s what the bracelets were for?

Hell if I know.

I don’t have kids.

This is a first for all of us.

Arbor sighs, teasing her fingers over my chest. It’s almost hard to believe she’s comfortable letting me this close after what she described.

She didn’t say she was abused in so many words, but she sure painted a grim picture of her past. Anyone who feels the need to hide money from a partner does it for a specific reason.

At the very least, she was a victim of financial abuse, and it is a real thing. If he controlled the money, he limited her ability to provide for herself if she broke up with him. And she took extreme measures to overcome that.

If I had a child and the mother took it from me, I would be fucking heartbroken, but the circumstances here are completely different. She clearly felt like she and the baby weren’t safe.

There’s more to her story left to uncover, but one thing is for sure…that bastard will regret his actions if he shows up here.

The same nurse from earlier comes back in with Hael and the baby.

My head tilts, but I don’t ask about Hayes.

“Okay, Mom, do you need the restroom before we work on getting the baby latched?” the nurse asks.

“I’m going to run down and check out the cafeteria,” I tell Arbor, kissing her temple. “I’ll bring you back a bunch of options.”

“Thank you,” she replies as I carefully climb from the bed. The last thing I want to do is to jostle all those stitches.

The nurse gives a polite smile when I walk past. I stop, taking another look at the baby. She’s so fucking tiny it takes my breath away, but she’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. I run my fingers over her tummy and head for the door.

Hael follows me out.

“Where’s Hayes?” I ask once we’re in the hallway.

“He was watching them bathe the baby, and he said he needed some air.” Hael shrugs, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “He’ll be back. He’s not going to leave us stranded here.”

We continue toward the doors where we need to be buzzed in and out, but my mind is still focused on Hayes.

I don’t think he would ditch us either, but he showed up in a big way for Arbor tonight. I’m sure his adrenaline is going to crash—if it hasn’t already.

Tugging my phone from my back pocket, I check the time.

Damn.

It’s almost five a.m.

I’ll make a point of calling him if he doesn’t pop up in an hour or so.

Here’s hoping the cafeteria is even open.

Chapter Eight

Arbor

The nurse spends a while conversationally asking me questions as she helps get the baby latched. She asks if the baby and I have a safe place to go after the hospital, if anyone at home physically abuses me, and so on. I assure her that we are safe, and she leaves after asking another round of health questions.

My heart is fuller than it’s ever been as I stare down at Gracie. I’m pretty sure that’s the name I’ll be sticking with, but for the moment, I’m still testing it out.

Gracie is perfect.

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