Page 68 of Entwined
Chapter 26
I lay on my side, watching Vaughn sleep in the hospital chair beside me. His breathing was steady, his face softened in rare vulnerability. Our son, Vaughn Hill Ashworth Junior, had been born at 4:33 a.m.—tiny, fragile, only five pounds. Now, he was in the NICU, hooked up to machines that seemed too large for his little body. My heart clenched with every minute that passed.
“Vaughn,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with exhaustion. I stretched my arm through the bed's safety bars, reaching for him.
He stirred, blinking awake. When he saw me, he leaned forward, brushing a kiss against my temple before taking my hand in his, squeezing gently. “He’s in good hands, Joey. VJ’s going to be fine.”
I tried to hold it together, but my breath hitched, and the tears came. “He’s so small. I can’t... I can’t lose him, Vaughn.”
His thumb brushed across the back of my hand, soothing. “We’re not going to lose him. He’s a fighter. But you’ll need help when he comes home. I’ve been thinking…” He paused, his gazedrifting as if weighing his words. “I’m considering giving my position to Brian Lieberman.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. Brian Lieberman had been a senior board member at Ashworth for over twenty-five years. Vaughn had worked his entire life to become CEO, and now he was willing to hand it over?
“No,” I protested, wiping my tears. “You’ve wanted this for so long, Vaughn. You fought for it.”
His eyes softened as he leaned closer. “When I watched you give birth to our son, I realized... none of that matters anymore. Not the money, not the power. I’ve loved you for so long, Joey, and I screwed it all up chasing things that don’t even compare to you and VJ. I believe we were meant to have him. We belong together, all three of us.”
I looked away, conflicted. "We can raise him without being together. We don't need to make this about us."
“No.” Vaughn’s voice was firm but tender, pulling my attention back to him. “Together is the only way it can work. Say you’ll marry me.”
I stared at him, my heart racing, torn between the love I had once felt and the hurt that still lingered from the past. He had betrayed me, but seeing him now, vulnerable and willing to change... it stirred something inside me. If Colson could change, maybe Vaughn could too.
I reached up, cupping his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin under my palm. “Ask me again,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Before he could respond, the nurse came in, interrupting the moment to check my vitals. Vaughn stepped back, nodding to me with a knowing look, as if he understood that the conversation wasn’t over.
Hours passed in a blur. Vaughn waited until a reasonable time to notify our families, and soon enough, my hospital room was buzzing with visitors. Flowers filled the space—roses, lilies, daisies—along with balloons and congratulatory cards. The scent was overwhelming, but the love was palpable.
VJ was perfect, despite his placement in the NICU. The doctor estimated he’d need to stay in there for a couple of weeks until he was strong enough to come home. I clung to the hope that he would be home by Christmas, but I hadn’t even had a moment to decorate the house. The holidays felt like a distant dream now.
Exhaustion tugged at my eyelids, and before I knew it, I had dozed off again. When I woke, the room was quiet, and Vaughn was gone. In his place, on the bedside table, sat a stunning crystal vase filled with two dozen red roses. The deep red blooms seemed to glow in the soft room light.
A smile tugged at my lips, and I let my eyes drift closed again, the scent of roses filling my senses as I slipped back into a restless sleep.
I didn’t see Vaughn until the next afternoon when he came to pick me up. I hated leaving VJ here, but the doctor said after another check that it was possible he would only be here for a week. I planned to visit him as much as I could even though I was in slight pain.
“Joey, how are you feeling?”
I frowned. “I haven’t seen you for hours.”
If this was how he would take responsibility, by leaving us at the hospital while he ran around doing God knows what.
“I was busy. Come on, Joey, don’t be angry at me. I was prepping a few things as your house before you came home.”
I softened. “I’m sorry.”
“Can you help me get dressed?”
He nodded, helping me dress in the sweatsuit he brought for me to change into. We had forgotten the bag I packed and had waiting when we ran out of the house two nights ago.
Once I received my discharge papers, we stopped by the NICU to see VJ. He was crying and that got me crying because my arms felt empty without him. When I was pregnant with Colson’s baby, I couldn’t wait to be a mother. Now that VJ was here, I felt horrible that I couldn’t take him home with us.
Vaughn comforted me. “We’ll see him every day. The week will fly by before you know it.”
He wiped at my tears, planting a kiss on my forehead as we left the NICU. I looked through the window as the orderly rolled me away in a wheelchair. Vaughn was almost silent as we turned onto my street.
“Close your eyes,” he said, pulling over.
