Page 14 of Mine to Keep

Chapter3

“Come on little one. You’ve got this.” Bryn had decided to sit in the lounge chair in her hospital room instead of the uncomfortable bed. Her thought process had been that she’d be more comfortable in a fully upright position for breastfeeding and that Zadie would latch on better.

Not.

Zadie smooshed her face against Bryn’s breast, her mouth open, grabbing everything but the nipple until she finally found the sweet spot.

Bryn groaned. The nurse had warned her that it would start to hurt and would continue for a good two weeks before it subsided.

Oh, the joys of motherhood.

She smiled. She was a mom. Her precious little girl was here and they were both alive thanks to Jamison. “I wonder if he has a girlfriend or something. I could make him a necklace to give her.” She closed her eyes and pulled up a memory of Jamison standing at the foot of her bed. He had such kind, warm eyes, and a sweet, inviting smile.

If only she were any other woman at any other time in her life.

Knock. Knock.

“Brynleigh Tinsley?” a woman asked as she entered the room. She looked vaguely familiar, but Bryn couldn’t place her.

“Yes.”

“Hi.” The woman stood in the middle of the room and smiled. “My name is Suzie Walton. I’m with Channel Four News, and I was wondering—”

“I’m sorry. No.” Bryn quickly covered Zadie with the blanket as her pulse soared. Her heart dropped like a brick to the pit of her stomach. “I won’t be doing any interviews with anyone. Please, leave.”

“But the entire town would like to—”

“She said no.” Jamison strolled into the hospital room. “And she asked you to leave. Don’t make me call security, Suzie. Because you know I will.”

Suzie narrowed her eyes. “Nice to see you, too.”

Jamison held the door open. “Take care.”

The reporter turned on her heels and stormed off.

“Thank you. Again.” Bryn lifted the blanket and checked on Zadie, who was blissfully unaware of what had been going on.

“Suzie’s always looking for a story. She was at my door before I even poured my morning coffee.” Jamison sat on the edge of the bed. He set a bag down on the tray, and she noticed the amazing aroma before it registered. Meat. Cheese. Something fried. It was incredible. “You were right to say no to her. She’s a gossip and tends to twist things. And, she lies. I bet she told you she was with the local news.”

Bryn nodded. “Well, she’s not. She does some YouTube and podcast thing. Sadly, she has a ton of followers and gets a lot of attention, but I’d steer clear of her. However, if you do want to tell your story, I know a guy who will do it right.”

“I prefer to stay out of the spotlight. I hate social media and all that stuff.”

“I’m with you on that,” Jamison said. “You never texted me your contact information.”

“My phone died.”

“I figured. That’s why I brought this.” He held up a cord. “Where is it?”

She pointed to the tray next to the bed.

“How was your first night as a mom?” Jamison asked as he plugged in her cell.

“Pretty uneventful, which I guess is good.” She resented Jamison showing up and helping her with her cell, but whatever was in that bag smelled so freaking good she was salivating. The hospital food had left her feeling less than full. “I do appreciate you coming back with the cord, and I’m hoping that whatever is in that food bag is to share. However, as I told you yesterday, this is a fresh start for me. One of independence. One where I take care of myself.” Now, she was talking too much. She bit down on her lower lip.

“For the record, I have a mandatory work meeting in the hospital in forty minutes. Figured I’d stop by, charge your phone, and make sure I have your discharge information because, seriously, they won’t let you out without a ride home. So I told them I’m that guy.” He pulled the tray to the foot of the bed and lowered it as he took out two Styrofoam containers.

She adjusted herself and rested Zadie over her shoulder, giving her a good pat on the back. “If I agree to you bringing me home, will you promise to back off?”

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