Page 9 of Carly's Heart

“Carly Johnston, I think I love you,” Birch joked when he saw the pie.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll bet you say that to all the bakers.” Deep inside, something secret sparked to life at his joke. It had been too long since she’d known a man’s love.

♥ Chapter Six ♥

Just over three years ago:

Birch peeked through the open doorway of the hospital room. He didn’t want to enter if Carly was asleep. Tanya had warned him not to come, because Carly would be exhausted. Her labor had been long and difficult. As planned, Tanya and his mom had stood in as birthing coaches.

He could hardly believe the baby was here. Carly sat up in bed, her face glowing with happiness as she stared down at the pink wrapped bundle in her arms. Her hair was a rat’s nest of knots and untidy curls. She had dark circles under her eyes. She was, beyond doubt, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She glanced up from the baby and saw him. “Birch! Come in. Come meet Layla.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to bother you.” He hovered in the doorway, torn between entering and retreating to protect his heart. Carly already had his heart. Seeing her sweet child would only make it worse.

“Don’t be silly. I had a nap. I could use some company.” Her brilliant smile faltered.

“Are you okay?” He strode in, hiding a bouquet of bright daisies behind his back. “You look sad.”

She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. “This should be the happiest day of my life and it’s tainted because Little Bean’s father is an idiot. No, that’s not right. He’s an addict and can’t beat it.”

“I’m sorry. How can I make it better? Will this help?” He produced the flowers with a magician’s flourish.

“Oh! Thank you. They’re lovely. I’ll need something to put them in.” She looked around as if a vase would appear out of thin air.

“I’ve handled that.” He handed over the gift bag he had in his other hand. “Something for the flowers. Something for the baby. And something for you.”

She dug in and pulled out a cut crystal vase exactly the right size for the flowers. “Oh, Birch, it’s lovely. You shouldn’t have.” She peeked inside before pulling out a set of three pink and white sleepers and a matching knit cap. “You didn’t have to do this. This is too much.”

“I wanted to. I know you didn’t learn Little Bean’s, I mean Layla’s, gender before delivery. You only have neutral baby clothing according to Tanya. Now Layla has something special to wear home. Keep digging.” He waved at the bag to distract her from realizing he knew so much about her.

She pushed aside some tissue and gasped. “What?”

“For you.” He held his breath. Hopefully she didn’t think it was too much. “Every new mom deserves something special on the day they deliver. Giving birth is amazing.” If only she understood how amazing she was all the time.

She pulled the shiny gold chain from the bag and stared at the puffy heart pendant dangling from it. “Is that a diamond?” she gasped. “I hope not.”

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