Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Delanie ran her finger over Asa’s nose.
“You went with my name suggestion,” I said softly.
“I did,” she agreed. “It’s a good name.”
I’d had a friend in bootcamp that had suffered a heart attack. He’d been eighteen. His name was Asa.
And since I’d been the one to see it happen, and perform CPR on him for fifteen minutes before the medics arrived, Asa’s death had made a large impact on me.
Hence the reason for the name suggestion.
“How was the labor?” I asked quietly.
“How do you think the labor was, boy?” David snapped.
I stiffened then.
“I’d like to hold him again before we go, dear,” the old lady from the church said.
“Of course you can, ma’am,” David said, sounding so sure of himself that it almost amused me.
“Dad…” Dillan hissed.
I’d had enough.
“Can y’all get out, please?” I rasped.
The old woman that’d come from the church honestly looked like she’d swallowed sour watermelon.
My mother and brother gathered their things.
My mom placed a kiss on my cheek.
My brother hugged my head hard.
Then they were both gone.
“You, too,” Dillan ordered as she cleaned up around the room. “Get out now.”
David looked like he would like to take a belt to Dillan.
“You can’t talk to me like that, little girl,” David said.
“No, but I can.” The nurse came in. “Mom and Dad need some privacy. Please give it to them.”
He looked like he’d swallowed some of the same sour watermelon that the old lady had.
“I’ll wait outside,” he snapped, pointing at Delanie.
“No, you won’t,” Delanie said. “My mind won’t change. It’s done. You’ve had your hold. You’ve met your grandson. Now it’s time for you to go. Remember? You didn’t want me to have the baby in the first place. Then you disowned me when you found out that I was going to have the baby whether you wanted me to or not. Then you just show up here on the day that I have him and think that I’m going to be okay with it?”
David hissed out an annoyed breath, looked at Dillan then Delanie, and left without another word. The door that he tried to slam closed bounced back open, allowing me to see my brother standing with his hip leaning against the wall right outside the door.
Dillan breathed a sigh of relief and set down her bag.
“You, too,” I said. “I have a day and a half. I want it.”
Dillan’s eyes narrowed.
God, she was cute when she was pissed. Even when it was at me.
“I’m not leaving,” Dillan said fiercely.
I looked at Bourne, who was still outside as if he’d known he was going to be needed, and he understood in an instant.
It was as if we weren’t separated for the last eight months. He could read me better than I could read myself at times.
That was the benefit of being twins.
I mean, sure.
My brothers and sisters could read me as well.
But they just weren’t on the same page that Bourne and I were.
“You didn’t need to kick her out,” Delanie said, looking pissed now.
I looked at her, not thinking it was anywhere near as cute as I did when her sister was in the same state.
“Maybe,” I said softly. “But I have a day and a half. That’s thirty-six hours. I want to use it. I don’t want to share him with anybody but you.” I paused. “And we need to talk about the next couple of months. How we’re going to do this.”
God, I wanted to keep him in my arms forever.
It physically ached something fierce to know that I wouldn’t be able to hold him for the next six months.
To know that he was going to grow, and the only way that I’d be able to see him do that was by photograph and the occasional FaceTime… if Delanie was willing to do that with me.
Which, by the look of her anger, she wasn’t.
She glared at me, arms crossed tightly over her chest, and I felt her anger like a whip against my soul.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
She looked away.
“I don’t know how to do this by myself,” she said softly. “Hell, I’m still so surprised, even after nine months of getting used to it, that I’m a mom.”
My shoulders relaxed a bit as I nodded. “I’m still a bit in shock.”
She blew out a breath. “Do you remember that night at all?”
The tension in my shoulders that had relaxed was right back, and even tighter than last time.
“No,” I admitted. “I…” I paused as I looked down at the baby in my arms.
He looked so much like me.
He had black hair, a cute little nose, and bowtie lips.
He looked nothing like Delanie.
Delanie was tall, thin, and blonde. The typical Icelandic features.
Every once in a while, I looked at her and thought of Elsa from the Disney movie. If a character could come to life, Delanie would be her replica.