Beale Street Blues (19 page)

Darling snuggled into that spot underneath his arm that had begun to feel empty when she wasn't there and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Walk it was.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

O
nly a handful of days remained before his son would be born. As Jaxon's taxi traveled the wide highways of Dallas, the soft jazz music piping from the taxi's radio didn't soothe his anger. The slow crawl of the taxi through Dallas' traffic pissed Jaxon off with each passing minute. He checked his watch again. Normally, he would welcome traveling to any of the offices to keep him away from whatever was happening in his life. But this time, it made him break his promise to one of the most important women in his life. If he missed his return flight, he would never be able to wash the taste of her tears on his lips from his nightmares. All morning, he'd tried to reassure her that he would return before the baby was born. Nothing he said stopped her tears.

Their baby could be born at any moment. His first-born son could come into the world without his father by his side. He'd lived most of his life without his father and now, he was about to curse his son's birth in the same way.

The carefully scripted speech from HR didn't mean a damn thing to him as he burst into Rodney's office. "What in the hell are you doing?"

Rodney jumped from his office chair at the boom of the door against the wall behind it. "Sir?" he replied with a question.

The solid wood door thundered against its frame when Jaxon slammed it shut behind him. "Don't
sir
me. I sent you to Texas to avoid any problems between you and Barbara and now, you're doing the same bull here that you did in Memphis."

"Sir," Rodney said as he dropped into his chair. "I need my job."

"You don't act like it." The ignorant bastard didn't value anything and now, his actions affected Jaxon's family. He wanted to throw his ass out of a window. "What's wrong with you? You have a wife and kids," he paused. "Don't you care about them?"

"I missed her. I sent her a few pictures. I didn't think it would be a big deal."

"You didn't think it'd be a big deal to send naked pictures of yourself to the head of my Memphis division?" This guy was a damn idiot!

"No."

Did Rodney really believe the crap he was feeding to him, or was the guy such a big dumb ass that he thought he could still have a chance with a woman like Barbara? He'd had his doubts when Darling recommended her, but the woman had stepped up. She'd caught on quick, and reminded him and other doubters why she'd been hired in the first place. "What about the new employee here who filed harassment charges with HR?" Jaxon sifted through the emails on his phone in search of the employee's name. "Mary. Yes, Mary. What about her?"

Pink faced, Rodney responded, "Sir, my hand just brushed against her leg." He gulped down air. "I never meant anything by it and I immediately apologized."

"All three occasions were an accident? You think I'm a fool?" There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Jaxon said.

Barbara entered flanked by security and his human resources manager.

"Rodney, I've given you too many chances. Barbara is going to run this office for a while until we determine who can manage things here for us."

Gloria, his human resources manager, stepped forward and handed Rodney a package.

"Rodney, I suggest you review and accept the package," Jaxon said.

"Sir, this isn't fair." The man's shoulders slumped. "I won't accept it. I—"

Is this idiot about to threaten me?

As much as he'd done for Rodney, was he about to jeopardize his ability to care for his family? He fisted both hands and with straight arms leaned forward on Rodney's desk. He gazed down into the man's eyes and wondered why he'd allowed this guy to risk the future of his company for so many years?

Because I didn't give a damn before now.
But, now his son and the woman he would soon marry counted on it, on him, to take care of them. "Rodney, read it and sign. I've given you too many chances and now, I don't have time to deal with your shit anymore." He stepped back. "If you think you can challenge it, we can go down that road and I promise you won't be happy." He nodded at security. "They'll escort you out of the building." He glanced down at his watch and over at Barbara. "Barbara, you have my cell, I have to get back on a plane."

"I can handle it," she responded. "Say hi to your family for me."

Jaxon's phone rang with a special tone as he stepped into the waiting taxi.
Damn it!

Darling swiped at the sweat matted hair laying over her face. "Mom, where is he?" she asked through gritted teeth as the pain rolling over her in waves slowly dulled to a tolerable level. "Where's the nurse?" She stared at the door. "Can't they give me something?"

"Not yet, honey." Her mother dabbed at her brow with a cool towel. "It's too early."

She bit down again, as another wave of pain hit her. "I can't believe he's not here." Tears sprang from her eyes, not because of the labor pains shooting through her, but because the man she loved—her baby's father, wasn't there beside her.

"Honey, he's on his way," her mother said.

As her mother set-up her comb and brush and began to tug at the wet tangled clumps of her hair, memories of years past when she and her sister would sit at her mother's feet waiting for their turn to have their mother plat and braid their hair washed over her. What kind of mother would she be? What kind of parents would she and Jaxon be together?

"He promised." Tears fell hard and fast. They would be horrible parents. He wasn't with her, they weren't married and she'd already failed at marriage and as a wife before. "It was more important for him to be in Texas than here with me."

"No, baby, it wasn't," his mother said rubbing a comforting hand down her arm.

"Then why isn't he here?" She wanted to scream it, but she didn't.

"We called him baby, he'll be here before you know it," her mother soothed.

"He said he loved me. He said he wanted to have a family and get married, but when he had to choose between his family and his work, he chose it over us." This time the contraction that hit her raised her body from the bed, and she didn't hold back the scream building inside of her.

Both her mother and Mrs. Slater were caressing her face and arms with cool wet towels before the scream finished. Softly, they wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her skin.

Her father stood from his seated position in a nearby corner. "No, Darling, he didn't choose his work over you. He's protecting his business, so he can provide for you and his new family. That's what we want to do as men…take care of our families." Her father leaned down and kissed her sweaty forehead. "I would've done it, too." He pointed to the women in the room. "He knew you had family who would be here with you until he arrived. I know he'll be here, soon."

She listened to her father, but even with them beside her, it didn't feel complete without Jaxon. And she believed in her heart the baby knew he wasn't there, too. He was as angry as she was. "Dad, how am I supposed to agree with that when I'm here by myself…again?"

"No, sweetie, you're not alone. You have us," he repeated. "You'll never be alone again."

Her doctor entered the room.

"How are we doing in here?" The doctor scanned the sad faces and hurried to her bedside. "Is everything okay?" She placed a hand on her stomach and with the most gentle touch applied pressure in a few places on her belly.

"Yes," the response came from everyone.

Before responding, her doctor applied more pressure and briefly listened to the rhythm of her breathing. "Great. Who's going to stay in the room while I take a quick look?"

Her father left.

"Okay, well let's see what's going on." The doctor's head disappeared, briefly. "Well, it looks like it's time," she proclaimed with a big smile.

"My baby," her mother said with tears in her eyes. The women hugged each other with tears rolling down their cheeks.

Darling wanted to cry, too, but not for the same reasons. Jaxon had promised to be with her.

Jaxon's mother flipped open her phone and stepped out into the hallway.

With his suit jacket gripped in a sweaty fist, Jaxon raced through the halls of the hospital, searching. He stripped the damn tie that kept flapping in his face from his neck and shoved it into one of his pockets. Turn after turn, he went the wrong direction. Why was he so damn lost? He'd been to the hospital before. Their doctor had offices in the building and they'd prepared for the baby's birth too many times for him to be confused now.

He paused at an elevator and dialed his mother's number again.

"Sir, can I help you?" a nurse asked with concern.

He stuffed the phone back in his pocket. "Yes, I'm trying to find my wi—Darling. Darling Crawford."

"Oh, yes, sir, they are in her room." The nurse smiled.

Jaxon didn't want to think through what the nurse said. But, there was no way to deny what she'd implied. "They are in her room? I was told she was here."

"Yes, sir, she was. The delivery was an easy one." She smiled warmly. "She's in her room with the baby." She pointed at elevators further down the hallway. "Downstairs, one floor. They'll be able to help you."

The gravity of the nurse's words punched Jaxon in his heart. He'd missed the birth of his first child. His son. He'd broken his promise. The elevator dinged at him, but he barely noticed.

"Sir, are you going down?" a young woman asked, while patiently holding the elevator.

"Yes, I'm sorry." He entered the elevator. "Thank you." The ride down ended in an instant, but he could barely make his feet move.

When he crossed the elevator's threshold, Jaxon ran. But, his feet wouldn't carry him fast enough. The beat of his heart grew louder in his ears the faster he ran. What would he do if she didn't forgive him for being an idiot and missing their son's birth? What would he do if she walked out of his life forever?

At the door, he stood and listened to the coos and words of love spoken by his loved ones on the other side of the door. He raked a nervous hand through his hair. Only one choice could be made, but damn the door to her room weighed more than he lifted in the gym.

The voices quieted when he entered. All eyes focused on him, except the ones that mattered most…Darling's gaze didn't turn away from the bundle in her arms.

His mother approached him first and kissed him on the cheek. "Son, he's beautiful." She wiped away tears streaming from her eyes. "He looks just like you did when you were born."

"Son," her father said, "we'll give you guys a few minutes alone." He rounded up the two women and left. But, not before Mrs. Crawford kissed the same cheek his mother had.

He wanted to run to her bedside, but again he was frozen where he stood. He'd give anything to be in a boardroom where he knew what to do. Here he was lost. Only a few feet away, his son rested on the breast of the woman he loved, but he didn't think she wanted him near either of them.

"You don't have to be here," she said without glancing away from their sleeping son. She rested her chin against his forehead and closed her eyes.

Jaxon didn't know the name of the tune she hummed, but their son wriggled in her arms in response to the music.

If he didn't take charge, now, he might actually lose her because he didn't deserve her forgiveness. "Baby." He walked to her bedside. "I promise it will never happen again." He didn't think he could bare it if she didn't look at him. He needed her to see him. To believe him when he said he'd never hurt her or their son again.

"Of course not. It would be a miracle for me to have another child." Tears began to fall. "I needed you." She kissed their son. Finally, she looked at him, but he wasn't prepared for the sadness in her eyes. "I needed you—we needed you." She tightened her hold on their son who was now silently resting in her arms.

"I know." What else could he say? "I could've let HR manage Rodney, but I wanted to be there. I wanted him to know that there were no more second chances." He moved closer still. "I never cared much about the company. I blamed it on my father leaving my mother." His thoughts raced as he tried to focus. "I'd turned my back on it and allowed others in the company to take control. Rodney was one of those people. And he abused his power and my trust." He reached out and ran a finger across his son's cheek. The instant he touched his son, he knew he could never be like his father. He could never walk away from either of them. Whatever it took to get her forgiveness, he would do it. "I have too much to lose now. I have a family to take care of."

"If you can't put us first now, will you be able to ever?" She planted small kisses all over their son's face. "You'll never get to see his birth. You missed it. What else will you miss?" Tears streamed down her face. "You promised me," she cried.

"Nothing. I promise. I won't miss anything. No birthdays. No anniversaries. Nothing."