Growing Love (Brookfield) (9 page)

Chapter Ten

“Can they stop it?” Alyssa stared at Matt as though he had all the answers.

Matt rubbed his temple as he tried to make sense of what was happening himself. “I don’t think so. They said once the water breaks, that’s it. It’s time for the baby.”

“But it isn’t time.
She’s only in the eighth month. Why wasn’t she resting?”

Because they’d had a fight. He sure as hell wasn’t about to tell Alyssa that. “I’d gone out for coffee and she came to find me.”
He paused. “And don’t try to blame this on me.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not.” Alyssa leaned against the hospital wall. “Let’s get back in there with her. She’s probably scared to death right now.”

Matt and Alyssa entered the hospital room where Diane was hooked up to a bunch of machines as they waited on their son to arrive. The doctors didn’t think it would be long; she was progressing quickly.

Matt took her hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Good now that I’ve had the epidural.”

“Soon our son will be here.
And you’ll get to hold him in your arms.” He smiled, trying to help ease any fears she might have.

“We need a name
, like soon.” She laughed. “We can’t leave here with a nameless child.”

“I suppose we do. Have any you like?”

Diane shook her head. “I wish.”

He took several deep breaths and thought about his great-grandfather.
“Do you like Patrick?”

Her eyes lit up. “I do. Patrick
Collins.” She rubbed her belly. “What do you think?”

Hearing his last name with the baby’s name was like music to his ears.
“We have a name.”

“Thank goodness.”

The hospital room door swung open and Tom walked in.

“Diane, sweetie.” He grabbed her other hand as he kissed her cheek.

Matt wasn’t sure what happened, but something snapped. Balling his hands into fists, he gazed hot at Tom. “Can I talk to you in the hallway?”

Tom nodded
in his direction before speaking to Diane. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

Matt glanced at Alyssa and she seemed to have an idea
of what was going on. As he left the room, Alyssa took his place next to Diane.

In the hallway, the two men stood silent a mome
nt, but Tom was the first to speak. “What happened?”

“Diane told me the truth
about you two. We got into a small fight and now she’s in this hospital bed.”

“It isn’t your fault,” Tom said
, reassuring, as he always did.

He was sick of Tom and it took every ounce of his control not to hit the wall.
“Now that I know you and her aren’t together, it makes this easier. Back off.”

Tom’s eyes widened.

“This baby is mine. I’m going to be his father and raise this child with Diane. I’m not saying you can’t be her friend, but right now I need you to butt out. Diane and I need to mend this and we can’t with you around.”

“I promised—”

“I get it. You’ll come up with some excuse.”

“You’re being unreasonable.”

Matt crossed his arms. “Oh, really? I don’t think I am. I don’t want to see your hands all over my woman. I see you as competition right now. I have a son arriving early. Do you know how hard that’s going to be?”

“I do. And she’s going to need a support system to get through this.”

“Exactly. I’m that, so is her sister and brother,” Matt said. “I’m going to be the one to get her and my son through this.”

“She can have friends
,” Tom argued.

“I know. As long as you understand you’re just a friend
from a distance at the moment.”

The hospital door opened. “Matt, call the nurse. Diane said she feels like she needs to push.”

His heart raced and his legs wanted to buckle.

Tom touched Matt’s arm.
“Go to her. I’ll get the nurse. After that, I’ll stay in the waiting room.”

Matt nodded as he tried to compose himself. Patrick was coming.

* * *

Diane held the very tiny baby in her arms. The nurses said she
had only a few minutes. While he was able to breathe on his own at the moment, he still needed to go down to the Neonatal Unit, where he’d be spending quite a bit of time.

“You’re perfect,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

Matt was by her side. He brushed her hair back from her face. “You did great. And I agree. He’s perfect. Our little guy.”

“He looks like you.”

He stared at the baby, but he didn’t see him; he saw Diane. “I don’t know about that. I see a lot of strong Duncan genes in him.”

“Can we get a picture before they take him?”

Matt nodded and opened his phone up to the camera app. He handed it to the nurse who snapped their first family photo.

“We’ve got to take this guy. Father, you come with
us all the way there please.” The nurse held her arms out for Patrick.

Diane snuggled
Patrick to her bosom a little tighter, not wanting to hand him over. She’d only just met him.

As the nurse removed the baby from her arms and placed him in the mobile
bassinet, she wanted to cry.

“It’s okay, I promise. We’re going to take good care of him. And you visit as often as you can.”

Matt pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be right back. And when the doctor gives the thumbs up, I’ll take you to the nursery.”

When Matt and Patrick left the room, Diane let the tears flow. Her baby had come early. Had she not done enough to prevent this
? Over and over the doctors told her to rest. She’d been warned of this and yet it still happened. But the staff was optimistic. Patrick was going to be fine.

So why did she not feel happier?

Chapter
Eleven

Patrick was making good progress and Diane was thrilled. For the past week, she’d been back and forth to the hospital more times than she could count. But the nurses assured her he was healthy and making leaps and bounds. They were even beginning to discuss his aftercare for when she took him home.

Home.

She couldn’t wait. In fact, as she finished putting the last of his clothes into his new dresser, she couldn’t wait to see him in the room.

Her family had been amazing, as
had Matt. Between Alyssa, Cody, and him, they had a schedule for getting her to the hospital and back. Connor and Alyssa had set up all the baby furniture, washed all the clothes, and kept the cabinets stocked with food.

And Matt. He was at
the hospital as much as she was. Although the last two days, his boss had insisted he work and she’d told him to go. Right now they couldn’t afford for him to not be working. But he’d be home soon and they’d be off to the hospital.

Diane sat down in the glider and hugged a brown teddy bear. She felt almost guilty being here and not with Patrick, but she needed a little break. It was getting overwhelming and a part of her blamed herse
lf. It was hard not to. If she hadn’t kept that secret from Matt, would Patrick still be in her belly?

She sighed. She couldn’t dwell on it.
As the nurse continued to tell her, she had to stay positive. This was no longer about her. Patrick was here. Patrick was number one. And until he was home, nothing else mattered.

“Diane.” Matt’s voice echoed through the home.

“In here.”

Matt leaned against the doorway, looking sexy as hell in his cargo pants. He was dirty and she shouldn’t be having
the thoughts she was. But damn, she wanted him.

“I’m gonna shower and we’ll go see Patrick.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

He came closer. “You okay? You look down.”

“I’m fine.” She grinned, hoping to cover up the sadness she actually felt.

He took her hand and pulled her up
. His strong arms wrapped around her waist and tugged her into him. She put her arms around his waist as well and they hugged. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there in the embrace, but when it ended, she felt better.

“Will you make me a sandwich?” he asked.

She nodded. He turned and headed for his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

She busie
d herself in the kitchen, making each of them a ham and cheese sandwich. She poured some kettle chips on each plate then grabbed herself a water bottle. With both plates in hand and water bottle under her arm, she went to the dining table. After setting everything on it, she pulled her chair out then waited on Matt.

A moment later he appeared in jeans and a grey T-shirt.
She was drawn to him, watching as he ran a towel through his dark, wet hair.

As he pulled out his chair, he said, “I can’t wait to see him.”

“This morning was a good one. I got to hold him and feed him. It was so nice. He’s breathing well on his own too.”

Matt smiled but didn’t speak.

“They are talking about him coming home. No date or timeframe yet, but it could be soon.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Me either. I still can’t believe he’s here. I miss his kicks.” She took a bite of a chip. “I like having my bladder control back though.”

He laughed. “Ready for another?”

Another?

“Sorry, I—I”

“It’s okay.” She waved her hand. “We’re tired and trying to make conversation to pass the time.”

“Let’s just eat in the car. I’m ready to see him.”

“Me too.”

*
* *

Matt held
his son in his arms. Patrick was so small he felt like he needed to wrap him up in bubble wrap in the event the child slipped through his arms.

Patrick stared up as he sucked on the bottle.
Matt couldn’t believe this little guy was here, and his. And making such great progress. The nurses were all impressed by his baby. He was one proud daddy. Already he had a champion on his hands.

Diane sat down next to him, dressed in the yellow coveralls they had to wear in the NICU. Even in that, she was beautiful.

“Wow, he ate a whole ounce.” She smiled.

“Oh, was that too much?”

“In my mind, it’s great. He’s been putting on weight.”

“I can’t believe he will be home soon.”

“Just a few more days, for precaution. His skin was slightly yellow, so they want to make sure he doesn’t have jaundice. But after that, it sounds like we will have him home soon.”

Life was coming together. He would have his son and Diane all under one roof. He wasn’t quite sure yet where things stood between them. They hadn’t talked about it. But he knew it was coming soon. As much as he’d like to sweep it all under the rug and pretend the hurt feelings never existed, he knew that one day they’d resurface. Once P
atrick was home and they got in a routine, they’d talk.

“Do you want to hold him again before we leave?” Matt asked.

“Do you have to ask?” She held her arms out and he placed Patrick into her arms.

She lifted him to her chest and lightly patted him
. She was a natural.

“I’m going to step out for a moment.” He stood and she nodded, rocking the baby in her arms.

In the hallway, Matt leaned against the wall. He placed his forehead in the palm of his hands and took in several deep breaths. Everyone was so positive inside that room. They’d been from the moment Patrick entered the world, assuring him they had a top–of-the-line NICU facility. But damn, sometimes he worried. At this point he was pretty sure that his son would be fine, but even in the early hours, no one at this place ever acted like anything could go wrong. But Matt knew it could. Yet his son fought to be here. It was emotionally overwhelming.

“Cheer up.” A young nurse placed a hand on his shoulder.

He glanced at her. “I’m happy. Really.”

She smiled. “This is hard, but your little guy is doing wonderful. Don’t dwell on what could’ve happened, because it didn’t.”

“It’s hard.”

“You’ve got a great family.” She walked off.

Yeah, he had a great family. Or at least he wanted them to be his family. But somehow he had to get past being the bad guy. But was that ever something he could do? After all, he’d left one sister for the other.

*
* *

Patrick had been home for a few days now and Diane was feeling the stress. He wanted to be held every moment. She’d almost peed on herself once and finally had to just set him down in the crib and pee while he cried. It broke her heart, but what else could she do?

Matt was working half-days and as soon as his current project was complete, he was taking time off. But she needed help now. This whole mom thing was harder than she’d thought it would be.

She sat in the glider
in the nursery with Patrick cradled in her arms. He was sound asleep and she should be too. But sometimes she worried this was all a dream and she was afraid to sleep. Each time she laid her head down, she worried something would go wrong.

Her phone vibrated on her leg. It was Tom.

“Hey,” she answered.

“How’s it going,
Mama?”

She smiled
, liking the new nickname. “Stressful, but good. When are you coming to visit?”

Ever since she went into labor, he’d been distant.
He’d stuck around for the birth but skipped out soon after. So far he’d only called her once since Patrick had been born. She was worried and didn’t understand why he was so distant suddenly.

“Soon. I want you to get settled in with the new guy. You don’t need company right now.”

“You’re wrong. I do. I need adult conversation. I need you.”

“You
need Matt.”

“I have him. I just—”

“You don’t have him and don’t assume you do.”

What was he talking about? They had this baby together. They lived
together. Sure, they weren’t sleeping together yet. And they weren’t kissing and such, but they were a couple, weren’t they? Or was she the only one who assumed it, which was what Tom was saying.

“Liste
n, you and Matt need to get you two as one before I can be a part of it.”

She thought back a moment to the day her water had broke. She remembered Tom at her side and Matt
taking him in the hallway. But the baby came so quickly she never had a chance to find out what they talked about. And once again, she
assumed
he’d only talked to Tom about her early labor. But had something else happened? Had Matt told him to go away? He would never do that, would he?

“You promised me you’d be in Patrick’s life.”

“I will, but I can’t be who you wanted me to be. His real father wants him,” he said.

“Wo
uldn’t two dads just be perfect?”

Tom snickered. “In a perfect world. But this isn’t that.”

Tom just didn’t seem himself. “Did Matt say something to you?”

“We had a talk, yes.”

She knew it. Matt had overstepped and she wasn’t happy about it. “He had no right to tell you to go away.”

“I don’t want to talk about this. I want to talk about your little guy.”

She smiled. “It’s hard not to talk about him. He’s a ten on my scale.  I love him, even though he rules my life with cries. I wouldn’t trade him for anything and I’m so blessed he’s healthy.”

“Text me a picture of him.”

“I have a million already. I might blow your phone up.”

“Good. I’ll print them out and plaster them all over my office.”

“Your own little Patrick worship station,” she joked.

“
It’s nice to hear you happy. You are, right?”

She stared down at her son. “
How could I not be?”

“Good. Now go make things right with Matt.”

The call disconnected. Patrick stirred in her arms.

“Hi, precious.”

His eyes opened and for a moment she thought he might smile. But then he did as he always did. He let out a soft wail of a cry.

“Mommy’s crybaby is hungry again.”

She carried him through the apartment to the kitchen, where she got a bottle ready. As the baby took it, she drifted into Matt’s bedroom. It was a total state of chaos with all the coming and going. And it looked like he needed laundry done ASAP. Maybe Patrick would be content in the bouncy seat and she could do something nice for Matt.

They were going to have to talk soon. Tom was right though
; in her mind things were progressing into a relationship, but Matt might not be on the same page. While he was affectionate, it wasn’t in a boyfriend way.

She set the bottle down on
the dresser, propped Patrick on her shoulder, and patted his back. After a burp, she carried him out to the living room and strapped him into the bouncer.

“Mommy wants to wash some of daddy’s clothes. Think you can give me a five
-minute break?”

Patrick stared up at the light on the ceiling and made a quizzical look. She took that as a yes and darted off toward Matt’s room and began gathering his laundry. She opened his bathroom door to see if he had clothes on the floor in there, when a photo caught her attention on the counter. She dropped the clothes to pick it up. It was an old photo of them, back when they first got t
ogether and everything was new and fun. Matt had his lips pressed to her cheek and she was making a funny expression. It was cute and had always been one of his favorite pictures of the two of them. And he still had it. If it was out, he’d been looking at it recently.

Maybe there was hope.

* * *

“Hey, Matt,” Alyssa called.

Matt turned in the line he was waiting in and saw her waving at him.

The
barista called his name then handed him the two coffees he’d ordered. He was exhausted but had a feeling Diane was much more tired than he was. So a coffee treat was in order before he went home.

“Hey,” he said as he walked over to Alyssa.

“How are things going?”

Besides his nights being sleepless from helping with the baby, he had no complaints. “Well.”

“Diane seems much more laid back.”

He smiled. That she did. Now that the baby was out, she was a little less hormonal.

“So, I was thinking. Let’s have a baby shower this weekend.”

“But he’s here.”

“And she never got to have one. I think it would be good, don’t you? We’ll get some of her friends to come and celebrate his arrival and bring goodies.”

Diane would probably like that…a lot. “I’ll check with her.”

Alyssa cleared her throat and chewed her lip. She had something she wanted to say but didn’t know how. He knew that look.