“You cannot stand for that! You have to do something!”
“I’ll get my lawyers on the situation. They knew this was a possibility and we’re prepared for it,” he told me. But he sounded like he’d been hit by a truck when he said it. “I just…I have to meet with Marc tomorrow when he comes into town. Before he can see Colton, he’ll have to get permission. My lawyers will file paperwork so that neither of us can go near Colton until this is resolved.”
“Oh, Jensen,” I said, my heart breaking for him. “You won’t be able to see him at all?”
It took him a full minute before he could respond, “No.”
“What do you need from me?”
“I can’t ask…”
“You can.”
“I just…I can handle this, Emery. I can stand up to Marc again. I can face down Vanessa for the hundredth time. I can fight for Colton, like I have been doing since he was born. I need…want…”
“Jensen,” I whispered, reaching out for him, “I’m here for you if you need me.”
“I hate to ask it of you when your sister is about to have her baby.”
“The baby will come soon, and then they’re going to need their space. Kimber will understand. I want to help.”
“I need you,” he told me.
“Okay. What’s the plan?”
Chapter 33
Emery
I stayed at the hospital the rest of the afternoon at Jensen’s insistence. I wanted to be there for when the baby was delivered, and I know that he had to deal with his lawyers in the meantime.
Later that day, I finally got to hold my new niece in my arms. She was as light as a feather and adorable to boot. Little Bethany Ilsa Thompson came in at seven pounds and three ounces and nineteen inches. She slept, swaddled up to her chin, with her eyes firmly shut, and everyone in the room was huddled around her.
I wasn’t ready to relinquish her. I knew I was going to spoil her to death as she got older. But I also knew that her mom and dad and older sister wanted a turn. Not to mention, her grandmother kept trying to take her out of everyone’s arms.
But it didn’t matter. This was perfect.
Forget the last couple of weeks of madness in my life. Bethany was too perfect for drama.
Reluctantly, I handed her back to Kimber, who was setting Lilyanne up to hold her. A nurse knocked on the door just as we got Bethany into Lily’s arms.
“Hey, hey, everyone!” she said with a bright smile. “Coming to check on y’all and see how you’re doing. I’m going to need to take Bethany for a little while for some tests if that’s all right.”
Lilyanne looked like she was about to cry, but she nodded and handed Bethany to the nurse.
“I promise I’ll bring her right back to you, big sister.”
Lily beamed at that. She was loving the idea of being a big sister.
“All right, it’s that time,” Kimber said with a sigh. “I’m taking a shower.”
“About time, you mean,” I joked.
“Such a kidder.”
“I think I’m actually going to head out and go see Jensen. I’ll be back in the morning!”
“That’s cool. We’re going to be sleeping,” Kimber said. “And probably eating and showering.”
I laughed. “All right. Don’t let her do anything cute without me.”
“Promise.”
I smiled at Kimber as she grabbed some fresh clothes to take into the bathroom. I knew she’d be in there for a long time after the night she’d endured. Hours and hours of labor with no respite. It had been tough, but I knew she thought it was worth the effort. We all did.
I was excited to see Jensen again. I hated what was happening to him because of Vanessa. After we had just sat down for our big talk at that. I appreciated that he had recognized that he couldn’t trust and that he was working to fix it. I still wanted that man who had gone out of his way to drive me through Christmas lights, who couldn’t resist asking me out—in church, no less—and who had hired someone to pack up my apartment so we could spend the afternoon together. But I wanted him with all his skeletons out of the closet and our pasts firmly in the past. Hopefully, after this week, that would be the case.
I left the hospital and went straight to Jensen’s place. The door was unlocked, and I entered the house.
“Hello?” I called into the foyer.
Jensen appeared then at the top of the stairs in dark-wash jeans and a plain T-shirt. His muscles rippled from the tightly fitted shirt, and I practically salivated at the sight of him. I knew I was here to be emotional support and help him make it through the next twelve hours, but my mind apparently had other plans.
He smiled, and those dimples did me in. “Emery,” he said with a deeply relieved sigh.