I hold my hands out to take him. “Where’s my wife?” I demand.
“She’s in recovery. We’ll bring her in as soon as she wakes up.”
I look down at the little guy in my arms. He’s snuggled tightly in a blanket and sleeping peacefully. I touch my finger to his fat little cheek, and he opens his eyes. He’s staring back at me and it’s his momma’s blue eyes that are staring back at me. Looking at him literally takes my breath away. I sit down in the chair and snuggle him close. “Hey, little guy. I’m your daddy. Your momma and I have been waiting to meet you.”
I swear he smiles, but I know other people would tell me it’s gas. We sit like that for a while, content just looking at each other.
When the door opens again, I can’t jump up like I did before, but I do get up and walk over to the bed as they move my wife into place. She’s groggy and still in and out of it. “Hey, baby. You did good.”
She smiles and then opens her eyes. “I love you” is the first thing she says, and I’m crying again.
“I love you too. I have someone here you may want to meet.”
Her eyes snap open, and she looks at the bundle in my arms. I lay him down onto her chest, and mother and son look at each other in awe. I put a hand on each of them because right now, I can’t ever imagine letting either one of them out of my sight again. The hour or so they were gone was the longest of my life, and I never want to go through anything like it again.
I push the hair off her face. “You look beautiful, Momma.”
She laughs. “Oh, you’re a good man, Evan McCarthy.”
I nod my head at our son. “So what are we going to call him?”
We’ve thrown around a bunch of names, but never made a decision. “EJ,” she says without even hesitating.
“EJ?”
“Yeah, short for Evan McCarthy Junior.”
My heart clutches in my chest, and the tears start to well again. “Fuck, woman, you’re killing me today.”
She tsks at me. “No cussing in front of EJ.”
I nod my head and lean down to kiss EJ on the head, and then I kiss my wife on the lips. “Thank you.”
She smiles and no doubt already knows the answer but asks anyway. “For what?”
I put my hand at her neck. “For loving me in high school. For sending me care packages when I was gone. For giving me a chance. For loving me now. For being my wife and making me a father. I love you, baby.”
She turns her head and kisses my palm. “I love you more.”
Chapter1
Violet
Ineeded time away from the diner. Ever since I took it over three years ago when my parents retired to Florida, I have worked nonstop. My brother has his own mechanic shop and had no interest in the family business, so it was all me. I had to get away or I was going to go crazy. I’ve tried taking time off before, but I always end up at the restaurant. Someone calls in or something stops working—it never fails. This time, I went out of town, and all I can hope for is that the restaurant is still standing when I get back.
I'm in Jasper. It's only 45 minutes away from Whiskey Run, but it might as well be across the country it's so different. Where Whiskey Run is small and everyone knows everyone, Jasper is big and easy to get lost in.
I'm pumping gas in downtown waiting on my car to fill up when the black car pulls in. I'm not even gonna pretend to act like I know what kind of car it is, but it's obviously expensive with its sleek curves and black-tinted windows. Like everyone else, I watch as it pulls in next to the pumps. I may not know a lot about cars, but I know this one is impressive. I instantly start making up stories about the driver, wondering what kind of job or life they have. It’s just a thing I do, and even though I’m probably never close to reality, it’s still fun. My pump switches off, letting me know my tank is full. I remove the handle but keep glancing over at the car.
My mouth drops open when the man gets out. He’s on his phone, clueless to all the stares he’s getting, but my God he is something. He’s at least six foot four, and his shoulders are so big I wonder how he can get through doorways without turning sideways. He’s gruff looking with a pissed-off expression on his face but it doesn’t take away from his good looks. I fan my face as I walk past his car and inside. The man is hot and way out of my league.
I go to the ladies’ room to take care of business, and when I go to the coolers to grab a bottle of water, Mr. Good-looking is still on the phone, staring at the refrigerated bottles, and I don’t pretend not to eavesdrop.
“I don’t care, Nick. This was the kid’s wish. He wanted to have dinner with me at my house.” He pauses for a minute. “Really? The kid just beat cancer and he wants to have dinner with me and you think I should just get him takeout?” After another pause, “I know he’s just a kid, but forget it, Nick. I got this.”
He hangs up the phone, and before I can get caught standing there, staring at him, I reach around him. “Excuse me.”
I grab a cold water, and the man behind me grunts. I do my best to ignore him, but I can’t resist looking up into his face. I knew he was tall, but the way I have to almost bend backwards to look up at him really makes it obvious how tall.