Finn, Amber - Her Prized Student (Siren Publishing Classic) (11 page)

So she slowly walked home. There was a part of her hoping to find Blake still packing, but he was gone when she arrived home. She went to the bathroom and drew a bath, suddenly exhausted from the morning’s events. She bathed and put on a short, silk nightgown, knowing she would soon not be able to fit into it. She crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep. The next morning, Avery awoke refreshed and declared herself out of tears.

“It’s time for you and me, baby.”

* * * *

“Avery, you are truly glowing. I mean it. When I was pregnant, my ankles were swollen, and I waddled like a duck. You can’t even tell you are pregnant from the back! What is your secret?” Sarah Whitehouse, Avery’s neighbor, exclaimed.

Avery smiled and brushed back the hair on Sarah’s baby girl’s forehead who was sleeping in Avery’s arms. “Sarah, you have a selective memory. As I recall, I prayed I could look half as good as you did.”

Sarah laughed. “You succeeded and then some.” The tiny baby began to stir and look around for her mommy. “Oh-oh. I’m over here, baby. Are you getting hungry?”

Avery handed her over and rubbed her own belly in anticipation of her baby, due any day to arrive.

“Just you wait, Avery. It’s amazing. You’ll fall so in love. It’s a love you’ve never felt before.” Avery smiled. “Oh, honey, I wish you didn’t look so sad when you smiled.”

“I’m fine, Sarah. Don’t be silly. I am getting tired, though, so I think I’m going to head back to my house and try to grab what could be one of my last uninterrupted naps!”

“Okay, honey, but you call if you need anything, got it? Steve and I have it all worked out on how we’ll get you to the hospital.”

Avery leaned over and gave Sarah a quick hug and baby Emily a kiss on the head. “What would I have done without you guys all these months?”

“It doesn’t matter because you don’t worry about it,” Sarah answered in her usual pragmatic way.

Avery smiled and made her way home.

The final weeks of pregnancy were sapping every ounce of strength from Avery’s body. She collapsed in her bed and fell soundly asleep. Only minutes later, she was awakened by terrific cramps.

“Whoa! What did I eat?” Avery asked herself. She started to run through her diet for the day when her water broke, and then Avery knew she’d be heading to the hospital that day. She took her time getting her things together before she called Sarah and Steve.

* * * *

Sarah called to Steve from the lanai, “Honey, could you bring me an iced tea? I’m dying of thirst out here while this little one is drying me up.”

“I’m one step ahead of you,” Steve replied as he stepped out carrying two iced teas and handed one to Sarah. He sat down next to her with his own.

“Thanks, honey. You always take such good care of me,” Sarah said with a sigh.

“You’re welcome, dear, but why do you say it with such sadness? Is there something else you are hinting for?”

“No, I’m sorry. I’m just worried about Avery. She looked so sad today. I think she’s missing Blake so much, but she won’t call him to tell him. She’s so stubborn, you know? But that’s not entirely her fault—it’s the hormones. She just needs some help, I think.”

“Oh no, don’t do it, Sar. Don’t start meddling. You don’t have a good history here. Your sister still isn’t talking to you after the disaster blind date you set up for her.”

“What was the matter with Gary? He was a great catch.

“Nothing was wrong with him! It was the fact you meddled after the date by calling him and telling him all about Caroline, too much information after one date, know what I mean? You scared him off, and Caroline really liked him.”

“Well, this is different. Blake and Avery have a history and, more importantly, a child together. He needs to be here. She needs him here. She wants him here, whether she is willing to admit it or not.”

“Sarah, even if all you are saying is true, there is nothing you can do about it. You have no way of contacting Blake. You don’t even know where he is.” Sarah smiled at Steve. “Oh, don’t tell me. Are you serious? How did you find out?”

“I have my ways, my darling husband. I have my ways.”

* * * *

Avery was finishing the packing when she decided it was time to call Sarah and Steve. Her contractions were steady but still not very close together, so she thought she had some time. She had read that actual labor could take up to twenty-four hours in some cases. She called next door and told Steve the news. Within fifteen minutes, the Whitehouse family was in her driveway, waiting for Avery. When it was time for Avery to bring the baby home, their plan was to have Steve and Sarah go back to Avery’s house to get her car and bring it back to the hospital. Steve would drive Avery home, and Sarah would follow behind in their van. With the plan in place, Avery lumbered into their van, and they headed to the hospital. Avery didn’t know if the pain of the contractions was making her crazy or if she was picking up vibes that Sarah was acting strange about going to the hospital.

“What is the name of your hospital again?” Sarah asked for the second time.

“Weston Methodist,” Avery replied. “Why?”

“Just making sure,” Sarah answered.

Sarah was tapping her feet nervously.

“Are you okay, Sarah?”

“Yes, of course. Just fine.”

Steve shot Sarah a warning look. Just then, a strong contraction hit Avery, and she forgot about the interaction between Sarah and Steve.

* * * *

They arrived at the hospital, and Avery was taken to Labor and Delivery while Sarah and Steve were shown to the waiting area. Steve held Emily while Sarah paced.

“Sarah, who were you talking to in the other room while I was changing Emily and then talking to Avery?” Sarah looked guiltily at Steve. “Oh, Sar, you didn’t. What did he say? How did he react to you?”

“Well, to be honest, it wasn’t the first time we talked.”

Steve almost dropped Emily. “What? You’ve been in contact with Blake and didn’t tell me? What have you been telling him?”

“What do you think? I’ve been keeping him informed about the pregnancy. Avery promised she would and hardly told him anything. She told him if there was anything she thought he needed to know, she would tell him. But he wanted to know everything. He wanted to see what she looked like. He wanted to know when the baby first kicked. He’s so excited. Steve, he’s devastated about questioning Avery about the baby’s father. He’s truly sincere. I can hear it in his voice.” Sarah paused. “That’s why I called him today to tell him I heard Avery call you when she had gone into labor, and I gave him the hospital information. He’s been scouting flights for the past week or so and booked a flight online while we were on the phone. He’ll be here in two hours.”

“I hope you know what you are doing, Sarah. That’s all I have to say.”

By the time Sarah was allowed in to see Avery, her contractions had progressed, and Avery’s discomfort level had increased dramatically. Over an hour had gone by, and Sarah was increasingly aware of the time. Blake told Sarah that he would get a cab from the airport to the hospital, which was only fifteen minutes away. She checked her watch again. Blake would arrive within twenty minutes. She prayed she had done the right thing. She turned her attention to Avery.

“Sweetie, is there anything I can do for you? Are you ready for the epidural yet?”

“Five centimeters, Sarah. I’m going to five centimeters then I’ll get the epidural.”

“Avery, I don’t know why you’ve set such an arbitrary goal for yourself. If you are in pain, get the epidural now.”

“No, I’m getting to five.”

“Boy, your stubbornness just digs in and won’t let go, no matter how much it doesn’t make sense.”

Avery looked sharply at Sarah. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, honey. Never mind. You need to concentrate on what you are doing.”

“No, actually, this is a good distraction. You weren’t talking about my epidural just now. You were talking about my decision to exclude Blake, weren’t you? I know you’ve always disagreed, haven’t you?”

“Well, frankly, Avery, yes. You are in love with the man, the father of your child, and you won’t make one call that could change your life—change all of your lives. He made a mistake. We all make mistakes, and he regrets his more than anything. But you refuse to forgive him, which means you are saying you can’t allow the fact that he makes mistakes. Do you really think that is reasonable? How is someone supposed to live up to that standard?”

Just as Avery was about to respond, Blake walked into her hospital room. Sarah turned from Blake to Avery, who, despite enduring contractions, was lying in stunned silence.

“I think this would be a good time for me to go check on Steve and Emily.”

Sarah made a move to leave and Avery stopped her.

“No, you should stay.”

The disappointment on Blake’s face was visible as Sarah turned to Avery. “I don’t think so, Avery. This is between you and Blake now.”

“No, I want you to hear this as you clearly had a hand in bringing Blake here.”

Sarah’s face turned red as her role in Blake’s arrival was revealed.

Blake was standing at the foot of Avery’s bed.

“Blake,” Avery began and held out her hand on the opposite side of the bed to Sarah. Blake looked to Sarah, unsure as to what to do, and Sarah nodded vigorously in the direction of Avery’s hand. “Blake, you have quite the champion over here. She happens to be also very wise.”

Tears began to well in Blake’s eyes, and Sarah couldn’t control her emotions as her tears streamed down her face.

“Please don’t. I’ll never get through this if I see you cry,” Avery whispered, choking on her own tears.

Blake did his best to dry his eyes. “I’ll try, baby.”

That was practically Avery’s undoing. “Oh, God, I’ve missed you so much. I was so wrong and so stubborn. I couldn’t see reasoning and logic through my veil of bullheaded views. I couldn’t admit I was wrong when an ‘I’m sorry’ would have been all it would have taken for us to be together. I am so sorry. I held you to an unfair standard that isn’t fair. It’s okay to make mistakes, and yet I made the biggest one of all. I let you go. Please forgive me. Please don’t ever leave again.”

Blake was openly crying now, holding Avery’s hand against his cheek. He kissed the palm of her hand as she cried uncontrollably.

“Shhh, my love. My biggest mistake was letting you push me away. This I promise you, I will hold on to you and never let you go the rest of our lives. Avery, look at me. Sarah has been updating me on everything about this pregnancy. I cannot wait to meet our baby and begin our life together as a family. You, me, and our baby. That is what I need, what I want, and I only want it with you. Are you ready? Let’s have this baby and start our life together, if you’ll have me.”

Avery smiled the first true, contented smile that Sarah had ever seen. “Blake, I’ll have you today and all the rest of my days.” Avery turned to Sarah. “Sarah, I owe you a debt of thanks for not listening to me and bringing Blake to me.”

Sarah wiped her tears. “Anytime, dear friend, anytime.”

“Now, will you ignore my earlier instructions and go get a nurse and tell her I want that epidural
now
!”

Sarah laughed. “You bet, honey!”

* * * *

Blake lay next to Avery as gently as he could while she held their infant daughter in the hospital bed. He held her tiny finger in awe.

“I can’t get over how small everything is. She is so beautiful. Just like her mother.”