Not Another Bad Date (20 page)

That was a bit of an exaggeration. Only half the city had been there, and by no stretch of the imagination could the kiss he’d given her be confused with making out. Looking back on it now, he probably should have waited until he’d gotten Adele alone. But at the time, he hadn’t known Tiffany had been watching. “I like Adele.”

“I hate her.”

“You hate her ’cause I like her.” He climbed up onto a chair. “Which is a stupid reason.” Sometimes, Tiffany was so much like Devon that it worried him. “I haven’t noticed Kendra around here practicing this week. I hope you’re not taking out your anger on your friend.”

Tiffany hung a few bulbs on the tree and pressed her lips together. She didn’t speak, but she really didn’t need to say anything. Zach knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. He reached out for the top of the tree and shoved the star on top. “Is this straight?”

She looked up and nodded.

“I’m sure you would never cut off your nose to spite your face, sugar bug,” he said as he climbed down.

“What do you mean?”

“Just that you’re smart enough not to let how you feel about Adele get in the way of helping Kendra out. You girls have some big competitions coming up.” He knew what Tiffany wanted to hear, but that wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t going to stop seeing Adele to make her happy. “I’d hate to see you lose because you’re mad.”

“I know what you’re doing.” She set down the box and picked up some tinsel. “I’ll be nice to Kendra ’cause I like her, and because we’re on the same dance team. But I don’t like her aunt, and I’m not going to be nice to her.”

Zach shook his head. That had gone better than he’d thought, worse than he’d hoped for. “You liked her until you found out I liked her, too. I never thought you’d be so ornery.”

“But Daddy”—two tears spilled over her lashes—“she took me shopping and talked about Momma, and I even gave her fashion advice about those stupid scrunchies she wears. And the whole time she only pretended to like me so she could see you.”

“Honey, I don’t think people have to pretend to like you.”

“Uh-huh.”

This wasn’t about Tiffany thinking people pretended to like her. That was the excuse she used. It was really about her not wanting any woman but Devon in their lives. He knew it, but he just didn’t know what to do about it.

He moved into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. He and Tiffany were leaving in a few days to spend the Christmas holiday with his family in Austin. They’d be gone until after New Year’s. Maybe that’s what Tiffany needed. A break for a while. He’d told Adele that things would settle down when he and Tiffany returned. That she’d be over her anger, and he hoped he was right. He was more than ready for some postseason downtime and a little less drama.

No. A
lot
less drama.

In the past two days that he’d been in Austin, he hadn’t called. Of course he was busy with the holiday and his family, but perhaps it was best that he was away. She needed time to herself. Time to think. With her sister in the hospital, taking care of a thirteen-year-old, and spending time with Zach, she needed a break from the emotional roller coaster that was her life here in Cedar Creek.

At four that afternoon, she and Kendra left the hospital. They ate a light dinner, and Adele went to bed. She didn’t wake until seven the next morning. She still felt tired and a little nauseous and guessed all of the excitement and chocolate had caught up with her. As she rolled over to go back to sleep, the telephone rang. For a few unguarded seconds, she thought it might be Zach.

It was the hospital. Sherilyn had just been wheeled into the delivery room. Her blood pressure had skyrocketed and they were taking the baby by caesarean.

“Kendra,” Adele called out as she ran to her niece’s room. “We have to go to the hospital. Your momma’s having the baby.”

They both grabbed up their clothes and dressed as quickly as possible.

“She was fine yesterday,” Kendra said, as frightened tears rolled down her cheeks.

Adele ran every red light on her way to the hospital, but by the time she and Kendra made it to the maternity ward, Harris Morgan had been born and whisked to the neonatal intensive care unit. Kendra sobbed uncontrollably in the tiny waiting room as they waited for Sherilyn to be wheeled to recovery. Adele held her niece and held it together until she finally saw her sister, covered up to her chin in a white sheet. She looked totally drained, and her eyes were red from crying. Kendra laid her head on her mother’s chest, looking very young and scared.

“Are you okay, Momma?” Kendra asked through her tears.

“I’m tired, but I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me,” Adele said, fighting back the tears stinging her eyes.

“You were here when I needed you the most,” Sherilyn said as she rubbed Kendra’s arm. “I don’t know what we would have done without you these past few months, Dele. Thank you.”

Adele smiled. “I’m glad I came.” And it was even the truth.

“Did you see him?” Kendra asked.

Sherilyn looked into Adele’s eyes for several more seconds before she turned her face and spoke against her daughter’s forehead. “He has dark hair just like you. When they delivered him, he started crying. Which is good. He sounded just like a kitten.” She lifted her gaze to Adele, and Adele wiped a tear from her cheek. “No more crying. I’m going to be fine. The baby is going to be fine. We’re all going to be fine.”

Later that day, Kendra and Adele wheeled Sherilyn down to the neonatal intensive care unit, and the three got to stare at Harris in his incubator. He had on a blue knitted cap and the tube to his nasal cannula was taped to his cheeks. He had a temperature probe stuck to his belly and an IV in the back of his tiny hand. The three of them touched his feet and legs, and he opened his eyes to look at them. Then he yawned, as if he’d had a tiring day, which he had, and went back to sleep.

The next three days were a blur of sleeplessness and worry. Sherilyn’s blood pressure slowly lowered, and Harris gained two ounces. Saturday afternoon, Sherilyn was well enough to be discharged, but the baby had to stay until he gained more weight. His lung function was good and improving every day, which had been the biggest worry.

As Adele and Sherilyn packed up Sherilyn’s belongings and waited for the wheelchair to take Sherilyn to the front doors, William Morgan walked into the hospital room. He looked older than Adele remembered. Shorter. His dark hair balding. She was relieved that he hadn’t brought his girlfriend with him.

“If you’ll excuse us,” he said pointedly to Adele in that dismissive way she’d always hated.

Adele looked at her sister. “Do you want me to go?”

Sherilyn shook her head. “Not unless you want to leave.”

Adele smiled and looked at her soon-to-be-ex brother-in-law. She sat on the edge of the bed and folded her arms across her chest. “I’ll stay.”

William frowned.

A tired smile curved Sherilyn’s lips. “Have you seen the baby?” she asked as she shoved her hairbrush into an overnight case. “He looks just like Kendra did.”

“Yes.” William dragged his gaze from Adele. “I’d like to name him after my father.”

“Alvin?” Sherilyn shook her head. “Perhaps that can be his middle name.”

“But my family—”

“His first name is Harris,” Sherilyn interrupted and zipped up the bag. “I already filled out the birth certificate.”

“Without consulting me?”

“You weren’t here.”

“He’s my son.”

“Whom you will see on every other holiday and one month out of each summer. When he is old enough, of course.” A nurse entered with the wheelchair, and Sherilyn smiled. “Ah. Here’s my ride.” Sherilyn waddled across the room and sat. “Could you grab my bag?” she asked Adele.

“Sure.”

“Kendra’s at home making everything nice for me,” Sherilyn told her soon-to-be-former husband. “Give her a call. I’m sure she’d like to see you.”

The nurse wheeled Sherilyn out of the room, and Adele grabbed the bag off the bed. “When you see Kendra, leave the dental assistant at the hotel. Your daughter’s been through a lot and doesn’t need to see your girlfriend.”

William’s gaze narrowed on her as if he suddenly smelled something rotten. “Don’t you tell me what my daughter needs. I know how to take care of Kendra.”

“Oh, and you’ve done such a bang-up job lately.”

“You have no right to lecture me.”

Adele was tired and not feeling well from the stress of the past few days. She had missed the one and only call from Zach the night before, and she was in no mood to take crap from William. “I didn’t run out on my family.”

“You haven’t seen your sister for six years.”

That hit a little close to home. “I might not have visited as much as I should have, but when Sheri needed someone, she called me. I’m the one who’s been holding her hand these past few months while she struggled to save her baby.” She pointed to her chest. “I’m the one who’s been taking care of your teenage daughter. Not you! You turned your back on your family for a piece of barely legal ass. So don’t walk in here and think you can say diddly-shit to me.”

“You never did have any class.”

“And you never did know your position on the food chain,” Adele felt free to point out now that he was no longer family, and Kendra wasn’t around to hear. “You’re a dentist, William. Not a heart surgeon. You replace molars. Not heart valves. For God’s sake, get over yourself.”

Adele stormed out of the door and almost fell over her sister’s feet. “I thought you left,” she said.

Sherilyn smiled. “I thought I should wait in case you needed rescuing from William. But I think William might have needed rescuing from you.” The nurse pushed the wheelchair, and they moved down the hall. Sherilyn reached for Adele’s hand and pointed out with a hint of a smile. “Dentistry is a noble profession, you know.”

“Yeah. I know.”

On the way home from the hospital, they dropped off Sherilyn’s prescriptions at the pharmacy, then Adele drove to the condo and tucked her sister in bed.

“I’m going to go get your prescriptions,” she told Sherilyn as she shoved her arms back into her coat. “Kendra’s in the living room if you need anything.” Her stomach tumbled a bit, and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I shouldn’t be long.” She grabbed her purse off the bed.

“What’s wrong with you? You look white.”

“Nothing.” She dropped the purse and ran for the bathroom. She hadn’t felt real great for the past few days, but this was the first time she actually threw up. When she was done, she rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth. “Don’t drink after me,” she said as she left the bathroom. “I think I have the flu.”

“How long have you had it?”

“A few days. It kind of comes and goes.” She picked up her purse again. “Mostly it’s bad in the morning when I first get up.”

“Could you be pregnant?”

“For the love of God, no.” She shoved her hand into her purse and grabbed her keys. “You have babies on the brain. I’m not pregnant.”

Her sister’s brow furrowed. “It sounds like morning sickness. I know. I’ve had it twice.”

“Sherilyn, stop. I’m not pregnant. I have an IUD.”

“Interesting. You didn’t say you haven’t been having sex.”

“I didn’t?”

“Have you been seeing someone?”

Adele shrugged.

“Who?”

What did it matter if Sherilyn knew? Zach would be home in a few days, and Sherilyn would see him when they jogged together.
If
they jogged together. “Zach Zemaitis.”

“The football coach.” Sherilyn’s brows shot up her forehead. “The one who was in all the papers and on the news a few weeks ago?”

“Yeah.”

“Kendra’s friend’s dad?”

“Yeah. He kinda helped me put the baby furniture together.”

“Sounds like he did more than that.” Sherilyn frowned. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing. I’m not pregnant.”

“While you’re at the pharmacy, get an e.p.t.”

Adele rolled her eyes and walked out of the bedroom. She counted back to her last period. She was only two weeks…no three weeks late. But she’d been late before and wasn’t worried.