The Surprise Holiday Dad (11 page)

For a change of pace, Mike and Paige performed a steamy tango—Wade would never have believed his boss capable of such artistry on the dance floor—after which Owen Tartikoff claimed Paige for a showy cha-cha. Owen’s wife apparently didn’t mind; a short, lively woman, Bailey applauded with enthusiasm.

All the while, Wade tracked Adrienne’s movements. She didn’t dance with anyone, always busy with her hands full as if to discourage an invitation. She kept a watchful eye on her nephew, as well.

Talking with the mothers-to-be during the meal had increased Wade’s appreciation for what Adrienne did. Those long nights were spent bringing newborns into the world, reassuring their parents and stepping in with lifesaving surgery when needed. Amazingly, she also ran her home smoothly. Rather than growing up in turmoil, Reggie thrived in an atmosphere of structure combined with love.

When Wade had first met Adrienne, he’d scarcely noticed how attractive she was, especially compared to her sister’s more striking blond looks. Now she outshone all the other women at the wedding, including the bride. With her gift for compassion and her natural beauty, she’d no doubt have married and had children by now if not for her responsibilities.

As Wade watched her and the groom’s mother bring out the wedding cake and champagne, he pictured Adrienne growing round with pregnancy. Longing stabbed him to be the man who fathered that new life.

Hold on there.

Wade was in no shape financially to take on a wife and kids, even if Adrienne didn’t exhibit an understandable level of wariness around him. Also, they had to be cautious, given their potential for conflict over Reggie and the fact that both came from dysfunctional families.

Still, any guy who came calling on Adrienne had better treat her right. Otherwise, he’d have to answer to Wade.

A song ended, and she headed toward him. Recalled to duty, he stopped the CD player so she could announce the cake cutting.

After she finished, Wade switched off the sound before addressing her. “You’re doing a great job. I hope people appreciate your hard work.”

With a trace of weariness, Adrienne murmured, “I don’t expect praise. I’m doing this for my friend.”

“You should take a compliment when it’s offered. You deserve it.” The booming voice belonged to Owen, who’d strolled up and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Feeling an urge to protect his territory, Wade narrowed his eyes. But the russet-haired fertility specialist didn’t appear to be flirting. He was merely offering support in his aggressive way.

“Thanks.” Tossing out the word at both of them, Adrienne escaped.

“When everyone settles down with their cake, my wife and I will be singing our special tribute,” Owen informed Wade, and strolled off.

A short while later the doctor returned with his cheerful wife. Leaning against the table, he rested one foot on a chair and tuned the guitar. Wade positioned the microphone between the two of them.

After a few chords to summon everyone’s attention, the couple began to sing. They chose songs that Wade recognized from the musical
Carousel:
“If I Loved You” and “When I Marry Mr. Snow.”

Bailey’s pure alto and her husband’s smooth baritone soared into the late afternoon, transporting their listeners. Eyes half-closed, Wade listened with pleasure. These two obviously loved their music, as well as each other.

Reggie and a couple little girls moved to the front of the crowd. Their enraptured expressions made them the ideal audience.

An ovation rewarded the end of each song. Cries of “More!” rang out from the guests.

To Wade’s surprise, Reggie cut off the concert by running up to the tall, commanding doctor. “It’s my dad’s turn now,” he said.

“Your dad?” Owen asked.

Across the group, Wade’s startled gaze met Adrienne’s. She spread her hands in amusement, as if to ask how he could resist his son.

“I’m only here to play recordings,” Wade said.

Owen swung toward him, mouth open for a millisecond as he registered that the deejay was Reggie’s father. “You should sing, by all means. Don’t disappoint the little boy.” He handed over the guitar.

Oh, great.
Wade, who rarely sang for others, was about to make his debut in front of a crowd. Not that they were likely to pelt him with wedding cake if he sang off-key, but he’d hate to embarrass Adrienne.

He wished he’d rehearsed something appropriate. Then he got an idea.

Chapter Eleven

Adrienne hadn’t meant to leave Wade in an awkward position. As deejay, he’d unintentionally taken center stage. And while he had a bewitching tenor voice, his guarded personality put him at a disadvantage next to Owen.

Yet he exuded quiet confidence as he accepted the instrument and checked the tuning. Then he waved to Reggie and the little girls to join him.

His son plopped happily at his feet, while Mia and Fiona gathered around them. When Wade played the first notes of “Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” the children joined in singing gleefully. If the notes were a bit ragged and the lyrics occasionally strayed, the result was to add even more charm.

He didn’t need to show off, because, Adrienne could see, he wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Instead, Wade blended his voice with the children’s in the lighthearted song.

As dusk closed in, the patio lights created a glowing spotlight on the small group. What a magical moment, and what a tender, kindhearted father.

When they finished, a moment of silence yielded to a swell of applause. Adrienne saw a couple people wiping their eyes.

Wade consulted with the children before launching into the song “Edelweiss” from
The Sound of Music.
Again the kids sang with him, and one by one, other voices blended in.

All the sorrows the house had seen faded before the joy of the shared experience. How astonishing that music could sweep away the regrets and make everything fresh again.

Not just the music. Wade did this.

Afterward, the children took their bows. Although Reggie asked for more songs, Fiona shook her head and Mia followed suit. “You guys were great,” Wade said, adding for his son’s sake, “Let’s quit while we’re ahead.”

The two girls thanked him and returned to their parents. He returned the guitar to Owen, who seemed at a rare loss for words.

Reggie gave a yawn, and Adrienne stifled one of her own. She faced a long shift beginning in a couple hours.

After excusing herself from Harper, she drew Reggie aside. “I have to take a nap,” she said. “You seem tired, too.”

“Am not!”

“I’ll be glad to watch him,” Wade said. “You go rest.”

Adrienne didn’t argue. With this man, she no longer felt a need to maintain tight control over her nephew or her home.

“You and the kids were really special.” She couldn’t leave without telling him that.

Wade’s strong face warmed. “It was fun.”

She barely covered her mouth in time to hide another yawn. “I’ll be downstairs by seven.” It was nearly six now.

“I’ll put stuff away as best I can,” he told her. “With Reggie’s help, of course.”

His son leaned against his father. “Yeah.”

Sleepily, Adrienne climbed the stairs. The wedding had gone beautifully. A mellow feeling of satisfaction propelled her to her room, where she undressed, slid beneath the covers and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

A
GENTLE
HAND
on her shoulder roused Adrienne. For a disoriented moment she thought it must be morning, and then she jolted awake. The clock showed 7:10 p.m.

“You said you had to be up by now.” Wade set a cup of coffee on the bedside table. “I thought this might help.”

“I must have turned off...” She’d forgotten to set the alarm, she realized. “Thank you. I hate oversleeping.”

“I’m sure some zealous nurse would have called.”

“She’d only be doing her job.” Pulling the covers around her for modesty, Adrienne reached for the coffee. “This is just what the doctor would have ordered if she hadn’t been so absentminded.”

Wade chuckled. Seated on the edge of the bed, he seemed in no hurry to depart, and until she’d drained the cup, Adrienne wasn’t eager to kick him out.

In keeping with the wedding’s fall colors and casual atmosphere, he wore a brown jacket over a gray knit shirt and tan slacks. On the patio, he’d almost faded into the background, but his air of calm alertness reminded Adrienne that she’d once pictured him as a crouching lion.

“Nearly everyone’s gone,” he told her. “We packed a bunch of leftovers in the fridge.”

“Those belong to the bride and groom.”

“They took some,” he assured her. “We folded the chairs and tables and put everything on the patio in case of rain. Not that there’s any in the forecast.”

“The caterer will collect them tomorrow afternoon.” She’d given instructions to enter through the side gate. “Where’s Reggie?”

“He and Mia are helping the groom’s mother with the dishes.”

Everything was in order, thanks in large part to Wade. The only downside was that the rumors already circulating must have gained a quantum boost. “Did people ask what you were doing here?”

“I told them you hired me as your butler.” He kept a straight face until Adrienne nudged him with her sheet-clad knee.

Wade flashed a boyish grin. It went straight to her head, or was that the caffeine?

One more sip and she’d be finished. Adrienne wished she could roll over and close her eyes for a few minutes.
Or pull this handsome guy down on the bed and show him what I’d like to do with my butler.

Good thing he couldn’t read her mind, she mused as she downed the last swallow.

“In the morning I’d like to take Reg with me while I check out a place to rent,” Wade said. “My dad and I reached a parting of ways.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Any breach in a family was unfortunate. “Was it about his drinking?”

“Basically, yes.” Wade didn’t object to her nosy question, Adrienne noticed, but neither did he elaborate. “Maybe I’ll try one of those weekly suites near the hospital until I find something long-term.”

In the cozy circle of her bedside lamp, with the empty cup warming her palms, Adrienne felt like inviting him to stay here. They had two extra bedrooms, and Reggie would be delighted. Having Wade on hand would simplify her life in countless ways.

And complicate it beyond measure.

In addition to her attraction, which surely she had enough willpower and good judgment to control, lay a bigger issue: her nephew’s sense of stability. Who could tell whether they’d prove compatible roommates or how long Wade would stay? And suppose he found another woman to share his bed and possibly his future?

“That sounds like a plan.” Adrienne set the cup aside.

“I talked to your friends about the properties they’re vacating, as you suggested.” Wade took the cup and rose. “The rents are a bit higher than I can pay. But at least I’ve started my search.”

“Good.” Adrienne watched his well-built body stride from the room. As the door closed, the air quivered with his indefinable scent—part soap, part pure masculinity—tempting her to call him back.

But she’d made the right decision by letting him go. Firmly, she tossed the covers aside and went to dress for work.

* * *

T
HE
PATIENT
,
A
twenty-one-year-old unmarried college student named Judi Finnegan, had been in active labor for six hours, Adrienne noted on the chart. Her cervix was five centimeters dilated and 70 percent effaced, or thinned—still not ready for delivery—but she was 100 percent distraught.

“Just get it over with!” she was shouting at the nurse when Adrienne entered the room. There was no one else present—no family, no father, no labor coach.

“The contractions are four minutes apart, Doctor,” the nurse told Adrienne. “She hasn’t had any childbirth classes but she’s refusing to consent to an epidural during delivery.” The local anesthetic would relieve her pain while allowing her to stay alert and participate in the birth process.

The pain having receded, the young woman collapsed on her bed, face turned away from the monitoring equipment that showed her and the baby’s heart rate. Her jaw was set stubbornly.

After introducing herself and asking a few questions—Judi merely grunted in reply—Adrienne asked the nurse for a minute alone with the patient. She pulled over the guest chair.

“If we administer an epidural, it will ease the pain,” she said. “I gather you object?”

Light brown hair drenched with sweat, Judi took a couple short, shallow breaths. “If it doesn’t hurt, I might not hate it.”

And I thought I’d heard everything.
“You mean the baby?”

A tight nod was the answer.

Despite her dismay, Adrienne refrained from lecturing the young woman about the miracle of life. The chart said she was estranged from her parents and that the father wasn’t involved.

“Is there anyone I can call to help you through this?” Adrienne asked.

“No,” Judi said angrily. “I’ve decided to give it up for adoption. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to care about it.”

“Have you made arrangements with adoptive parents?” They might provide support.

“Not yet. Can’t someone else take care of that?”

The hospital had a social worker on staff. “I’m sure we can work that out.”

However, the fact that Judi hadn’t contacted anyone regarding adoption, combined with her present agitation, indicated she wasn’t at peace with her decision. Adrienne respected mothers who chose to surrender their infant to a loving home, but if this patient gave the infant away without confronting her conflicted emotions, she might suffer lifelong trauma.

“For now, let’s focus on your delivery,” she told the young woman. “My medical advice is to have the epidural. It will reduce your blood pressure, which is a little high, and ease the workload on your muscles and lungs.”

Tears ran down Judi’s round cheeks. “My boyfriend said he loved me and we’d raise our child together, and now he’s gone.”

“Some men are like that,” Adrienne sympathized.

“I told my parents to stop trying to control me. Now that Brian’s gone, I won’t beg them to take me back. They’ll use it against me for the rest of my life.” Judi’s muscles tightened, viselike. “Not again!”

After summoning the nurse, Adrienne said, “You don’t have to suffer like this when you deliver. Think about having that epidural, okay?”

There was no answer. Leaving the young woman with the nurse, Adrienne went to check on her other laboring patients.

A short while later she was pleased to learn that Judi had agreed to the local anesthetic. Adrienne returned to provide support as Judi weathered another labor pain. “You’re very brave,” she said after it passed.

The young woman turned her head away. “I’ve messed up my life. I’m such a failure.”

“We all make mistakes,” Adrienne pointed out.

“I had my life all planned,” Judi said miserably. “Now Brian’s gone and everything’s ruined.”

Rather than dwell on the faithless boyfriend, Adrienne noted, “Your chart says you’re a college student. What are you studying?”

“Journalism.” The young woman shifted to let the nurse plump her pillows.

“You can still pursue that, with or without a baby.”

“I’d like to write about medical topics.” Judi stopped talking to sip some water.

“Such as what you’re experiencing tonight?” Adrienne said, only half joking.

The patient smiled weakly. “I used to think I’d like to be a physical therapist. Guess I’m not sure what—” Her muscles tightened once again as a fresh contraction hit. Adrienne held her hand while a nurse talked Judi through the pain.

It had just ended when Adrienne’s phone beeped with a message: another patient to be checked. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

I had my life all planned.
The declaration replayed through Adrienne’s mind as she went about her duties. Her plans for Reggie’s future had seemed cast in concrete, too.

Another beep. The pace was picking up.

As if to compensate for the previous night’s lull, this shift kept her on her feet. She was more grateful than ever not to have to deal with supervising Reggie tomorrow.

Then she recalled that he’d be spending the day tagging along while Wade rented a motel suite. A man cave, most likely. They’d have a great time.

“Dr. Cavill? We’re ready for you.” It was the nurse assisting Judi, who’d entered the transition phase half an hour ago.

“I’m on my way.”

She found the patient fully effaced and dilated and ready to push. The birth process was exhausting but, thanks to the epidural, not agonizing.

The little girl’s muscle tone, color, reflexes, heart rate and breathing all fit into the normal range on the Apgar scale, and she weighed a healthy seven pounds eight ounces. “Do you have a name picked out?” asked a pediatric nurse.

“No!” Judi answered fiercely. The nurse blinked in surprise.

Normally, Adrienne would have placed the baby on her mother’s stomach while the nurse dried the newborn and covered her with a blanket and tiny cap. Instead, she asked, “Do you want to hold her?”

For a moment, she thought Judi might shout another refusal. Instead, the girl asked, “Can I wait?”

“You bet.” With a nurse’s help, Adrienne clamped and cut the umbilical cord and collected a tube of blood from it for testing.

How she longed to cuddle the little plum-colored cutie with her wrinkly skin and head still cone shaped from passing through the birth canal. Instead, she released the nameless baby to be taken to the nursery.

Adrienne didn’t dwell on the irony that babies were so often born unwelcome. If she’d become pregnant as an unmarried girl, she wasn’t sure what she’d have done, either.

At 6:00 a.m., two hours before her shifted ended, she put in a call to someone who might be able to assist. Then, after making the rounds of the patients who’d been admitted during the night, she visited Judi.

Alone in a double room, the young woman lay dozing. About to slip out, Adrienne paused when Judi said, “Dr. Cavill?”

“Hi.” She stepped closer. “How’re you doing?”

Large hazel eyes fixed on her. “You must think I’m awful.”

“I think you’re doing your best to make the right choice,” Adrienne corrected.

“Maybe I deserve this.” Her mouth quivered. “A few years ago I was a volunteer here. There were all these girls showing up to surrender their babies ’cause they confused the name with the Safe Haven law. I thought it was a funny story and I told my cousin at the newspaper about them. Like it was some kind of joke. Now the joke’s on me.”