Written in the Stars (7 page)

“Your phone should be charged now too. We'll stop back at the brewery, get your phone, and grab your suitcase. I just need to close things up here,” he said, but then his cell phone rang. “Excuse me.” Fishing it out of his pocket, he said, “Oh, it's Mom, probably wondering if you're settled in yet.” Mason answered, “Hi, Mom...whoa, wait a minute, slow down...what? Mattie's in labor? But isn't it too soon?” He glanced over at Grace, and her eyes widened. “Yeah...I still have Grace with me. No...no, we'll be right there.”

“Oh my God!” Grace grabbed his extended hand. A moment later they were out the door.

The Road Less Traveled

B
ECCA
G
ORDON DROVE DOWN THE WINDING ROAD
A
good ten miles per hour over the legal limit, but she didn't care one bit that she was speeding. She was on a mission. Getting to Cricket Creek in time for the birth of her first grandchild had her taking the next bend like a NASCAR driver. The rear tires of the rented sedan skidded into the gravel off the side of the road, but she gripped the steering wheel tighter and carried on as if she wasn't terrified to drive so fast.

The plane ride from London had seemed to take days to land, with the hardest part not being able to use her cell phone to keep up on the progress of Mattie's labor. Because she was nearly a month early, they had put her on meds to keep the contractions from progressing. Garret was a complete wreck with worry, and although Becca had said words of encouragement to him, she was worried sick too.

Becca looked at the GPS on the dash of her car and wanted to weep. She still had nearly thirty minutes to go! God, how she wanted to be at the hospital holding her son's hand! At the straight stretch of road she gave the accelerator a bit more of a push and watched the red needle of the speedometer hit ninety. “Oh...I should slow down,” Becca whispered, but when the GPS indicated that she had eaten up some of the travel time, she kept going. She wasn't one to break rules, but out on this country road, surely no one would care. Except for a big green tractor she'd passed a few miles ago, she seemed to be the only one on the road anyway.

And then she saw blue lights in her rearview mirror.

“You've got to be kidding me.” In a panic, part of Becca had the wild urge to go faster to outrun the cop, but when he put his siren, on she knew she'd better pull over. “Damn the luck!” Letting out a little squeal of frustration, she slowed down and eased the car off to the side of the road. She couldn't care less about getting a ticket, but just wanted to get to the hospital. Of course, just as the officer was striding her way, she got a text message from Garret saying that they were going to take the baby via cesarean section. Becca inhaled a shaky breath and sent a message back that she would be there soon, and then rolled the window down when the officer reached the side of her car.

“Do you know why I pulled you over, ma'am?”

“Yes,” Becca said, “I was speeding, but—”

“So.” He pushed his mirrored aviator glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Do you know how fast you were going?”

“Yes, ninety, I think, but—”

“I need to see your driver's license, proof of insurance, and registration,” he said in a no-­nonsense tone of voice.

“Please listen, you don't understand.”

“I understand that you were speeding.”

“I know, but...” She fumbled around for her purse. “It's...this isn't my car,” Becca said, nearly in tears. She handed him her driver's license with shaking fingers. “I'm so sorry for speeding, but I've flown in from London and I desperately want to get to the hospital in Cricket Creek for the birth of my grandchild. My dear Mattie went into early labor. They're doing a C-­section and my son is worried sick. Please, can you...can you just let me go? I promise to slow down, but I must get there—”

“Wait.” The officer abruptly looked up. “Mattie Mayfield?”

“Well, Mattie Ruleman now, but yes.”

He handed back the license.

“Follow me,” he said in that same don't-­mess-­with-­me tone.

“Are you taking me to jail?” Becca's heart thudded. She'd never been in trouble for anything, not even a parking ticket.

The officer chuckled, but even that sounded stern. “No, I'm giving you a police escort. I know a faster shortcut to the hospital.”

“You'll do that for me?” Becca wanted to jump out of the car and hug him.

“I know the Mayfields well. I go way back with Mattie's father. This is how we do things in a small town. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.” Becca nodded, and kind of wanted to salute.

“But listen.” His smile faded. “Be careful. I'll go as fast as I can.”

“I'll stick to you like glue,” Becca promised, and a moment later she was flying down the road following the police cruiser. He made a turn down a bumpy back road, but Becca didn't care that she was kicking up dust like a scene from
The Dukes of Hazzard
. This was the kind of adventure that would terrify Sophia, she thought, but Grace would be holding on tightly and laughing.

Becca heard her phone ping but didn't dare look anywhere but at the winding road. When a big barn loomed ahead of her, she thought for a wild moment that they were going to drive straight through the opening, scattering chickens and busting through bales of hay. And dammit, she was going to do it! But the squad car veered to the left and Becca found herself on a narrow road cutting through a cornfield. “Dear God!” Becca could have reached out the window and picked an ear of corn if she hadn't had a death grip on the steering wheel. Another left turn had them on a paved two-­lane road driving past farms and grazing cows. At least she thought they were cows. Everything was a blur.

A few moments later they pulled into the entrance to a hospital.

Becca came to a screeching stop behind the police car at the main entrance. The officer got out and hurried to her side. “The visitor parking lot is to your right. I have a call to respond to or I'd go in with you.”

“I can't thank you enough.”

“No need to thank me, ma'am. My job is to serve and protect.” He tipped his hat. “Give Mattie my best,” he said and then pointed a stern finger at her. “But no more speeding.”

“You don't have to worry about that.” Becca pulled into the parking lot and then took quick strides up to double doors that parted for her to enter. Digging inside her giant purse, she located her cell phone and called Garret.

“Mum, hey, love, where are you? They're prepping Mattie for...for...the C-­section.” His voice cracked a little bit, and Becca understood. The thought of Mattie undergoing surgery and worry about the baby were tearing Garret apart.

“Darling, I'm in the lobby.”

“Good...good.” She heard his sigh of relief and said a silent thank-­you to the kind cop who'd gotten her there in record time. “I'll send Grace down to get you. Sophia is on her way too. She's closing up the bistro.”

“Okay, I'll wait right here,” she said in a voice much more calmer than how she felt. Becca had learned a long time ago how to control her emotions. She'd always been a calming factor in the lives of her children, and when she did lose control, she did it in private. Her life had been full of ups and downs, but the one thing that would always be consistent was her unconditional, total love for her three children. Absolutely nothing else in the world meant more to her. And she was going to be a grandmother!

As soon as Grace stepped off the elevator, Becca rushed over and enveloped her daughter in a tight hug. “Oh, Gracie, please tell me that everything is going to be okay.”

“Better now that you're here. Oh, but, Mum, I'm worried.”

Becca pulled back and put her palms on Gracie's cheeks. “Darling, how is Garret really holding up?”

Gracie's eyes misted over. “Fine when he's with Mattie. He holds her hand and strokes her head. But, Mum, he's dead on his feet. He's been worried sick. Garret loves Mattie so much, and of course he's fretting over the baby too...our Lily.” Gracie's smile trembled at the corners.

Becca put a hand to her chest and felt the rapid worried beat of her heart. “Oh, I simply adore that name.” She took Grace's hand and they walked toward the elevator. “Let's get up there and bring this baby into the world,” Becca said, and then turned when they heard Sophia's voice calling out to them.

“Mom! Grace! Wait for me!” Sophia jogged as fast as her short legs would carry her, and a moment later the three of them did a quick group hug. “Any more word about Mattie, Grace?”

“No.” Grace shook her head. “Only that after Lily was showing some signs of distress, that's when the doctor decided that they needed the C-­section. Apparently they held off as long as they could.”

Sophia inhaled a deep breath and nodded. “Oh boy. I didn't know it was possible to be so worried or to love a child so much who I haven't had the chance to hold yet.”

Becca reached over and squeezed Sophia's hand. “Well, they seem to be on top of everything here, right?” Ever since she'd had her tonsils taken out as a child, hospitals made Becca feel anxious. The antiseptic smell still made her stomach lurch.

“Oh, the staff has been wonderful.” Grace nodded firmly. “And there's a whole crew of friends and family up there waiting and praying.”

“Is Rick here?” Becca asked.

“He was a while ago.” Grace nodded and exchanged a brief glance with Sophia. “With Maggie.”

“Good,” Becca said as they walked over to the elevator. She pushed the button. There had been a time when she didn't want to be in the same room with Rick Ruleman, but those days were thankfully over. When Rick's music had turned from soulful ballads to hard-­core rock and roll, Rick became a man she no longer knew, and she'd pulled away from the marriage, not wanting to live that kind of lifestyle or expose Garret to it. Looking back, though, she realized she'd come between Rick and his son, hampering their relationship, and although Becca had few regrets in her life, that was certainly one of them. While she thought she'd been protecting Garret at the time, she should have found a way to keep the father-­son bond that they both needed.

Becca glanced at her daughters, so different from each other, but they loved each other fiercely. Although it had been ill-­fated, she didn't regret her marriage to Marcus Gordon, because the union had resulted in Grace and Sophia. Her life had been full of success and sacrifice, but she'd not quite mastered how to find the right balance between the two. But Becca hid her disappointments and heartache well, only shedding tears on her pillow. She began each day with a smile of determination, never allowing the world to see a moment of weakness.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped aside for a man to exit. He gave Becca a glance, and the slight hesitation and then the widening of his eyes said that he recognized her. Ah, the damned swimsuit poster had been both her salvation and her worst enemy. Pinup models weren't taken seriously, and it had taken her a long time to prove that she knew her way around the business side of the fashion industry. The popularity of the poster had landed her several commercials and a guest television spot here and there, even though her acting skills were suspect. Now, nearly thirty years later, Becca was always surprised when she was still recognized.

“That guy totally knew who you were.” Grace gave her a nudge with her elbow, and then pushed the button for the third floor.

Becca rolled her eyes as the doors closed with a soft
whoosh
. “From the poster that will live on forever and ever.”

“Mom, I don't know why you hate it so much,” Sophia said. “The one-­piece swimsuit is modest by today's standards. I think it represents a more refined era, showing more class and less skin. You were beautiful and classy then and even more so today.”

“I agree with Sophia. I am and will always be so very proud of you. We all know how hard you've worked.”

“Thank you, my sweet girls.” She curved her arms around them both and squeezed.

Becca found it darkly amusing that she was an object of envy. The public assumed that because she'd been married to Rick Ruleman and then Marcus Gordon that she was swimming in unearned money. The truth was that Rick's fame had skyrocketed after their marriage ended. Marcus Gordon had insisted on a prenup, leaving her with very little after they divorced twenty years later. But Becca didn't care. Her success in the fashion industry was hard-­earned and her own doing, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Money, she'd taught her children, was a commodity, and not what life was all about. While Grace and Sophia embraced her belief, it had taken Garret longer to learn what was most precious in life.

When the doors opened, all three of them rushed into the waiting room. Garret hurried over to greet them with hugs.

“God, Mum, I'm so glad you're here.”

“Me too, love. The flight seemed to take forever. So fill me in.”

Garret took a step back and raked his fingers through his shaggy blond hair. “Mattie is being prepped for the C-­section right now. I just popped out to see you. I have to wash up and get in the scrubs.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Lily will be here soon,” he said with a smile, but Becca could see the lines of worry bracketing his mouth. “You just missed Mattie's parents and brothers. They stepped out for a quick bite to eat in the cafeteria but should be back up here soon.”

“It's wonderful to have so much love and support,” Becca said and then put a hand on his arm. “Everything will be fine, Garret. Now, go on in there and let Mattie know we are all out here pulling for her. I'm ready to start spoiling my granddaughter.”

“It won't be long now.” Garret nodded and then gave Grace and Sophia a quick hug before hurrying through two double doors leading to the operating room.

Once he was out of sight, Becca took the hands of her daughters and squeezed, drawing strength from holding on to them. “It's been way too long since we've been together,” Becca said. “That's got to change.”

“I agree.” Grace nodded and then sat down in a beige chair.

“Think you can slow down long enough to stay here for a while?” Sophia asked Grace as she sat down beside her.

“Ha, isn't that kind of like the pot calling the kettle black?” Grace asked her sister.

Sophia splayed her hand across her chest and leaned forward. “Personally, I love the slower, small-­town pace.”