It took a second for Kade to catch on, then his eyes went wide. “Now?”
I laughed. “Well, not right now, but hopefully by tonight it’ll all be over.”
That put Kade into high gear, as I’d known it would. In minutes he’d closed up the house, gotten my suitcase, called Mona, and was trying to hustle me to the car.
“Wait,” I said, “did you eat breakfast?”
He looked at me like I was insane. “You’re seriously not asking me if I’ve eaten, right?” he asked incredulously.
“Well, the hospital food is awful,” I said, thinking I was being perfectly reasonable and he was the one reacting all out of proportion. “You should eat something before we go.”
“Oh my God, Kathleen, just get in the car,” he moaned. “Please. Before I stuff you in it myself.”
“Will you relax?” I said in exasperation. “You act like we haven’t done this twice before.” Still, I got in the car before his face got any redder.
“If you think that makes it easier, it doesn’t,” he said firmly, sliding behind the wheel.
“Are the boys all right at Mona’s?” I asked.
“They’re fine,” Kade assured me, one corner of his mouth tipping up. “I told them their mommy and I were going to bring home their little sister and they were quite excited.”
“Nice that they were already there spending the night,” I said, then another pain hit and I gripped the door, breathing until it passed. I noticed Kade’s speed had increased while I’d been quiet.
“I’m fine,” I said, reaching for his hand. “Slow down. There’s plenty of time.”
Kade, for all his coolness under pressure, proved to be the typical husband when it came time for me to give birth. I thought that was because it was something out of his control, which he hated.
It took a little while to get me admitted and situated in a room, then all the equipment hooked up to me, the IV put in, yadda yadda. The pains were closer together now and I hoped that after having two babies, the third would arrive quickly.
It took a couple of hours, then the nurse proclaimed I was dilated enough for an epidural, and I heaved a sigh of relief. I knew lots of women did childbirth the natural way, but I was fine with the label of wimp. I wasn’t a fan of pain and if modern medicine had a way for me to avoid it, I was all about it.
Kade hated watching, though, his fear of needles making him extremely uncomfortable seeing one go into my spine. Of course he said he wasn’t afraid of needles, he just didn’t “like them,” though he’d never told me why.
I felt much better after the epidural and the next few hours passed relatively easily.
“Did you call Blane?” I asked Kade at one point.
“Yeah,” he said. “He was in a meeting, but I left him a voice mail.”
I nodded, a little disappointed, though I knew Blane was a very busy man. Blane was a US senator in his own right. After being appointed to fill the remainder of his great-uncle’s term, he’d run for election and won the seat. He’d inherited Keaston’s estate, which not only included the house in Georgetown but also his family home in Cambridge, where Vivian still lived, and a vacation home on Nantucket. Now Blane divided his time between DC and Nantucket with occasional visits to Indy. Congressional recess was coming, though, and he usually came back for a visit before taking our boys with him to Nantucket for two weeks every summer.
By late afternoon I was pushing and by dinner, Kade and I were holding the newest member of our family.
“You’re going to be insufferable now,” I teased Kade as he held our seven-pound, two-ounce little girl.
“I can’t help it if I was right,” he said, arching an eyebrow. “I told you. I know things.”
I just smiled. I was tired, though it had been an easy delivery. At least, easier than the first time I’d done this. That had taken hours and I’d thought Kade was going to kill someone when the epidural had worn off too soon and I’d felt every bit of the final stages of labor and delivery.
“She’s beautiful,” Kade said softly, rubbing a finger over one tiny cheek. “But not as beautiful as her momma.” His free hand reached for mine and he slotted our fingers together.
“Now there are two princesses,” I said, but he shook his head.
“You’ve just been promoted to queen.”
I laughed lightly. “My turn to hold her,” I said. Kade placed her carefully in my arms. Her hair wasn’t the usual newborn black but a shock of reddish gold that was just a shade lighter than mine. Her eyes were a beautiful, deep blue, though she was sleeping at the moment.
Flowers came, a huge display of two dozen pink roses that the nurse set on a table where I could see them.
“‘Congratulations on the latest set of tiny, pattering feet,’” Kade read. “‘Love, Blane.’”
“That’s nice,” I said with a smile. The smell of roses drifted through the room.
It was close to ten when I let them take my baby girl back to the nursery. The nurses always offered to let the baby stay, but I knew better. This would be one of the last decent night’s sleep I’d get for a few months.
“Go home and get some sleep,” I told Kade. “Bring the boys in the morning.”
Kade leaned down and kissed me, his hand cupping my cheek. It was a lingering kiss and when he pulled back, he gazed into my eyes.
“You’re amazing,” he said softly, “and I love you. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do,” I replied. “I love you, too.”
“Are you happy?” he asked, his brows drawing together as he frowned slightly.
“Incredibly so.” I smiled. “You make me happy, Kade. You always have.”
Kade’s frown melted away and he kissed me again in a way that made me wish I hadn’t just given birth, but then again, he could always make me feel that way.
After he left, I didn’t fall asleep as quickly as I thought I would. It had been a recurring question from Kade over the years: Was I happy? It seemed Kade still had trouble sometimes believing all this—the house, the kids, our marriage. He’d told me once that he was so happy and content that it terrified him—it could so quickly be gone.
There wasn’t anything I could say to alleviate his fears, so when he got that way, I’d just hold him, tell him I loved him, then kiss him until he made love to me. He’d made all my dreams come true and I cherished each day because it was true—you never knew what the future held, but neither could you let the fear of it hold you captive.
Something woke me and I glanced around, figuring a nurse had come in, but it was a man’s silhouette that stood at the window.
I must’ve made a noise of alarm, because he turned and a shaft of light fell across his face. I breathed a relieved sigh.
“Blane,” I said, “you scared me to death.”
He walked to the bed and took my hand. “Sorry about that. And I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “You’re here now. What time is it?”
“About three thirty,” he said.
“When did you get here?” I rubbed my eyes, glad the room was dark, because it wasn’t like I looked my best.
“About an hour ago.”
I pushed the button on my bed to move me to an upright position. “You didn’t have to come tonight,” I gently chided him. “You could’ve come in the morning.”
“Wanted to make sure you were all right,” he said, sitting down on the bed beside me. “And the baby.”
“Did Kade send you pictures?” I asked.
“He did.”
“Isn’t she beautiful,” I said with a smile. I leaned my head back on the pillow. The pain medicine was making me sleepy.
“She most certainly is,” Blane agreed, his lips turning up at the corners. His hold tightened on my hand. “I’m glad everyone’s healthy.”