Then, boom…the ring would be inside. I hadn’t worked out all the details yet, but I also planned to take her to her favorite restaurant close to home. I would’ve loved to take her away, but we couldn’t travel too far anymore.
Her agent had come through for me. She spoke to the publisher and had them send an early paperback of Gia’s novel. I felt almost guilty for seeing it before she did, but I knew she was going to freak when she realized why I had it. Apparently, it wasn’t the final version because the book was still in editing, but they were able to print me a copy of it anyway. I’d told the agent to ship it to The Heights so that Gia didn’t see it.
I was now sitting in my car outside of the jeweler’s building. Taking the book out of the padded envelope, I rubbed my hand over the glossy cover that featured a woman sitting on a beach looking introspective. Gia had wanted a sexier cover, but the publisher nixed that idea, saying that Gia’s vision was too racy for bookstore shelves. I was so damn proud of her for getting to this point.
She’d written this novel during the toughest time of her life. She’d pushed through, gotten it done, and met her deadline. My girl wrote a freaking book. She was a badass.
After I opened it, I froze when I looked at the first chapter heading.
Chapter One: Rush
She’d named him Rush? Get outta here. No fucking way.
She always joked about doing that, but I never actually thought she’d go through with it. Back when we had that bet about whether I could quit smoking and she could quit candy, she’d said she would name her character Rush if she lost. Of course, I was the one who lost, so I ended up fixing
her car instead, the car that I’d already fixed before she even realized it. I never imagined she’d actually name her character after me.
Damn.
I was supposed to be surprising her, but it seemed I was the one shocked. I felt bad for ruining what was probably supposed to be a surprise for me. Well, I didn’t really feel that bad—because this was going to be a bomb-ass proposal.
I put the book back in the envelope and ventured into the jewelry store to pick up the engagement ring I’d selected a couple of weeks earlier.
The owner, who was dressed in an elegant, crisp suit, approached me as soon as I entered. “Hello, Mr. Rushmore. We have the ring sized and cleaned for you.”
“Great. Thank you.” I sat down and leaned over the counter that displayed dozens of diamond rings through the glass. “Let’s see it.”
The jeweler opened the small, black velvet box to show me the two and a half carat round diamond with a pavé diamond band.
I shook my head slowly and let out a deep breath as I held up the ring between my thumb and index finger. “Beautiful. I hope she likes it.”
Now I just needed to figure out when I was going to execute my plan.
“If no further adjustments are needed, we can process payment, and you can take the ring home today,” he said.
“Yeah. Let’s do it. Thank you.”
I wiped my forehead. Jesus, was I sweating?
It wasn’t that I was nervous to get engaged, just the opposite. I wanted everything to be perfect and hoped Gia wanted to get married as much as I did.
The man asked me if I needed a bag, but I told him no, slipping the ring box inside my jacket where I felt it would be safer. I didn’t want to run the risk that Gia would find the bag anyway.
When I returned to my car, I realized I’d left my phone on the passenger seat while I was inside the jewelry store. It was lit up with missed calls, texts, and voicemail notifications. All were from Gia.
Gia: I don’t know where you are. I’ve been trying to call you but you’re not answering, I’m pretty sure my water just broke. I tried to call my doctor but couldn’t get him, so I’m just taking myself to the hospital. I’m scared. My due date isn’t for another two weeks!! I can’t be having this baby now!
Shit!
My heart was frantic as I typed, my hands shaking.
Rush: Where are you now? Are you there yet?
I waited a full minute, and there was no response. Then I pressed play on the most recent voicemail as I started the car and sped away.
“Hey, Rush. I texted already, figured I would try calling again. I don’t know where you are, but I really wish you’d pick up. They just admitted me. They checked me and told me I’m about to have this baby. I may not get to call you again. If you get this, please hurry.”
It felt like my head was spinning. The time on the message was ten minutes ago. As I headed in the direction of the main road that would take me to the hospital, I came upon standstill traffic.
Banging my hands against the steering wheel, I screamed, “Fuck!” I beeped the horn. “Come on!”
Traffic wasn’t moving. In the distance, I could see a bunch of walkers with numbers plastered onto their chests. They were doing a 5K or some shit. That must have been what was holding things up.
I couldn’t afford to wait. When I spotted a guy standing on the sidewalk with his bike, I jumped out of the car and raced over to him.
Opening my wallet, I took out every last bill. It had to have been at least five hundred bucks.
“My girlfriend is in labor. Traffic isn’t moving. I need your bike. I’ll give you all my money and my car for the afternoon.”
He took one look at my Mustang, which was idling with the door open and said, “Sweet.”
I knew it was a risk, but it didn’t matter to me what happened to the damn car. All that mattered was that Gia and the baby were going to be okay and that I could be there.
We quickly exchanged numbers before I hopped on his bike and started flying down the road, weaving in and out of cars and people. The bike was squeaking; it was old as shit. I hadn’t been on an actual bicycle in years. What they said about not forgetting how to ride one was apparently true.
It felt like all the air had been sucked out of my body by the time I arrived at South Hampton Hospital. Sweat was pouring off me. It was a good thing we were in a hospital because there was a decent chance I might collapse.
I ran to the front desk. “Where is Labor and Delivery?”
“Fourth floor.”
Out of breath, I ran to the elevators and banged several times on the up button.
When I got upstairs, I went straight to the nurses’ station. “My girlfriend, Gia Mirabelli, is in labor.
Help me find her.”
“Are you the father of the baby?”
“Yes.”
“Your name?”
“Ru…” I stopped myself. “Heathcliff Rushmore.”
“ID, please?”
I took my license out of my wallet and handed it to her.
“Excuse me a moment.” The woman got up and walked down the hall.
Did she just fucking walk off and leave me?
Where the hell is Gia?
She returned with a plastic bracelet that she wrapped around my wrist. Then looked up at me and smiled. “Come right this way.”
My pulse was racing as I followed her down the hall. I looked down at the bracelet, which simply said Mirabelli along with a bunch of numbers.
When she opened the door to Gia’s room, I nearly fell over. Whereas I’d previously been in a rush, everything came to a screeching halt.
Time just slowed down.
My heart squeezed with an unidentifiable feeling as I walked toward the bed where Gia was lying with a beautiful baby clutched to her chest, its fingers and toes moving around.
It was alive.
My baby.
My eyes filled with tears as I bent my head down to kiss its soft head that had a full mane of dark hair.
Still staring at the baby in awe, I whispered, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here, Gia. I did everything I could to get here once I got your message. I’d gone into a store without my phone, and there was traffic and—”
“It’s okay. You probably couldn’t have made it anyway. It happened so fast. Ten minutes after I got here, she came out. Everything turned out okay. She’s here.”
I swallowed. “She?”
She smiled, and her voice was hoarse. “Yes, we have a daughter.”