Chapter Twenty-Five
Stronger Than You Think
Grant
I paced the waiting room floor for hours waiting for news. When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor took one look at Elizabeth and started barking orders, as did I. I may have even threatened a hospital administrator or two if anything happened to her or my child.
Maya and Travis showed about an hour after we arrived. She immediately called Elizabeth’s mother, Gail, to let her know George would be there within the hour to get her. Not knowing her phone number since I had gotten rid of it before? I dispatched George to her house as soon as they took Elizabeth into surgery. I figured Maya would either be able to reach her or George would have to wake her up. Either way I was getting her here.
Travis and Maya sat in the corner of the room. She looked sick with worry. I almost felt sorry for her. I was too wrapped up in my own feelings to worry about hers though.
Her head rested on his shoulder and it made me jealous that Travis had that. I used to have that. Until I was a royal idiot and screwed it all up. Now I didn’t know if I would ever be able to have it again.
Gail came running into the room with tears streaking her face. “My baby! Is my baby okay?”
I grabbed her in my arms and pushed her head into my chest where she sobbed uncontrollably. I stroked her hair and let her cry. Her breakdown was nothing less than what I felt like doing in that moment.
All night, memories of Elizabeth played in my mind, haunting me.
The first time I saw her was at one of my client’s parties. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her face was lit up as she laughed at something someone said. And when she smiled, I knew she was the one for me. I immediately asked around and when I found who she was and what she did, I told Madison to hire her. I needed to know her and everything about her. She became my obsession.
And then I wasted so many months, after Travis told me about her rule of not dating clients, not pursuing her the way I wanted to. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t sure how to get what I wanted. And I wanted her. I wanted her with an all-consuming fire inside.
I remembered our first date at the Waldorf and the way she looked up at me like I was something special. The way her soft words and enthusiasm for a history that was so important to me made everything in my life feel right in that moment.
I remembered the first time we made love and how I knew I wanted to keep her forever, but then it was all ruined when she mistook the flowers I sent to her as being degrading. And how I squandered away so much time waiting for her to come to her senses and come back to me instead of just claiming her like I knew I should have.
And when I remembered the tortured look on her face when I broke her heart, I practically doubled over and cried. If she made it through this, I was going to spend the rest of my life trying to make things right with her and for her. She was always going to be able to rely on me, and I would love her and the baby the way they deserved to be loved.
I had laid in bed so many nights with an empty feeling in my heart after we broke up. I knew, deep down, she was my dream. The one I waited for for years. I was just too stupid to put my insecurities aside and admit it. Devereaux would be ashamed of me for my actions towards Elizabeth. Now I was faced with never having that dream become a reality, and it was completely terrifying. Especially for someone like me who was used to controlling situations.
When Gail’s cries slowed, she asked again if we knew anything.
“Nothing yet,” I whispered and her body bucked with a fresh set of tears.
“Mr. Morgan.” I looked up to see the doctor walking in. Maya quickly came over and divested me of Gail, supporting her while I went to talk to him. “Your daughter and wife are going to be fine.”
“Daughter?” I croaked out, my throat thick with emotion. I loved the thought that I could have a wife and daughter. And I wasn’t about to correct him in regards to Elizabeth. If I had my way, she would be my wife soon anyway.
“Yes. A daughter. Would you like to see her?”
“I do. But what about Elizabeth? Is she alright? Can I see her too?”
He gave me a loopy grin and said, “She’s going to be just fine. I think her due date was calculated wrong, which means your daughter was only a few weeks early, rather than almost two months. Elizabeth’s sleeping now so if you’d like to see your daughter first, we can arrange that.”
I nodded and grabbed Gail’s hand. She gave me a grateful look when she realized I wanted her to come with me.
The doctor led us into a room where we washed our hands. He spoke quietly to a nurse who smiled and led us over to a tiny little pink bundle in a bassinet.
Gail whimpered and squeezed my hand. “She’s perfect.”
“She is.” I sniffled and wiped a tear from my eye. “Can I hold her?” I asked the nurse.
“You can. I’ll just leave the two of you alone for a bit.”
Not knowing what to do, I watched as Gail tucked her hand under the baby’s head and bottom, lifting her in her arms. She kissed my daughter’s tiny little head and handed her to me.
“Just be sure to support her head. You might think you’ll hurt her, but trust me, she’s stronger than you’d think.”
I nestled my daughter on my chest and kissed her head. My hands were practically as big as her tiny little body. Her eyes were closed, but when I looked down on her, I was totally enraptured by her sweet face. It was probably too early to tell, but I knew she was going to be as beautiful as her mother.
I sat in a rocking chair and held my sleeping daughter for so long that Gail eventually left to go check on Elizabeth. I wanted to see her badly, but I couldn’t find the strength to leave my baby girl.
When she started to stir, I got a little nervous. I was unsure of what to do. I had never spent any time in the company of babies before. I was grateful when a nice nurse came in with a bottle and showed me how to feed her.
I couldn’t fathom how different I felt in that moment. I was feeding my child. It was so crazy to think about. Elizabeth gave me such a precious gift. My world was centered on this tiny little miracle in my arms. It was so wild. My mind was having trouble comprehending anything other than the fact that I loved her with an intensity that overwhelmed me and brought me to my knees.
After I burped her and she was sleeping again, I gave her back to the nurse and went in search of Elizabeth. I needed to see her. I needed to touch her, and to know for certain she would be alright.
Her room was dark, and she was still sleeping. I sat in a chair next to her bed and held her hand tightly in mine.
“Thank you, Elizabeth. She’s perfect. You need to wake up, love. Our daughter needs you. I need you.”
I rested my forehead on our joined hands and closed my eyes. I must have fallen asleep because I jolted awake when Elizabeth stirred and groaned in pain.
“Wake up my dear, sweet Elizabeth,” I whispered and her eyes slowly opened. I watched as she attempted to focus on me. “That’s it, love. Come back to me.”
“What happened?” She whispered hoarsely.
“You went into preterm labor. There were some complications, but everything is fine now. Our daughter is healthy and perfect.”
“How… how did you know?” Her eyes looked wild and scared as she studied my face.
“It doesn’t matter. What matters now is that you get healthier and stronger. We can talk about everything else later. Do you want to see her?”
She nodded, so I buzzed the nurse and instructed her to bring the baby in.
One look at Elizabeth holding the baby, and I wanted to weep knowing my dream was sitting right in front of me.
“What are we going to name her?” I asked when Elizabeth was breastfeeding our daughter.
“Genevieve. I was thinking we could call her Vivi.” She looked up at me, and I could see the guilt in her eyes. “I know you didn’t have much say in her first name, but would you like to pick her middle name?”
“I’d love to. Genevieve,” I let her name roll off my tongue. It was such a pretty name. Classic and elegant, just like her. “Genevieve Rose?”
“Hmmm,” she thought about it for a few seconds. “I like it.”
“Genevieve Rose Morgan. It suits her.” I smiled at Elizabeth and tears started running down her cheeks.
“I think so too. I’m really sorry, Grant. I have no excuse for not telling you. I was so scared and selfish and self-absorbed. I didn’t really think about how it would affect you.”
“Shhh.” I put my finger over her lips. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Gail, Maya and Travis chose that moment to filter into the room. I quietly stepped out, leaving them to visit and get to know Vivi. I needed to get Madison to work on setting up a nursery and getting Elizabeth’s things packed and moved to my house.
Besides, I had a lifetime to spend with them.
?????
Elizabeth
Matt walked into the hospital room, just as I had finished feeding Vivi. I held her to my chest and burped her while he looked us over.
“She’s beautiful just like her momma,” he said with a crooked smile. “I’m really sorry.”
“For what?” I watched him fold his body into the chair at the side of my bed.
“I never would have left you the other night if I’d known.”
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “You couldn’t have known, honey.”
“What if we had actually had sex? I could have killed your baby or something. You don’t think that what we did caused your early labor do you?”
I laughed at the frightened look on his face. “No. I don’t think what we did caused it. Besides I’m fine, Vivi’s fine, everything is fine. Promise.”
“What are you going to do now? I mean, are you going to stay with Travis?”
I nodded my head. I was still planning on staying on my course with raising the baby. Now that Grant knew she was his, we’d work something out. I wasn’t sure how he was ever going to forgive me. All I knew was that we had to find a way to work things out. I wanted him to be a part of her life, even if he would never be a part of mine.
“I want you to come to Chicago with me. You and the baby. I want to take care of you. I still love you, E.”
I cupped his cheek in my hand and gave him a sad smile. “Your friendship means so much to me. And I love you too. Just not the same way you love me, Matt. I can’t go to Chicago with you.”
“I was afraid you would say that. Even if you don’t love me that way, we could still make a go of it. Just say you’ll think about coming back with me.”
“Over my dead body,” Grant’s voice boomed in the small room. “You aren’t taking my daughter anywhere.”
Matt glanced between the two of us. “So I take it he knows?”
“I do know. And I also know that you aren’t going anywhere near my child.”
“Grant,” I said with frustration. “Matt was just trying to help. And if you’d let me finish instead of eavesdropping, you would have heard me tell him that I couldn’t leave my mom or take Genevieve from her father. I have enough sins to atone for. I don’t need to add that to the list.”
“E, the offer will always stand. I see the two of you have some things to discuss.” Matt kissed my forehead and patted Vivi’s butt before nodding his head at Grant and leaving.
“Sorry, I just assumed,” Grant said sheepishly. His hands were stuck in his pockets, and he rocked back on his heels.
“It’s fine. I’m just tired and snappish anyway.”
“I hear you’re getting sprung tomorrow.”
I stretched and reclined back on the bed. Grant took Vivi from me, so I tried to get more comfortable.
“That’s what they say. I have to call Travis and make sure he can pick me up. Grant, we need to talk about how we’re going to handle things now that she’s born. You can come see us any time you want. Day or night.” I picked at the blanket nervously. This conversation could go either way. I wasn’t sure what he expected from me.
“That won’t be a problem. All your stuff has already been moved to my apartment. Your mom and Maya are unpacking it as we speak. And Madison is putting the finishing touches on Genevieve’s nursery as well.”
“Wait. What? We can’t just move in with you!” I exclaimed too loudly, and Vivi started to stir.
“You can and you will. I’m not wasting another moment without my daughter.”
I felt trapped and backed into a corner. How could I possibly fight this? I had denied him of his daughter, which was low. Now I was going to have to pay my penance. Manhattan was full of non-conventional families. That wasn’t what scared me. What scared me was when the day came that he would date.
Oh God. That thought made me sick to my stomach.
“I can only agree to a trial basis. And I want whichever guest room is closest to her room. I don’t want you to be too bothered by her.”
He stared at me for several moments, and I was afraid he was going to argue with me. He was a lawyer after all. They were good at negotiating their own terms.
“First of all, I could never be bothered by her. It pisses me off that you could say that. Second of all, if that’s what you want then that is what you’ll get. We’ll find a way to make this work.”
He set a sleeping Vivi in her bassinet and took his phone out. “I better go make some calls and verify everything is all set for tomorrow. I’ll be back later.”
“Okay,” I sat stunned when he kissed the tip of my nose.
When the door closed behind me, I looked out the window and tried to shift through my confused thoughts. He was being way too cool about everything. I wanted to trust him, but I didn’t know if I could. He obviously was forgetting about the way he felt about me because he was riding the high of being a new father. The fact that he thought I was a whore that slept around with his friends behind his back and used him for money and prestige was still lingering in the background.
F*ck. And now I was going to be living with him, depending on him now that I had saddled him down with a child. Which is exactly what he accused me doing in the first place. This had disaster written all over it.