Shade's Fall
Page 99
“Later,” Shade said to both men, turning toward the path that led to his house.
He was halfway there when he saw her running toward him, her purple dress and black hair blowing in the breeze. Spring flowers she had planted lined the pathway.
His somber expression broke into a smile as he came to a stop, lifting his shades to the top of his head so he could see her clearly. When she got close, he held out his arms and Lily jumped into them, her mouth already turned up for his kiss. He gave her the kiss he knew she wanted; he’d take his when he got her inside their home.
“Did you have a good fishing trip? Did you catch anything?” Lily asked, gazing up at him with love shining in her violet eyes.
“Yeah, two big fish and a small fry.”
“Was it fun?”
“Always.” He looked down into her shining violet eyes. “Did you miss me?”
“Always.”
Epilogue 2
“Where is she?” Vida screamed from the bed.
“She’s right here,” Lily replied, setting her purse down on the chair. “My flight was delayed.”
She went to the other side of the bed, grasping the hand Vida handed her and was immediately squeezed tight. Lily watched the midwife between Vida’s legs and the nurse standing by the necessary equipment. Colton was standing on the other side of the midwife, looking ready to pass out.
Vida screamed.
Lily looked down at her in sympathy. “You do know they invented epidurals just for this purpose?”
“I wanted a natural childbirth. I did it with Lexi and Axel,” Vida panted.
“I told you it wasn’t a good idea then, either,” Lily reminded her.
“I did, too,” Sawyer chimed in.
“Will you two not pick on me when I’m in labor? I know I should have taken the fucking drugs, but it’s too late now.”
The three women looked at the midwife. She nodded back.
Vida’s head fell back as she screamed in pain.
“I don’t remember it hurting this bad,” Lily said, biting her lip in worry for her friend.
“That’s because you took the drugs,” Vida said, grimacing in pain.
“And because your doctor was scared to death of Shade. I thought that doctor was going to have a heart attack by the time you delivered John. That’s why he refused to deliver that one.” She nodded her head at Lily’s protruding belly.
“Shade’s out in the waiting room. Do you want me to go get him?” Lily asked, only half-teasing. Her friend was in a lot of pain.
“No!” everyone in the room yelled.
“Okay.” But if this wasn’t over soon, Lily was going to give the midwife heck herself.
Three hours later, the three of them were fighting over holding the babies. Lily stood, holding one in her arms at the same time that Sawyer sat in the rocking chair, rocking the other one. Their husbands had taken the other children for dinner and were going to bring them all back to the hospital to say goodnight to the babies.
“Have you picked out names yet?” Lily asked, moving toward the bed to lay the baby back in her mother’s arm.
“Yes, I have,” Vida said, clearing her throat.
Sawyer brought the other one back, laying it against her mother’s other side.
“This one,” she nodded toward the baby who Lily had beside her, “is Callie and this one, Sawyer.”
Lily stood, staring down at Vida as she lay on the hospital bed, holding her precious babies. She didn’t know what to say.
Sawyer didn’t have that problem. “That’s going to drive you crazy. You’ll have double tats with the same names.”
Lily sat down on the side of her bed. “Or how about when we go on vacation and we’re all together?”
“I already thought of that,” Vida said ruefully.
“Then why?” Sawyer asked.
“Because I can have it again, and I don’t want to miss that chance,” Vida explained.
“What chance?” Lily asked, reaching out to cover the small, wiggling baby who had kicked off its blanket.
“Watching little girls grow up again together like we did. When I hear them giggling together, I’ll think that’s Callie and Sawyer. When they’re driving me crazy, I’ll think that’s like Sawyer and Callie. But most of all, I couldn’t think of two better namesakes.”
Lily’s finger touched the cheek of her namesake.
“She’s a lucky girl to have both you and Colton as her parents.
“Both of them are,” Sawyer said.
Lily watched as baby Sawyer grasped her namesake’s finger in a tight fist.
“I have something for you, Lily. It’s on the table there.” Vida nodded at the table beside her bed.
Lily got up from the bed, picking up the thick, yellow envelope.
“I found it a couple of months ago when I was cleaning our spare bedroom out for the girls. I had put some stuff in there that was mine and Sawyer’s from our apartment we’d shared. In one of Sawyer’s boxes were her school folders. Her mom had saved all her school stuff. When I looked through it, I found that picture. I’ll understand if you don’t want it.”
Lily looked at her friend to see Vida bury her face in her baby’s neck. Her shoulders were shaking. Her eyes went to Sawyer’s own pained expression.
Lily’s eyes went back to the envelope in her hands, sliding the picture frame out. She gazed down at the picture in her hands. The picture was of the three of them when they were children, sitting at a small table at Sawyer’s apartment. They were obviously playing school. Vida was cutting something, Sawyer was obviously gluing things together, and she was coloring. Sawyer’s mom had taken the picture when the three had been chatting away.
When Lily looked at the picture, she didn’t see the obvious neglect of her dirty hair, clothes that were out of season, or even the bruise on her cheek. All she saw was the love and affection the three little girls shared for each other at that brief second in time.
Lily walked back over, sitting down next to Vida on the bed. “Thank you, Vida. I’ll treasure it. It was the best part of my childhood. Those days of playing with you two were very special to me. I learned everything any child needed from you two; what I hope to pass down to my children, and what I will always thank you for teaching me.”
Lily lay the picture frame down on the bed, reaching for the sweet baby snuggled in Vida’s arms. Her sleeve fell back, revealing the tattoo on the underside of her forearm. Clusters of forget-me-nots clustered around three white Easter lilies with her son’s name, John Wayne; Shade’s name; and Sawyer, Vida’s, and Beth’s, their children’s names written inside the small forget-me-not flowers. Each Easter lily held a different word—Love, Hope and Faith. Only Colton could have given the tat the final touch it needed. Part of the tattoo was shaded, but the other half was enveloped in a golden light carrying the darkness of her pain away forever, leaving behind the birth of a new beginning to be shared with everyone she loved.
Books By Jamie Begley:
The Last Riders Series:
Razer’s Ride
Viper’s Run
Knox’s Stand
He was halfway there when he saw her running toward him, her purple dress and black hair blowing in the breeze. Spring flowers she had planted lined the pathway.
His somber expression broke into a smile as he came to a stop, lifting his shades to the top of his head so he could see her clearly. When she got close, he held out his arms and Lily jumped into them, her mouth already turned up for his kiss. He gave her the kiss he knew she wanted; he’d take his when he got her inside their home.
“Did you have a good fishing trip? Did you catch anything?” Lily asked, gazing up at him with love shining in her violet eyes.
“Yeah, two big fish and a small fry.”
“Was it fun?”
“Always.” He looked down into her shining violet eyes. “Did you miss me?”
“Always.”
Epilogue 2
“Where is she?” Vida screamed from the bed.
“She’s right here,” Lily replied, setting her purse down on the chair. “My flight was delayed.”
She went to the other side of the bed, grasping the hand Vida handed her and was immediately squeezed tight. Lily watched the midwife between Vida’s legs and the nurse standing by the necessary equipment. Colton was standing on the other side of the midwife, looking ready to pass out.
Vida screamed.
Lily looked down at her in sympathy. “You do know they invented epidurals just for this purpose?”
“I wanted a natural childbirth. I did it with Lexi and Axel,” Vida panted.
“I told you it wasn’t a good idea then, either,” Lily reminded her.
“I did, too,” Sawyer chimed in.
“Will you two not pick on me when I’m in labor? I know I should have taken the fucking drugs, but it’s too late now.”
The three women looked at the midwife. She nodded back.
Vida’s head fell back as she screamed in pain.
“I don’t remember it hurting this bad,” Lily said, biting her lip in worry for her friend.
“That’s because you took the drugs,” Vida said, grimacing in pain.
“And because your doctor was scared to death of Shade. I thought that doctor was going to have a heart attack by the time you delivered John. That’s why he refused to deliver that one.” She nodded her head at Lily’s protruding belly.
“Shade’s out in the waiting room. Do you want me to go get him?” Lily asked, only half-teasing. Her friend was in a lot of pain.
“No!” everyone in the room yelled.
“Okay.” But if this wasn’t over soon, Lily was going to give the midwife heck herself.
Three hours later, the three of them were fighting over holding the babies. Lily stood, holding one in her arms at the same time that Sawyer sat in the rocking chair, rocking the other one. Their husbands had taken the other children for dinner and were going to bring them all back to the hospital to say goodnight to the babies.
“Have you picked out names yet?” Lily asked, moving toward the bed to lay the baby back in her mother’s arm.
“Yes, I have,” Vida said, clearing her throat.
Sawyer brought the other one back, laying it against her mother’s other side.
“This one,” she nodded toward the baby who Lily had beside her, “is Callie and this one, Sawyer.”
Lily stood, staring down at Vida as she lay on the hospital bed, holding her precious babies. She didn’t know what to say.
Sawyer didn’t have that problem. “That’s going to drive you crazy. You’ll have double tats with the same names.”
Lily sat down on the side of her bed. “Or how about when we go on vacation and we’re all together?”
“I already thought of that,” Vida said ruefully.
“Then why?” Sawyer asked.
“Because I can have it again, and I don’t want to miss that chance,” Vida explained.
“What chance?” Lily asked, reaching out to cover the small, wiggling baby who had kicked off its blanket.
“Watching little girls grow up again together like we did. When I hear them giggling together, I’ll think that’s Callie and Sawyer. When they’re driving me crazy, I’ll think that’s like Sawyer and Callie. But most of all, I couldn’t think of two better namesakes.”
Lily’s finger touched the cheek of her namesake.
“She’s a lucky girl to have both you and Colton as her parents.
“Both of them are,” Sawyer said.
Lily watched as baby Sawyer grasped her namesake’s finger in a tight fist.
“I have something for you, Lily. It’s on the table there.” Vida nodded at the table beside her bed.
Lily got up from the bed, picking up the thick, yellow envelope.
“I found it a couple of months ago when I was cleaning our spare bedroom out for the girls. I had put some stuff in there that was mine and Sawyer’s from our apartment we’d shared. In one of Sawyer’s boxes were her school folders. Her mom had saved all her school stuff. When I looked through it, I found that picture. I’ll understand if you don’t want it.”
Lily looked at her friend to see Vida bury her face in her baby’s neck. Her shoulders were shaking. Her eyes went to Sawyer’s own pained expression.
Lily’s eyes went back to the envelope in her hands, sliding the picture frame out. She gazed down at the picture in her hands. The picture was of the three of them when they were children, sitting at a small table at Sawyer’s apartment. They were obviously playing school. Vida was cutting something, Sawyer was obviously gluing things together, and she was coloring. Sawyer’s mom had taken the picture when the three had been chatting away.
When Lily looked at the picture, she didn’t see the obvious neglect of her dirty hair, clothes that were out of season, or even the bruise on her cheek. All she saw was the love and affection the three little girls shared for each other at that brief second in time.
Lily walked back over, sitting down next to Vida on the bed. “Thank you, Vida. I’ll treasure it. It was the best part of my childhood. Those days of playing with you two were very special to me. I learned everything any child needed from you two; what I hope to pass down to my children, and what I will always thank you for teaching me.”
Lily lay the picture frame down on the bed, reaching for the sweet baby snuggled in Vida’s arms. Her sleeve fell back, revealing the tattoo on the underside of her forearm. Clusters of forget-me-nots clustered around three white Easter lilies with her son’s name, John Wayne; Shade’s name; and Sawyer, Vida’s, and Beth’s, their children’s names written inside the small forget-me-not flowers. Each Easter lily held a different word—Love, Hope and Faith. Only Colton could have given the tat the final touch it needed. Part of the tattoo was shaded, but the other half was enveloped in a golden light carrying the darkness of her pain away forever, leaving behind the birth of a new beginning to be shared with everyone she loved.
Books By Jamie Begley:
The Last Riders Series:
Razer’s Ride
Viper’s Run
Knox’s Stand
