Beat of the Heart (46 page)

“Sure,” I replied, taking the scissors from him. Once Bella was freed from Mia, the EMT wrapped

her in a blanket and handed her to me. “Sir, I’m going to get you to hang on to the baby while we get

your wife ready for transfer to the hospital.”

Unable to correct him on our marital status, I merely bobbed my head. I couldn’t have spoken if I

had wanted to. I was too enthralled by the tiny bundle in my arms. Even though she was still a little

bloody and messy from delivery, Bella was the most breathtakingly beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my

life, next to her mother that is. Her lungs seemed to be working just fine because she was wailing her

head off, her tiny features scrunched in anger. “Welcome to the world, my love,” I murmured in

Spanish.

At the sound of my voice, she cut off her screams before popping her eyes open to stare up at me.

“Holy shit,” I muttered before shaking my head. “Great, now I’m already cursing in front of you.

You’ll have to cut your old man some slack, okay?” She continued eye-balling me like I was the

greatest mystery in her new world. The truth was she was the greatest mystery in mine—the greatest

treasure I could ever possess.

The EMT’s hand on my shoulder brought me out of my trance. “Okay, I need you to step outside

with the baby, so my partner can get the stretcher for your wife.”

When I eased out of the limo, I found a throng of people had gathered around both the limo and the

ambulance. Thankfully, our EMT’s partner, along with the police, had worked at erecting sheets up to

block the view of any bystanders or paparazzi.

Through the faces, I caught sight of Jake and the others standing to the side of the ambulance.

Walking as carefully as I could, I made my way over to them. “Hey,” I said lamely.

Jake snickered. “Dude, you like you’ve just come back from war. I thought it was Mia birthing the

kid, not you.”

“Shut up, douchebag.” I glanced down at Bella before looking back at him. “Seeing her born,

holding her in my arms—it’s the most fucking intense thing I’ve ever experienced.” At the f-bomb, I

winced. “Great, she’s been here less than ten minutes, and I’ve cussed twice.”

Abby smiled as she leaned down to kiss the top of Bella’s head. “There are worse things you could

do besides cuss in front of her. You’re obviously doing something right because she seems very

comfortable.”

“I guess you’re right.” My attention was drawn over my shoulder where the rattling wheels of

Mia’s stretcher came screeching up to the open ambulance door. Although she was pale and sweaty,

Mia had never looked more beautiful to me. She gave a smile to the others before she was loaded into

the ambulance.

“See you at the hospital, okay?” Abby called.

“Okay,” Mia replied.

“Congrats Big Daddy,” Jake said, before slapping me on the back.

“Thank you.” I smiled before turning to hand Bella to the EMT. I didn’t trust myself to climb inside

with her in my arms. I hopped in and then slid across the bench. The EMT had handed Bella to Mia,

and she was cradling her in her arms with tears streaming down her cheeks. When she glanced up at

me, she smiled. “Thank you.”

“For making you have a baby in the back of a limo?”

She shook her head. “Thank you for giving me everything I hadn’t realized I had ever wanted.”

I leaned over and kissed her. “I feel the same way.”

Blinking my eyes, I tried remembering where I was. The antiseptic smell of a hospital assaulted my

nose, and for a minute, I thought I was back on the Cardiac Care floor at St. Joe’s. But if I was on a

shift, what the hell was I doing in bed? When I shifted slightly, a wave of pure exhaustion rippled

through my body along with an ache between my legs so strong it felt like a Buick had driven straight

through it.

And then it hit me. I’d given birth to my Bella. A replay of the night’s evens came crashing over

me. Oh God, I’d given birth in the back of a limousine outside of a Grammys after party. What could

be more bizarre? I could only imagine by now the story and pictures had been leaked, sending the

media into a frenzy.

My ears perked up at the sound of singing. Turning my head on my pillow, I followed the sound to

where AJ sat in a rocker with Isabella in his arms. I remembered that once we’d gotten to the

hospital, they had taken her from me. After weighing and measuring her, she’d been given back to

feed. Once she finished and left my arms again, exhaustion had set in, and I’d fallen asleep.

Now that I’d woken from my mini-coma, I saw that Bella had been cleaned up, dressed in a onesie,

and outfitted with a tiny cap with an enormous pink bow on her head. As he rocked back and forth, AJ

softly sang to her in Spanish. With wide-eyes, she stared up at him, occasionally flailing her tiny

hands or flicking out her tongue. The expression of pure love and wonderment on AJ’s face as he

stared down at his daughter caused my heart to still and then restart.

When I caught AJ’s gaze, he smiled at me before glancing back down at Isabella. “Looks like

Mommy is finally awake.”

“Have I been out long?” I questioned, as I tried pushing myself up in the bed.

“About three hours.”

My brows popped up in surprise. “Really?”

He nodded. “You needed it though.”

“I guess so.” With a groan, I wiped my eyes. “I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.”

“I would imagine so. You just gave birth, for Christ’s sake.”

“In the back of a limo, no less.”

Instead of making a jab at our situation, he gave me a sincere smile. “Even though it wasn’t here in

the hospital like we would have wanted, it was still the most amazing experience of my life.”

Tears pooled in my eyes from his words and the depth of emotion with which he said them. “It

was, wasn’t it?”

He nodded as he took Bella’s fist in his fingers. “You know, I thought I loved her before, but now

that she’s here, it’s incredible.”

Sniffling, I reached for a tissue on the bedside table. “I love you for loving her so much, AJ. But

most of all, I love you for being the man that you are.”

“I love you too, amorcito mio.”

I wanted to kiss him—to wrap my arms around him and not let go—but I was too tired. I couldn’t

stifle my yawn. AJ smiled. “You just rest, amorcito mio. I’ve got Bella all taken care of. Well, until

she needs some boob time again.”

“Whatever,” I murmured, with a grin.

When AJ started humming to Bella again, I giggled. “You know, you’re setting me up for failure

singing to her like that. What will we do when you’re out on the road, and she’s stuck with tone deaf

me?”

AJ grinned. “Maybe I can go to the studio and lay down some tracks for you to play when I’m

gone.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” I motioned to the bassinet. “You should lay her down for a little

while. I know you have to be tired, too.”

“I’m fine,” he murmured.

“But remember how the baby books all said that we’ll spoil her if we hold her too much?”

“Yeah, well, fuck Dr. Spock and those other asshats.”

“AJ!”

“Sorry. I know I need to watch my language around her.” His blazing black eyes met mine.

“Besides, I thought we both agreed not to listen to those books and raise her in our own way.”

“Yes, I know, but—”

He exhaled a painful sigh. “I just want to do this as long as I can, Mia. I mean, we’ll be leaving for

the East Coast tour in two weeks.” He bit his bottom lip like he was trying not to cry, but the tears

welled in his eyes anyway. “I already feel this choking panic that I need to memorize every detail of

her face, her hands, and body before I have to go so long without seeing her.”

“We’ll Skype together every night, and I’ll text you pictures every day,” I protested, softly.

He gave a quick jerk of his head. “It isn’t the same thing as holding her in my arms, cuddling her

close to my heart, and smelling her sweet, little baby scent.” He pinned me with a glare. “And don’t

you dare say something to lighten the mood like ‘well, you won’t be thinking she smells so sweet at

the next diaper change’!”

“I wasn’t going to,” I murmured. After all the issues we’d had, the only argument AJ and I had

experienced in our last five months together was my decision not to come out on the road with him

once Bella was born. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be with him—I just wanted Bella to have the

comfort and safety of a nursery not on wheels. There was also my job to contend with, which even

though AJ thought it was absurd, I wanted to go back to nursing in a few months. It wasn’t about the

fact we didn’t need the money—it was the need within me to help and heal people.

But as I watched the tears drip off of AJ’s cheeks and onto Bella’s blanket, some of Mama Sofia’s

words echoed through my mind. “Marriage is all about compromise, Emiliana. It’s give and take, but

in the end, it’s always going to be the woman giving more because she’s the soul and heart of her man

and her family. And when it comes to being a mother, there is nothing that you won’t sacrifice to

ensure the happiness and health of your child.” The more those words rolled through my mind, the

more I realized what I had to do. “AJ,” I said.

“Yeah?” he questioned, not taking his eyes off of Bella.

“I don’t want you to have to be separated from Bella or from me.”

He jerked his gaze over to mine. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’ll go on the road with you—if you’d still like that.”

“Like it? I’d fucking love it!” He leapt out of the rocking chair and came to my side. With Bella

nestled in one arm, he leaned over the rails of the bed with the other. He gave me a lingering kiss that

warmed my heart. When he pulled away, his brows furrowed. “You’re really willing to quit your job

and live a chaotic life on a cramped bus just for me?”

“Not just for you.” I kissed the top of Bella’s capped head. “For her, too.” I smiled at AJ. “Like her

mom, she’s blessed with an amazingly, loving father, and she shouldn’t be deprived of one second

with him.”

“Oh God, you make me so happy,” he said, bringing his lips back to mine.

“I feel the same way about you.” And in the middle of a very idyllic, very romantic kiss, Bella let

out a wail that I could only classify, as ‘I want milk, and I want it now!’ Pulling away, I rubbed AJ’s