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Dr. Wyatt walked in with that damn smile on
his face. “How are you doing, Arianna?”

I wanted to tell him to fuck off. Instead, I
smiled. “Good.”

“So, I hear you want an epidural,
Arianna?”

“Ah, yeah, that would be really awesome if
that could happen…like before the next contraction.”

Too late.

“Coming faster are they? Let’s take a look at
how far along you are, Ari.”

Dr. Wyatt looked up at me and smiled.

“I hate to be the one to deliver this news,
Ari, but you’re at ten centimeters. The baby is crowning. You’re
ready to push.”

“What? Oh no… no, no, no, you have to push
him back in! I’m not ready yet.” Panicking, I looked over at Jeff
and my mother, who both had goofy-ass smiles plastered on their
faces.

“I wish I could, Ari, but it looks like your
little guy is ready to make an appearance.”

Then, another contraction
hit me.
Oh god.

“Jeff, come on over to the right hand side
of, Ari. You might want to take her hand.”

Jeff let out a laugh. “I think I’ll
pass.”

I snapped my head at him, and he stopped
laughing.

“I’m only kidding, baby.” He took my hand and
kissed the back of it.

My mother was on the other side of me,
stroking my head.

“Are you really sure you couldn’t just push
him back in enough for me to get the epidural?”

Dr. Wyatt just laughed and winked at me.

Does he think I’m kidding?

“Alright, Ari, I need you to give me a good
strong push when the next contraction starts.”

***

Motherfucker.
If I was told to push one more time, I was going
to scream.

“One more good push, Ari, and I think we’ll
have it.”

I leaned up and pushed as hard as I
could.

“Shit,” Jeff muttered.

I realized I was squeezing the hell out of
his hand.

Good. I hope it broke.

Then, I felt an instant relief.

“Here, Jeff, time to cut the cord.” Dr. Wyatt
said.

Lying back down, I looked up at Jeff and saw
he was crying. The moment I saw him cry, I started to cry. The
nurse laid a towel on my stomach and then placed our son on me.

He was perfect.

I glanced at my mother, who was crying like a
baby. Then, I turned my head back to Jeff. He looked white as a
ghost while he watched whatever Dr. Wyatt was doing.

Then he looked at me and our son.

He leaned down and kissed me so sweetly.

“I’m so proud of you, Ari. You did it baby.”
He looked at our son and smiled.

The nurse leaned in to scoop up our son, and
then she walked with him over to a table.

“Can I go with him?” Jeff asked me.

“Of course!”

I watched as they did what they needed to do
to our son. I glanced down at Dr. Wyatt. who looked up at me.

“You had a third-degree tear, Ari, so you’re
going to be pretty sore. I’ll have them give you something for the
pain, and they’ll explain how to take care of everything before you
leave the hospital.”

He stood up, walked over to my side, and
smiled.

“Congratulations, Ari, and you as well Susan.
You have a beautiful, healthy baby boy.”

After I thanked Dr. Wyatt, I wondered why I
wasn’t feeling any pain. One of the nurses came over and helped me
to slowly sit up. I started to move.

“Holy shit.”
There’s the pain.

“I’ll get your pain medication, Mrs.
Johnson.”

I smiled at her. “Thank you, and please call
me Ari.”

***

I watched as one of the nurses walked up to
Jeff, who was standing next to me now. She placed our son in his
father’s arms for the first time. Jeff had tears rolling down his
face, and I couldn’t help it, I started crying again.

Then, Jeff cleared his throat and spoke to
our son for the first time.

“Luke, I am your father,” Jeff said in his
best Darth Vader voice.

My mother and I both busted out laughing.

“So, we agree on his name?” I asked.

“Yeah, baby, we agree on the name. Luke, it
is.”

Jeff kissed Luke on the forehead and then
turned to hand him to me. The moment Jeff placed him in my arms,
something happened. Something inside me changed.

I looked into those beautiful eyes, and it
was like he was looking into my soul.

“Hey, little bit. Well, I hope you’re ready
for a ride, baby boy.”

He just stared at me, and I stared back at
him. He was perfect. He had a perfect nose, perfect lips, and
perfect ears. I pulled back the blanket, counted all of his toes,
and then looked at every finger. I kissed both of his hands and
then looked up at Jeff. He quickly wiped away a tear that was
running down his face.

“Are you happy, Ari?”

“I’ve never been so happy in my life. What
about you?”

“I feel like I’m on cloud nine, and I’m
scared to death to wake up if this is a dream.”

My mother laughed, and we both looked at
her.

“Enjoy it no. In a couple days, you’ll wish
it was all a dream when he wakes you up every two hours.”

The nurse, who was standing there, started to
laugh.

“Oh my gosh, Mom, really?”

My mother moved to stand next to me, looking
down at my little man.

“He truly is beautiful, Ari and Jeff.” Shall
I have the others come in? You know your father is probably about
to die.”

“Sure,” I said with a smile.

My mother left the room, and the only person
who came back in with her was my father. He walked up to Jeff and
shook his hand before he came to stand next to me. He gave me a
kiss on the forehead and looked down at Luke.

“Daddy, meet Luke Drew Johnson.”

“Mon petit-fils belle.”

“Yep, you’re beautiful grandson.”

“Et ma belle fille.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“Mom, would you like to hold him next?”

“Oui, I would.”

My mother held Luke while my father looked
on.

Jeff leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“Are you hungry, baby? Do you want me to go
get you something to eat?”

Oh, I could have jumped him and started
kissing him that very moment. Just the fact that he asked if I was
hungry turned me on.

“I’m so hungry that I’d eat my horse right
now if I could.”

***

Gunner, Ellie, Josh, and Heather all came
into the room and took turns holding Luke after I made them all
wash their hands twice.

Jeff was back with Rudy’s
Bar-B-Q.
Oh my gosh, it smells so
good.

I’d been hinting to everyone for the last
hour that I was exhausted. I finally ended up just telling everyone
to get the hell out.

“Are y’all driving back to Mason tonight?” I
asked.

“Yeah, I think so unless y’all want to crash
at my place,” Heather said.

Gunner looked at Ellie and smiled. “I think
we’ll just head to a hotel tonight. I’m too tired to drive. Oh,
wait. Shit, we took your truck Jeff.”

“No worries, Gun. I got your truck keys from
your dad, and I followed Heather here in your truck. I figured you
were going to need it,” Josh said.

Gunner walked up to Josh and slapped him on
the back.

“Dude, you rock.”

***

When the last person was out the door, Jeff
collapsed onto the sofa that pulled out into a bed. I would have
thought he had just given birth to an almost eight-pound baby. He
fell asleep in less than two minutes. The nurse walked in, looked
at him and smiled.

“It’s from worrying about you. It totally
wears them out.”

“Uh huh.”

She let out a giggle. “Do you want me to wake
him up, so I can open the sofa bed?”

“Nah, he’s alright.”

“Ari, I’m going to take Luke for a few hours
to the nursery. When did you feed him last?”

“Just a few minutes ago.”

“Great. I want you to get some sleep, okay?
If you need to get up, make sure wake up your husband or call
me.”

The moment she left the room, I closed my
eyes. I drifted off into a deep sleep, dreaming about Jeff and Luke
riding by the river while I followed behind them. Right behind me
was a little girl, a bit older than Luke, riding on a white
stallion. She had brown curly hair and emerald green eyes. When I
turned around to look at her, she smiled at me, and I felt my whole
body get warm. A feeling of complete peace took over.

“Don’t worry, Mommy. I’ll never leave
y’all.”

My little angel would always be with us.

CHAPTER
FIFTY-EIGHT

HEATHER

Josh and I decided to head back out to Mason
the day after Luke was born.

After we’d left the hospital, we had gone
back to my apartment and did nothing but make love and talk until
three in the morning. We woke up the next morning, went out for
breakfast, and planned on heading out to the ranch. I had never in
my life felt so complete and happy. It was the happiest I’d been
since my parents passed away. Being with Josh was beyond
amazing.

I called Jeff to see if there was anything
they needed for Ari or Luke before they got home. I made a list of
a few things, and Josh and I hit H-E-B before heading back to
Mason

Josh’s cell phone died yesterday afternoon.
We stopped and bought a charger, so it could charge on the way out
to Mason.

We were just walking out of H-E-B when my
cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and saw that it was
Ellie calling.

“
Hey, Ellie! Have you seen
Luke and Ari today?”

“Yeah, they’re both doing wonderful, and I
think they might get to go home today. If not, then they’ll be
heading home tomorrow for sure.”

“Okay, well, I’m heading back to Mason right
now with Josh, so I’ll be sure to cook up a few meals. I know Ari
asked if I could stay a few extra days to help out, so I probably
will.”

“Um, Heather, I need to tell you
something.”

“Okay, is everything alright?”

“Is Josh not answering his phone?”

“His battery died yesterday. He just bought a
charger, and it’s charging right now. Why?”

“Jim has been trying to get a hold of him.
They came back a few days early from their trip.”

My heart started pounding. Lynda was back and
probably trying to get a hold of Josh.

“Okay…”

“Heather, Lynda was in a car accident
yesterday when she was heading over to Josh’s apartment.”

I stopped walking.
Oh god, no.

“Is she.”

“She’s in the hospital, but she’s banged up
pretty bad. She’s been asking for Josh.”

I looked at Josh. He had been smiling, but
now, his smile faded.

“Which hospital?”

“Brackenridge.”

I handed Josh the phone and started to walk
toward my car. I heard him talking to Ellie…and I heard the panic
in his voice.

“I’ll have Heather take me over there right
now.”

Josh hung up with Ellie and walked up to me.
“Can you please take me to Brackenridge? I’ll figure out a way to
get my truck later.”

“Um, sure. Yes, of course.”

He helped me put the items that I had picked
up in my car, and then he jumped in on the driver’s side. I walked
around and got in. I looked at him, but I didn’t even know what to
say.

***

The ride over to the hospital was completely
silent. It was clear Josh was not going to talk to me.

He looked over at me and gave me a small
smile.

“Will you come up with me?”

“Why?”

“I need you with me, Heather, I’m not sure
how bad she is, and I don’t know if I should say anything about
us.”

“Josh, of course, I’ll come up with you, but
Ellie said she was in bad shape. I don’t think now would be the
time to tell her you want to break things off.”

Josh slammed his hand on the steering wheel
and cursed.

“There is always something that gets in the
damn way.”

***

As we walked into the hospital, he took my
hand. He held on to it until the elevator doors opened, and he
dropped it before he walked out.

Jim and Michelle were standing at the nurses’
station. Michelle turned around and saw Josh coming toward them.
She walked over to him, gave him a hug, and started to cry. Josh
looked at me. He looked so confused.

“We’ve been trying to get a hold of you,”
Michelle said.

“I’m sorry. My phone died. We left Mason in a
rush yesterday when Ari went into labor, and I didn’t grab my
charger.”

“Where were you last night, Josh?” Michelle
asked.

“By the time we left the hospital, it was
late and.”

“He crashed at my apartment since he drove in
with me from Mason,” I said as Josh turned to look at me.

Michelle smiled at me and then turned back to
Josh.

“She’s in bad shape. She has a broken leg, a
few broken ribs, a concussion, and her left eye is black and
blue.”

Shit.

Josh grabbed my hand right in front of
Michelle, and he asked if I would go in with him. Michelle looked a
bit confused, and it was not lost on me when she looked down at our
hands.

“Of course, I’ll go in with you if you need
me to,” I said.

We walked into the room and I tried to take
my hand from Josh’s, but he held on to it tight. Lynda looked over
at us, and immediately, she looked down at our hands and then back
up at Josh. She tried to smile, but I could see the hurt in her
eyes. Although she was hurting, I still didn’t trust her,
especially not after she’d lied to me about Josh asking her to
marry him.

“Josh…” Lynda said.

He let go of my hand and walked up to the
side of her bed.

“Hey, I’m so sorry this happened to you,
babe.”

My heart slammed into my chest when he called
her babe. She tried to smile at him. When she glanced at me, I
smiled. If looks could kill, I would have been on the floor in two
seconds flat.