The Nurse's Newborn Gift (15 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

K
RISSY
FLED
S
PENCER
'
S
APARTMENT
, his building, and his life. Then she loaded J.J. into his car seat in her car and drove. “How could I have been so stupid? To actually believe he cared about me?” Needing to hit something she pounded on the steering wheel at each slow moving vehicle in her way, each red traffic light that delayed her escape. She needed speed, needed to get away.

Of course she'd known their relationship would end at some point, but tonight's revelations had come out of nowhere, everything had been going so well. Or so she'd thought.

Jarrod didn't trust you, after all.

Spencer didn't trust you, either.

Krissy sucked in a breath. What about Patti and Bart? What had Jarrod written in his letter to them? Is that why they were moving to White Plains? To be closer to Krissy so they could check up on her, too? Because they didn't trust her with J.J. either?

Krissy's chest burned with hurt.

As if he could tell something was very wrong, J.J. started to cry. “It's okay, baby.” But it wasn't okay. Nothing was okay.

And yet, as angry and hurt as she was, she slowed the car, knew she shouldn't be driving reckless. She was a mother now, a good, responsible mother, no matter what anyone else thought. Rather than flying into a rage or running away, she needed to find a way to
make
things okay, for herself and her son, starting with getting out of the car so she could dry his tears and hug him close and reassure him that he was safe and loved.

“A few more minutes, honey. Just give me a few more minutes.”

Not wanting to return to her apartment ever again, and having no place else to go, she drove to Kira's.

Later that night, laying on a new twin bed in the extra room at Kira's house, alone in the dark, Krissy listened and watched the light on the baby monitor for any movement. Only in her second trimester of pregnancy, ever efficient, ever prepared Kira already had her nursery partially set up. So it made sense to put J.J. to sleep there, at least to Kira. But Krissy missed having him close, no longer liked being alone.

When she heard the front door to Kira's house open, she forced herself to sit up and wipe her annoyingly weepy eyes, then she forced herself to stand and walk and act like her world hadn't fallen apart this evening. “Hey,” she said to Kira who was walking up the stairs, carrying bags of stuff she'd gone to get from Krissy's apartment, even though Krissy had insisted it could wait until tomorrow. “Need help?” Without waiting for an answer, she met Kira halfway and took the bags from her right hand.

“Feeling better?” Kira asked.

“Yes,” she lied. “Thank you so much for letting J.J. and me stay here for a little while and for getting my stuff. I won't stay long, I promise.” Just long enough to figure out her next move.

“Stay as long as you want,” Kira said, planting a kiss on Krissy's cheek as she walked past. “I need to use the bathroom.”

From behind Kira, on the stairs, carrying the baby bath, the bouncy chair J.J. loved, and more bags of stuff from her apartment, Derrick said, “Don't think you have to leave because of me. Kira's family is my family.” Kira had hit the future husband jackpot with that man, a keeper for sure.

“Thank you.” When Derrick put down his bundles, Krissy went over to give him a hug. “At least I know J.J. will always have you to look up to and learn from.” She hugged him tighter.

Derrick hugged her back. “I am going to be the best uncle in the history of uncles.”

See, she didn't need Spencer. J.J. was going to grow up just fine. Krissy was going to be just fine too...as soon as the ache in her heart went away.

“I'm making tea,” Kira said, joining them in the foyer. “Anyone else want?”

Derrick walked over to Kira and put his arm around her shoulders, but he spoke to Krissy. “She drinks tea before bed then complains when she has to get up in the middle of the night to pee.”

Kira smiled up at him. “Sometimes you like it when I wake up in the middle of the night to pee.”

Derrick gave her a very sexy smile back. “Sometimes I do.” He kissed her.

There was so much love between the two of them. Despite her heartache, Krissy couldn't help feeling happy for her sister. No one deserved the love of a good man more than Kira.

“I've got an early day tomorrow,” Derrick said. “I'm going to bed.”

After another loving kiss for his fiancée, he headed down the hall.

“Come sit with me,” Kira said, walking back into the kitchen. “Since you've been seeing Spencer, we haven't had much sister time.”

Sister time sounded perfect, so Krissy pulled out a chair and took a seat at the counter. “As long as you know I'm still not ready to talk about what happened tonight.” Aside from the humiliation of learning Jarrod hadn't trusted her to raise his son on her own and Spencer's actions had been motivated by an obligation to his friend and lust, rather than any real care for her, this was Krissy's problem, Krissy's life. And she'd deal with it on her own.

“That's fine,” Kira said, carrying her mug of tea to the counter and sitting next to Krissy.

“What?” Krissy eyed her sister. “That's fine?” She hit the side of her head trying to clear a fake blockage from her ear canals. “Did you say that's fine?” She studied Kira's face, staring into her eyes, looking... “You must be an alien imposter,” Krissy said. “Because my
real
sister would be questioning me and analyzing the information provided and telling me what I should do.”

Kira smiled. “Derrick lectured me all the way home from your apartment.” She dropped her voice to mimic him. “She has to fix this on her own, Kira. You can't solve all of her problems, Kira. She's a grown woman, Kira.”

Yes, she was. “Have I mentioned how much I love my soon-to-be brother-in-law?”

“You and everyone else,” Kira said. “While he's not always right, I think in this instance he is.” She reached out and squeezed Krissy's hand. “Just know I'm here for you. I'm here to listen when you're ready to talk, to be a sounding board, if you want one, to give my opinion if, and only if you ask for it. I'll babysit. I'll pack up your apartment and move all of your things wherever you tell me to move them. I'll act as intermediary between you and Spencer so he can play a role in J.J.'s life, if that's what he wants, without you ever having to speak to him again, not that I think that's the best course of action, but it doesn't matter what I think. The decision of what path your life will take from here is all yours and yours alone.”

With Kira's words fresh in her mind, the first major decision Krissy made was to cancel on Sunday dinner at Patti and Bart's. She felt awful about that, especially since she'd been the one to suggest starting them up again. But she wasn't ready to see any of them.

The following week, Patti called to say Spencer wouldn't be joining them for Sunday dinner and offer Bart's services to drive her and J.J. into and home from the city. Wanting to talk to them alone, Krissy agreed to dinner, but declined the offer of transportation. She was fully capable of driving herself into the city. And on Sunday, she made the trip without any problems. J.J. slept, traffic moved, she found a great parking spot close by, and actually wound up arriving twenty minutes early. Bart met her down in the main floor entryway so she didn't have to carry J.J. and the diaper bag up the stairs.

“Look at that big boy,” Bart said as he hurried down the stairs. “He looks like he's doubled in size since I last saw him.”

It'd only been two weeks, and they'd Skyped twice since then. “Thanks for coming down to get him.” Krissy lifted J.J. out of the carrier she wore draped across her front and handed him to Bart. “Go to Grandpa.”

Recognizing his grandpa, J.J.'s legs started to pump with glee.

“He's smiling.” Which made Bart smile too.

“He's been doing that a lot lately.” So had Krissy, she was moving on with her life and things were going well.

Up in the apartment, Patti greeted her as warmly as ever. “I'm so happy you came.” She gave Krissy a tight hug. “How was your trip?”

“Not bad at all.” Krissy set her bags on the floor then maneuvered out of the baby carrier. “But the downside of me coming by myself, is I didn't have enough hands to bring dessert.”

“I know you like fruit salad,” Spencer said from the doorway into the kitchen. “So I brought some. No bananas or strawberries.”

Spencer
.

He looked so good in his dark blue jeans and blue and white striped polo shirt. But Krissy forced her eyes away, turning to Patti who now held J.J. “You told me Spencer wasn't coming.”

Spencer answered. “If you knew I'd be here, you wouldn't have come.”

True.

“We need to talk,” Spencer said.

Krissy looked from Spencer to Patti to Bart, who had conveniently positioned himself between her and door. “So you're all in on this.” They were ganging up on her, and Patti and Bart had taken Spencer's side, which made it clear, whatever concerns Jarrod had shared with Spencer, he'd also shared with his parents.

“We're not taking sides,” Patti said. “We're simply watching J.J. so the two of you can talk out your problems uninterrupted.”

Spencer walked toward her, looking so serious, so weary. “Give me fifteen minutes. If you want me to go after that, I'll leave.”

Figuring the sooner he said what he'd come here to say, the sooner he'd leave, Krissy agreed. “Okay.”

Looking relieved, Patti, who was still holding J.J., turned to follow Bart, who carried the diaper bag, down the hall to their bedroom. The door clicked closed behind her.

Spencer took a seat at the kitchen table.

Krissy grabbed a glass and filled it with water then she sat too.

“I've given this a lot of thought.” Spencer held out an envelope labeled with his name in Jarrod's handwriting. “I want you to read the letter Jarrod left for me.”

Krissy reached for it.

Spencer held it tight. “First, you have to promise to read it through from start to finish without getting angry or upset or asking questions. Second, after you're done reading, you have to agree to keep quiet and give me a full ten minutes to explain.”

His expression dire, Krissy wasn't sure she wanted to read it. But curiosity got the better of her, and she nodded. “I promise and I agree.”

With suddenly sweaty hands, she opened the envelope, took out the letter, and started to read.

Hey Spence,

If you're reading this, I guess I zigged when I should have zagged and I'm dead. Well, doesn't that suck? I hope I went out in a blaze of glory doing something heroic.

I know we're on shaky terms right now because you don't agree with my reason for joining the Army. But it's my decision, my life. And if my plan works, and Krissy and I wind up together, well, it'll be a happy life indeed. Sure, I'm not a fan of getting blown up in some foreign country, but if I do what I've been trained to do, I should be fine. Anyway, in the States, I could get killed simply crossing the street, right? No honor in that.

Now for the important stuff. If I know Krissy—and I know her better than anyone—she's probably waited until the last possible minute to give you this letter. So by now you can probably tell she's pregnant. Surprise! The baby is mine. I wish I could see her belly rounded with my child, wish I could be there to run to the store to buy stuff to satisfy her crazy cravings and hold her hand through labor and help her care for and raise our child. But obviously I can't.

In my absence, Krissy will try to do everything on her own, but she can't. She'll need help. And I expect you, my oldest and best friend, my blood brother since the third grade, to be there for her. That's why I made you the baby's godfather.

You're the best guy I know, Spence. I trust you to help Krissy raise my son or daughter the way I would have. Not because I don't think she's going to be a fantastic mother—because I know, without a doubt, she's going to be a fantastic mother. And not because I don't think she'll raise my child right—because I know she will. But I don't want her to have to do it alone. I don't want her to struggle and sacrifice, like so many single mothers do.

I know you had a crush on her at one point. I saw the way you used to look at her when you thought no one would notice, like you wanted to strip her bare and get down to business on the closest flat surface. Yet you never acted on that urge, at least as far as I know, out of respect for me, I'm sure. Another reason you're the best guy I know. Maybe I
should have bowed out. I'm pretty sure she had a thing for you for a while, too. I'm selfish enough to admit, I liked it better when the two of you were fighting than when you were lusting after each other.

But things have changed. With me no longer in the picture, there's no one I'd rather Krissy be with more than you. I know you'll treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

If she's not in a relationship, or the guy she's with is her typical A-hole of a boyfriend, and if you're not in a serious relationship, I want you to turn on the charm and win her over. Dig deep. Remember how you used to feel about her before you two started fighting, reignite that old spark. Be nice. Be helpful. Be there when she needs you.

You were always so quick to see the bad in Krissy. Well, I got news for you, buddy. No one's perfect. Get over the past. Look at her. Really look. Past her pretty face and hot body, beyond her flirty behavior and sarcasm, deeper, to the sweet, thoughtful, special woman she is inside. Honest to God, I am giving you a gift, the life I always wanted for myself, a fun, loving woman who, if you let her, will make you happy. I know she will.