Angus took a step back, muttering, “No harm asking.”
“Except for the fact you sent my blood pressure through the roof. I’d rather not suffer a stroke five months before my child is born,” Cash clipped.
Abby went rigid at his side and Cash realised his mistake instantly.
His head tilted down to her. “Darling –”
She curled into him and her hand came to his stomach. “It’s okay. I’m sorry. It’s the circumstances. I’m just being stupid.”
“Don’t apologise,” Cash bit out with irritation at himself. “What I said was thoughtless.”
“What you said was in anger,” she told him, leaned in, tipped her head back and gave him a small smile. “Cash, you can’t guard against everything you say just because I’m an overly-sensitive idiot.”
“I can try,” Cash returned and she gave it to him, the look he saw often, the look he had mistaken as awe the first time he saw it.
Then, it was her burgeoning understanding that she loved him and what they had growing between them was what she deemed “magical”.
Now, it was the shining knowledge of the same thing.
He dipped his head and touched his mouth to hers as her arms stole around him. When he was done, he brushed his nose alongside hers and he watched close up the brightness of love turn to the warmth of contentedness.
She could wear his diamonds and the seven hundred pound boots his money bought her.
But Cash knew the best thing he’d ever given her was the same peace she’d given him.
“Conner!” he heard Mrs. Truman call (once she’d learned his real name, she never used anything but and also, when she was annoyed which meant quite frequently, she addressed him by all three of his names).
Cash’s head came up and he looked at the door.
Angus moved out of the way and in his arms he felt Abby’s body grow solid.
Kieran stood there looking alarmingly haggard.
Then he grinned.
“It’s a boy. Ten fingers, ten toes and thankfully breathing on his own,” his relieved eyes moved to Abby, “Jenny’s fine.”
Cash took the entirety of Abby’s weight as she sagged against him.
Then she buried her face in his chest and he felt her body tremble with silent tears.
Angus let out what could only be described as a very loud “whoop”.
Cassandra shouted, “Hurrah!”
“I need to call Fenella and Honor,” Nicola mumbled, moving to the chair that held her purse.
Suzanne, Mrs. Truman and James were all standing. Mrs. Truman, to Cash’s surprise, allowed Suzanne to hug her. Then Suzanne walked into James’s arms which closed around her tight and she pressed her face in his neck. James turned his head and kissed Suzanne’s temple.
Cash’s own arms tightened around his wife.
She leaned back and looked at him, tears wet on her cheeks. She came to her toes and touched her mouth to his, her arms giving him a squeeze. Then she gently pulled away, swiping at her face and moved to Kieran who was disengaging from his own surprising hug from Mrs. Truman.
Then Abby stood by Kieran’s side as he accepted congratulations.
Then she walked with him hand-in-hand, gracefully moving away in her elegant high-heeled boots to go see her friend.
Cash watched his wife’s departure, his eyes riveted openly and without even a hint of shame, on her exquisite ass.
Edith Truman sat in the corner of Jennifer’s hospital room, her arms curved protectively about a tiny, blanketed bundle. Her head was tilted low, her eyes on the scrunched up, sleeping face, her mind marvelling at the miracle.
Conner was sitting by Jennifer’s bedside. Abigail had somewhat forcefully declared that she was taking Kieran to get him some dinner. Kieran had not wanted to leave and only did so when Conner assured him he’d look after his wife.
And that was precisely what Conner did, not leaving her side for an instant.
“Cash,” Edith’s sharp ears heard Jennifer whisper softly.
Edith didn’t move anything but her eyes. They’d never know she was watching them. She saw that Conner’s head was turned to Jennifer. His hand was resting on the bed beside hers.
From the beginning Edith had liked Conner’s hands. They had long, tapered fingers and were nicely veined. You could tell a lot by a man’s hands and his were strong, capable and handsome. Three words, Edith thought, that quite aptly defined Conner Ewan Fraser.
“Yes?” Conner murmured in reply to Jennifer’s call.
“I want to tell you before I tell Abby because –” Jennifer started then stopped and Edith watched her bite her lips.
Edith was always telling her to stop doing that but did Jennifer listen?
No.
“What is it, Jenny?” Conner urged softly, his words held a kindly invitation which stated without him having to explain that she was safe to say whatever she pleased to him.
Their relationship had not started well. This was something, to Edith’s annoyance, which had never been fully explained to her. However Edith wasn’t born yesterday and she reckoned (astutely) it had to do with Jennifer not wanting to let go of her grief for her best friend’s first husband and Conner’s determination to be his replacement.
Over the years that had changed. Mainly because Jennifer adored Abigail and Conner made Abigail blissfully happy.
Not to mention, although Edith would never tell anyone this, Conner was a highly likable fellow.
“We’ve named him Benjamin,” Jennifer announced carefully and Edith guarded her astounded reaction to this news.
Benjamin, Edith thought, was a good enough name.
She preferred Mortimer but that was just her.
However it was also clear why Jennifer and Kieran had named their child thus. Both had been close with Abigail’s first husband.
This was meant to be a posthumous honour.
It would also be a constant reminder to Conner of Abigail’s past, blind devotion to her dead husband which, Edith thought irritably, wasn’t very considerate of Jennifer and Kieran.
Edith watched Conner who, gallantly Edith thought, didn’t show even the slightest reaction.
However he said with honesty and genuine warmth, as well as demonstrated it when his hand closed around Jennifer’s, “Abby will be pleased.”
“Um,” Jennifer went on cautiously then quickly, “actually, we’ve named him Benjamin Conner.”
Edith felt the air in the room go still.
She lifted her head and didn’t even pretend not to watch openly as Conner held his body rigid for a moment. Then he came partially out of his chair, bent to Jennifer’s forehead and kissed her there, never taking his hand from hers.
He sat back down and said in a rough, low voice that explicitly betrayed intense emotion, “Now I’m pleased.”
Jennifer, face still wan and tired, smiled at him.
Edith dropped her head to look at the baby again blinking rapidly to quell the tears that were pricking at the backs of her eyes.
With iron determination she succeeded in this effort.
The door opened and Abigail and Kieran walked in.
Kieran went directly to his wife.
Abigail smiled at her friend then her husband then she walked to Edith.
She lifted her hands and wriggled her fingers. “Come on, Mrs. Truman, give him up.”
Reluctantly, with an irate glare at Abigail to show irritation was exactly how she felt, Edith did as she was told.
Abigail walked slightly away, cuddled the baby close and cooed to him in a soft voice.
Conner approached his wife and slid his arms loosely about her body.
Kieran sat on Jennifer’s bed and held her hand with one of his as the other stroked her cheek.
Edith took a mental snapshot of Kieran and Jennifer, something she’d learned to do a long time ago in order to pull them out and savour them in her far-less-frequent-now lonely times.