5 Big Bunny Bump Off (15 page)

A brief exam confirmed that Mom was ready to start pushing. I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and instructed her to do so. I was proud of
Dad, who talked her through the breathing like a pro. Once he focused his attention on Mom, he forgot all about his fear and his aversion to blood.

“Just a little more,” I encouraged as Mom leaned against
Dad and I supported her legs while she pushed with all her might. “Okay, wait,” I said, releasing her legs. “I see the head. I want you to pant, but don’t push.”

“But I have to push.”

“No,” I insisted. “You don’t.”

I made sure the baby was in the proper position and free
of obstacles, then instructed Mom to push once more. My brand-new baby sister slid into my hands. She had ten toes and ten fingers, a dusting of light hair, and the lungs of an opera singer.

“Why is she crying?” Dad asked.

“She’s just letting us know she’s arrived.” I wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her to my mom. Then I let Mom and Dad greet their new baby while I took care of the cleanup.”

“She’s perfect,” Mom whispered.

“She really, really is.” Both Mom and Dad were crying.

I was trying to decide what needed to be done next when I heard sirens in the background. I used every ounce of
energy I had left to pray that the sirens were headed our way. When I heard footsteps overhead, I began to sob. It had been a long and emotional day.

“How did you know we were in trouble?” I asked Zak when he rushed in with the paramedics.

“Carson grew a conscience and called me. He suspected your mom might be in labor and didn’t want anything to happen to the baby.”

“You caught him?”

“No
. He was in the air before he called.”

“He killed Blakely.”

“I know; he admitted as much. He said he didn’t mean to, but he wasn’t used to the gun and it went off. He feels bad, but not bad enough to spend his life in jail. I doubt we’ll see him again.”

“If he was on his way out of the country
, why stop to get his stuff? I mean, he took a pretty big risk, and for what? Some glassware?”

“Actually
, what he wanted were the photo albums that were in the other box. I gather they’re from several generations of Worthingtons. He realized he wouldn’t be able to come back into the country once he left, so he decided it was worth the risk to stop by after your dad called and reminded him that he’d left them here.”

“So what happens with the sale of the house?”

“I bought it from Carson before your parents moved in. It was part of a deal we made. I didn’t tell your dad because I was afraid he wouldn’t go for it, but it’s actually me that’s financing the house.”

“Yeah, it might not be the best idea to tell
Dad, although I’m pretty sure that with everything that’s happened, it’ll come out.”

“It looks like the ambulance is leaving,” Zak informed me. “Let’s follow them. I’ll drive.”

Easter dawned bright and sunny. At least I
think
it was bright and sunny. Truth be told, Zak and I had enjoyed a late celebration the previous evening and were sleeping in that morning. I might not have opened my eyes as of yet, but I could feel the sun shining in through the bedroom window and hear the Mountain Chickadees serenading the coming of spring.

“Happy Easter
.” Zak kissed me slowly on the lips.

“H
mm.” I kissed him back but still didn’t open my eyes, wanting to cherish the moment.

“If you don’t get up
, you won’t be able to see what the Easter dogs brought.”

“
Easter dogs?” I opened my eyes. Charlie and Lambda had joined us on the bed, and both had bunny ears attached to their heads. I sat up, and Charlie climbed into my lap while Zak handed me a beautiful basket filled with all sorts of yummy delights.

“You got me an Easter
basket?” I was pretty sure I was going to cry. It had been years since I’d had an Easter basket, and not only had Zak taken care with each selection, but he’d tied it up with a huge ribbon in my favorite color.

“
The basket is from the Easter dogs,” Zak corrected me.

“Well
, thank you very much.” I hugged both dogs, then encouraged them off the bed before turning to show my appreciation to Zak.

“Not yet
.” Zak kissed me. “Open the eggs. The eggs are from me.”

Inside the basket were three plastic eggs. One was yellow, one was red, and one was purple.

“Open the yellow one first,” Zak said.

I did as instructed and pulle
d out tickets to a Broadway show. I looked at Zak with a puzzled frown on my face because we didn’t live anywhere near New York City.

“I have to go to New York next month to take care of some business
, but this time I thought you could go with me,” Zak explained.

“Really?” I smiled.

“Really.”

“Will Belinda be joining us?” I hoped Zak’s beautiful assistant would
be sitting this trip out.

“Belinda no longer works for me,” Zak informed me. “I thought I mentioned that she got married and moved to France. Married a man we met on one of ou
r business trips, actually.”

“
I guess you forgot to mention that.” The fact that Belinda was no longer in the picture was the best Easter gift I could have received. I’m not sure why I could never get over my jealousy of the woman Zak insisted was just a business colleague and friend. Perhaps it was the fact that at times she spent a lot more time with him than I did.

“
I would love to see New York.” I hugged Zak. “I’ve never been to the East Coast.”

“And I
’d love to show it to you.” Zak grinned. “I can’t wait to share my favorite restaurants and my favorite museums. We can take a carriage ride in the Park and dance the night away at a club. I’ve booked us a suite at one of the best hotels in the city. A very romantic suite,” Zak added.

“I can’t wait.”

“Open the red egg next,” Zak said.

“There’s more?”

“Just a small token. I hope you like it.” Zak looked and sounded nervous.

Inside the egg was a sapphire
necklace with a
very
large stone.

“This is too much,” I gasped as I lifted the beautiful necklace out of the egg.

Zak looked uncertain. “I know you don’t like extravagant gifts, but I saw the necklace and pictured you wearing it. Please let me give this to you. It matches your eyes perfectly, and when I saw it, I knew it was created especially for you.”

It was beautiful and
I could see that this was important to Zak, and he certainly could afford it, even though I would probably have been just as happy with a much smaller stone. I was pretty sure I was going to cry, so I wrapped my arms around Zak’s neck and kissed him in lieu of a thank-you. He lifted my hair and secured the clasp around my neck.

“There’s one more
.” Zak handed me the purple egg.

“Zak
, I really can’t. You’ve already given me so much.”

“Open it.” Zak grinned.

I held my breath and opened it, hoping it wasn’t another extravagant gift. “A feather?”

By the time Zak finished showing me exactly what the feather was for, it was well into midmorning. He made breakfast while I showered and dressed for the play and the egg hunt. We planned to stop by the hospital to visit both Harper and Morgan before we headed to the community center. Morgan was supposed to be released later in the day, but Zak and I wanted to visit while we had the chance.

“Another glass of champagne?” Zak asked as I nibbled on the strawberry I found in my first glass.

“I really shouldn’t. I’d hate to show up at the play sloshed. These pancakes are really good. Do I taste macadamia nuts?”

“It’s my mom’s recipe
, which includes nuts and dried cranberries.”

“They’re really good.” I looked out at the clear blue water just beyond the sand that separated Zak’s deck from the lake. “It’s such a beautiful day. I’m kind of sorry we can’t just lie on the beach and veg. It’s been such an insane week.”

“We could stay home,” Zak said.

I was tempted to do just that as I watched Charlie and Lambda play in the water.

“We need to go by to check on Sophie and her pups. Dad went home last night after Mom and Harper went to sleep, so I’m sure they’re fine, but I promised Mom. She’s really bonded with the little dog.”

“And you did promise to go
by the hospital to visit this morning,” Zak reminded me.

“I did, which means,” I looked at the clock on the back wall of the house
, just outside the sliding door, “that I should finish getting ready since we’re already into afternoon.”

“You look ready to me,” Zak commented.

I held up one leg to reveal a bare foot.

“I guess you should wear shoes. I’ll clean this up and start the truck.”

When we
arrived at the hospital, I went to visit with Jeremy and Morgan, while Zak saw to Jeremy’s bill. I wasn’t sure how Jeremy was going to take the news that Zak intended to pay it in full, but in the end, I was pretty sure he’d be relieved not to have to begin his life with Morgan deeply in debt.

“
You brought Morgan an Easter basket.” Jeremy smiled when I walked through the door of the room he’d been using with a giant basket tied with a pink bow and filled to the brim with baby supplies, as well as a stuffed doggie.

“It
is
Easter. How’s the little princess doing today?”

“She’s perfect,” Jeremy gushed
as we peeked into the bassinet where Morgan was sleeping. She really was an adorable baby, with chubby cheeks and tons of dark hair. “The nurse said I can take her home once the doctor checks her over. I’m really excited
and
really nervous.”

“Jessica and Rosalie are waiting for you at your apartment,” I assured Jeremy. “And I spoke to Phyllis
, who has assured me that you can move into the town house any time you’re ready. Levi and some of the guys from the single parents group are organizing a moving party as we speak.”

“You really did take care of everything. How can I thank you?”

“You can run the Zoo while I’m in New York next month.”

“You’re going to New York?”

“With Zak, who, by the way, is taking care of your hospital bill as we speak.”

“I can’t let him do that,” Jeremy insisted. “I mean
, it’s a wonderful gesture, but . . .”

“Zak wants to do it. I think it makes him happy to do nice things for the people he cares about. He can
, at times, go over the top just a bit,” I added, pulling out the sapphire necklace that had been resting against my chest under my dress.

Jeremy whistled. “Wow.
Zak bought that for you?”

“I know it’s a bit much
, but it meant a lot to him to give it to me.”

“Then perhaps you shou
ld wear it on top of your dress,” Jeremy suggested.

“Good point. It’s just so
. . .”

“Overwhelming?”

“Exactly.”

“It
’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it really is. The longer I look at
it, the more I love it.”

“I stopped by to visit your baby sister on my way in this morning. She sure is a cutie. It’s so awesome that Morgan and Harper will be the same age. I bet they’ll be best friends.”

I thought about my friendship with Ellie and Levi. “Best friends are the most important thing in the world.”

“I never really had a lifelong best friend
, like you are with Levi and Ellie,” Jeremy shared. “There were different people I considered to be my best friend at specific times in my life, but I look at the three of you and see how you have one another’s backs no matter what, and I realize what I’ve been missing. I hope Morgan and Harper will be close friends.”

“I’m sure they will be. We’ll start them off young with playdates as soon as they
’re old enough to play.”

“Agreed.”

“Everything is taken care of,” Zak said as he joined us.

“I don’t know how to thank you.” Jeremy
looked up at Zak as he walked toward us. “Zoe told me what you did, and it’s just so . . .” Jeremy looked like he might cry.

“It’s nothing
.” Zak shrugged. “Zoe and I talked about it, and we agreed that it would be nice if she could travel with me some of the time, so we’re promoting you to assistant manager of the Zoo and giving you a nice raise and a comprehensive health plan as part of your management package. My taking care of your bill is simply part of that health plan.”

Jeremy looked like he might pass out. “Really?”

“Really,” I confirmed. “You know I love the Zoo, but Zak has to travel more than I like, and he convinced me that it wouldn’t be so bad if I was able to go with him at least part of the time. I assume you want the job?”

“Hell yeah I want the job. And thank you. Both of you. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.”

We talked to Jeremy for a while longer and then went down the hall to give my new baby sister an Easter
basket of her very own. Harper was awake, so Mom encouraged me to hold her while we talked.

“She has our eyes,” I commented. Both
Mom and I have blue eyes with thick, dark lashes.

“And your dad’s nose,” Mom added.

“She’s the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen.” I have to admit I was completely smitten with my sister. I’d never been a human-baby type of person before Harper was born. Ellie loved babies and small children from an early age and babysat her way through junior high and high school, while I was drawn more toward puppies and kittens and other babies of the animal variety.

“We still need a middle name,” Dad said. “Harper is made up of a combination of my middle name and your mom’s middle name
, as you well know because it was your idea. We’d like Harper to share a middle name with her big sister, so that her name as a whole represents all of us.”

“You’re going to name her Harper Harlow?” I asked.

“If it’s okay with you,” Dad said.

“It’s more than okay. I love it.”

“Okay, then, Harper Harlow Donovan it is.” Mom looked happier than I’d ever seen her.

“Do you get to go home today?”

Mom nodded. “It seems you did an excellent job of delivering your baby sister. The doctor didn’t see any complications from the unorthodox birth.”

“I’ll come by the
house this evening to visit. If you don’t think you’ll be too tired.”

“I’d love for you to come.”

“I’ll bring dinner for everyone,” I offered. “Zak and I are going to the community picnic for a while, but I won’t eat much so I can have dinner with my family.”

“Did you check on Sophie?” Mom asked.

“I did, and she’s fine.”

“I told you,” Dad commented. I think he was hurt that
Mom had asked me to check on her.

“We’re going to need to start looking for homes for the puppies
,” I said.

“Already?” Mom
’s face fell.

“They won’t actually go to their new home
s until they’re eight weeks old, but we want to find just the right families to adopt them, so it’s never too early to start thinking about it.”

“It’s going to be so hard to let them go
.” Mom sighed.

“We can’t have seven dogs,” Dad cautioned.

“I know, it’s just that they’re so cute, it’ll be hard to say good-bye.”

“Trust me
, by the time they’re old enough for new homes, you’ll be more than ready to have them move on. Once puppies start to get around, they’re a
lot
of work.”