Holiday Homecoming (3 page)

“Ohhhh, here
comes another one.”

“It’s okay,”
Lena said, gripping her hand tighter. “You can do this. Just
remember to breathe.” She inhaled and exhaled with her friend.
“That’s it. Good job.”

“I’m so glad
you’re here. I wanted to ask you to be with me when the baby was
born, but I was afraid there would be too many painful
memories.”

“I’ll never
forget, Ali. It doesn’t matter whether I’m sitting here beside you
to welcome your beautiful baby into the world or driving down the
interstate. It’s always there. She’s a part of me, no matter
what.”

“She’s so
lucky to have you in her life.”

Lena shrugged.
“I don’t know about that. I think she has the perfect parents to
help guide her, but if I can be there to support her in any way, I
will be.”

“Just like
you’re going to be here to support me tonight?”

Lena smiled.
“You better believe it.”

Liam watched
Sierra going through Alisa’s purse, and he felt angst like pin
pricks on the back of his neck. Something was wrong. He could sense
it. He nodded and smiled politely as Luc Spencer told him about a
stock deal that earned him a bundle. He suggested Liam contact his
broker for the details, but money was the last thing on Liam’s mind
when he saw Trey make his way over to his wife. Liam watched them,
deep in conversation, and the look on his father-in-law’s face told
Liam everything he needed to know.

“Excuse me,
Luc. I need to have a word with Trey and Sierra.”

“No problem,”
Luc said, raising his glass. “We’ll catch up later.”

“Is there a
problem?” Liam asked, slapping Trey on the back.

“You’re damn
right there’s a problem,” Trey said, raising his voice. “My little
girl—”

“Why don’t we
take this into the study?” Sierra said, reaching for her husband’s
hand.

Liam followed
them down the hallway, fear and dread tightening his gut. He hadn’t
seen Alisa in a few minutes, but he assumed she was taking one of
her frequent bathroom breaks. Obviously, he was wrong. “Can someone
please tell me what’s going on?” Liam asked as Sierra closed the
door behind them.

“I’ll tell you
what’s wrong,” Trey said, pacing across the Persian area rug in
front of the stone fireplace. “My little girl is about to have a
baby… without a doctor.” He glared and pointed at Liam. “You need
to do somethin’ about that. Now!”

Liam took a
deep breath and tried to calm down. He suffered from high blood
pressure and had a heart attack shortly after he and Alisa met. She
needed him now. He wouldn’t be of any use to her or their baby if
he landed in the hospital because he let stress get the best of
him. “Listen, Trey, I already told you, this is Alisa’s decision.
I’m going to support her, no matter what you think.”

Trey raked his
hands through his thick black and silver hair and scowled as he
continued to pace. “You should’ve talked some sense into her back
when she first brought up this hare-brained idea. What the hell was
she thinkin’, wantin’ to have this baby at home? That’s just askin’
for trouble, if you ask me.”

“Well, we
didn’t.” Liam stuck his hands in his pockets and met Trey’s glare
with one of his own. His father-in-law had tried to intimidate him
the first time they met. It didn’t work then and it wasn’t going to
work now. The world may see Trey as a famous country singer, but to
Liam, he was just a man like any other. He liked and respected him,
but he wouldn’t be dictated to by anyone. “If you’ll excuse me, I
need to see my wife.”

“Not so fast,”
Trey said, taking a step toward him. “I’m not finished talkin’ to
you about this.”

Sierra cleared
her throat. “Trey, I’ve told you before, this is their decision,
not ours.”

He looked at
his wife a long time before his eyes filled with tears and he
cleared his throat. His voice was husky with emotion when he said,
“You and I both know better than anyone that things can go wrong in
a heartbeat, baby. I don’t want that for them.”

Sierra crossed
the room and slipped her arms around his waist, as she leaned her
head on his chest. “I know that. But you can’t assume the worst. We
have to believe everythin’ is going to be fine.” She tipped her
head back and looked him in the eye. “Alisa is almost full term.
There’s no reason to believe there will be any complications.”

“But what if
there is?”

Trey looked so
tortured, it almost made Liam feel guilty. But he would always side
with his wife above anyone else. Her happiness was the most
important thing in the world to him. “Trey, everything’s going to
be fine. This has been a very uneventful pregnancy, thank God.
There’s no reason to believe there will be any complications during
the delivery. If I thought for a second Alisa or the baby was at
risk, I’d drive them to the hospital myself, no questions
asked.”

Trey gave his
wife a quick kiss before he said, “Do you mind if I have a quick
word with Liam, sweetheart? You go on in and sit with Alisa. We’ll
be right there.”

Sierra looked
back and forth between her husband and son-in-law, looking
uncertain. “Okay, but don’t be too long. Alisa needs you, both of
you.”

Trey waited
for his wife to close the door behind her before he turned to Liam.
“Look, you know I wasn’t too crazy about you marryin’ my daughter,
but during the past couple of years, I’ve come to know you and
respect you. You’re more than my son-in-law, Liam. I consider you a
good friend.”

Liam shared
the sentiment. Trey had become someone he could count on, unlike
his own father, who was more interested in amassing wealth than
raising a family. “I feel the same way.”

“I’m askin’
you now, as a friend, please don’t let her do this.”

Liam sighed as
he sank into one of the leather guest chairs in front of the desk.
“Listen to me. I’m not getting any younger. This may be the only
child Alisa ever has. I want this to be a beautiful memory for
her.”

Trey claimed
the chair next to Liam and dropped his head into his hands. “You
assume everything will go smoothly, but there are no guarantees.”
He looked up with a pained expression. “You can’t even begin to
imagine what it’s like to hold your baby in your arms as she takes
her last breath. Nothin’, and I mean nothin’, can ever prepare you
for that. It’s like a part of you dies, right then and there, and
no matter what you do, or how long you live, you know you’re never,
ever gonna get it back.”

Liam swallowed
the lump in his throat. As a father, he couldn’t imagine what it
was like for Trey and Sierra to lose their premature newborn. “I’m
sorry for what you had to go through. I know it must have been hell
for you, for both of you, but this isn’t the same thing. Alisa’s
almost full-term, and there’s no reason to believe there will be a
problem.”

“Really?” Trey
sat back and folded one leg over the other. “What if the baby’s
breech, is in distress, or Alisa starts hemorrhagin’ and that
goddamn midwife can’t stop the bleeding because she’s not a doctor
and she doesn’t have the medication she needs to take action? Are
you willin’ to take that kind of risk with your wife and baby?
’Cause I sure as hell ain’t.”

Liam didn’t
know what to say. He hadn’t allowed himself to consider the worst
possible scenarios. He hadn’t built his empire worrying about what
could go wrong. He took action and dealt with consequences when and
if problems arose. But this was different. They were talking about
two people who meant the world to him. If anything happened to
either one of them, he didn’t know how he’d go on living, knowing
he could have done something to prevent the tragedy if he heeded
Trey’s warnings.

Sierra tapped
on the door and stuck her head in. “I just got off the phone with
the midwife. The roads are a bit slick because of the snow, so she
didn’t feel comfortable driving. Ryan and Brianna are on their way
to pick her up now.”

“Thanks,
Sierra,” Liam said, feeling numb.
What the hell am I supposed to
do now?

Ryan Spencer
didn’t argue when his good friend Brianna Cooper offered to drive
his Audi to pick up her cousin’s midwife. His all-wheel drive
handled much better than hers on the slick roads, but since he’d
already had two drinks at the party, she said she had no intention
of letting him get behind the wheel.

He loved that
she cared so much. Even though he’d dated countless women, he never
had a better friend than Brianna. They grew up together, their
families were the best of friends, and as the years passed, Ryan
began to question whether his feelings for her were evolving into
much more than platonic friendship.

“You okay?”
Ryan asked, looking at her hands.

They clenched
the wheel so tightly her knuckles were turning white. “Yeah, sure.”
She turned up the volume on the country music station filtering
through the speakers. “I love this song.”

“Clint Davis
is our client,” Ryan said, tapping his fingers against his leg in
time to the music. “He’s a great guy, and if his debut album is any
indication, he’s got one hell of a future in this business.”

Ryan and his
brother, Evan, took over their father, Luc’s, company, Titan
Records, earlier that year, and Clint was one of the artists his
brother had signed. They knew the first time they heard his demo
they had to have him on their team.

“There’s
something unique about his voice. It’s so sexy and raspy.” She
laughed as she fanned her face. “I checked out his website the
other day. My God, is he gorgeous, or what?”

They had
always talked to each other about their dates, but now Ryan felt a
twinge of jealousy every time he heard her mention another man’s
name. “I think he has a girlfriend.” Ryan didn’t know why he
blurted that out. She hadn’t asked whether the man was available;
she merely said she found him attractive. He knew he was crazy to
let it bother him, but no one ever accused him of being
rational.

Brianna
snapped her fingers and shot him an amused, sidelong glance. “There
goes my chance.”

Anxious to
change the subject, Ryan asked, “How’s school goin’?”

“Good.” She
grinned. “I’m happy to be finishing soon.”

“Still excited
to get out into the real world?” Evan had offered Brianna a job at
Titan Records when she graduated law school in the spring, a
decision Ryan still had mixed feelings about. He adored Brianna and
loved hanging out with her, but he didn’t know how he would feel
about seeing her every day. Seeing her more often may make ignoring
the feelings he successfully repressed for longer than he cared to
admit impossible.

“Excited and
scared,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Ryan had the
overwhelming urge to reach out and slide the soft tresses between
his fingers. He knew that it felt like fine silk. He’d held her in
his arms dozens of times over the years, when she cried over a
broken relationship, sad movie, or bad test grade. She was his
friend. He had to keep reminding himself of that before he did
something stupid like…

He tipped his
head back and closed his eyes as that night came flooding back to
him. Brianna was dating one of his friends and they were all at a
party together. Ryan led her outside to get some fresh air. He’d
been drinking, and the filter that usually censored his thoughts
and actions must have drowned in his booze because he pulled her
flush against him for an intense kiss that blew both of their
minds. He told her the truth, that he couldn’t stop thinking about
her, that he wanted her, but she laughed it off and pushed him
away.

She didn’t
take him seriously because he’d never been serious about a woman in
his life. But she wasn’t some random woman. She was the person who
made him laugh when he felt down, nursed him back to health after
dozens of hangovers, held his hand when they went bungee
jumping…

Brianna
snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Hello, are you still
with me?”

“Sorry, baby.”
He silently cursed the endearment when she gave him a strange look.
They didn’t have that kind of relationship. They weren’t friends
with benefits. They were just friends, plain and simple, except
nothing he felt for her was simple. It was complicated and
confusing and he felt caught between two worlds: the bachelor’s
life he’d known and loved and the woman he believed he may be
falling
in
love with. “I, uh, guess my mind was somewhere
else there for a minute.”

“I’m worried
about Alisa.” She propped her elbow on the door and scraped her
hand through her hair. “What if something happens with the baby?
What if she needs a doctor and—” She shook her head, curling both
hands around the steering wheel. “No, you know what? I’m not even
gonna let myself go there.”

Ryan grabbed
her leg. It was supposed to be a show of support, but the current
that charged up his arm reminded him that nothing was the same
between them since that kiss. “She’ll be fine. She has Liam, and
you know he’d never let anything happen to her or their baby.”

Brianna
smiled. “He’s such a good guy. I’m so glad Alisa found someone like
him.”

Ryan withdrew
his hand and stared out the window as she rounded a corner. “You
ever hope to meet a guy like him someday?” Just thinking about her
with someone like that hurt, because he knew Liam was everything he
could never be. Responsible, secure, the kind of guy a woman could
count on in a crisis. He had never been that guy. Partying and
having a good time were his forte, and Brianna knew that, which was
why she’d never take a risk on him. Even he had to admit he was a
terrible bet.

“Sure, every
girl dreams about meeting a man like that someday. He’s perfect:
gorgeous, smart, successful, and it’s obvious she’s the center of
his world.”