Temporary (Indelibly Marked #2) (24 page)

“Did you do this to yourself?” James kept up his bulldog
stance.

“I just wanted to be an apprentice.”

“Well, I think we would all be in agreement that there’s no
case here.” James resumed his seat.

Happy mediator lost some of her pep. “I should say that you
might have a case against Mr. Lipson.”

“I think for all concerned, we would like to let the matter
drop.” James cleared his throat.

Their side of the table collectively nodded.

In less than the time it took to have papers served to them,
it was over.

“My brother’s baby is being born I need to go.” Emily stood,
whispered something to James and ran out the door, leaving nothing but a waft
of her perfume in her wake.

The door slammed behind Ivan. Yes, it was over, everything
was over. Tomorrow he would be back to where he started, single and Shane’s
second in command. Titles he didn’t realize he’d outgrown until it was too
late.

Chapter
Twenty-One

Emily’s lungs burned as she rushed for Lindsay’s room.
Miraculously, Dillon managed to drive the four miles to the hospital through
rush hour traffic in under twenty minutes. He dropped her off in front and told
her to run. The last text from Shane told her the doctor said it would only be
a little while, and she hurried to get to her sister-in-law before she gave
birth. Thankfully, the few minutes passed in a blur, and she had no time to
think about the lawsuit or Ivan or herself.

She skidded in front of the door, nearly tripping on the
sensible shoes she wore for the mediation, gave one warning knock and entered.
“Wow.” Rather than a stark hospital room with yellowed white walls and monstrous
equipment spewing strange sounds, their room was more like a nice hotel suite
with a big regular bed covered in a pleasant floral bedspread and faux antique
dressers.

“There she is.” Carson stood from a cozy little chair and
motioned her inside. “I told you she wouldn’t miss being here for anything.”

“Never.” She tiptoed further into the room, putting on a
huge smile for her family. After all, the birth of her first niece or nephew
should be one of her happiest moments. Her teeth hurt at the sight of Shane and
Lindsay, sweetly in the bed together.

“Sure, she arrives after my wife almost pulled my Mohawk
out.” Shane shook his head.

“I got an epidural.” Lindsay waved and held her hand out. “I
could be having a contraction right this second but it doesn’t matter.”

Emily instantly took the invitation and hugged her. “I’m so
excited.” After everything, at least she would have her niece or nephew. “Fill
me in on all the haps.”

“Mom and dad are on the way, and mom and dad-in-law are on a
plane.” Shane gave her a hug. “Lindsay is almost done dilating and then we will
have a kid.”

“I can hardly wait.” Emily sat at the edge of the bed.

Shane glanced toward the door. “Where’s Ivan?”

She tightened her hold on Lindsay’s hand. “Why?”

“Because the two of you have been inseparable.” He nodded.
“I’m glad he’s been there for you while Car and I have been out. What do you
guys do without me?”

Shane’s question came more loaded than a double-barreled
gun. Emily caught Lindsay’s focus.

“I need some more ice chips.” Even in labor Lindsay knew to
save the day.

As quick as a shot, Shane twisted around got the cup and the
spoon and held it out to his wife. “So what did you guys do?”

Her heart wanted to answer. Tell her big bad brother that up
until the moment when her almost boyfriend committed a crime, they’d spent
their free time together in every way imaginable. After she stopped the steam
from coming out of Shane’s ears, she would sit back and let him beat the crap
out of his best friend for killing her from the inside out.

“No,” she whispered to herself. Ivan’s secret would remain
safe between them. Ruining their friendship wouldn’t mend her heart.

“No what?” He waved his hand in front of her face. “Why is
that such a hard question?”

She inhaled, trying to come up with a stock answer that
wouldn’t include the words making love or lawsuit.

“Let’s see how the mother-to-be is doing.” The doctor came
booming into the room followed by a nurse.

Saved by the man in white, she turned to Lindsay while the
man did his check.

“I cannot tell you how many people have looked between my
wife’s legs today.” Shane wrinkled his nose.

“Well, it looks like we are ready to go,” the doctor
announced. “It’s up to you who you want in here during the birth, Mrs.
Elliott.”

“I’m out of here.” Carson raced for the door.

“I think I’ll let you and Shane have your moment, you’ll be
overwhelmed with family soon enough.” Thankful for some time to sit and wallow,
she kissed her brother’s Mohawk and then Lindsay.

“We will let you know the second you’re an aunt,” Shane
called after them.

Carson pushed her out of the door and pointed down the hall.
“They have a little waiting room with soda and stuff down there.”

She let Carson lead the way and hoisted her purse up to find
her phone, to only succeed in dropping the whole bag. A lipstick, a pen, and a
pack of gum made a break for it, and she bent down to get them back. “Shoot.”

“Don’t lose this, it’s the perfect pink.” Out of breath,
Ivan knelt next to her and corralled her possessions.

Damn her stomach for fluttering at the sight of him.

They stared at each other.

“Come on guys.” Carson kicked the pen toward her. “It’s
going to be a while.”

“Maybe that will give us some time to talk.” Ivan held up
the lipstick.

Without speaking, she plucked the lipstick from Ivan’s
fingers. For once she had to be smart.

“I’ll get some snacks. Meet me in there.” Carson pointed to
a little room.

Instead of waiting for anyone to open the door, she stomped
inside. “You can go with Carson.”

“What? And miss all the fun here?” Ivan sat down in a row of
chairs.

She took seat a chair away from him.

They sat in silence for well over forty minutes. She never
studied a wall with such interest before. One thing she learned, the waiting
room was not nearly as nice as the hospital room.

“How long does it take to have a baby?” Ivan broke the
silence.

“Nine months.” Where the hell was her brother? Dillon or
Carson would do perfectly as a distraction at the moment.

“Ha, ha, ha.” He crossed his legs. “How long, once we are in
the waiting room stage?”

“I don’t know, I guess anywhere from a few minutes to a
whole bunch of hours.”

“Maybe while we wait we can talk.”

“I think we should just sit.” She sucked in her cheeks to
suck in her words.

“I’m not going to ask you again if we can talk.” Ivan attempted
not to move his lips as he spoke.

Emily willed Carson to hurry back from the cafeteria with
their snacks. “You not asking is the same as asking.”

“Fine. I didn’t want to talk anyway.” Ivan tapped his foot
and picked up a magazine on parenting.

“Maybe you should read an article about reverse psychology
since you are no good at it.” Not sure what she wanted, she opened her purse
allowing the aromas of leather, gum and makeup to calm her.

“According to you I’m no good at a lot of things.” He almost
tore the magazine turning the page.

“Well you are good at becoming a stereotype.”

At last the door opened to the maternity waiting room and
Carson entered. “I’m almost done with my serving duties and then anyone who
wants anything can go get it themselves.” He doled them each out a soda, gave
Ivan a candy bar, her a bag of nuts, and took his spot in the chair between
them. “It took forever at the cafeteria and then I talked to some old guy for a
minute, his wife is having some gallbladder thing.”

“How am I a stereotype?” Ivan slid to the edge of his seat.

The sadness of their wrecked relationship had turned into
bickering. Maybe that meant healing had begun, but she doubted it. “How are you
not?”

He tilted his head.

Fine, she would give it to him, but first she took her time
opening her soda and taking a dainty sip. “The hair, the tattoos, the
motorcycle, and now you’ve capped off the whole tortured bad boy thing with a
crime.” She crossed her legs.

“Crime?” Carson’s voice came out jumbled by the candy in his
mouth.

“Well, then I guess with your pink hair and big doe eyes and
that whole leather and lace act you got going on, you’re as much as a
stereotype as I am.” He pointed at her, his hand coming close to Carson’s face.

She swiped Ivan’s hand away from her brother. “I guess all I
would need to complete the picture is to get pregnant with your baby and then
cry about how you’re not around.”

“Are you pregnant?” Carson sat up straight.

“Are you pregnant?” Ivan leaned forward.

She turned her attention to her bag of nuts.

“Are you?” Both men raised their voices in almost rehearsed
unison.

“I would never get pregnant with the likes of you.” She
turned away.

“The likes of me?” He tapped her shoulder. “The man who
risked everything to save your brother’s shop?”

She glared over her shoulder at him. They’d achieved what
they wanted and she should be thrilled, but in the process she lost it all.

“How did you save the shop?” Carson put his hand up. “Are
you pregnant? Also, why are the two of you dressed like that?”

“By the way, I miss the Emily you are when you’re with me.”
Ivan shook his head.

Her breath caught.

The door to the waiting room opened and a nurse stepped in.
“Are you the Elliotts?”

Neither she nor Ivan answered.

“Yes.” Carson waved his hand.

“Then you have a baby to see.” The lady nodded.

“Wow, that was fast.” Carson jumped up.

“At least one thing was easy today.” She stood. “Let’s go.”

“Emily.” Ivan’s voice lowered.

Focused on the goal to see the baby, she shook her head and
followed the nurse back to the hospital room.

She peeked inside the room and her heart swelled. Where
there was once only two, now there was three. Instantly her eyes blurred with
hot tears, and she blinked to focus on the little bundle in Lindsay’s arms.

“Come on, someone wants to meet you.” Lindsay motioned her
over.

With metered, silent steps, she took her place at the edge
of the bed. Carson came in next to her with Ivan bringing up the rear.

“Oh!” Emily bit her lip at the tiny person with the perfect
little scrunched up face, all wrapped up and brand new.

For the first time ever, their crew remained silent. Already
the little individual had performed miracles.

At last, the baby moved, opening its eyes for a scant second
and slipping a hand out from the blanket.

“Look.” Carson pointed. “It’s real.”

“It’s amazing,” Ivan whispered. “Good work, guys.”

“My daughter would prefer not to be called an it.” Shane put
his arm around Lindsay.

“A girl!” Visions of hair ribbons and pink dresses and tea
parties filled Emily’s head. She pressed her lips together, holding her breath
and waiting to hear the name of the child they’d waited for all those months.

“We tried to think of every combination name, and when it
came down to it, we couldn’t have done this without the three of you.” Lindsay
took her time to look at each of them.

“So we are proud to welcome to the world, Harlow Carmily
Elliot.” Shane nodded. “We sort of had to make up the middle name, but I think
it has a ring to it.”

If she and Ivan had stayed together they would have been
standing side by side, sharing what no doubt had to be one his finest moments.
His best friend since childhood gave the first of the next generation Ivan’s
last name. Forever her niece would carry part of Ivan with her.

“I don’t know what to say.” Ivan’s voice came out hoarse and
disjointed. “I’m honored.”

She glanced over at him. His complexion was pale with a bit
of a flush across his cheeks, and she noticed that his eyes had glossed over
with tears. Her ultra tough man would make one hell of an uncle. The only
problem was that he didn’t belong to her anymore. She’d hoped he would become
an official member of the family, only in a different way.

She returned her focus to the beautiful bundle. “I love her.
I loved her before, but now she’s here.”

Lindsay smiled. “Do you want to hold her?”

“More than anything.” She sat down in the rocking chair next
to the bed and watched as Shane picked up his daughter. Never had she thought
she would see him with a baby.

“Time to meet your aunt.” He gave her a soft kiss on her
forehead, transferred his most prized possession to her, and pulled the blanket
off her head. “Do you want to see the best part?” He ran his fingers across the
baby’s shock of dark brown hair sticking up, like a Mohawk. “No doubt she is my
kid.”

For the first time since the day Lindsay went on bed rest,
Emily’s heart sped with excitement and thrills rather than anxiety and
heartbreak. Well, the heartbreak still existed, but she tried to push it away
and concentrate on her niece.

Harlow squirmed in the new set of arms, but she settled
right down. “She’s so perfect and light.” Proud to show everyone her
accomplishment at holding a baby, she lifted her head and caught Ivan watching
her. Not a glare or a pout, only a simple stare. Every part of her ached, and she
turned back to Harlow.

“I know the last few weeks have been hard, but we have a
little something to thank you all.” Shane went over to the closet and pulled
out three boxes. He handed the first one to Carson. “Open it.”

Carson lifted the lid off the box. “A tattoo machine? This
isn’t for a baby.”

“No, it’s for you. You have officially finished your
apprenticeship. When you go back to work, you are a tattoo artist.”

The light beaming off Carson’s Hollywood smile outshined any
star in the sky, or in the studio.

Ivan patted his back and Shane shook his hand.

Harlow made a little unhappy noise and Emily took the hint
and as if she were holding the most fragile crystal sculpture, stood and
returned the infant to her rightful owner. “Congratulations.” She gave the
youngest of her three brothers a hug.

“Now that your hands are free, you can open this.” Shane
gave her a flat gold box.

The box seemed empty, and she took off the lid to reveal a
gift certificate. At first she assumed it would be for a spa or something, but
the word tattoo caught her eye and she read it. “Good for one completely custom
and entirely Elliott tattoo in a place a brother can see without getting
grossed out.”

“I think I finally raised you right and like a tiger earns
its stripes, you have earned your tattoo.” Shane bowed, took her hand and
kissed it. “Don’t tell mom or dad.”