Finding a Hart Read online

Just having her close made me feel better and I began to relax again. When I looked up to meet her eyes a moment later, she was watching me. I could almost see the wheels turning her head but she smiled encouragingly again.

  “You can touch him with your free hand.”

  I did. His skin was so damn soft when I ran a fingertip along his cheek. Were all babies that soft?

  Kara walked over to us, holding a baby with one arm and a bottle in the other. She made it look so easy. As she gently put the bottle to the baby’s mouth, she smiled.

  “Any thoughts on what you’re going to name him?”

  I gave her a confused look. “I thought he had been named Chris already.”

  “That’s not set in stone,” Stephanie replied with a shrug. “We just wanted something to call him other than ‘Baby Boy Doe.’ He’s your son and you have every right to name him. I recalled the paperwork to have a birth certificate created once we realized you may be the father. You can name him whatever you want.”

  I nodded and looked down at the baby. “My father’s name was Christopher. He’d love the thought of his grandson being named after him.”

  “He looks like a Christopher,” she said and I looked up to find Stephanie smiling.

  “He does, right?”

  “Whenever he’s released, a notary will be waiting to have you sign his birth certificate,” she told me. “Start thinking about a middle name for him, too.”

  Great. One more thing to be responsible for.

  We stayed in the NICU for quite a while. Stephanie made small talk with both me and Kara and answered her phone once. When she did, it sounded like she was talking an employee through a procedure and I was amazed by how she could be so damn professional but helpful at the same time.

  The ladies taught me how to feed Chris, change his diaper, and how to get spit-up off of my shirt when my son decided to let it go all over my shoulder.

  I was completely mesmerized by the kid. Every coo, every smacking of his lips, every time he grasped my finger, he pulled me further under his spell. When he did something, I’d look over to Stephanie to find her smiling, too, and she would meet my gaze while we shared the moment together. It was almost too intimate for a couple of friends.

  “I see it now,” she said at one point and I looked up to find her watching us again.

  “See what?”

  She smiled and gestured towards Chris. “He looks like you. He has your nose and chin.”

  The more I looked at him the more similarities I found between the two of us, too. When she pulled back his little blue cap that was on his head, I laughed at how much blonde hair he had. Poor kid. If his was like mine, he wouldn’t be able to tame it.

  Stephanie never went far, probably because I panicked when she stepped away to use the restroom. Knowing she was there to help me if I needed her was comforting but that wasn’t it. She was just comforting and her presence calmed me.

  A man who identified himself as Dr. Struthers came in to talk to me about my son. He raved about how well he was doing with his feedings and everything else. But then he told me he thought he could go home Sunday and I felt the blood drain from my face.

  Sunday was just four days away. Four days and I’d be caring for this little guy all alone. The thought gripped my windpipe but the tightness loosened when Stephanie touched my shoulder softly and whispered that it’d be fine.

  When Kara announced that it was the end of her shift, I looked up and realized that we’d been there for over four hours.

  “I should get going anyway,” I said. “I have a lot to do before Sunday.” I leaned down and brushed my lips against Christopher’s forehead, letting them linger for a moment. When I looked up and saw Stephanie watching with another small smile, I couldn’t help the slight blush that hit my cheeks.

  “Do you mind if I hold him for a minute before we go?” she asked and I started nodding before she finished her sentence. She stood from the stool and walked over to where we were, gently taking the baby out of my arms.

  Chris stretched his little arms above his head, and Stephanie stared down at him with that look again. She rocked her hips from side to side slightly and whispered to my son quietly. Finally, she sighed.

  “See you soon, sweet boy.” She lifted him to her face and pressed her lips to both of his cheeks and then his forehead. I was also pretty sure she inhaled his little baby scent before placing him in his bed slowly. With so much care, she wrapped him back up like a burrito and adjusted his hat.

  It was mesmerizing to watch.

  We said our goodbyes to Kara and the other nurse in the NICU as we walked out the door. I pulled my suit jacket off the rack outside the door as she swung her bag back over her shoulder. We fell in step next to each other as we headed for the exit silently.

  I was the first to speak. “You’re amazing with him, Vanilla Latte. You’re going to be a great mother.”

  “Oh, um,” she stammered, obviously taken aback by my statement. I felt like as asshole for saying it but she smiled again. Fuck, she had a beautiful smile. “Thanks. Hopefully one day.”

  We didn’t say anymore until we reached the parking garage. Stephanie reached out to touch my shoulder again and I swear I could feel the warmth of her hand through my jacket.

  “You’re going to be an amazing father, Jared. It’s perfectly normal to be nervous when you have nine months to prepare, so make sure you’re cutting yourself some slack, okay?”

  I let out a huff of laughter and ran my hand through my hair. “I went to Babies R Us the night they did the DNA test. The people working there asked if I needed help finding something but I was so overwhelmed. I have no idea what to even buy.”

  “Oh, man,” she replied with a grin. “Babies R Us. No wonder you’re so stressed out. I can make you a list if you want. That way you’re getting what you need and not just one of everything.”

  “Really?” I nodded quickly. “That’d be perfect.”

  She led me to where her SUV was parked and dropped her bag on the front seat so she could go through it. Pulling out a notepad and a pen, Stephanie set it on the hood and started to write things down immediately.

  “Don’t go overboard on newborn clothes because he’ll grow out of them really fast. And don’t fall prey to anything that sounds like overkill or gimmicky. Like… a baby food maker, newborns shoes, or a wipes warmer. You don’t need any it.” She scribbled down a phone number at the bottom of the paper and ripped it from the pad so she could hand it to me. “And you can call me if you have any questions or feel overwhelmed.”

  “Finally,” I said triumphantly and she looked at me questioningly. I just grinned and held up the list I’d taken from her. “Your phone number.”

  She just laughed softly and shook her head. “You never asked, City Roast. I would have given it to you anytime.”

  “Sure you would have. You were making me work for it, admit it.” I chuckled and let out a sigh when it tapered off. “Thank you, Stephanie. You’re a life saver, honestly.”

  “I can’t even imagine starting off parenthood this way but you’re handling it like a champ.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her vibrating phone. Without a missing a beat, she silenced it and shoved it back into her pocket. “You’re going to do great. You’ll be celebrating his first birthday a year from now and wondering why you were ever so nervous in the first place.”

  “I hope you’re right.” I smiled as her phone vibrated again. I was keeping her from something so I stepped back. “I’ll let you get to that but thank you so much for today and… everything.”

  “I mean it, Jared,” she said as she silenced the phone again. “Call me with any questions but I’ll see you tomorrow morning, right?”

  “Tomorrow,” I repeated with a nod. “Thank you, Stephanie.” I held my hand up in a wave and we stared at each other for a moment. Neither of us moved until a car honked from a level above, causing her to jump and snapping me out
of it. It took every muscle in my body to force myself to turn and walk back towards my car, leaving that amazing woman behind.

  I pulled out of the garage with that list clenched in my hand. It was time to go shopping.

  Chapter Nine

  Stephanie

  I sat in my driver’s seat and put my keys in the ignition. I didn’t start the car and instead watched Jared’s back. It had been an interesting night.

  Once he was out of sight, I pulled out my phone. Troy had called me twice. I hit his name and it rang once before he picked up.

  “Finally.”

  “Hi to you, too,” I said as I buckled my seatbelt. “What’s going on?”

  “I swear, I’m thinking of asking your voicemail out sometime.” Troy’s voice had a teasing tone to it. “I talk to her more than I talk to you.”

  I chuckled and let my head fall back against the seat. “She sounds like a hussy.”

  “She’s too predictable to be a hussy. At least your back-talk keeps me on my toes. Were you working late tonight?”

  “Yeah. I was actually just heading home.” I turned the key to start my engine. “What’s up?”

  “I just wanted to see how you were.” He paused for a second. “And maybe cash in on that rain check.”

  I closed my eyes and briefly considered it. The second I did, a pair of green eyes flashed through my mind, though. “I’m sorry. I’m going to eat and try to get some sleep. Another time?”

  “Yeah. I promised Liam I’d play some Call of Duty with him tonight anyway.”

  I grinned buckled my seatbelt. “Send him my love.”

  “Fuck that,” grumbled Troy. “He already gives me enough shit about you. He’s lucky I don’t knock out his teeth and make him uglier than he already is.”

  “I’m not sure if you’ve realized, Walters,” I said as I connected the Bluetooth “You’re twins. Identical ones. You look the same. And neither of you is ugly.”

  “I’m definitely the better looking twin.” He laughed softly. “Bye, babe.”

  I made it home and quickly got ready for bed. I slid under the covers and stared up at the dark ceiling. My mind replayed the evening in my head and like I had for so many nights lately, I thought about Jared Hart. I couldn’t help but smile. Jared was going to be a great father. It was obvious that he was already in love with that little boy.

  My smile faded when I thought about how being around Jared made me feel. It was like nothing I’d felt before and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. There was something about him that made me feel alive and peaceful at the same time. I loved watching him with his son, from the moments he was uncomfortable and jumpy to the ones where he was almost like an old pro.

  He had enough going on in his life without me drooling after him like some high school teenager, though. He was a new dad. He was a client. I needed to push any thoughts to otherwise out of my mind and focus on the big picture. With that, I forced my mind off and closed my eyes.

  Thursday and Friday morning, we met for coffee like any other day of the week. On Friday, though, a sense of sadness washed over me.

  “I hope you have a good coffeemaker at home.”

  He grinned and pushed the banana nut muffin towards me. “The best homemade coffee in the world couldn’t replace this, Steph.”

  “You’re such a charmer.” I playfully tossed a chunk of walnut at him. “I’m going to miss you.”

  He was going to be off of work for eight weeks, which meant that my mornings were going to be dramatically different.

  “I’m going to miss you, too.” His smile was soft but his voice was serious. “Have you started looking for my replacement yet?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You not being in here just feeds into my laziness. The drive-thru and I will end up being great friends.”

  “You’re still coming by tomorrow?”

  “Yes, sir. So if you have any dirty magazines or weird habits, better hide them now.” I grinned when he let out a loud laugh.

  “Noted.” He glanced at his watch and sighed. “I need to get to the office a bit earlier today since it’s my last day for a bit. I’m sorry to cut this short.”

  I smiled in an attempt to hide my disappointment and finished off the muffin that we had been sharing. We both grabbed our cups and headed to the door. Jared’s hand pressed to the small of my back as he held the door open and the shiver that ran through me had nothing to do with the chill outside.

  When we made it to my SUV, he pulled the door open and offered me a crooked smile. “I got you something else.”

  “What do you mean?” I raised my brows and watched as he reached into his jacket pocket like he had the week before. He produced a small pastry bag and handed it to me. I opened it quickly and looked inside, laughing when I caught sight of the contents. “You got me a cake pop?”

  “A chocolate one, too.” He reached up and ran a hand through his hair almost nervously. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Vanilla Latte.”

  “Yeah, you will, Jare.” Ever since the DNA results had come back, I had made an effort to stay more professional with him. Knowing this was our last coffee date, I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Have a good day at work.”

  I waved to him as I pulled out of the parking lot and headed to work. I was about halfway through my day when Robin poked her head into my office.

  “Rachel’s supposed to be on call tonight but she’s sick. Do you have the coverage list?”

  I glanced over at the chart I had taped to my filing cabinet and shook my head. “They’ve all had such insane weeks. I don’t want to pile an unexpected on call shift onto anyone. I’ll take it.

  “You sure?” Robin raised her brows and I just nodded my head.

  “Yeah. It’s no big deal.”

  And it wasn’t. I normally picked up shifts when the others couldn’t handle them. At that time last year, on call shifts had been a normal part of my life so I knew how exhausting they could be. Besides, they gave me an extra opportunity to be out in the field.

  “Okay. Thanks, Gibson.” She turned to leave but changed her mind, suddenly refocusing those all-knowing brown eyes on me. “How are things going with the Hart family?”

  I felt my cheeks redden slightly and looked at my keyboard to hide it. “Good. He’s going home Sunday and I’m doing a home visit tomorrow. I think it’s going to be great for both of them.”

  When she didn’t respond, I glanced up and caught my boss looking at me speculatively. She continued examining me for a moment before nodding.

  “Okay, good. Keep me updated.”

  And then she disappeared.

  I worked for the rest of the morning and spent my afternoon in court. Despite the fact that I went on call at five and really needed to go home to get some sleep just in case, I ended up at the hospital.

  Kara was there when I walked into the NICU but she just smiled at me and went back to helping the parent she was next to. I walked right to Chris’s bed and smiled down at the sleeping baby.

  The hat was missing from his head, leaving his soft hair on display, and he was swaddled nice and tight. I reached down and scooped him into my arms, cuddling him to my chest gently.

  It was amazing to think that just two weeks before, I had found him in a pile of dirty boxes. In two short days he would be going home with a man who was already completely in love with him.

  “I had a dream, you know,” Kara drawled as she came and sat on a stool next to the glider. “That you had twin girls that looked just like Mario and Luigi from the video game.”

  “You mean twin boys?” I choked out through soft laughter and Kara shook her head.

  “Nope. Girls. You named them Vikki and Rikki. They had the bushiest eyebrows I had ever seen on infants.”

  The two of us laughed so loudly that Chris startled slightly in my arms and I pat his back quickly to soothe him back to sleep.

  “You just missed
his father,” she commented off-handedly even though I knew it was anything but. A few days before, I had confessed to Kara that Jared and I had known each other before Chris was born and she had immediately romanticized the situation. “He was in here for about two hours. He’s still scared shitless of that baby but it’s sweet to watch him try.”

  “He’s a nice guy,” I replied, leaning down to inhale the baby’s sweet scent. “He’s also a client.”

  “Oh. Then you don’t mind if I ask him out?”

  My eyes snapped up at her offhanded comment and Kara was giving me an innocent look. When she saw my expression, her lips curled up into a knowing grin. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Shut up,” I mumbled, feeling the blush hit my cheeks again. “You and Alyssa will get along great.”

  I was saved from anymore of Kara’s teasing when she became occupied with a brand new baby that was brought it. I stayed with Chris for another hour before kissing him softly and heading home.

  Shortly after midnight, I was called out to a bar where two little kids had been left in the car while the father was inside drinking, and I spent the next few hours handling that situation. I was almost four by the time I crawled under my blankets so I could go to bed.

  My alarm went off just three hours later and I had to move quickly to get ready. I needed to be to Jared’s by ten but I wanted to see Chris before. He was going home the next day and I didn’t know when I would see him again. The thought made my stomach hurt but I also felt uplifted at the same time.

  Chris was going home.

  Once my hair and make-up were done, I stared longingly at my jeans. Since I was still on call, dressing casual wasn’t an option so I pulled on a grey, long sleeved dress and a pair of black boots. I walked off the elevator on the fourth floor a half-hour later and went to the NICU. Kara grinned at me through the glass as I washed my hands and she immediately took the coffee I’d brought for her when I walked through the door.

  “You’re amazing. Seriously.”

  I laughed and set my cup on the desk off to the side before walking to Chris’s bed. “You’re an easy one to please, Kara.” I looked down at the sleeping baby. He was tightly wrapped in a receiving blanket and his little hat was on his head. I lifted him into my arms and held him to my chest.