LITMIR.BIZ

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want to think about his twin brother, or about Jack’s problems.

      Especially since he hadn’t been entirely truthful with Alyssa. She knew he had a brother, but she didn’t know Jack was his identical twin.

      The lie of omission had stuck in his throat, even back then. But he’d gotten so used to hiding the truth over the years, especially where women were concerned. The stress of coping with his brother had destroyed too many relationships. The breakup of his own brief engagement was bad enough, but the failure of his parents’ marriage had driven the lesson home. Relationships didn’t work for someone in his situation and covering up the truth made it easier to avoid lengthy explanations.

      No matter how much he wished otherwise, his life wasn’t his own. Jack would always have to come first. It wouldn’t be right to bring anyone else into his messed-up family.

      But then he’d met Alyssa. He’d told himself to stay away, but he hadn’t seemed to be able to resist her. He had broken their rule of no strings by falling for her.

      And now Alyssa was pregnant with his babies.

      With twins.

      Worry gnawed a hole in the lining of his stomach. If he could go back and do things differently, he would. He wouldn’t have left so abruptly, responding instantly to his mother’s panicked phone call the way he always had before. He would have talked to Alyssa first, taken the time to formally break things off between them.

      But he still would have left Cedar Bluff.

      Jack had needed him. There’d been no choice but to leave.

      “Jadon?”

      Hearing his name, he glanced up and rose to his feet. Kim’s gaze was warm, and relief flowed over him as he sensed good news. “Yes?”

      “Alyssa’s labor seems to have slowed down significantly and her membranes are still intact. I’m fairly confident we won’t have to deliver the babies for a while yet, although we’re going to continue to watch her closely overnight, just in case.”

      Thank God. Relief was overwhelming. “Alyssa’s awake? She’s feeling fine?”

      “Well, she’s still pretty sleepy. I don’t know that she’s fully recovered from her ordeal.”

      “I’d like to see her,” he said firmly.

      Kim hesitated. “Jadon, Alyssa confided in me that you were the father of her babies, which is why I’ve kept you in the loop about her condition. But now, since it seems she’s stabilized, I think it’s best if we hold off on any confrontations until she’s stronger.”

      Confrontations? “Give me a little credit, Kim. I’m not going to argue with her. I just want to know how she’s doing.” And let her know he was sorry he’d left without saying goodbye.

      “Wait until tomorrow,” Kim advised. “Alyssa’s been through enough of a shock for the moment. It’s better if you give her a little time to rest.”

      Leaving Alyssa without seeing her went against every instinct he possessed. Yet clearly Kim felt she was acting in her patient’s best interests. Knowing further arguments weren’t going to get him anywhere, he let out a deep sigh and nodded.

      “All right, I’ll wait. But if she does wake up, please let her know I’m anxious to see her.”

      Kim pursed her lips thoughtfully. “And if she doesn’t want to see you?” she asked.

      Panic gripped him by the throat. Obviously he couldn’t force Alyssa to see him. To talk to him. To let him explain. And even if she did, what could he offer her? Nothing but heartache. Yet he had to help take care of his babies. “She will.” He forced a confidence he was far from feeling.

      “All right, Jadon. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

      He could tell Alyssa’s OB doctor wasn’t convinced. Heck, neither was he. All he could do was hope Alyssa would give him a few minutes of her time to explain, as best he could, without going into too much detail.

      He didn’t want to add to her stress by disclosing the entire truth. She had enough to worry about at the moment.

      He couldn’t believe she would ignore him completely, not when they both knew he was the babies’ father. They hadn’t wanted a future, but here they were anyway. Somehow they needed to find a way to get along, at least enough to provide a secure, loving environment for their children.

      Feeling grim, he was forced to acknowledge it was a task much easier said than done.

      Alyssa awoke feeling groggy and disoriented, as if she’d slept for days instead of mere hours. What time was it anyway?

      She scanned the room, looking for a clock, but quickly realized she wasn’t in the ED. The bright yellow walls and the warm decor, including the snowflakes and “Merry Christmas” written on the windows in white spray-on snow, didn’t look at all familiar. She lifted her head, trying to find a nurse, instinctively placing a hand over her swollen abdomen.

      She smoothed a hand over her stomach, searching for the familiar movements from deep within her womb. After a few moments relief washed over her as she felt the babies moving. She and the babies had managed to survive their swim in Lake Michigan.

      And Ben, too?

      Panic made her suck in a harsh breath. What about Ben? What had happened to Ben?

      “Is someone there?” she called out, searching in her bed for her call-light. No wonder patients felt so helpless when they didn’t have their call-lights within reach.

      “Yes, I’m here.” A pretty nurse entered the room and Alyssa recognized her as Marla, one of the labor and delivery nurses whose husband was also one of the anesthesiologists on staff. “Don’t worry, you’re doing well. And your babies are doing fine, too. We’ve been monitoring them through fetal heart tones.”

      Good news about her babies. “But what about Ben?” Alyssa couldn’t relax, not until she knew what had happened.

      “Ben?” Marla looked perplexed for a moment, and then her expression cleared. “Oh, yes, Kylie and Seth’s son, Ben. He’s doing fine. I believe they kept him overnight for observation as well on the pediatric unit.”

      She relaxed against the pillows. “I’m so glad.”

      “Alyssa, it’s good to see you’re finally awake.” Dr. Rayborn came into the room, standing beside Marla. “And of course you’ve been asking about Ben.”

      “I don’t remember much once I called 911,” Alyssa admitted. “I must have been out of it for a while.”

      Kim raised a brow. “You were. In fact, you’ve been sleeping all night. But don’t worry, Ben woke up much quicker than you did, and he’s been telling everyone who’ll listen how you saved his life.”

      She flashed a tired smile, very glad to hear Ben was okay. She hoped Kylie would forgive her for putting Ben’s life in danger in the first place. It was her fault he’d needed saving.

      Now that she knew her babies and Ben were safe, she relaxed against the pillows. Through her open door she could hear the lyrical sound of hospital carolers singing “Joy to the World”, one of her favorite Christmas songs. Just hearing the uplifting music made her smile.

      “Alyssa.” Kim’s expression changed to one of concern as she reached for her hand. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

      Her muscles suddenly tensed and her smile faded. “What?”

      “Jadon’s here.”

      “Jadon is here? In Cedar Bluff?” She stared, confused. She vaguely remembered dreaming about Jadon. Was it possible the image of his concerned face hovering over hers hadn’t been a dream?

      “Yes. And he wants to see you,” Dr. Rayborn said. “He’s back from his leave of absence, and was actually doing

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