Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 145676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 728(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 728(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Minutes later, a nurse came forward, carefully taking the baby from Autumn. “Dr. Connors, come with me, sir.”
All the initial baby assessments were performed inside the room, keeping Kylie with them always. Even with Autumn less than twenty feet away, when the baby and Cam stepped away, Autumn’s questioning gaze, filled with so much emotion, cut straight to Robert’s heart.
“Go with them. Make sure everything’s done right.” His sister’s voice was full of concern.
He opened his mouth to say this was Cam’s time with his daughter. That Cam was a top-rated general practice physician, and he’d know far better than Robert, but the intensity of Autumn’s worry had him giving her a nod, hoping to give her some peace.
He stayed a respectable distance back, watching the medical staff do their jobs. Robert couldn’t believe how emotional the birth had been for him. He wasn’t sure being in the operating room when his father had died had affected him this much. Everything inside him wanted to love and protect their little baby girl with everything he had. Robert’s eyes filled with tears, and he reached for his phone again to video Kylie as she let out another loud cry. He knew it was too soon to tell, but all the preliminary signs were there. He’d place money on this baby having her mother’s personality.
Cam turned away from Kylie for only the briefest of seconds to tell Autumn, “She’s six pounds, two ounces.” He turned back to the table as they measured her. Then he said, “Nineteen inches.”
As the initial assessment came to an end, Robert focused on his phone. He sent Landon the video he’d just captured then pocketed his phone. Cam motioned for him to again join them by the bed. Autumn looked exhausted, but more lovely than he’d ever seen her. He could also say the same thing about Cam who stuck out his hand to shake Robert’s.
“Thank you. I should have insisted she come to the hospital earlier. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“There’s no appreciation necessary. She’s stubborn,” he said, moving around to the other side of the bed.
“I can’t argue. I’m too tired,” Autumn said, never looking up from the baby in her arms. “Do you want to hold her?”
“I do. Is her name still Kylie?” His hands itched to touch the baby. Robert carefully picked Kylie up, gently cradling her in his arms. She was tiny, swollen, and completely held his heart.
“Yes, Kylie’s our final choice,” Cam said.
He couldn’t take his eyes off the small bundle in his arms or hide his grin when he said, “I was thinking Roberta, named after her favorite uncle.”
Based on the groans, he got the desired result of his joke and lifted a hand, caressing the pad of his thumb over her tiny forehead. The well of emotion built so fast that he had to swallow the lump in his throat as he thought about his fathers, knowing the pride they would hold in their granddaughter. They had always wanted grandchildren to spoil. He’d do his best to fill in for them—that was a promise.
“Fuck, it’s cold out here.” Landon might seriously have to reconsider the whole motorcycle thing. He’d been cavalier when Robert offered up his sports car for Landon to drive tonight, on one of the coldest nights of the season so far. There weren’t leathers warm enough to guard against this kind of biting cold.
Landon dropped the kickstand in place, pulled off his helmet, and scanned the numbers on the townhomes. It was late, past eleven thirty on a school night, but he could hear classic rock music thumping from a unit in the row as he peeled off his leather gloves. That had to be Mark Peters’s place. He bet the neighbors loved living next to them.
For the first time in his life, he reconsidered accepting his buddy’s invitation to party. Since he’d seen him at the dealership, Mark had been relentless in trying to get them together. Based on what he was seeing and hearing now, he’d made the right decision to assume Robert wouldn’t fit whatever get together Mark had planned. Besides he’d never really been out to his hometown friends, but the news of his family visit with Robert had gone neighborhood-viral, spreading like wildfire through the small circle of friends in Southeast Houston. He guessed Mark had probably heard the news too. Maybe?
The crazy overthinking had returned. Landon noticed it earlier in the day but chose to ignore it like he used to do and hadn’t let himself overanalyze how quiet his head had been since arriving back home from his parents’ house all those months ago. In an effort to continue to ignore his self-doubt, Landon cocked his head, gave an internal shrug while squaring his shoulders as he started for the apartment.