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Vince didn’t know why he brought Emma along when he could’ve easily dropped her off with Laird but the idea of being separated from Emma didn’t appeal to him at all. He wanted her around to keep an eye on her, he told himself but deep down he knew that might be horseshit. He supposed if he was going to lie to himself, he ought to, at the very least, come with something more inventive.
When he looked at Emma, a hunger he’d never known curled itself around his insides and squeezed really hard, but instead of feeling as if it was killing him, it made him yearn for more. Weird, wacky shit — and he wasn’t happy about it. For a while he’d dabbled in illicit drug use and the way he felt about Emma reminded him of that time — intense, frightening and addictive. He wanted more of her. He wanted to know everything about her, from the mundane to her innermost secrets. Like that’s going to happen. She looked angry enough to spit nails in his direction.
Not that he blamed her. He’d been a dick. That was his specialty, of course. Breaking hearts, being heartless, either/or take your pick, he excelled in both.
But as he entered the hospital room, intent on making a perfunctory visit and then splitting with Emma, the moment he saw Dillon holding a tiny bundle, tears streaming down his brother’s face, everything slowed to a stop and became almost surreal. They were all there, Nolan and his wife and daughter, Dillon, Penny and the new baby.
“There he is,” Penny acknowledged with a tired smile, motioning them into the room. Her gaze moved to Emma with a faint question but she let it go and he was grateful. Penny was the only one who might raise an eyebrow and give him a ration for his actions. Thankfully, it seemed giving birth had taken the fight right out of her for the moment. Vince hugged her and pecked a chaste kiss on her cheek before pulling away and handing the gifts to her. Penny accepted the flowers and smiled. “Beautiful. Can you put them on the nightstand for me?”
“Of course,” Vince said, hastening to move them for her. He propped the bear up next to the lamp and moved to Dillon to peek at the baby. “Well? Boy or girl?”
Dillon looked at Vince with such pride as he answered, “A boy” that even Vince’s throat closed with emotion. “Robert Dillon Buchanan. Isn’t he perfect?”
Vince peered at the tiny bundle and before he could protest, Dillon put the baby in Vince’s arms. “Wait,” Vince said, terrified that he might break something so small and vulnerable. He shot an uncertain look at Emma and her small, almost reluctant smile shot something pure and sweet straight to his heart. For a blink he imagined what it might be like to be holding his own son in his arms and he never knew such unimaginable pain. What kind of father would he possibly make? He was corrupt to the core — willing to do whatever suited him to get his way — just like his own father had been. The baby made a cooing sound and yawned, his tiny fingers flexing beneath the blanket without a care in the world and Vince handed the baby back to his brother. “He’s perfect,” Vince agreed, his voice choked. “I’m sorry I missed the big event. I’ll put an extra ten thousand in his college fund for penance.”
“That’s not necessary,” Penny said, chuckling, then gestured to Emma. “Aren’t you going to introduce your friend?” She didn’t wait and if she saw the look Nolan and Dillon shared, she chose to ignore it. “Hi, I’m Penny. I’m sorry Vince has terrible manners but then he’s not known for his charm.”
“I’m Emma Winters,” Emma said, introducing herself. “Congratulations on the new baby. He’s precious.”
“Thank you.” Penny smiled with pure joy and then returned to Emma, which was Vince’s cue to make their exit. Penny would dig and dig until she found the answers burning up her brain because that’s just how Penny was. “So…you’re the girl who was attacked at the club?”
Vince glared, unable to believe Penny had just gone for the jugular like that. “Penny, you should rest. We’ll let you get some shut eye.”
“I’m not made of porcelain and if I was, pushing my sweet bundle of joy out of my lady parts would’ve broken me so don’t act all defensive with me. I know what’s going on. I need to know how Emma is doing. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to talk to her. In fact, why don’t you all go get a coffee or something while I chat with Emma for a minute.”
“Absolutely not,” Vince growled, hating the very idea of Penny spending any amount of time with Emma. Penny was a terrible influence and worse, she knew too much about him. He looked to Dillon. “Talk some sense into your wife, please. She’s plainly delirious.”
Dillon handed the baby to Penny and shuttled them all from the room in spite of Vince’s sputtered protests, saying, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout this pregnancy, Penny will not be denied when she puts her mind to something. Let’s go get some coffee. It’ll give us a chance to talk, too.”
Vince caught Emma’s worried expression as he was dragged from the room. Yeah, he knew how she felt. He was worried, too.
-12-
“Come, sit by me,” Penny said, waving Emma closer and patting the bed. “I am so exhausted that I don’t know how long I’ll last before straight passing out. Don’t let anyone tell you that having a baby isn’t like pushing a bowling ball out of your vagina because it is.” She stopped a minute to stare lovingly at the baby, then added softly, “But one thing they do say and it’s true…all the pain is worth it.”
“Thanks for the advice but I don’t think I’m having kids anytime soon,” Emma said and inexplicably her thoughts shot to Vince. Ha! As if. Like he would want to be a daddy. Good lord, had her ovaries just tingled? “Pardon me if I seem rude but it’s hard for me to be all Kumbayah with you people when you know that Vince practically kidnapped me and is holding me hostage.”
“Yeah, that wasn’t very gentlemanlike of him but he’s a bit of a brute that way. Woman to woman, though…it’s a little hot, right? Vince was always a bit of a caveman dressed in an Armani suit.”
Emma’s cheeks flared. Was she less of an independent woman if she admitted that Vince was the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on? “Not the point,” she answered, stubbornly refusing to admit to anything.
Penny sighed. “Honestly, I don’t have a lot of time before he comes to his senses and barges back into this room and drags you off. Here’s the thing, Vince is probably the most wounded individual I’ve ever known and that’s saying a lot considering I know all the Buchanan brothers and their secrets.”