The Midwife's Son

That he did not want to know. It added to his dilemma about heading away, leaving everyone behind. ‘I’ve got one, thanks.’

Grady dropped his line back in the water. ‘Just thought you should know.’

A tug at the end of his line gave Jackson the distraction he needed. Winding fast, he soon had another cod in the bin. ‘One to go and we’ve got our limit.’

And we can head home to the family. My family. And Jess and Nicholas.

* * *

Jess placed the tray of shortbread in the oven and set the timer. It was quiet in her house. Nicholas had stayed on with Ian, doing man stuff apparently. Thank goodness there were men like Ian to give her boy a male perspective. Jackson was Nicholas’s firm favourite. Unfortunately. His little heart would be broken soon. Had she done wrong, encouraging Nicholas to get on with Jackson? Probably. But, then, life was like that and the sooner Nicholas learned he had to look out for himself the better.

Her cellphone vibrated on the bench. ‘Hello?’

‘I think I’m in labour.’

‘Constance? Is that you?’ The thirty-six-year-old woman wasn’t due for ten days.

‘Yes.’ Grunt. ‘Can you hurry? You know how fast my babies like to be.’

‘On my way.’ Turning the oven off, she ran for her car, whilst phoning Virginia. ‘I’ve got an eminent birth. Can Nicholas stay there until I’m finished?’ She hated asking when Virginia had enough to deal with, but right now she didn’t have the time to collect her boy and deposit him with Andrea and Bobby. ‘I can phone Andrea and see if she’ll pick him up later.’

‘Nonsense. We love having him here. Don’t worry about him at all. Just go and deliver that baby safely.’

* * *

Nicholas waved furiously as they turned up the drive. Jackson looked around, felt a tug of disappointment when he didn’t see Jess’s car. ‘Hey, sport. What have you been up to all morning?’

‘Making boxes. Did you get any fish?’ Nicholas jumped up and down by the boat, trying to get high enough to see what they’d caught.

Jackson swung him up and into the boat. ‘Take a look in that bin.’

Nicholas’s eyes popped out wide. ‘That’s lots. They’re very big.’ He delved into the bin, ran his hands all over the cold, wet fish. Jess would be thrilled when she caught up with her stinky boy.

‘Where’s Mummy?’ The question was out before he’d thought about it.

Grady rolled his eyes and hefted the bin out of the boat.

‘She’s getting a new baby.’ Nicholas picked up a rod and handed it to him.

Grady’s eyes widened and his mouth twitched. ‘Interesting.’

‘Careful of those hooks, sport.’ Jackson took the rod and stood it against the side of the boat and waited for the second rod to come his way. Jess was at a birth. He remembered when Baby Carter had been born and the misty look of longing that had filtered into her eyes. Did she really want more children? Or did she get like that with every birth she attended?

‘You’re looking dewy-eyed.’ Grady nudged him.

Jackson snapped his head around. ‘What? I don’t think so. I am definitely not interested in babies. Not when I’ve got to go back to Hong Kong anyway. No, sir.’

‘The man protests too much. Come on, Nicholas. Help me clean up these fish.’ Grady strolled off to the outside sink and table to fillet the fish, Nicholas stepping along beside him.

Do I want children? Now? With Jess? Turning the hose on, he began hosing down the boat and trailer to remove any traces of salt water.

Yes. Someday. Yes. Cold water sprayed down his trousers, filled his shoes. Damn. Concentrate on the job in hand. Stop asking himself stupid questions. Whatever he wanted, it wasn’t going to happen.

So whose baby was Jess delivering?

* * *

‘Abigail is absolutely beautiful.’ As Jess handed Constance her daughter she heard a vehicle pulling up outside the house. ‘You’ve got a visitor, Tim.’

Tim groaned. ‘Bad timing.’ He didn’t move from where he sat on the edge of the bed his wife had just given birth in.

‘Want me to go give whoever it is a nudge?’ Jess figured these two needed time alone with Abigail and it was an excuse to take herself out of the room.

‘Would you mind?’ Tim looked hopeful. ‘Though I guess if it’s one of our parents there’s no stopping them.’

‘Leave it to me.’ She was already halfway out of the room. The doorbell chimed before she reached the front of the house. Pulling the door wide, the breath stuck in her lungs.

Jackson stood there, beaming at her. ‘Thought I’d drop by and see if you needed any support.’

Leaning against the doorjamb for strength, she waited for her breathing to restart. ‘You’re too late. Abigail arrived ten minutes ago.’

His brow creased. ‘That was fast. From what Mum said, you’ve only been gone a little over an hour.’

‘Constance has a history of short labours, hence the home birth. She didn’t fancy giving birth in Tim’s truck on the way to town.’

Nodding, Jackson said, ‘So you’re all done here? Heading back to town now?’

‘I’ve got some cleaning up to do, and I like to hang around for a while in case there’s anything not right. Though Constance is a seasoned mum, this being her fourth baby.’ But she wasn’t about to leave because of that. ‘I’m about to make coffee. Want one?’ Hopefully the caffeine wouldn’t set her heart racing any faster than it already was. One sight of Jackson and it lost all control over its rhythm.

‘Sounds good.’

Pushing away from the jamb, she straightened. ‘How was the fishing?’

‘Brilliant. You’ve got blue cod for dinner.’ He caught her elbow, held her from moving away. ‘Did you get any of that sleep you wanted? You’re looking more peaky than ever.’

‘Flattery will get you anything.’ She tugged free, only to be caught again.

‘What’s bothering you, Jess?’ Those green eyes bored into her, seeing who knew what? Probably everything she was trying to hide from him.

So stop hiding it. Get it over and done. Stepping past him, she tugged the door shut and went down the steps to the path. Rotating on her heels, she faced him, locked eyes with him again. ‘You. Me. Us. That’s what’s keeping me awake at the moment.’

He froze, stared at her like he was a deer caught in headlights. His Adam’s apple bobbed. The tip of his tongue slid across his bottom lip. Fear tripped through that green gaze. ‘Us.’

Nodding slowly, she added, ‘I know we agreed to an affair for the duration of your time here.’ Damn, that sounded too formal, but how else did she say what needed to be said? Try coming straight out with it. ‘But I fell in lo

ve with you.’

His face paled. Not a good sign. At all. Might as well give him the rest. Might help put him at ease. ‘You’re safe. I said at the time I had no intention of ever getting into a permanent relationship with anyone. That hasn’t changed.’ You are so wrong, Jess. You’d settle down with Jackson in a flash, given the opportunity. Yes, now she understood she would. No argument.

The next thing she knew his arms were around her, holding her tight against his chest. Under her ear his heart was speeding faster than a rabbit being chased by hounds. ‘I’m so sorry, Jess.’

‘I think that should be my line,’ she muttered. But why? What had she done wrong? It wasn’t as though she’d been able to avoid falling for him. It had happened in an instant. Yet she repeated in a lower voice, ‘I’m sorry.’

‘Ahh, Jess, this is all my fault. I’ve been so selfish. But I couldn’t stay away from you.’ Still holding her around the waist, he leaned back to lock eyes with her. ‘You are beautiful, inside and out, Jessica Baxter. I’ve never known anyone like you.’

‘Yet you’re still going away.’ Wanting to pull away before she melded herself to him so he had to take her with him, but needing to stay in his arms for as long as she could, she stood irresolute, fighting threatening tears.

‘I’m sorry.’ His voice was low, and sad, and trembling. ‘Very sorry for everything.’

Jess spun out of his arms and tore down the path out onto the roadside, gulping lungful after lungful of air as she went. Get a grip. She’d known this would hurt big time. Yeah, but knowing and experiencing were poles apart. This hurt so bad she felt like she might never be able to stand straight again. She loved Jackson. End of story. There’d be no happy ever after. Funny how now that she knew that for real, she realised how much she actually wanted it. Desperately.

‘Jess.’ Jackson had followed her, stood watching her through wary eyes. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Oh, I’m just peachy.’ She gasped, tried to hold onto the words bursting from her throat, and failed. ‘Of course I’m not all right. I’ve spent days agonising over whether to tell you or not, but honesty got the better of me, and now I’ve spoiled what we might’ve had left before you head away.’ The floodgates opened and a deluge poured down her cheeks, and there was nothing she could do to stop them.