Southern Heat (Southern 6)

Epilogue Two

Willow

Two Years Later

“Well, you have to give her something. She’s in pain,” Quinn says, putting his hands on his hips.

"I am not in pain,” I say from the hospital bed, then I look at the nurse who looks like she is going to kill my husband. “He’s just nervous."

"You don’t say." She turns, shaking her head, and walks out of the room.

"You are a liar, Willow Barnes," he says. “I saw you flinch.”

“It was a contraction,” I say. “I’m supposed to flinch.”

“Well, they have drugs for that.” He runs his hands through his hair.

"Oh, I heard you were back." I look toward the door at Shirley, who walks in smiling. Ever since I left the hospital, I have kept in touch with her. She claps her hands together. “It’s the third time in a week."

I roll my lips, trying to hide the laughter. “It’s the real deal this time," I tell her.

"Her doctor accidentally broke her water,” Quinn says. “Who does that? You need a new doctor." He looks at me, and I shake my head.

"We came as fast as we could," Olivia says, walking into the room with two big bags. "I got the bag for the baby." She holds up the bag she helped me pack a month ago. "And then I threw something in this bag for you."

"Thank you,” I say, and she just smiles at me. She has been the mother I have never had. She has accepted me with open arms, and she treats me just like she does her children.

"I have to get back to my floor,” Shirley says. “I’ll check in later." She then looks at Quinn. “Don’t get thrown out of the hospital." She laughs.

"Quinn, go and help your dad with the bags." Olivia looks at him.

"Bags?" He looks at her.

"You think your grandmother isn’t going to pack food for after?" She shakes her head. “It’s like you don’t even know her."

"I’ll be right back,” he says, kissing my lips. "Don’t do anything without me."

"Good God, Quinn," Olivia says. “You are going for five minutes, not five hours." She shoos him out of the room.

I rub my stomach and then look down. “What’s wrong?" she says, coming beside me and sitting on the bed. “You had a fake smile ever since I walked in, and if my son was in his right mind, he would have seen it."

I smile shyly at her. “I’m just …" I start to say, and the tears come regardless of how much I try to fight them back. “I’m scared."

"Oh, honey." She grabs my hand. “It’s going to be okay. It might be painful, but you’ll forget about it.”

I shake my head. “No, not that,” I say, and I feel a soft kick. “I don’t know how to be a good mother,” I admit. “I mean, I’ve watched you, and I know the kind of mother I want to be.” I wipe my cheek. “But what if I don’t have it in me?”

“Willow, my mother was not the greatest,” she says. “And if you think about it, we had similar experiences with our mothers. Yours always wanted something from you, and mine used me to better herself." I look at her shocked. “And before I moved here, I never thought I would have kids. But then I was around Charlotte, and I saw how she was with Casey and Kallie, and I knew that was the mother I wanted to be." She wipes her own tears. “Ask yourself this … Would you die for your child?"

"Of course," I answer her. “I haven’t even met her, and I know I would trade my life for hers."

"That," she says, “isn’t something our mothers would have done. For that, you are already better than her."

"Why is she crying?" Quinn says, dropping the bag at the door and rushing to me. “Are you hurt? I told that nurse that you had pain."

"She’s fine," Olivia says. “Everything is going to be fine."

She nods at me, and I smile at her. Six hours later, she is by my side, holding my hand while Quinn holds my other hand. “I love you more than life,” he whispers as I give one final push.

Everything happens so suddenly. The doctor places my child on my chest, and I look down. “We have a girl," the doctor says as I sob.

"I love you so much, baby girl,” I tell my daughter. “So, so much." The nurse rubs the baby’s back, and then she lets out the best sound I’ve ever heard in my life. Her cry.

I look over at Quinn, who has his head pushed to me. “You did it, Willow,” he says with his own tears running down his face.

"No," I say. “We did it."

Southern Secrets

Never make the same mistake twice is my motto.

After being left in the dust of an old pickup truck, I promised that I would take care of myself