“I’m not that bad,” Mom insists. Sam and I laugh. “I just want to make sure things are perfect.”
Chase takes my hand and smiles. “They already are.”
Epilogue
Chase
Three years later…
“Ethan?” I look around the living room. “Where’s Ethan? Where’d he go?” Wild giggles come from under the pile of pillows in front of me. “Mom, have you seen Ethan?”
“Oh my goodness,” Sierra says, slowly walking into the living room. “Dad, did you lose Ethan again?”
“Here I am!” our son says, popping up from the pillows.
“Whoa!” I say and bring my hands to my face. “Where did you come from?”
“Again, Daddy, again!” the toddler giggles. He puts his face into the pillows and chants you can’t see me over and over.
I bury him in pillows again and sit on the couch. “I’m tired and need to lay down. This pile of pillows looks comfy.” I pretend to fluff up the pillows, and Ethan erupts in laughter. “Wait a minute. Why is my pillow laughing?”
“I’m not a pillow! I’m not a pillow!”
“Why are the pillows talking? What is going on? Hey!” I move the pillows and lift Ethan up in the air. “You’re not a pillow!” I kiss his cheeks and he tries to blow raspberries on my arm, which just leaves a trail of slobber. The second his feet hit the floor he takes off, running full-speed at Sierra.
“Mommy!”
“Careful, buddy!” I say. “You don’t want to hurt your sister!”
“Maybe you’ll make her come out,” Sierra says with a groan. She’s two days past her due date and is miserable. She kisses Ethan’s cheeks and hugs him tight. “Dinner’s ready, boys.”
I hold out a hand and help her to her feet. Not a second after she’s up, Sierra sits back down again.
“Ow.” Her hands fly to her large belly.
“Did you just have another contraction?”
“Yeah. We should probably eat. Now.”
“Maybe we should call your mom. You had a fast labor last time.”
“Not yet. They’re still too far apart.” She takes my hand and lets me help her to the table. She doesn’t make it to her chair before she pitches forward. “Okay. Call her.”
In somewhat of a panic, I rush around the house. We moved a few months ago into this house. It’s big and brand-new, built on the Belmont family property. The river runs through our backyard and it’s perfect.
I get Sierra’s hospital bag, Ethan’s overnight bag, and the bag packed for our daughter, Emma. I call Mrs. Belmont to let her know to meet us at the hospital. Then I pack up Ethan and help Sierra to the car. I’m more nervous than she is and am half convinced we waited too long and Sierra’s going to have this baby in the car.
She’s contracting every two minutes by the time we get to the hospital, and Ethan cried the last quarter of the drive, not understanding what’s going on or why Mommy is in pain.
Only three-and-a-half hours after getting checked into labor and delivery, our daughter is born. She’s nineteen inches and six-and-a-half pounds of perfection.
“I don’t remember Ethan being this little,” I say, taking my daughter in my arms.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Sierra agrees. “She’s so little and cute.” Sierra’s eyes fill with tears. “She’s so perfect.”
“She is.” I kiss her soft cheeks and put her back in Sierra’s arms, going into the waiting room to get Ethan. Holding his hand, we go back into the delivery room. He stops at the foot of the bed, staring at the little bundle in Sierra’s arms.
Then he smiles and climbs up, eager to meet his sister.
“Hi,” he says. Emma opens her mouth. “She said hi! Can I hold her?”
“Let me help you,” I say and pick Ethan up. We sit on the bed, and I put a pillow in his lap. Carefully, Sierra lays Emma on his lap, keeping a hold of her head. Ethan grins and bends down to kiss her.
“She tastes like a baby,” he says and we laugh. I lean in, putting my arm around Ethan and Sierra. I look down at my family. We’re an hour from our house, but sitting here together, I feel at home.
Thank you for reading! 100% of the profits from this anthology will be given to the Live A Thousand Lives charity.
This charity donates audio players - equipped with hundreds of hours of classic stories - to low-to-no mobility patients in nursing facilities and hospitals.
The Live A Thousand Lives Project has been fueled by prolific Romance writers and unabashed book lovers who appreciate that audiobooks boost mental health, improve memory and stimulate the brain in ways that mirror reading printed text.
WAYS TO HELP:
You can donate by clicking here!
Or you can purchase an audio device for yourself - a Brilliant Blue Classic or a Red Hot Romance Device (with over $200 worth of audios from multiple bestselling authors) by clicking here!
For every ONE player purchased, Live A Thousand Lives is able to donate TWO Brilliant Blue Classics.
Acknowledgments
Chase and Sierra have been begging me to write their story for well over a year now, and once I finally set out to write it, I couldn’t stop. I love this story so much, and am so thankful for my amazing friends in the book world who share the love of One Call Away right along with me.
Christine Stanley, TL Smith, Kristin Mayer, Erin Hayes, and Crystal Gizzard Brunette: thank you for your abundance of support and optimism over this book. You never lost patience with me and my (many) moments of panic while getting this book ready for publication.
Felicia, Theresa, Michelle, Paige, Lisa, Debby, Paula, Colleen, and Franci: You ladies are the best beta team an author could ask for. There are no words to express how grateful I am to have you on my side.
To all the bloggers and bookstagrammers who took the time to read, review, and post about One Call Away: Thank you times a thousand. I’m blown away and humbled each and every time you decide to pick up my book.
And to my family and friends: thank you for helping me follow my dreams, for offering encouragement, and bringing me wine when it’s most needed.
About the Author
Emily Goodwin is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over a dozen of romantic titles. Emily writes the kind of books she likes to read, and is a sucker for a swoon-worthy bad boy and happily ever afters.
She lives in the midwest with her husband and two daughters. When she's not writing, you can find her riding her horses, hiking, reading, or drinking wine with friends.
Emily is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency.
The Pool Boy
By Nikki Sloane
Erika