Excerpt
"Why does it take so long to have a baby?”
At her niece’s question, Tracy Hayden looked up
from the stack of invoices she was logging into her business’s accounting
system.
She smiled at Emily, who was playing a game on the
other home-office computer. “They don’t have bar codes on their bums, so you
can’t just pick them up at a grocery store.”
Tracy’s sister, Maggie, had gone to the hospital
early that morning, when her water had broken. The latest update from Maggie’s
anxious husband, Jake, at 5:00 p.m., had been that all was progressing well, if
a bit slowly.
Now, at seven-thirty, ten-year-old Emily’s
excitement was stretched thin by the lack of action.
“Very funny, Auntie Tracy.” The soon-to-be older
sister rolled her eyes. “Do you think Mummy’s having a girl or a boy?”
“Hmm.” Tracy pretended to consider the question
seriously. “I have a feeling the sproglet is a boy.”
Her niece leaned forward eagerly. “Why?”
Tracy lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Your mum
put sugar in her cup of tea yesterday. They say you need extra sweetness if
you’re having a boy.”
Emily’s eyes widened. “She also ate a whole bar of
Cadbury’s chocolate from her stash.”
“Aha.” Tracy snapped her fingers. “That settles
it.”
“A baby brother would be okay,” Emily mused. “He
wouldn’t want any of my things. Plus he’ll like sports. I could teach him to
skate and play hockey.”
Tracy clipped the invoices together, then slipped
them into a folder marked November Bills. She’d allocate them to the
appropriate accounts tomorrow. “That would be nice.”
“Maybe he’ll even get to play on the Ice Cats like
Daddy Jake.”
Jake “Bad Boy” Badoletti was a star defenseman for
the local professional hockey team, the New Jersey Ice Cats. He and Maggie had
gotten together after his transfer from Chicago a few years ago, when Maggie had
helped him find a place to live. Though she’d been wary of falling for another
pro athlete after escaping an abusive marriage to Emily’s father—an English
Premier League soccer player—Jake had eventually won the hearts of both mother
and daughter. As well as being an avid fan of her stepfather’s team, Emily had
also become a good mites’ hockey player.
The child pouted. “It’s not fair that girls can’t
play for the Ice Cats.”
“You never know. Maybe you’ll be the second woman
to play in the NHL.”
“But Manon Rhéaume was a goaltender.” Em wrinkled
her nose. “I want to be a forward and score lots of goals.”
Naturally. Her niece was all about action.
The phone rang, startling them both.
Tracy’s heart leaped into her throat as she saw
Jake’s number. She snatched up the receiver. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” He sounded a little befuddled. “We have a
boy. Eight pounds, six ounces. Mom and son both doing well. Dad’s not sure he
ever wants to go through that again.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be Maggie’s line?” Tracy
said drily.
“She had an epidural. I did the whole thing without
anesthetic.”
She laughed. “A tough guy like you can’t handle
childbirth. I’m shocked.”
“I can’t believe, having survived it once with
Emily, she’d be willing to do it again.” He paused and Tracy could almost feel
his shudder down the phone. “Maggie’s one tough cookie.”
“She certainly is.”
Despite what she’d been through, Maggie had not
only managed to make a fresh start in the US, but she’d also embraced marriage
again.
Something Tracy couldn’t do after her own
disastrous experience. That mess wasn’t something she wanted to think about.
Not when there was a new life to celebrate. “So, are you up for visitors?”
“Sure. Whenever you can get here. I’ll call my
parents next and get them to pass the news to everyone else.”
After she’d hung up, Tracy turned to Emily. “A
boy,” she said smugly.
“You rock, Auntie Tracy.” Emily reached across the
back-to-back desks to fist-bump her. “When can we go to see him?”
“Right now.” Tracy saved her files, then switched
off her computer and stood. “Get your coat and we’ll head over.”
Em dashed out of the office. A moment later, she
stuck her head back around the door. “Don’t forget the teddy bear.”
“I won’t. He’s already in the gift bag by the front
door.”
The drive to the hospital passed quickly, with
Emily chattering like a magpie about her new sibling. As they walked across the
parking lot toward the hospital entrance, Emily squealed and darted toward a
tall dark-haired man getting out of a black Mercedes SUV.
“Uncle Ike!”
Tracy’s pulse hitched at the familiar figure of Ice
Cats goaltender Eisenhower “Ike” Jelinek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Harlequin
SuperRomance author, Anna Sugden, loves reading and writing happy endings as much
as hockey! When not reading or watching hockey, she loves football, good food
& wine, making simple cross-stitch projects, and collecting memorabilia,
penguins and fab shoes!
A
former marketing executive and primary teacher, Anna lives in Cambridge, England,
with her husband and two bossy black cats. Learn more about Anna, her
heart-warming romances and her shoes at www.annasugden.com . You can also
follow her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/annasugden.romanceauthor), Twitter
(www.twitter.com/annasugden) Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/annasugden) and on
the Romance Bandits blog (www.romancebandits.com
Buy
Links:
Barnes
& Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-perfect-catch-anna-sugden/1120111934?ean=9781460375983
Posts
Thanks so much for hosting me today, Maureen! <3
ReplyDeleteHey everyone - do you have a special present you give to new babies?
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