Forever Ventured Page 7

  “I have to call her mother,” Katelyn said, pulling out her phone.

  “Mom,” Wyatt groaned, “did it occur to you that maybe Sydney and Mila are scared enough at having the babies they wanted for so long that they don’t need the added pressure of the entire town here?”

  His sister looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  “Well, I’m not letting this apple pie go to waste. It got me the call you were coming in and I will be here when my great-grandchild arrives just as I was for every grandchild. You just have to accept it. You have a family who loves you no matter what, and family doesn’t leave when you’re scared. But,” Grandma Marcy said, “we will wait in the waiting room. All of us.”

  Katelyn looked ready to argue, but Marshall bent down and kissed Sydney on the cheek. “You’ll do great. And if you feel like hitting something, Deacon will be right there next to you.”

  Sydney laughed as she wiped at her watering eyes. As all attention was on Sydney and Deacon being escorted to their room, Wyatt slipped the bag behind him. Camila took it instantly and began slowly backing away.

  “Don’t think we don’t see you, young lady,” Miss Daisy said with a roll of her eyes. “These young ‘uns have no respect for our spying ability. I mean, here we are, at the hospital before they get here, and she thinks she can sneak off to Mila and Zain’s room without us noticing.”

  “Eventually they’ll learn. Their parents finally did. And see, they’ve embraced all that we have taught them.” Miss Violet winked at Katelyn who winked back.

  “But go on. Deliver Mila’s things and tell them no one has any idea they’re here. Poor Mila has had enough pressure in her married life.”

  “Thank you, Miss Lily,” Camila said kindly before taking off down the hall.

  “Now you, young man . . . you need a good talkin’ to.”

  “Me?” Wyatt asked Miss Lily. He was confused and only more confused when the Rose sisters, his mother, and Grandma Marcy all nodded. His father had a sudden interest in the floor and his grandpa was shaking his head and backing away.

  “Yes, you. You have the perfect woman for you literally at your fingertips and you have done nothing,” Miss Lily lectured.

  “Don’t muck this up, Wyatt,” his grandmother warned.

  “You need to ask Camila out. She’s perfect for you, Wyatt.” His mother was kinder about it, but it was still an order.

  “She’s my employee.”

  “Pish-posh. Will you fire her if she says no?” Miss Daisy asked.

  “Of course not,” Wyatt said, offended.

  “Then pull up your big boy pants and ask her out before she slips away,” Grandma Marcy said as she emphasized it with a thump of her cane.

  Katelyn’s phone buzzed and the conversation ended. Mo and Dani were arriving by helicopter. Camila was back and easily talking to Wyatt’s friends and family. She didn’t run as Aniyah began asking her opinion of skydiving into her wedding versus being carried in by six shirtless warriors.

  For hours, they all sat in the waiting room that was filled to the max. The nurses didn’t mind. Keenestonites always brought food with them, so they were plied with cookies, pies, and casseroles in exchange for regular updates.

  No matter how much Wyatt talked with his friends and family, he always knew where Camila was. As soon as Deacon made his way out, Wyatt and Camila instantly found each other. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as Deacon stopped in front of him, Camila, his parents, and grandparents.

  “Would you like to see Baby McKnight?” Deacon grinned from ear to ear as the immediate family followed behind him while everyone else happily clapped and shouted out questions that Deacon promised to answer when he came back. Wyatt had taken Camila’s hand as soon as Deacon had invited them to see a happy and healthy mom and baby and didn’t plan on letting go anytime soon.

  Wyatt looked over his shoulder where Camila was slightly behind him. He’d realized he’d been so eager to see his sister and become an uncle he’d been outpacing her. But Camila didn’t seem to mind. She beamed up to him and his heart tumbled. This was right. She was right. “Camila . . .”

  “Come in!” Sydney called out and Wyatt was saved from making a fool of himself. He was about to tell her what she’d grown to mean to him but instead he focused on his sister holding a tiny bundle in her arms. One little tiny hand reached out of the blanket and Wyatt was sunk. His father wiped a tear from his eye as his mother cried happy tears as Sydney held up the bundle.

  “Donovan, these are your grandparents. And these are your great-grandparents. And here is the best uncle you could ever have. Everyone, this is Donovan Wyatt McKnight. Our healthy and perfect son.”

  “He’s precious,” Aniyah said frantically from the doorway. “Congratulations. But we need everyone in the waiting room. There’s been a problem.”

  “Mila,” Camila gasped as everyone rushed from the room. Wyatt heard Sydney ordering a wheelchair as Mo, Dani, Gabe, Sloane, and Ariana all stood hugging each other with tears rolling down their faces.

  “What happened?” Katelyn asked, coming to help Kenna Ashton, Dani’s best friend, to help comfort a crying Dani.

  “The baby’s heart rate has dropped. The baby is in distress. They’re prepping for an emergency cesarean,” Mo answered for his wife as a team of nurses raced into the room down the hall. A minute later they were navigating Mila out of the room on her bed. Her hand was clasped with Zain’s and both their faces were set in stone.

  The group of Keenestonites lined the hallway and Mila finally took in that they were all there. Her eyes filled with tears as Miss Lily blew her a kiss. Mila passed them one at a time and each person blew her a kiss in turn. The men silently nodded their support to Zain as they could only imagine the pain of being the helpless father.

  Even after Mila and Zain disappeared behind the doors leading to surgery, they all remained quiet. Wyatt pulled Camila against his side while she took deep breaths, trying not to cry.

  “The doctors are moving fast. They’ll have the baby out in minutes. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” the head nurse told them before striding out of labor and delivery and into surgery.

  The minutes passed by so slowly. Wyatt knew because he could hear the second hand ticking on the clock in the waiting room. He didn’t think the room could get any quieter, but it did when the nurse raced back in.

  “The baby is out. I don’t know the specifics, but it’s alive. Mom is losing blood. I’m sorry. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

  Dani cried out as the nurse hurried back into surgery. Tears were shed, prayers were said, and finally the doors opened again. The nurse looked relieved as she smiled at them. “The doctor got the bleeding stopped. Mom is stable. Baby is stable. They’ll be in recovery for a while and then you’ll be able to see them.”

  The Rose sisters collapsed back into the chairs with relief. Dani and Mo clung to each other as Gabe took his tearful little sister into his arms. Next to him Camila was shaking as silent tears rolled down her face. A baby cried and everyone turned to see Sydney clinging to Donovan with a smile and tears in her eyes.

  The next two hours were spent between moments of reflection and rejoicing. Wyatt looked down at Camila as he held her hand. Suddenly he dreaded her leaving in two weeks. There was one thing today had taught him. When things got tough, she was the only one he’d want by his side.

  “I hate to break up the party, but I thought you might want to meet someone,” Mila said with a huge smile as they wheeled her bed into the waiting area on the way back to her room a couple of hours later.

  Dani and Mo shot forward to kiss her and Zain and then stare at the little bundle in her arms.

  “Well, I need to know if the little one gets a tiger onesie or a pink zebra onesie!” Aniyah called out.

  “May we present our daughter, Zaria,” Zain said proudly as he kissed his wife’s head.

  Pictures were taken of Zaria and Donovan before the mot
hers were returned to their rooms to rest. Finally the crowd dispersed and Wyatt was left with trying to figure out what to do next.

  8

  “That was quite the day,” Camila said as they walked upstairs. His room was the first door on the left. Hers was at the end of the hall. And he’d given her all the rooms between. She used one as an office and one was her own living room. She turned toward her rooms and her heart kicked up as he followed her.

  “I’m an uncle. I have to admit it feels pretty amazing. And this fall, I’ll become an uncle again when Sydney and Deacon adopt.”

  “I know I’ve only been in Keeneston a couple of months, but it feels like home and like these are my people. I’m so happy for Zain and Mila. I’ll never be able to fully understand the pressure they were under, but to see the love as they held Zaria was something I’ll never forget.”

  “Speaking of family, have you heard from yours?” Wyatt asked her when she stopped at her bedroom door. The door was closed and she placed her hand on the handle, but didn’t turn it. She didn’t want this day to end. It had felt as if she and Wyatt were a couple. As if all the dreams she had been having every night had come true. And like her dreams, she never wanted them to end.

  “Yes. They miss me, and we’re making plans to meet at the Derby. I still haven’t told them I’m doing anything other than working the farm. They think I’m doing what I did for them, which was assisting. For the Capitol Park races, I signed my name as C.C. Callahan. It’s not much of a pseudonym, but there’re some other Callahans in the racing world and hopefully they’ll just think I’m one of the guys.”

  “You shouldn’t hide. You’re doing a remarkable job here and you should be very proud of it. I know I’m proud of you. No matter what name you enter under, you’re going to create a name for yourself.”

  Camila had her back to the door, her hand on the knob, and had stopped breathing the second Wyatt stepped near her. He towered over her as he looked down at her upturned face. Please. She silently begged. Love me as I’ve fallen in love with you.

  “Thank you for believing in me.” Camila’s voice was a whisper as she felt him take a step closer. His hand brushed against her side and over the top of her bottom. And then the door opened behind her.

  Wyatt swallowed hard but never broke eye contact. “Goodnight, Camila.”

  Her heart sank as he took a step back with determination now in his eyes. “Always the gentleman.”

  Wyatt dipped his head in acknowledgment before he strode toward his room. “Even when I don’t want you to be one,” she whispered to herself as she stepped into her room and closed the door.

  She walked across to the window and looked out. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach as if she were hugging herself. She’d rather it be Wyatt. She looked beyond the backyard and into Gent’s pasture as she pulled her hair loose from the ponytail and shook it out. Camila kicked off her shoes and pulled her shirt from her body and tossed it on the chair.

  “Tell me to leave.”

  “Wyatt,” she gasped as she saw his reflection in the window. He stood in the now opened door, his hand gripping the doorknob.

  “Tell me to leave, Camila. I respect you too damn much as a businesswoman and a trainer to blow the future of Wyatt Farm on crossing a line.”

  Camila turned and saw the anguish on his face. The warring emotions he felt were clear as day. “There is no line with you, Wyatt,” she said. Her Irish accent deepened with hope. She didn’t think of herself as a seductress. She wasn’t wearing expensive knickers. She was standing in front of him in worn jeans and a sports bra that made her look as flat as a boy. But the desire in Wyatt’s eyes made her feel confident instead of self-conscious.

  Wyatt’s jaw tightened. His hand turned white on the doorknob and Camila felt like a sexy goddess the way his eyes devoured her. She turned back toward the window where she could see him in the reflection and began to shimmy out of her jeans. She saw that Wyatt didn’t move a muscle but that his eyes were riveted to her.

  “Come in and close the door,” Camila said with a soft lilt to her voice.

  She reached for the band of her sports bra and began to tug. Feck it all. It was one of her tighter ones. She was trying not to grunt as she worked it up and over her breasts. It was covering her face when she felt a pair of large hands cup her breasts and glide up her side to her arms. Her bra was easily whisked away and she could once again see Wyatt standing behind her in the window’s reflection.

  “What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t help a woman in need of rescue?”

  Camila sucked in a breath and held it as Wyatt’s head dipped to the soft spot where her shoulder met her neck. His breath was warm on her skin as his lips hovered above the delicate spot. Oh no, he couldn’t become a gentleman now!

  Camila reached behind her and let her hand slip into his waistband enough to tug him toward her. She felt his front meet her back as she moved her hand to reach behind him and caress the arse she’d been dreaming about for months.

  It was as if Wyatt was a dam breaking. The first crack came when his lips finally met her neck. He kissed his way across the top of her shoulder as his hands moved to her hips. The dam broke completely when she arched her back and grabbed his arse with both hands and squeezed.

  Camila leaned back against his chest, her head only coming to his chin, and let herself get lost in Wyatt’s touch. His fingers fluttered over her stomach, and he teased her by running a finger under the waistband of her knickers. His teasing continued as his fingers caressed her body without full contact. Her breasts ached, her legs shook, and her breath became short gasps.

  “I take back what I said about you being a gentleman,” Camila said on a sharp exhale as he used the very tip of his finger to circle her breast so lightly it sent tingles through her body.

  “You should have told me to leave.” His voice was deeper and rougher as he whispered in her ear.

  “Never. I’ve wanted you too long.”

  “As I did you. Do you know how hard it was to keep my distance?”

  “But not anymore?” Camila asked with worry. She didn’t want a one-night stand. She wanted so much more. She wanted his body and his heart.

  “No, not anymore.”

  His hands closed around her breasts, finally giving her what her body had been craving. “Wyatt,” she gasped as he spun her in his arms. There was nothing gentlemanly about how he yanked her knickers to the ground. There was nothing prim or proper about the way she tore his clothes off. And when he made love to her, manners were the last thing she was thinking about.

  Wyatt smiled up at the ceiling. Last night had to be the best night of his life. He lay in bed with Camila curled up on his chest. He had one arm around her and she had a leg kicked over him. He didn’t want to move, but he had to get to a patient. But first, he was going to make Camila breakfast and bring it to her.

  It took a minute but Wyatt managed to extricate himself from the bed without waking her. He crept silently down the back staircase into the kitchen. He poured them each a cup of coffee and made hers just the way she liked it. Then he opened the refrigerator. Hmm. He pulled out a cantaloupe and decided to cut that up and serve it with cinnamon toast.

  “Glad I’m not the only one to go naked in this kitchen.”

  Wyatt jumped back, using the cantaloupe to shield himself. “Dad! What are you doing here? And why were you naked in my kitchen?” Wyatt asked.

  “It wasn’t your kitchen then. Your mother and I . . .”

  “No, Dad,” Wyatt said in dawning horror. “Just, no. What are you doing here?”

  “Your grandpa sent me to give you this.” Marshall set an envelope on the island between them.

  Wyatt put the cantaloupe on the island and opened the envelope. Inside was a check big enough to cover the entire fall meet at Capital Park. “What’s this for? I told you I don’t want a handout. I’ll come to you if I’m really about to lose the farm.”

  His dad rolled his e
yes. “Calm down. It’s not a handout. It’s your cut from the harvest. We just sold it.”

  “Oh, okay,” Wyatt said with relief and then smiled. He could pay off his credit cards and register the rest of the horses for the entire meet.

  “I’m off to the military training center. We have some new recruits coming in soon, and Miles wants to go over the schedule. You better cover up before Camila catches you. I know all too well about being caught naked in this kitchen.” His father paused with his hand on the back door. He spun around, his eyes wide. “You don’t eat cantaloupe.”

  “So?” Wyatt asked not understanding why his dad was freaking out.

  “You’re cutting up cantaloupe, there’s two cups of coffee, and you’re naked. You and Camila . . .”

  “Dad,” Wyatt warned as his father’s smile just got wider and he held up both hands.

  “No complaints from me. I agree with everyone else. She’s perfect for you. See you later.” His father went out the back door. Marshall wasn’t two steps away when he was pulling out his phone. Great. Now the whole town would know. Although, if they knew, he wouldn’t have to see any other men flirting with Camila. Actually, now that he thought about it, he liked the idea of everyone knowing. He was smiling as he began to make Camila’s breakfast.

  9

  Wyatt lowered his head and captured Camila’s lips with his before throwing off the sheets and standing up. He turned and looked down at the smile on her face and her tousled hair. No longer was he staying out all night squeezing in home repairs at midnight. Now he was in Camila’s bed with her naked in his arms.

  “I’m sorry I can’t help get the rest of the things packed for Frankfort.” Wyatt turned his nude body to grab a pair of clean scrubs he’d brought in last night. “But I can meet you at the café for breakfast.”

  Camila lay on her side with an arm under her pillow and the sheet on her hips. After two weeks, being naked with each other seemed so natural neither of them worried about covering up. Wyatt, for one, was very happy with that as he took in her breasts and the curve of her hip. A hip he’d kissed his way over the night before.