Page 129 of Good as Gold
“Good. And at least I was smart enough to save this.” I have to stand up for a moment so I can reach into my pocket and pull out the tiny cardboard box. “It’s the gift I’d brought home all those years ago. You probably forgot all about it, but that’s okay.”
I hand her the little box. It saysAlpine Artsin silver letters.
Surprise registers on her face as she tugs the lid off the box. And then she gasps when she sees the snowflake necklace inside. “Omigod! It’s from the shop in Beaver Creek!”
The smile on her face makes my heart beat faster. “Yeah. Took me a few years to go back and buy it, but I never forgot.”
She looks up at me again as she unclips the chain, and drapes it around her neck. “I can’t believe you kept it this long.”
“You still like it?” I ask with a chuckle. “Tastes change.” I reach up to help her with the clasp.
“I stillloveit,” she insists, fingers pressing the pendant to her collarbone. “My tastes don’t change that much over time, I guess. On that trip, I realized how much I missed you. I just didn’t call my feelings by their real name.”
“Love you, honey,” I whisper. “I sold my business and my condo and flew all the way home to tell you that.”
She blinks. “Really? You’re leaving Colorado for good?”
“Oh yeah.” I smile at the look of shock on her face.
“I didn’t know you could do that right now.”
I laugh. “I didn’t either. But here I am anyway.” I find a position where I can wrap my arms around her properly. “My tastes don’t change, either. You have no idea how much I care about you.”
And then I hold her tightly to prove just how much.
* * *
Leila’s obstetrician—a gray-haired woman named Dr. Constance—turns up later to examine her. Leila seems relieved to see a familiar face.
Dr. Constance clucks over her and checks all the monitors and charts. “The blood pressure medication has improved you,” she says.
“Oh good! Does that mean I can go home?”
The good doctor shakes her head. “It’s improved, but not enough. And your lab work suggests that we should go ahead and induce you.” She places her hands on Leila’s belly and uses her fingers to palpate the baby.
“Shit,” Leila says, blowing out a breath. “I really wanted to make it to full term.”
“At thirty-seven, almost thirty-eight weeks, your baby is going to do just fine. I’m just happy you didn’t have this complication earlier in your pregnancy. It happens, and it’s a lot more difficult to navigate.”
“Okay. What do we do next?”
The doctor explains that her IV will deliver a new drug that will induce labor contractions. But it will take hours.
“She hasn’t eaten today,” I point out. “Can I bring her some food?”
The doctor okays this, gives Leila a few more details, and then goes off to order the new IV meds.
I rise from the bed, but Leila grabs my hand. “You’re coming back, right?”
“Always, honey. But the labor book says that labor is like running a marathon, and I don’t want you starving. Can I find you a sandwich?”
“You read the book?”
“I needed a new hobby after the baby registry was finished, so…” I shrug.
She smiles but there are tears in her eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Not true. Now let go of me so I can feed you.”
