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‘It’s OK.’ Katrina reached across to cover his hand briefly on the steering wheel. ‘Give it some time. No pressure.’
‘Yes. Let’s go home,’ he said.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A FEW nights later, the phone shrilled, waking Rhys; he grabbed it and answered it without thinking. ‘Rhys Morgan.’
‘Now, that wasn’t what I expected to hear.’ Madison laughed.
Oh, lord. He’d answered Katrina’s phone as if it were his own. And if her cousin hadn’t known before that they were sleeping together, she definitely did now. ‘I, um…’
‘Relax. I’m teasing you. Good morning, Rhys.’
‘Morning?’ He glanced at the clock. Technically, it was morning. One o’clock in the morning. And then reality kicked in. Madison was thirty-seven weeks pregnant, according to Katrina. If she was calling at this time of the morning…‘Is everything all right?’ he asked urgently.
‘Yes. It’s very all right.’
His heartbeat slowed back to normal. ‘Good. But you need Katrina,’ he guessed. He was pretty sure that Theo rather than Katrina would be Madison’s birth partner, but they hadn’t actually discussed it…so maybe Madison was in the early stages of labour and just wanted a bit of moral support from her cousin and best friend. He knew without having to be told that if either of them called for help at any time of day or night, the other would be straight there. ‘Hang on.’ He switched on the bedside light so Katrina could see his face, and handed the phone to her. ‘It’s Maddie, and she says everything’s all right.’
‘But?’ Katrina’s eyes widened with fear as she took the phone. ‘Maddie? What aren’t you telling me? What? Why didn’t you tell me? Well, yes, of course he’d be panicking. Is…?’
Rhys gave up trying to follow the conversation. But the second Katrina ended the call, he looked straight at her. ‘What’s happened?’
‘I’m an auntie.’ She beamed at him. ‘I’m an auntie!’
‘Congratulations,’ he said solemnly. ‘Mother and baby both well?’
‘Yes. Helen had a brilliant Apgar score, after an eight-hour labour—well, it was actually a bit longer than that because Maddie was being dopey and spent the whole day thinking she was having Braxton-Hicks’ instead of the real thing. Seven pounds, Theo says she’s the most beautiful baby he’s ever seen, and…’ She beamed again. ‘I’d love to go and see her now, except the midwives would have my guts for garters. Maddie and Helen need some rest. But I’m going in before my shift tomorrow.’ She paused. ‘Um…you can say no, but if you want to come too, you’d be very welcome.’
He could see in her face that she really wanted him there.
And, surprisingly, he found that he wanted to be there too. Sharing the moment with Katrina—the first time she held the baby she’d so been looking forward to. ‘I’d love to be there,’ he said, meaning it.
The following morning, Rhys and Katrina were in the maternity ward at the crack of dawn.
‘Congratulations, Maddie.’ Katrina kissed her cousin, then hugged Theo. ‘You, too, Theo. The florist isn’t open yet, so you’ll have to wait for the flowers.’ She grinned. ‘But I’m glad I’m first with a card.’
Theo coughed. ‘Second. I was first.’
Rhys smiled. ‘Second’s fine by us. Congratulations, both of you. We brought you chocolates. And champagne.’
‘And something I bought the day you got your amnio results.’ Katrina handed Theo a beautifully wrapped parcel, then peered into the cot. ‘Oh, she’s gorgeous. And fast asleep.’
Rhys could hear the regret in her voice; Katrina was clearly dying to cuddle her new niece.
Obviously Madison could hear it, too. ‘Asleep or awake, she needs her first cuddle from her Aunty Kat right this second.’
Katrina needed no second urging. She picked up her niece, sat on the edge of Madison’s bed, and smiled.
Rhys had brought his camera, but he found himself unable to focus for a second. Because the sight of Katrina, with a newborn baby in her arms, made him realise what he really, really wanted out of life.
To be a family with Katrina.
To have children with her. He wanted to hear her telling stories to a little girl with blue eyes and a smile that made the room light up. He wanted to see her making sandcastles with a little boy who had floppy dark hair and was secure in his parents’ love, the way he’d never been but the way he knew their children would definitely be. He wanted to share the same special kind of smiles with her that Theo and Maddie gave each other when they looked at their newborn.
