Ten Broken Promises (Barrington Billionaire's Series Book 10) Read online

  He gently held the woman’s hand and said softly, “It’s going to be okay.” He’d never even watched a movie where they delivered a baby, never mind assist with. From the death grip the woman had on his fingers, and the moans and screams coming out of her, he’d have been okay never experiencing it either. Looking back to the bossy blonde, he asked, “What do you want me to do?”

  “Tell her to push,” the woman ordered.

  “Why don’t you tell her?” he asked.

  “Because I don’t speak her language, so it’s up to you.”

  Connor didn’t know this woman, never mind what language she spoke. But this wasn’t the time to make introductions. They could talk later, after the baby was delivered. He turned back to the young woman and he tried telling her to push in Spanish, then in French, and finally in the little he knew in Russian. Each time he said something, she only cried out more. Connor couldn’t communicate with her, but somehow, she must’ve known what he was trying to tell her, because she gritted her teeth, grabbed her knees, and made some animal growl. Taking a breath, she did it again, and again. Connor moved his hand to help by supporting her shoulders. He was okay with not being able to see what was going on down below.

  “Good girl. You’re almost there. Now breathe and give me a big one. “

  Connor wasn’t even going to bother trying to translate that. Instead, he raised his hand and held up his thumb, hoping she knew she was doing a good job. A few more pushes, and the woman collapsed in his arms. He wiped the sweat off her brow, and even though she had no idea what he was saying, he smiled and whispered close to her ear, “You did really good.”

  A moment later, he heard a baby cry. “Congratulations, it’s a girl,” the other woman said. She handed him the baby wrapped up in his shirt, “Hold her close while I check her one more time.”

  Check her? He didn’t want to know any more than that. He was still trying to get the visual out of his head. But as Connor held the baby in his left arm, and looked down at her, it wasn’t hard. She was the tiniest thing he’d ever seen. He was almost afraid to hold her. The young woman who delivered the baby grabbed hold of his free hand, brought it to her lips and kissed it in gratitude. Connor smiled down at her, then laid the baby on her chest, never actually letting go himself.

  It had all happened so fast, but it was both a horrific sight, as well as something very beautiful. And I’m okay with never going through it again. He thought about Kollette, and had a feeling that Ethan wasn’t any more prepared for this than he was. The difference was that Ethan would be going through it with someone he knew, and Connor was among strangers.

  Looking down at the baby, Connor marveled at her tiny, closed eyes and the slight weight of her in his arms. She seemed content. You sure know how to make an entrance, young lady. Bet your mother’s never going to forget this. Connor knew he wouldn’t, either.

  He could hear the ambulance approaching. Someone must’ve called. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t, but then again, when could he? His hands were literally full. He wasn’t moving from this spot until the medics were ready to take over. Not that he was in this for the long haul, but for the moment, he was committed to caring for her, and the baby.

  The blonde woman barked a few more instructions. “The EMTs will take it from here, but before I go, you’d better promise to step up to the plate. This woman and child need you. You can’t be leaving them in a car while you go off drinking. You look like a decent man, but it’s time to grow up and become a responsible adult. You’re not a teenager, for goodness sake. You need to take care of your family.”

  Before he could even tell her how wrong she was, the medics were nudging her out of the way so they could do their job. Connor made his way out of the back of the SUV and tried to see the woman, but she was walking so fast, she had disappeared into the crowd. He was sure he could catch up to her, but Connor couldn’t just abandon the woman in his care. Someone had to tell the medics the correct information. Like - I’m not the father and I have no idea who this woman is.

  Connor stood by while they quickly evaluated the baby and mother then transferred her onto a gurney. Before they wheeled her away, Connor leaned over and touched the baby girl one more time. “You have a beautiful baby.” Then he took the woman’s hand and this time he placed a kiss on it. “I hope the baby’s father knows how lucky he is.” And he’d better take damn good care of you. He didn’t want to be, but somehow, he was now connected to these two.

  As mother and baby were loaded into the back of the ambulance, Connor knew he’d never see them again, and for some odd reason, that saddened him. Maybe it was just coming down from the adrenaline rush, but he felt drained. Empty. He stayed there watching until the ambulance was out of sight. Maybe I should’ve gone with them.

  Of course, it would be hard to explain if he ditched Shaun for some random stranger. He looked at his watch. Being early was now out of the question, but if he rushed, he could at least be on time.

  Before heading back to his SUV, Connor looked around one more time. How was it that a woman could deliver a baby and then just rush off like it was…nothing? Not that he expected they would exchange numbers or have coffee or anything, but she acted as though this wasn’t so out of the ordinary. He had to give her credit, what she lacked in height, she made up for in confidence. Not only did she have everything under control regarding the birth, but he didn’t usually let anyone speak to him like that. He could chalk it up to being in shock, to being in the moment, but the truth was, he would never have told a lady off anyway. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to talk to her. Guess that isn’t going to happen.

  He noticed that passersby were looking at him oddly. One lady actually winked at him. A cool breeze reminded him why. Although he was wearing his black suit pants, he was shirtless. It wasn’t like he had a spare in the vehicle either. This was just adding to the adventure, one that didn’t seem real at all.

  Connor turned and walked back to the SUV. The back door was still open and when he got closer, he caught sight of the back seat. Shit! Picking Shaun up without a shirt was one thing, but no way in hell was Shaun getting in this thing. It was…disgusting. Connor wasn’t about to drive it back and retrieve a new rental either. He didn’t care what it cost him, but he would let the rental company take the lead on cleaning up this mess.

  He slammed the back door and opened the front door. Surprisingly, his jacket and cell phone were still inside. Then again, a carjacker or thief wouldn’t want to touch anything in that SUV either.

  He dialed the rental company and let them know there was a problem with the SUV. Connor didn’t bother getting into the details. They could figure it out when they brought him his replacement. Besides, no amount of explanation would change the fact that an excessive amount of bodily fluids on the back seat wasn’t covered under his rental agreement.

  Connor’s second meeting wasn’t going to be as easy. No way in hell was he going to tell Shaun or anyone else what had just transpired. But he needed to think of something to explain why he was going to be late, and without a shirt, too.

  He opted to take the easy way out for now and text Shaun.

  RUNNING LATE. ETA ONE HOUR.

  As predicted, Shaun questioned it. SOMETHING WRONG?

  Lies always caught up to you, so he chose to dance around the truth. NEED TO GET A CLEAN SHIRT. MINE WAS BEYOND SAVING.

  Shaun’s response was simple. TEXT ME WHEN YOU GET HERE.

  If it was any of the other Hendersons, this might not have been so easy. But Connor didn’t like being late for anything. Not that this was his fault, but then again, he had left his vehicle unlocked. A mistake he wasn’t going to repeat.

  He leaned against the SUV and waited for the replacement vehicle. It was almost a shame that no one was going to know what a crazy afternoon he’d had, first with Ethan, and then a baby. When he had been a DEA agent his life had been more believable than this. But even if he could explain it, who would he call? Not Kollette, because she might panic that it could be her in that situation someday. And his friends would probably bust a gut laughing.

  Who am I kidding? No one would believe me anyway.

  Krista Chinto still couldn’t believe it. Many women had their children at home. But in the back of an SUV while her husband, boyfriend, or whatever he was, had been in the bar drinking? Well, that just made her sick.

  Even now on the plane ride home, she couldn’t get that poor woman out of her mind. You didn’t need to understand the language to know she was scared to death.

  They were lucky her conference ended early, otherwise she wouldn’t have been walking by when she had. Who knows what would’ve happened? That infuriating man probably would’ve gotten in the driver’s seat and driven off, leaving the woman to have the baby alone in the back seat. He seemed so repulsed by the thought of having to assist in delivering his own child.

  Krista shook her head. The man might have been well dressed, but fine clothes and a nice vehicle didn’t make him a good person. All it meant was he had money. That didn’t buy happiness in a family and from what she’d seen, not even love.

  Granted, she was thirty-four and single, but she knew love when she saw it. What those two seemed to share held all the warmth of strangers. The only time she saw a soft side to him was when she placed the baby in his arms. His eyes had lit up when he was looking down at his little girl. It was as though she wasn’t what he was expecting. Babies never are.

  But even the joy of a newborn wasn’t going to prepare him for the road ahead. There were going to be sleepless nights, and sickness, and times when the baby is crying and what would he do then? Turn to alcohol? Krista didn’t know if he had a problem, but even a foot away from him all she could smell was beer, and it was only two in the afternoon. She could only imagine what he was like as the day went on. Hopefully, today, he spent it at the hospital, where he belonged.

  Back home, Krista was known for speaking her mind. Normally she would’ve laid into him, telling him exactly what she thought of his lack of care and concern. Instead she held back as much as she could, and did all she could do for them: help bring their baby into the world.

  Even though she wasn’t supposed to practice in New York as a physician, she had taken an oath to help others. She had done that, but for some reason, she couldn’t get them out of her mind. It felt like she hadn’t done enough. That they needed her, and her leaving, somehow was letting all three of them down. Staying hadn’t been an option, and neither was going with them to the hospital. She would’ve missed her flight. It wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but she had already checked out of her hotel.

  Krista might not have known their names, but that hadn’t stopped her from at least attempting to obtain an update from the hospital while waiting to board the plane. Not surprising at all, but no one would give her any information. That was good, because it meant they were following proper procedures.

  All there was left to do was hope and pray that something she had said to the new father would stick with him. Sadly, her gut told her no, but she tried to be optimistic.

  The pilot announced they would be landing. She buckled up and braced herself, holding onto the armrest, white knuckled. Flying was fine, but she hated the descent. Her stomach always started to do flips. But Montpelier wasn’t next door, so she gritted her teeth and flew when she had to.

  At least this would distract her from thinking about New York. Krista was looking forward to getting back home. Even though she was only gone two days, it seemed so much longer. She wasn’t a person who enjoyed large cities, coming from such a small town herself. Even though it was the capital of Vermont, it was one of the smallest capitals based on population. Being the only obstetrician, she knew everybody in town.

  Even after she landed it would take almost an hour to get back home. But Burlington International Airport was the most convenient. It gave her the ability to fly in a jet, instead of what she considered a puddle jumper. She would never survive in one of those small propeller planes.

  Thankfully, before she knew it she was on the ground and claiming her luggage. Soon she’d be in an Uber bound for home. She didn’t relish driving the poorly lit highways alone at night. She enjoyed company and hopefully the Uber driver would be in the mood to talk.

  When she got inside the vehicle, she found it was being driven by a college student studying for an exam. He was rattling off questions and answers.

  “What course are you taking?” Krista asked.

  “I’m taking Business 101.”

  “Oh, that’s nice.” He went back to reciting more questions. She wasn’t sure where he was getting the information, because his eyes were on the road and his hands were on the wheel, which Krista was grateful for. She tried again with the chit chat. “Where are you from?”

  “Boston.”

  Obviously, the young man was not interested in having a conversation. She’d been trying to read the same book for the last few months and never seemed to find the right time. She pulled out her Kindle. Maybe she could get a chapter in before she made it back home. She knew her patients would be calling to schedule their follow-up appointments. And not because they needed them, but because they wanted to hear all about her trip and how the conference was. There was so much she had to say, and then there was even more that she didn’t want to talk about. There was no way she would share the ordeal on the side of the road. That was something she hoped she’d be able to forget.

  Who am I kidding? I remember every baby I’ve ever delivered. I don’t want to forget any of them.

  Krista couldn’t focus on her book - she had too much running through her mind right now. Not only was she trying to come down from the emotional roller coaster of delivering a baby on the side of the road, but the fact that she had just given a presentation in front of hundreds of well-known obstetricians from all over the country still shocked her. She felt confident in her knowledge and her ability, but for the most part, Krista was a private person. She was still amazed that they had asked her to come and talk about what it meant to be an obstetrician in a small town. A town where everybody knew everyone.

  At least no one knew me in New York.

  It wasn’t long before the Uber driver pulled into her driveway. Krista lived alone, except for her dog Donnie, a golden retriever. Of course, she couldn’t leave him alone for days. Donnie didn’t even like to be left alone for longer than eight hours. As she expected, she could hear him barking up a storm as she got out of the car. Her dog-sitter Laurel came out to greet her.

  “Krista, I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

  That was funny because Laurel knew when her plane was scheduled to land. Laurel might be an excellent dog-sitter, but she was not great when it came to other details. But Donnie looked like he’d had a wonderful time, because he stuck close to Laurel’s side, panting happily. He did not come rushing over to greet Krista. Then again it could be the fact that Laurel was standing there with a dog treat in her hand. Donnie was a very loyal pooch, mostly loyal to his stomach.

  “Well, I’m back now. You can head home early,” Krista said. She never imagined Laurel would still be at the house. The sitter could’ve left right after feeding Donnie his dinner.

  “I can’t go yet.”

  Krista was puzzled. “Why is that?”

  “Because Donnie and I are in the middle of a movie. And I haven’t finished the pizza.”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re feeding him pizza again,” Krista said, hoping for the best.

  “Only the crust,” Laurel replied.

  Krista rolled her eyes, grabbed her luggage from the driver, and followed Laurel and Donnie inside the house. It was good to be home. It would’ve been nicer to come home to a quiet, empty house. She knew the type of movies that Laurel liked to watch. They were always loud horror films, bloody and gory. Not her type at all.

  Once she got inside, Krista said, “I guess I’m going to head to bed. Make sure you lock the door on your way out.” Laurel nodded and headed back into the living room with Donnie close at her heels.

  Traitor.

  Laurel might have won tonight, but tomorrow morning Donnie would be begging for scraps at Krista’s breakfast table. He didn’t have the best manners, but she loved him anyway.

  Donnie had been a gift from her parents when she graduated from medical school. He was getting up there in age, so no matter what Donnie did, Krista would forgive him. Actually, she had to forgive him more and more these days. Last time she traveled, he had decided to eat her couch. Now Krista never left for long periods without Laurel around to keep Donnie company.

  Krista went upstairs and was too tired to even turn on the television. She took a quick shower and climbed into bed. Tomorrow is another day. She would unpack and catch up on all the local news then. There wasn’t much that could have happened in Montpelier while she was gone. And anything that didn’t make it onto the news or into the newspaper, she was sure she’d hear at the diner. The ladies there were better than the Gazette. Thankfully Krista never gave them anything to talk about, unless it was her involvement in the latest delivery. She hoped she could keep it that way.

  Chapter 2

  Connor hadn’t thought he’d be able to sleep late, but he didn’t expect to receive such an early morning call from Bennett Stone. It meant something had gone wrong while he and Shaun were in New York.

  “I have a question. Were you late to pick up Shaun because of your meeting with Ethan?” Bennett asked.

  Connor had no idea how Bennett had learned about the meeting, but then again Bennett kept a close eye on everything to do with the Hendersons. Connor had hoped that hadn’t included keeping an eye on him. No such luck.