Free Eden by Jamie McGuire Page A

small smile. “My dad wasn’t there, was
he?”
    “ No,” I said, trying to
calm myself. “No. I don’t know who it was. Someone with too many
teeth.”
    Jared nodded once. “I could sense
them.”
    “ Or it’s just that I’m
pregnant. I’ve read pregnant women notice an increase in
nightmares.”
    Jared frowned. He was always one to
imagine the worst. With good reason, granted, but it would be nice
if he would admit for once that something perfectly normal could be
the culprit. I stood, grabbed my briefcase from the floor, and then
shoved my feet into my shoes. I didn’t remember taking them off. I
must have been exhausted.
    “ Claire called,” Jared
said.
    “ Is something
wrong?”
    “ Ryan’s fine. They were
wondering if we wanted to join them for dinner.”
    “ At the
hospital?”
    “ They’re
bored.”
    I ran my fingers through my hair and
wiped the mascara that had likely smudged under my eyes. “I am
hungry. That’s the best time to eat hospital food,
right?”
    “ I thought we could bring
some take-out.”
    “ Even better,” I said,
opening the door. “I know just the place.” Jared put his hand on
the knob over mine, and leaned down to kiss my lips. Instantly, I
felt better. His lips were their usual soft and smooth. Not as
warm, though.
    I took a deep breath and smiled. No
bullets raining down, no explosions, and no men breaking into the
building with automatic assault rifles. Our first day back would be
without event. I dared to hope that Hell would wait until the baby
came to bother with threats. Their typical pride and overconfidence
would give us a little more time to plan, and to win over some key
allies on the other side.
    As we drove through the streets of
Providence, it suddenly seemed like the home I had known in my
childhood. In that moment, it wasn’t harboring threats at every
corner; it didn’t seem dark and sinister. It was the picturesque,
bustling, traffic-heavy town I remembered. Where I was born. Where
my child would be born, and where I’d walked the streets with my
father. Providence was the backdrop of my love story with Jared. It
was still home, and this is where we would make our
stand.
    “ You’re curiously relaxed
this evening,” Jared said.
    “ I don’t know,” I sighed.
“Everything just feels right.”
    “ That’s
encouraging.”
    We picked up dinner and then made our
way to the hospital. When the elevator doors opened, Jared grabbed
my hand and led me to Ryan’s room. The door was open, but it was
quiet inside.
    Claire sat next to the head of Ryan’s
bed. Her head was resting on her fist, and she was smiling at him.
Ryan’s fingers mindlessly twisted a section of blanket next to
Claire’s arm. They seemed to be engaged in a sweet conversation
about nothing in particular. I remembered when I was in that chair,
giggling at Ryan’s nonsensical humor, and I was glad to see the
light back in his eyes.
    The IVs and telemetry leads were no
longer streaming from different parts of his body. He seemed so
relaxed with Claire next to him. I reached out for Jared’s hand.
His knuckles brushed against mine as our fingers interlaced, and I
looked up at him. He was smiling at his baby sister, pleased to see
her finally content.
    Ryan’s eyes wandered to the doorway
where we stood. Claire slowly turned our direction and offered a
small smile.
    “ Knock, knock,” Jared
said, holding up the bags of take-out. “Cheeseburgers. Nina said
it’s your favorite.”
    Ryan’s smile turned into a cheesy
grin, and he threw his head back. “Oh, thank God! I thought I would
starve to death.”
    “ Oh,” Ryan said, chewing
an oversized wad of cheeseburger. “Red Stripe has the best burgers.
Seriously. You shouldn’t do this to me in the hospital. I might
think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
    Claire rolled her eyes. “Could you be
a little more dramatic about a cheeseburger?”
    Ryan stopped chewing, and wiped the
bit of ketchup off the corner of his mouth with