Page 29 of Brokered Betrayals
Returning his squeeze, Evangeline said, “Where else would I be?”
Someone knocked on the door, and Jo pushed it open enough to poke her head into the room. “Eddie said I could come on back.” She saw Dr. Edwards at the bassinet with Darla. “Oh, should I come back in a bit?”
“Not on my account,” Dr. Edwards said.
“Come on in,” Royce said.
Jo stepped inside and shut the door. She hugged the guys before embracing Evangeline. “This is so exciting.” She clasped her hands together in front of her. “It’s been a while since I’ve held a baby. I might be rusty.”
“It’s like riding a bike,” Evangeline said. “She’s so sweet and cuddly. I practically snarled at the doctor when she asked to examine her.”
Royce and Sawyer eased closer to Dr. Edwards without crowding her. She examined Darla from head to toe, talking sweetly to her every step of the way. Darla would open her eyes occasionally or fuss her displeasure at being disturbed. She formed a moue with her little bow mouth, furrowed her brow, or scrunched her cheeks in protest.
“Your little girl has opinions,” Dr. Edwards said.
“Good,” they replied.
Dr. Edwards laughed as she swaddled Darla once more, and the baby settled immediately. “Who gets her?”
“Can I hold her now?” Jo asked Evangeline. “I might just burst otherwise.”
“I’ll share her with you,” Evangeline replied.
“Yes!” Jo practically Tigger-bounced over to the sink to wash her hands.
“What about her fathers?” Sawyer asked.
His mother grinned. “Eh, maybe.”
Jo took the sleeping bundle from Dr. Edwards and carefully crossed to the sofa. The grandmothers fussed over Darla, and the guys turned their attention to what the doctor had to say.
“She definitely has a tongue tie, and it’s my opinion that she would benefit from a procedure to correct it. But we need to consult certified lactation consultants and speech pathologists first.” Dr. Edwards looked at the feeding chart and noted the time of her next bottle. “I’ll make sure both are on hand to observe her next feeding, and if they agree with my assessment, I’ll perform the procedure early tomorrow morning.” She described the frenectomy in enough detail to make Royce’s stomach pitch, while Sawyer gripped his hand hard enough to snap bones. “I know it sounds awful, but I will give her a small amount of anesthesia to numb the area, and her recovery time will be minimal. We might have to keep your darling at the hospital for an extra day for observation to make sure she’s latching on properly and taking a bottle well.”
“Thank you so much,” Royce said.
“My pleasure.”
Once Dr. Edwards left, Royce turned to Sawyer. “This might buy us some extra time to figure out what’s going on with Ivy. Hopefully, Eddie’s mission is successful.”
“Where’d Eddie go?” Evangeline asked.
“He’s driving over to our lawyer’s office to see what’s going on,” Royce explained. “He’s going to make sure someone at the law office calls us.”
“Should’ve sent me,” Evangeline said. The menacing scowl on her face told Royce he’d made the right decision to send Eddie instead, something he never thought he’d say.
“Whoa, killer,” Sawyer told his mother.
Royce was on the verge of telling Evangeline not to jump to conclusions when his phone rang. A glance at it showed Eddie’s name on the caller ID. Royce accepted the call and said, “Have any luck?”
“I couldn’t get in,” Eddie said. “The place is swarming with cops.”
Royce froze in fear. “Cops?”
“What’s going on?” Sawyer whispered, but Royce only had enough functioning brain cells to concentrate on one conversation at a time. He held up his finger and asked Sawyer to wait.
“Yeah,” Eddie said. “They’ve barricaded the parking lot, so no one can get in there. I approached on foot to ask some questions, but the sheriff’s deputy wasn’t in a chatty mood. He sent my ass packing.”
“Sheriff’s deputy?” Royce asked. “Why were the county boys there? The law office is within city limits.”