From the time they broke ground, Courtney's building took fifteen months to complete. Isaac and I had spent the majority of that time in Chicago, but he traveled to Memphis on a monthly basis so that he could check on the progress, and most of the time, I went with him.
He had projects going on in other places as well—mainly Chicago, but he did start one in Minneapolis and another in Toronto, and he traveled a bit for both of those. He was extremely driven with his work, and it was inspiring and fun to witness him working on the projects in their various stages.
Isaac and I had gotten married in November, and by the time we went back for my brother's wedding the following January, we found out we were expecting our first baby.
We had just been back to Memphis for Christmas and, at that point, we had no idea, but we learned the good news a few weeks later, when we went back for Liam and Taylor's wedding.
I wasn't feeling well for the trip. I felt weak and queasy. I thought it was something I had eaten before we left or that maybe I had come down with something on the flight. I pushed through it, though, pretending that I was fine for the sake of Liam and Taylor.
I hadn't decided what to do with my house in Memphis, so for the time being, Ivy was living there while she went to college. I was letting her live rent free in exchange for keeping up the place, and she always went back home to stay with her parents when Isaac and I came back for a visit. She was especially happy to stay at home with her parents that time, because her big brother, Wes, had come from London for Liam's wedding and she was anxious to catch up with him.
Isaac and I had just come back from the wedding reception and were settling into the house when it occurred to me that my queasiness might not have anything to do with something I ate.
I asked him if those symptoms could possibly mean I was pregnant, and he instantly began quizzing me about when I was supposed to have my next cycle. I told him it could be anytime in the next couple of days. We Googled whether or not it was too early to tell, and Isaac ended up going to the pharmacy that night to purchase a test. It came out negative, but he had bought a multi pack, and I took another one first thing the following morning, which came out positive.
We were blown away, relentlessly ecstatic.
Isaac and I knew we would remain in Chicago for the pregnancy and birth. I really did want to be back home in Memphis, but I didn't want to rush the move. We had talked about it and planned extensively, and we had a two-year goal for relocating his business and our family to Memphis. While I really desired to share the birth of our first child with my family, I knew it was best for us all to stick with the plan. Besides, we got closer to Isaac's family and the Kennedy side of my family, so it was really a priceless time that I wouldn't trade for the world.
Cora Adeline Charles was born on the first day of October. We all thought she was going to be a September baby, but I had a twenty-eight hour labor which ended in a C-section. Thankfully, though, everything went fine with the surgery, and we both came through it healthy and happy.
Isaac was the most caring and attentive father on the face of the earth. I should have known he would be that way after his past experience, but his love and devotion to Cora and me was still somehow astounding. I wasn't sure how he managed to devote so much of his time and effort to his work while still making it seem like we were the center of his universe.
Patrick was still very much a part of our family, and he loved Cora as well. He was protective of her and gentle too. One of my very favorite photographs was of Cora when she was only a week old. She was curled up, sleeping next to Patrick who was staring down at her. He seemed like an absolute giant in comparison to her, which made for a stunning black and white photograph. We had it blown up to 16x20 and framed it for our wall. That was obviously a staged photograph, and we didn't make it a habit of letting Cora sleep unattended next to him or anything, but he was, in general, really gentle with her.
Cora was three months old now, and we were currently on her first trip to Memphis. My family had all been up to Chicago to meet her, but it was her first time to make the trip.
It was the grand opening of the Memphis Center for the Arts, and Courtney was playing an acoustic set in the main theater. It was a sold out crowd, and tickets were so in demand that if you managed to get your hands on one, you could sell it on the internet for five times its face value.
It wasn't a formal event, but we all got dressed up for the occasion—even baby Cora had on a little red dress that coordinated with mine. Our whole family was attending, but Uncle Max and Aunt Betty were babysitting Kip, and they offered to watch Cora as well. I almost agreed to it, but she was such a good baby that I figured she would either sleep or chill out through the whole concert, so I decided to take her along. I knew she was too young to remember or appreciate any of it, but I still didn't want her to miss anything.
Courtney was planning on bringing Isaac and a couple of other people up on stage to introduce them before the show and thank them for their part in making the building come to life.
We got there an hour early so that they could do an interview and take some pictures. It didn't surprise me that Cindy Rogan was the anchor in charge of the interview. She rarely, if ever, left the studio, but this event was big enough that I figured she'd be the one doing it even before we got there and I saw her.
I didn't expect a confrontation from her. I expected fake hugs and fake smiles and a few seconds of cordial small talk before she got to the business of interviewing Courtney and Isaac.
What I got was something totally different.
"Oh, my gosh, who is this?" Cindy asked, walking up to me.
"Baby Cora," I said as I turned to the side to let her get a better look. Cindy stared down at Cora who was swaddled in a blanket and sleeping peacefully. She really took her in for a minute, touching her arm with her fingertip as if she was in awe. Finally, she looked up at me. She scanned my face, and then stepped back, scanning my body. I was a little bit taken aback by all the attention, but her expression seemed sincere that I just stood there, smiling curiously and waiting to hear that she had to say.
"Shelby, motherhood really suits you," she said. "You look amazing."
I smiled. "Thank you," I said, feeling at a loss for words.
"No, really, I mean it. You look so beautiful and happy."
"Thank you, Cindy, I, I, really am happy."
"I can tell," she said nodding.
She was so serious and genuine that I felt somewhat stunned. She reached out and gave me an unexpected hug. "We miss you around the station," she added. "But I'm happy for you. I'll have to tell them all how good you're doing."
I hugged her back, feeling my eyes begin to sting. For whatever reason, her sincerity had me feeling touched. I felt thankful and truly humbled. I thanked her again and told her how good it was to see her and that she looked beautiful as well. Then I went off to find a quiet place to nurse Cora before the show started.
Our family had a section in the front, and I sat with Mom and the others while Isaac stayed backstage with Courtney. She came out and spoke with the audience for a minute before bringing out Isaac and a woman named Carol who was the COO of the Center. She introduced them both, and bragged on them, saying how she could have never done the project without them.
While they were on stage, she showed a five-minute video that highlighted some of the construction and told about the goals of the center and some of the upcoming events. It was well put together and inspirational, and I was so proud of Isaac and Courtney both.
Courtney hugged them and thanked them one last time once the video was finished, and then the lights went down, and the crowd got quiet with anxious anticipation as they waited for her to begin.
She was in the middle of her second song when Isaac discreetly found his place next to me. He leaned over to kiss me on the cheek and then reached out to adjust Cora's blanket so that he could peek in and check on her.
Everyone clapped when Courtney finished that song, and Isaac used the opportunity to lean in and speak near my ear. "I'll hold her if you get tired," he said.
I smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you. How'd your interview go?"
"Good. She said it'll run on the 10 o'clock news, but that she'd forward a link in case we miss it. I saw you talking to her. Did that go okay?"
I nodded. "She was really nice."
Both of us were being discreet so we wouldn't detract from Courtney's set. He leaned in to whisper in my ear again. "She told me you and Cora were the two most beautiful women here."
I gave him a surprised look and mouthed the word, "Really?"
He nodded.
"What'd you say?" I whispered.
"You'll have to watch the interview to find out."
My eyes widened. "She said that in the interview?" I asked, still whispering but wearing a dumfounded expression that made Isaac laugh as he nodded.
He slid his hand under my arm, resting his palm on my thigh. It was warm and protective, and I relished the feel of it.
We sat there and watched the rest of the song, and when it ended, he clapped with the rest of the crowd. I couldn’t join in since Cora was sleeping in my arms.
I started to ask Isaac something more about the interview or how it had been backstage, but I decided I didn't need to know about any of those things. All I needed to know was that after he finished clapping, he rested his hand on my thigh again.
We grinned at each other just as Courtney went into another song, and all was right with the world.
The End
(till book 8)