Page 25 of Desperate Decisions

The world dropped out from under my feet. It was good news, but also terrible given the timing. My mate and child would be exposed to so much danger just from being part of my life. How was I supposed to raise a child with someone I barely knew? My obsession with Amara wouldn’t help me be a good father. God knew I didn’t have a good example to work from, and I wasn’t entirely certain she did either since she’d never mentioned her mother still being around.

“Say something,” Amara demanded.

“I…don’t know what to say. Do you want to keep it?”

She burst into tears. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to decide right now,” said the nurse. “It’s still very early. Why don’t you go home and think about it for a while?”

Amara sniffled and burrowed against my chest, and I held my breath at the sparks of pain that elicited. I wrapped my arms around her anyway, giving her what comfort I could considering the world-altering news. All of my alpha instincts were on board with the idea of seeing her get round from growing my child, but the much more practical side of me was well aware that this was not the safest time for me to have a pregnant mate. Once her scent came in, it would be difficult to hide from anyone, and that would make her an even easier target for Bianca.

“Breathe for me,” I said softly, nuzzling her hair. The compulsion to soothe her was all-encompassing.

Amara sucked in a hiccuping sob, trying to obey.

“That’s my good girl. We’ll do whatever you want and I’ll take care of you no matter what.”

“Here you go, sweetie.” The nurse passed us the pamphlets she’d promised. “Give us a call if you have any questions, and come back if any of the symptoms listed pop up.”

“Thank you.” Amara gave her a halfhearted wave.

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” I promised the nurse. She gave me a smile before going back to her work, and I stroked a hand over Amara’s hair. “Ready to go back to your apartment?”

She nodded. “Please.”

Amara’s father followed us out. “What was so important I couldn’t be included?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Amara replied. “Maybe.”

Once we arrived back at the apartment, she ordered her father to head home, and while he listened, he was obviously not happy about it. I took her straight to the nest, though it could hardly be called that, considering all her nesting supplies were scattered across the floor. I picked out a few of the top layers that hadn’t made contact with the carpet and arranged them so she could have a wall at her back, and I climbed in after her. She settled as carefully as she could against me, and after some very careful rearranging, we found a spot where she didn’t touch any of the burns. My back was screaming, but I could suffer through that for now.

“What do we do?” she asked quietly.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” I reminded her.

“But how am I supposed to think about anything else?”

“Fair enough. Still probably a conversation for later, though.”

“Or it could be a right-now conversation.”

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. “All right. What are your thoughts?”

“I don’t know. Feels kind of scary right now, but also I always kind of wanted a kid just so I could give them a better childhood than I had. Is that selfish?”

“Not more than any of the other reasons people have children.”

“Do you want one?”

“I want specifically you to have a child with me, but also I would be lying if I said I wasn’t fucking terrified to put a pregnant mate around Bianca.”

“I’m not entirely fragile,” she said. “I might go a little feral on Bianca’s ass if she were a threat to one of our kids.”

“One of?” I asked. “We’re having multiple?”

“Well, yeah. I grew up as an only child and I always wished I had a sibling.”

“Brothers aren’t that great. They can be, but sometimes they just beat the snot out of you for fun.”

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