Page 22 of Damned By His Angel

“Well, from the size of this wee one I would say you are about twenty five weeks along.” Amelia’s mouth parts but no words come out. “Would you like to know the gender?”

“Yes,” I answer before Meelz can. Jenny shoots me a smile before shifting her wand thing around some more. “Congratulations, dad, you’re having a baby girl.” Those are the last words I hear before everything around me silences.

Dad.

Baby girl.

Those three words play on a loop in my head as Jenny continues to do her checks while I stand here staring at the miracle growing inside of my girl. I feel so protective over this baby and it doesn’t even have a single drop on my DNA inside her.

Amelia is still acting strange as we leave the doctor’s office, I don’t know if it’s because she misses her old job or if she is just overwhelmed about seeing her daughter for the first time, but something is definitely up with her. I walk Beth to her car and thank her for coming. I’m ready to get Meelz home and celebrate or something but when I look at her, her gaze is on the ground and she’s scuffing her foot along the pavement.

“Angel?”

My eyes narrow when she cringes at my pet name for her. “I’m gonna head home with Beth, I’ll see you Monday,” she rushes to say before beelining for the passenger side of the car and climbing in. I stare at her at a loss for words.

“Let me talk to her and I’ll give you a call later. You go on home now.” Beth tries to placate me but it does nothing, I stand here and watch them driveaway.

What the fuck just happened?

I climb in my truck battling internally as I try to understand what the fuck changed within her. She was fine this morning and happy to see me. Fuck, she couldn’t get my clothes off fast enough after I dressed Pete. I get she was nervous to see her baby for the first time but to run from me…

Fuck!

She’s doing it again, she’s about to push me the fuck away and force me to leave her. I don’t know if her abandonment issues stem from her bio mom dying and leaving her to be raised by her chosen mother but she has some fucking trauma she needs to deal with. I yank the steering wheel and pull over to the side. I fish my phone out of my pocket and dial his number.

It rings for so long I don’t think he will answer until he does. “If you’re ringing me because you can’t get a hold of my girl, I’ll shoot you with your own fucking gun!”

A smirk tugs at the corners of my lips, this fucker has been salty ever since Lon and I got close. “You gotta let that shit go, brother.”

“Yeah, easier said than done when she runs to you every time I fuck up or she reminds me that she should have gone for the other twin first.” I can’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of me, he and I both know she doesn’t mean what she says. She just knows it works his last nerve when she says that shit. Truth is, London is just as madly in love with my brother as he is with her, those two are a match made in hell.

“Artemis?”

“What’s wrong, Nos?” The edge to his voice tells me he knows something is wrong.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“What happened? Say the word and I’m on the first flight out.” Hearing that shit has me feeling some type of way but I shut that feeling down, now isn’t the time to get all caught up in that shit.

“Nah, stay where you are. I just need…” I put my pride to the side and seek advice from the person I never thought I would ask. “Amelia is here.” The sound of him whistling through the phone has me pulling mine away from my ear.

“So, is this where you finally admit that there is something going on between the two of you?” I scrub a hand down my face and exhale loudly.

“Yeah. There has been something going on since I left and traveled with her. When I came back, I didn’t go touring or anything, I was in Chicago with her.”

“Fuck. That whole time you were with her?”

“Yes,” I grit out.

“Does her dad know you were with her?”

“No.”

“Wait. Is she the reason you left me and wanted to be alone?” There is a slight hint of anger to his tone and that shit has my hackles rising. I get to be pissed at her, not him.

“Careful, brother,” I warn.

“Holy fuck!” He breathes out. “You went and fell for the heiress that repaired the Murdoch family.” I scrunch my face in confusion.

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