Page 26 of Snow Harm, No Foul

Holy fuck. I’m pregnant.

Emotion clogs my throat as I drop my hands to my lap and nod. “How did you know?”

“Can almost taste your fear and doubt in the air, angel. And we didn’t use a condom. That and you refused my drink.”

“Are you mad?” I whisper.

His brows scrunch together as he wets his lips. “Mad? No, Ivy. I’m not fuckin’ mad about a baby.”

“Why not? You’re already a father, and I’m nobody to you, Niko. I’m not your wife or even a girlfriend. You didn’t mean to knock me up,” I argue, a large part of me still in disbelief that he’s not telling me to hit the curb.

“Just ’cause I didn’t mean to doesn’t mean I’m upset that I did. And you’re not my wife or girlfriendyet. Don’t use that as a viable reason for me to walk out on you.”

“What do you mean ‘yet’?”

“Do you think I make a habit of sleepin’ with all of my son’s ex-girlfriends, Ivy?”

“No.”

“That’s right. So why would I have started now?”

“You’re okay with what happened, then? And what happens next? Because I think I want to keep the baby, Niko. And that means that . . .Oh my god.Travis will have a brother. And I’ll be its mother!”

In a rush, I start shoving Niko’s arm and chest in an effort to get him to exit the booth. He frowns but stumbles out so that I can tumble out after him.

“Where’s the bathroom?” I croak, reaching up to cover my mouth when vomit slithers up my esophagus.

Niko palms my back and guides me through the bar without another word. I gag behind my hand and wince at the burn that follows. All of my focus is on not throwing up all over him and the bar.

By the time he helps me into the bathroom, I’m barely making it to the toilet before expelling all of the water I drank at the table. I haven’t been able to keep anything down all day, so there’s no food to get rid of.

My stomach growls as I hunch over the toilet and squeeze my watering eyes shut. Embarrassment floods my system as Niko squats beside me and holds my hair and rubs my back.

“I’m sorry,” I blubber, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand. When I see clumps of black lashes in my vision, a sob escapes me.

He shooshes me gently. “How long has this been goin’ on for?”

“About a week.”

“Have you been eatin’?”

I shake my head, keeping it tilted down to hide my face.

“You’ve got to eat, angel.”

“I can’t. It comes up as soon as I do, and I’m just so damn hungry!” I wail.

“Okay. Do you need to throw up again?”

I sniffle. “No. I think I’m okay.”

It comes and goes so fast that I’ve wondered if it’s all just in my head. But it happens again so quickly that I know it has to be real.

Niko moves from my side to crouch behind me. He slips his hands beneath my arms and then helps me onto my feet, leaning me back against the solid wall of his chest.

“Let’s get you somethin’ to eat. We can talk about the baby while I cook.”

I swallow thickly and touch my lips to make sure they’re dry before turning around. The huge man towers over me but doesn’t make me feel small in any way other than size. I’ve never felt like someone’s equal more than I do with him.

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