Page 91 of Mile High Daddy

But all I see is shock.

And then, as his grip on me tightens, everything tilts. A wave of dizziness slams into me so fast I barely manage to whisper his name before my legs give out completely.

The last thing I hear before everything goes dark is Mikhail cursing as he catches me.

21

LILA

Adull, throbbing pain pulses through my body as I slowly come to. My limbs feel heavy, my mouth dry, my head stuffed with cotton. The harsh fluorescent light above stings my eyes as I blink against it, trying to focus, trying to remember.

Everything feels wrong—like I’ve been dropped into someone else’s body. My stomach aches with a deep, stretching pain, and a tight pressure lingers around my wrist where an IV needle is taped down. The sharp scent of antiseptic and bleach fills my nose.

Hospital.

I force my heavy eyelids open fully, wincing at the brightness. The walls are a sterile off-white, a heart monitor beeping steadily beside me. The sheets beneath my fingers are stiff and unfamiliar.

Then I feel it—a slow, fluttering movement deep inside me. My babies.

Relief rushes through me so fast that my eyes sting. They’re okay. I press a trembling hand over my stomach, swallowing against the lump in my throat.

A rustle of fabric catches my attention, and my breath stills as I turn my head just slightly.

Mikhail.

He’s sitting beside the bed, slumped in the chair like he’s been there for hours. His elbows rest on his knees, his head bowed, hands clasped together as if deep in thought. His usual sharpness is missing—his dark hair is mussed, his shirt wrinkled. He looks…different.

Disarmed.

I don’t move. I barely breathe.

Because for the first time, Mikhail looks human.

A lump forms in my throat, and without thinking, I shift. The IV tugs at my wrist as I try to push myself up?—

And my elbow knocks into the metal tray on the bedside table, sending it clattering to the floor.

Mikhail’s head jerks up immediately, his eyes snapping open, dark and alert in an instant. His gaze locks onto mine, his breath catching like he wasn’t expecting to find me awake.

A long, tense moment stretches between us.

Then he exhales, his shoulders relaxing just slightly. “You’re awake.” His voice is hoarse, rough around the edges.

I swallow hard, my throat raw. “Yeah.”

His gaze drops, just for a second, to where my hand rests against my stomach.

Then he meets my eyes again. “And the baby?”

I nod, my fingers pressing lightly against my abdomen. “Still moving.”

Something flickers in his expression, something unreadable. He leans back in the chair, exhaling deeply like he’s been holding something in for too long.

I don’t know what to say. Because no matter how much I want to deny it?—

A part of me is relieved he’s here.

Mikhail exhales, rolling his shoulders before meeting my gaze again. “But you’re not in any shape to travel yet,” he says, his tone quieter this time. “You’ll stay at the hospital a little longer. I don’t want the baby to suffer.”

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