Page 23 of Unexpected Delivery

Stopped locking my phone—that way, he could check it whenever he liked to prove I wasn’t doing anything wrong.

Though I didn’t get much money when my dads died, I did have some from selling their cars and the furniture. There was a little in liquid assets, but as soon as Adam found out I had money tucked away from that, he started finding ways to spend it, which made no sense. He has a better job, and his family is well-off.

I can see now that he wanted me at his mercy.

That money was something I could use to get away from him. Just like he couldn’t allow me to have friends because then I could have turned to them for a place to stay.

“You know I was a medic in the military,” Hayes says, and my eyes pop open. I’m not even sure when I closed them. He clears his throat. “War is ugly. It’s complete chaos, and you eventually do one of two things—you either go fucking crazy, or you become desensitized to it. Human beings aren’t designed to be in constant fight mode, but it is what it is. Someone has to do it.”

His thumb teases over my cheek, and he moves to run his hand down Gracie’s back.

I glance between him and her and back again. I’m not sure what to say, so I stay quiet.

“Doing that kind of emergency triage, you save a few. Lose a lot. That’s life, I guess. Right before we were supposed to come back to the States, I couldn’t save someone important to me…” His head shakes. “They said I did everything I could, but you know that voice that saysbut did you really? Are you sure you didn’t fuck something up? Why didn’t you try harder?” He sighs, clearing his throat again. “It’s the kind of thing that sits heavy in your chest every day. And again, you either learn to live with it, or it eats away at you until you lose your mind.”

I’ve been cradling Gracie’s back, but I rest my hand on Hayes’s wrist, giving him a squeeze.

That kind of loss must be devastating, and compounded with his guilt?

My vision blurs as my chest aches.

I want to tell him how sorry I am, but I know from experience, words don’t help. Not with the raw kind of pain he’s describing.

When my dads died, I lost count of the number of times people told me how sorry they were. And yeah, I appreciated it, but it didn’t make the grief any easier to handle.

Chapter Nine

Hayes

Arbor opens her mouth like she wants to say something, but she closes it again and stays quiet. It feels like I’ve got this one chance to connect with her. I need more information about who and what she’s running from, so I can head off any problems they might cause. The only way I know to set her at ease is to talk about my own pain.

“I was scared shitless tonight,” I admit. “But for the first time in a long time, I was actually grateful I had medical training.”

“I don’t know what to say except thank you.” She looks so sincere that it makes my chest tight.

I nod, digging my teeth into my lower lip. If I’m not careful, she might tell me to get out, but every cell in my body seems to have changed tonight on a fundamental level.

Arbor and Gracie are mine to look after. The universe put them in my path to give me purpose.

My soul is convinced.

Ever since transitioning to civilian life, I’ve been aimless. I thought the gym would help, but even that couldn’t scratch the itch.

I held that baby as she took her first breath, and I’ll keep her safe until my last. “If there is someone out there who’s a threat to the two of you, I need you to tell me who it is.”

Arbor pulls her hand from mine and runs it over Gracie’s back. “I left a not-great relationship.” She shrugs. “I figured if he wasn’t afraid to put his hands on me, there was a chance he could do the same to the baby. He was on his best behavior in the beginning, but I know what he’s like when his patience runs out.”

My teeth grind together so violently that it feels like I might break a molar. “Does he know where the two of you are?”

“No, he’s in Arizona. Only one person knows where I am—my friend Becky from work. She helped me plan everything. I ditched my old cell phone, sold my car, and came to Maine…” She laughs awkwardly. “Where I know exactly no one, and somehow, it was still worth it.”

“Well, you know the three of us now.” I give a tight smile, trying to keep the insanity from escaping.

My god, her scent is potent. It’s dangerous to be this close to her. She’s a scent match, and my instincts want me to tell her she’s safe—that I’ll make sure no one ever has the chance to hurt her or Gracie again.

Omegas are rare, especially up here in the middle of nowhere. I’ve seen a few, but most were already bonded, and the frequency of running across them is way less than where Hael and I grew up in Florida.

“Oh, I guess she decided she’s done with me,” Arbor says, laughing softly. My eyes fly to the baby and quickly dart away as I get a full view of Arbor’s exposed breast. “Would you mind putting her in her little cart? I think I’m going to try to change into the clothes I packed.”

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