Page 192 of New Storm Rising
“Um…ehem…” Slipping off his chair, the lawman took a few hurried steps backwards. “I think…I think I suddenly remember I’ve got something very important to deal with. Yes, there’s a…a very dangerous individual on the loose.” He threw a glance between me and Mr Ambrose. “Maybe even two. And if I don’t leave right now, an innocent person might be severely injured. In fact, I’m pretty sure he will be.”
With that, he turned around and ran.
Mr Rikkard Ambrose did his very best to kill him by impaling his back with the icy set of spears that was his gaze. Unfortunately for him, that meant he did not see the hand of vengeance coming to grab him by the lapels.
“Mister. Rikkard. Ambrose!”
Finally seeming to realize what was happening, he slowly tore his eyes away from the fleeing marshal and turned towards me.
“Now, Mrs Ambrose, don’t do anything rash—”
“Rash? Rash?Rash? Don’t talk to me about rash!”
“We will have to, sooner or later. According to my information, rashes are a common symptom of pregnancy.”
He leaned aside just in time to avoid the half-eaten slice of toast aimed at his head.
“You! You knew from the very beginning!After your wedding night, you suddenly feel sick and begin regurgitating. I wonder why that is.You knew that I was pregnant all this time! You practically told me to my face, and I still didn’t realize! I can’t believe I didn’t realize…! How stupid am I, exactly?”
“Do you truly wish me to answer that?”
“Shut up!”
“I shall take that as a no, then.”
Suddenly, I couldn’t sit still anymore. Jumping up from my seat, I dashed down the street, a distant part of my mind taking wicked satisfaction in the shouts of the waiter who immediately jumped on the last person left to pay the bill.
It wasn’t really my focus right now, however.
“Pregnant! I’m bloodypregnant! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Patsy and the girls are gonna kill me!”
Getting hitched was bad enough, but getting knocked up by the world’s biggest chauvinist? They were going tomurderme!
Halting abruptly, I placed my hands protectively over my stomach. No! They were going to have to wait a few months. Only then could they kill me—but not before!
Oh crap, crap, crap! It’s already happening! Is this what being a mother feels like?
Well, the murderous friends probably weren’t normally part of it. But, heck, even without them…this was too much! Simply too much! I was going to turn into a waddling mother hen! I would have to stop going to work as Mr Victor Linton, and…oh God! Didn’t pregnant women have to go intoconfinement?[40]
Oh, hell no! I wasnotgoing to let myself be locked up for months!
God, why did this have to happen to me? I needed to get away! I needed to find some place where I could think and be by myself and—
It might have been in my imagination but, just then, I thought I felt the tiniest of movements inside of me. Abruptly, I froze.
I can’t be by myself. I won’t ever be by myself again.
That fact was emphasized a moment later when fast-paced footsteps came up from behind me and strong arms encircled me, drawing me against a familiar, rock-hard chest.
“I…no…” In vain, I tried to struggle free. “I’ve got to go…what am I going to do, what…what am I…”
“Shh! Shh. Everything is all right. You’re going to be all right.” His hand slid down, coming to a rest over my stomach. “We are all going to be all right.”
“But what am I going to do? I don’t know how to be a mother! I’m not even sure I want to know! It’s bound to involve all kinds of swelling and squeezing and icky, nauseating bloodiness—and not the fun kind involving weapons! And then…and then…”
Whatever I was going to say next, I never got the chance to. In a blink, Mr Rikkard Ambrose had whirled me around, his lips crashing down on mine, silencing me.
“Everything will be all right,” he murmured against my lips. “Everything will be all right.”
