Page 134 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2
"She'll never leave me alone! She'll never leave us alone." His voice cracked on the word us.
She was starting to sag in his arms.
"This isn't who you are. James!"
He let go of her throat and pushed her off the bed. Her body slumped to the ground. But I could see her chest rise with each breath. She was alive. Just unconscious.
"Did she hurt you?" James said as he ripped off the rest of the wires that were attached to him. "Are you okay?" He stumbled out of the bed and caught himself on the edge of it. "Penny?" He fell to his knees in front of me.
I couldn't respond because I was choking on my sobs. This wasn't the end. I wasn't going to die. We were going to be okay.
He ran his fingers along my skin as if searching for some sign of injury. My arms. My legs. My face. He grabbed something to cut away the duct tape and he pulled me down into his arms.
"I'm okay," I whispered. "I'm okay."
The tears in his eyes just made mine fall even faster.
"Penny." His voice sounded so hoarse. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, baby."
"You're bleeding."
He smiled through his tears. "I'm fine. We're fine." He pulled my face to his chest. "You're shaking." He wrapped his arms tighter around me. "It's okay now. We're okay."
"For a second I let myself believe that the things you were saying were true," I said into his chest. "I thought, I thought..."
"No. No, Penny. I didn't mean any of it." He leaned back and put his palm on my stomach. "None of it." He was staring at my stomach. "Are you really pregnant?"
"I didn't want you to find out like this. I wanted to surprise you. I was going to give you this little onesie I picked up in the gift shop for your birthday and tell you. And I know you don't want kids. At least, not for a long time. I was stressed out before the wedding and I must have forgotten to take my birth control and..."
"Penny." He grabbed the sides of my face. "I want everything with you. All of it. And if you're pregnant, I want kids now. I want it."
"You're not mad?"
"Mad? Why would I be mad?" He laughed. "No. This baby is going to be every part of you. Sweet and kind and good. No, I'm not mad."
"I thought you'd be upset."
"No, baby." He kissed the side of my neck and pulled me against him again. "Never. I'm going to be a dad." He buried his face in my hair.
"You're going to be a great dad."
He just held me in response. I let myself cry against his shoulder. This was all I needed. For him to hold on to me. This was all I ever needed.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he whispered.
"I'm okay." I was holding on to him like he was the only thing keeping me afloat.
"And the baby? Everything's okay?"
I pulled back. "I don't know. I found out I was pregnant right after you came to the hospital. I was a mess. I couldn't eat. I... I don't know."
"I'll go tell Porter or Briggs to get the nurse."
"No." I grabbed his arm before he could get up. "Briggs was working for her. She threatened his wife and daughter. And the nurse drugged you. I don't know if she knew what she was doing or if it was an accident..."
"Is Briggs out there right now?"
"I don't know. The last thing I remember was him putting this cloth over my mouth and..."
