Page 18 of Wine & Whiskey: Everything for You
She smiles and reaches up to caress his cheek, needing to remind him of the goodness he brings to their baby too. “I think he’ll be wonderful, like you.”
“He?”
Her heart twinges at the uncertainty in his voice. Thinking that once again he’s been left out of her pregnancy. “I don’t like saying ‘it.’ I hope she’s not offended if she’s a girl.”
A small smile plays on his lips as his eyes widen. “A girl?”
“Maybe we better hope for a boy. I don’t think you could handle two of us.”
He lifts her hand and kisses it before holding it against his chest. They snuggle in silence as orange and yellow streaks fade behind the billowing clouds.
The sudden rigidity of his body pulls her from the brink of sleep. He sits up and drops his head into his hands. “I still don’t fucking understand why he screwed me over with Juan of all fucking people. How could he hate me enough to want me dead?”
Her grogginess instantly disappears. Danger rules his life, affecting every decision and thought. A burden she knows he understands and accepts to protect her and the baby. Yet, for a man burned by disloyalty, doubt can be the greatest threat to rational thinking. She must calm his fury before he risks everything with his need for vengeance. Rising up next to him, she lays her head on his shoulder. “I don’t think he did.”
He gives her a side-glance before shaking his head.
“He could have killed you at my house, and he didn’t. Then, he warned you about the hit. He couldn’t go through with it because he loved you.”
“Yeah, stupid bastard loved me enough to try and kill me for something I didn’t even want. He fucking knew that.”
She curls her arm around his. Loathe to hurt him, yet she has to be honest for him to see the reality of the situation. “But, you wouldn’t have been able to let go. You would’ve always had to be in charge so you could protect us. He didn’t want to live in your shadow, but he loved you too much to go through with it.” Her heart clenches at the despair clouding his face. “Just like you love him.”
His hands encircle her waist, and he pulls her onto his lap, burying his face in her neck. A deep sigh blows against her skin. “Even though he hurt you.”
“Yeah.”
He softens underneath her hands gliding up and down his back. “I know you can’t forgive him, but don’t make his mistake worse. Revenge won’t make the pain go away. We’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”
They hold each other as dusk settles around them. The nighttime lights flicker on in the pool and under the eaves. Through the window, Marta stirs cream into a pot on the stove. A breezy gust lifts a few strands of her hair, tickling the back of her arms. Their first feeling of genuine peace in a long time.
The buzzing of her phone ends their tranquility.
“Don’t answer if it’s Gail.”
She picks up the cell from the side table and smiles before showing it to him. Dr. Patterson’s phone number blinks on the screen.
“Put it on speaker so I can hear too.” His voice is thick with emotion as he nods to her.
A sliver of guilt pricks her heart. Of course, she will always include him. She squeezes his fingers and swipes the face. “Hello.”
“Hi, Shae. It’s Dr. Patterson.”
Her stomach sinks at the doctor’s cheerless tone. “Yes?”
“I have your test results. Would you be able to come into the office in the morning so I can review them with you?”
All the breath leaves her lungs as Nick’s arm tightens around her waist. “Why can’t you tell me now?”
“It would be best to discuss this in person.”
Tears sting her eyes, her heart already breaking at the news she hasn’t heard, yet is going to destroy her just the same. “Please just tell me.”
A sigh rattles through the phone. “I’m sorry, but it’s bad news. Your levels didn’t increase like they should have. Normally, they would have at least doubled by now, and they’re exactly the same as the first test.”
“What does that mean?”
“Your body isn’t responding the way it should be to have a viable pregnancy.”
