Page 36 of Shelter (The Wanderers 4)

She shook her head. “No. Just…scared.”

“About the baby?” he clarified.

She gave a slight nod and then lowered her gaze as more tears fell. “It’s stupid,” she whispered. “I should be glad if I lost it.”

Braylon climbed up onto the bed on her other side and grabbed her hand, lifting it to his cheek. “It’s not stupid, Hales. It’s perfectly understandable. I know it’s only been a few days since we found out you’re pregnant, and that baby isn’t even mine, but I’ve grown rather fond of the idea of watching you grow round with our child too.”

He glanced at Storm who leaned a hip on the bed next to Rush and stroked her shin through the blankets. “He’s right, princess. I feel nervous, as if the baby were mine too.”

Rush agreed with both of them, which was far more absurd. He hadn’t been a willing participant in this pregnancy, but now that he was standing next to the woman who was presumably carrying his child, he couldn’t stand the thought of her miscarrying.

Rush squeezed her fingers. “Would you like me to examine you?”

She swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“It won’t really change anything. Some women experience spotting and go on to have a perfectly normal pregnancy with no issues. It depends on how much blood we’re talking about and how long it lasts.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted softly. “I put a pad on when I noticed it and then climbed into bed and haven’t moved since. I’m scared.”

“Okay, why don’t I take a quick look and assess?” Rush glanced at Braylon and then Storm. “It’s up to you all. I meant what I said. It won’t change anything. She either miscarries or she doesn’t. I can’t stop it. If she truly is spotting, bed rest is the only answer. If it stops in a few days, she can get up and add more activity. If you want me to look and give you my best guess about the amount of blood, I can do that.”

“I think I’d like you to look,” Haley said.

Braylon nodded. “Whatever you want, baby.”

Storm probably had no idea how hard he was gripping her leg.

These men loved her to pieces, and Rush could see why. As he reached for the covers to pull them down her body, Braylon grabbed his wrist.

Rush lifted his gaze. “I’ll be as quick and non-invasive as I can, Braylon.”

Braylon swallowed. “It’s not that. There’s something you should know.”

Rush lifted both brows.

“She’s…” Braylon drew in a breath.

Storm finished the sentence. “No one has touched her.”

Rush flinched and glanced at both men in shock. “You mean you haven’t had sex?”

“That’s what I’m saying,” Storm added.

Rush lifted his hand to his forehead and rubbed his temples. Holy fuck. This was an unexpected development. No wonder they were all so certain the baby was Rush’s. But why?

As if he’d asked that question out loud, Braylon answered him. “I’m not a monster. I may have been forced to marry her, but that didn’t mean I had to rape her also.”

Rush’s respect for these men went up ten notches. He nodded. “You’re a good man.”

“I’m just a decent human being. If I were a good man, we wouldn’t still be in this fucking house doing my mother’s bidding.”

“But if you knew your mother would suspect you weren’t able to impregnate her, why—”

Braylon shook his head. “We had no idea she would suddenly declare me impotent after six months of marriage. We’d hoped to have more time. I wanted to get to know her before we started having sex. I wanted more for her.”

The tension in the room was palpable.

Haley grabbed her husband’s hand and brought it to her cheek. “It’s okay, Bray.”

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