Page 70 of Wild Card (The Trident Trilogy 3)

“We live in San Diego.” When I say ‘we,’ I think of Mason. The panic must be all over my face.

The doctor pats my leg. “It’s going to be fine. You’re no more than a month pregnant. You don’t have to see an OB right away. You can wait until you get back there, but in the meantime, stay off surfboards, okay? I’m going to give you a supply of prenatal vitamins to start taking until you see your doctor. It’s important to start taking them right away.”

“I’ll make sure she takes them,” Dad says, pulling me closer to him.

The doctor nods. “You have a good Dad. Take some time in here if you need it. My nurse will bring the vitamins in. Good luck, Millie.”

As she walks out, the tears start streaming down my face again. “Dad, I think I messed up?”

Dad sits down next to me. “Sweetie,” he says as he takes my hands quickly and squeezes them. “Mills, we’re good. Everything’s good. No matter what. Okay? Just tell me what’s happening.”

“When we were in Pakistan—after we found you and Mason got shot—I was so stressed out. I think I might have missed a few days of the pill. And Mason and I were together a few times in Pakistan.”

He nods his head slowly a few times and strokes his beard—like he always does when he’s figuring something out. “Okay. It’s all good. Everything’s good. Are you ready to have a baby? Have you and Mason talked about it?”

“He’s ready,” I say slowly. “He asked me to marry him a few months ago. And we talked about it again the other day. I wasn’t ready when he asked me the first time, but I am now.”

He nods. “You don’t have to get married because you’re pregnant—”

“No, Dad, this was before I knew I was pregnant. I love him. I want to marry him.”

“Okay, that’s between you and Mason, but the baby’s separate from that. I’ll support you no matter what you want to do, but you need to talk to Mason about it right away.”

I look down. “He’s looking for the guys who killed JJ. I don’t want to distract him.”

“Millie, you’re telling him right now,” he says, standing up. “If I have to dial the phone and tape it to your ear, you’re telling him.”

“Are you going to put me in a headlock?” I say, smiling at him.

“If I have to,” he laughs. “Look, Mills, think about how different our lives would have been if Nejra’s letter would have gotten to me. We would have been a family. I’d do anything to change what happened. No matter what was going on in my life back then, I would have wanted to know about you.”

“He told me yesterday that Culver won’t let him come back to California. He’s going to be active in Virginia for another year.”

Dad rubs his beard again. “We’ll figure it out, but you need to tell him about the baby immediately.”

“I don’t expect him to quit even if I do tell him.”

“He might not. I don’t know, but you have to give him the option.” He looks right in my eyes. “Mason’s a different guy than I am. I don’t think he’s scared to quit at all. He knows what’s waiting for him is better than what he has now, and he doesn’t even know about the baby yet.”

“What if stays in and gets killed?” I say quietly. “What if he doesn’t come home?”

Dad hugs me again. “Then you and I will raise the baby. And Chase and Mariel will help. We did a pretty great job raising you.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“One step at a time, Mills,” he says as he kisses my forehead. “And just remember this: No matter what happens next, I’m here for you. No matter what you decide. No matter what you want to do. I’m here for you. I’m not leaving your side. You understand that?”

“Yeah,” I say, smiling. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Okay, let’s get going. I’ll drive you back to Virginia Beach so you can talk to Mason in person.” He helps me off the table then holds me around the shoulders like he’s trying to help me walk.

“Dad, I’m pregnant, not lame. I can walk.” I roll my eyes and sigh loudly. “You’re about to reach a whole new level of overprotective dad, aren’t you?”

“I think you mean a whole new level of overprotective dad and grandpa,” he says, smiling as he tightens his grip on my shoulders.

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