Page 61 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

The alternative, however, wasn’t much better because once the old man was quiet, we waited there in uneasy silence. At one point, Caleb got down from Athena’s lap and walked over to me. Without thinking about it, I swept the boy up into my arms and held him, praying like hell that his mother would be okay.

I didn’t know what I would do without her.

Do you hear that, Allie? If anything happens to you, I don’t know what I would do with myself.

You’re my entire world.

Finally, after waiting for eons, the doctor emerged from the room and walked toward us. “Allie Beston’s family?”

He jumped a little when we all stood in tandem to regard him.

“Erm…” He looked a little taken aback. “We’ve run some tests on her and are still waiting for most of the results, but she’s awake now.”

God. My entire body trembled with relief, and I nearly felt a little light-headed from it all. “Thank God.”

“Can we go see her?” her mother asked anxiously.

“Yes, but not too many at once,” he said.

I already walked forward determinedly, and Allie’s father and Athena followed. Adam and Allie’s mother were both close behind. The doctor looked doubtful at the number but then ultimately sighed, turning around and walking back into the room.

Allie was sitting up and chatting with the nurse when we entered. A beautiful smile highlighted her face, but it faded a little when she caught sight of us.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

As if she wasn’t currently sitting in a hospital bed.

As if she hadn’t passed out an hour ago.

But the concern on her features wasn’t for herself. It was for us.

I felt a tremble go through my body, and I walked toward her, yanking her against my chest.

“Hey, not too hard,” her father called out from behind me, and I softened my hold. But I needed to feel that she was alive because I wasn’t sure I really believed it yet.

“Never do that to me again,” I whispered in her ears, and she patted my back comfortingly.

Next came Caleb, who crawled onto his mother’s lap and laid his head against her chest. She curled her hands comfortingly against him. It was as if Allie was assuring all of us that she was fine while she held my hand and stared at us. Just then, the doctor returned, holding a piece of paper.

The room immediately went deathly quiet.

He looked around. “Well, you all don’t have to look so morose.”

“Is it bad?” Allie asked, and I finally saw the anxiety creep into her face.

“It depends on how you look at it,” he said. “Do you want to hear the result with everyone in here?”

She nodded. “They’re my family.”

He smiled. “Well, you can think of adding one more to that number. You’re pregnant.”

We all stood there in shock.

And then her father got up and slapped me on the back with a laugh. “Well, I’ll be damned!”

As her mother whooped and clapped her hand in delight and everyone began offering me congratulations, I only had one dizzying thought.

I was going to be a father again.

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