Page 22 of Baby Daddy Protector

The sound of a toilet flushing was followed by running water as Es washed her hands then opened the door. In her hand was the test.

“It’s probably not going to show anything,” she said, her fingers still trembling a bit. “It hasn’t even been a full week yet since my period was supposed to start.”

“Shouldn’t matter,” I said. “I talked to the pharmacist in the store. He said that even this soon, if you’re pregnant, there’s a 90 percent chance this test will show it. That’s why I got this one.” I shrugged. “And if it’s negative tonight and you still don’t start your period by the end of the week, then we’ll do a second one. That’s why I got two.”

Es sighed and leaned against the doorjamb. “I just don’t want to be disappointed.”

“I know, princess.” I leaned against the wall beside her, our shoulders touching as we waited the longest three minutes of my life. “It’ll be okay.”

“But what if it isn’t?” Es chattered on, unable to stop talking. It was one of the things she did when she was stressed, I’d noticed. Rambling on about all the questions swirling in her head. “I should have started preparing earlier. I should have taken those books more seriously. I should have—”

The ding of the timer in the bathroom echoed around us like a clarion call.

“Oh, God,” Es said, eyes closed and face pale. “I can’t look.”

“Yes, you can, princess.” I held her wrist gently, my thumb rubbing over her soft skin until she opened her eyes and met my gaze. “Whatever that thing shows, we’ll handle it together. We’re partners in this, remember?”

Es gave a slight nod then turned slowly back into the bathroom where the box with the results chart sat on the counter. I followed her inside, peering over her shoulder at the box, then the test in her hand, doing a double take. One bright fuchsia line showed in the tiny window on the stick. I exhaled slowly. According to the box, that was a negative. Okay. Fine. We’d keep trying. A tiny pang of disappointment stabbed my heart. I hadn’t realized until this moment how much I’d wanted the test to be positive.

Then she gasped, and I looked again. A second line, faint at first, but growing darker by the second appeared to the right of the first. According to the box…

“We’re…” Es said, meeting my gaze in the mirror, a sheen of tears sparkling in hers. “Oh, my God, Z! We’re pregnant!”

Stunned, I looked from the test in her hand to her eyes then back again. We were having a baby. My baby. Our baby. The conversation I’d had with my buddy a few weeks ago came back to my mind.

Friends are great, but family always comes first.

As of tonight, Es and I were starting a family together. And yes, at the end of all this I’d be leaving them behind to return to my SEAL team because that’s what I wanted, but the ties of blood would always be there, no matter what. My baby.

Es sniffled and set the test aside. “I don’t know what to do.”

Carefully, as if she was made of the most fragile glass, I pulled her stiff form into my arms, still a bit in shock myself. “I meant what I said, princess. We’re partners in this. Our kid. We’ll face all of this together.”

Slowly, I led her out of the bathroom and down the hall toward the comfy living room. There, I settled her on the sofa, then sat beside her, unsure of myself for once. I wanted to pull her onto my lap and hold her close. I wanted to sweep her off to bed and make love to her all night. I wanted to shout from the rooftops that I’d made a baby.

Instead, I slid my arm around her shoulders. She rested her cheek against my chest, and I pressed my chin to the top of her head. All was peaceful until my cell phone started buzzing in my pocket. I’d taken my Bluetooth headset off as soon as we’d gotten back to the townhouse.

“Z,” I said, answering.

My second-in-command on the security team rattled off the last words I expected to hear that night. “There’s been a fire, sir. At the haunted house. Two of the actors inside were taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. Thought you’d want to know.”

“Any word on the cause?” I asked, my mind immediately running through the most recent death threats against the royal family. Had one of those nut jobs finally made a move? If that wasn’t the case, it was a hell of a coincidence.

“None yet, sir. The fire marshal is here now, inspecting the damage.”

“When did the fire start?”

“The 911 call was twelve minutes after you and the princess left.” In other words, too damn close.

“Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

“What’s wrong?” Es asked once I had ended the call.

“Nothing, princess.” I stroked her hair until she closed her eyes again and her breath evened out. “Nothing at all.”

Long afterward, I sat in the quiet room while Es slept tucked against my side. I couldn’t seem to let her go. We’d just been at that place a few hours earlier. And yeah, it was a hellhole, but it was meant to be. Despite the rundown appearances, we’d had it inspected and it had checked out as safe. I’d been sure of that before I’d ever let my princess in there. My protective instincts went into overdrive, not that they hadn’t been there before where she was concerned.

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