Page 86 of Ruthless Salvation

“Jonas, we need to get Stormy an ultrasound as soon as possible … No, not as in early this week; as in now … It’s an emergency in that she was beat up a few days ago and just discovered she’s carrying my baby.” His tone took on a challenging edge. Having met Jonas, I doubted he was much affected. “And Jonas, make sure it’s a woman … Yeah, I know I am.” He ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket.

“You’re what?” I nudged, curious what the imposing doctor had said.

“A pain in his ass,” Torin muttered. “Too bad for him, I don’t give a fuck.”

I grinned as he led us back out of the YMCA. Torin’s bike was parked near the front entrance. Illegally, I might add. He seemed to believe the world was his parking lot.

Hands going to his hips, Torin stared at the bright green racing bike with a scowl. “When I left to come for you, I wasn’t expecting to bring you back pregnant.”

“I’m pregnant, Tor, not dying.”

“Don’t even joke about that.” He sighed, then threw his leg over the bike. “Enjoy the ride ’cause it’s the last time my unborn baby rides anywhere without a seat belt.”

“At least you have the helmet with you. Now, you just need one for yourself.” I clipped the chin strap over my head, fighting back a smile.

“I’m worried about you, not me,” he grumbled.

“Yeah, but who will keep me and the baby safe if you're not around?” I climbed on behind him, sensing him stiffen, then relax.

“Well,shit.”

He muttered the words under his breath, but I was close enough to catch them. I grinned as I hugged him tightly. I was still worried about a multitude of things, but those fears suddenly weren’t so daunting. Not with Torin at my side. I never imagined it would feel so rewarding to have everything out in the open. Someone as fiercely independent as Tor could have easily been horrified about an unexpected pregnancy, but he’d actually seemed to welcome the idea. He’d even been pissed at the possibility of being kept from his child.

As he drove us through traffic at well under the speed limit, I wondered if he’d feel differently given some time for the news to sink in. From my perspective, after thinking I couldn’t have children, the pregnancy was an incredible blessing. But Tor hadn’t spent five years coming to terms with infertility. He might not have wanted kids at all, and now he had no choice.

The more I thought about it, the more my worries grew.

If the prospect of a child diminished his desire to be with me, would he be less inclined to protect us from Damyon? A world of insecurities bombarded me until I slammed a mental door on those thoughts and refused to entertain them.

Torin had made his thoughts about me clear, and I trusted him to stay true. He was allowed to have his own set of fears. That didn’t mean he would stop being devoted and caring.

By the time we pulled up onto the sidewalk in front of a glass skyscraper, I was feeling relatively sure-footed on my emotional tightrope.

One foot in front of the other.

Jonas had texted Torin with a doctor’s name and suite number. I didn’t know what to expect. Tor had said we needed an ultrasound, but I wasn’t sure that would be possible on such short notice.

“I can’t be far along,” I said nervously. “This may not even be necessary.” My previous pregnancy hadn’t provided an opportunity to learn anything about the process, and I didn’t have any family or friends who’d been pregnant while I was growing up. All of this was foreign to me.

“You absolutely need to get checked. They’ll do an internal ultrasound to check for a heartbeat, tell us what prenatal vitamins to get, and start your file to monitor the baby’s growth.” He said it all casually as though he’d worked as a nurse for years and had spouted the information a thousand times over.

I gaped at him as the elevator doors opened. “How on earth do you know all that?” I’d never considered that he might already have a child out in the world, but now…

He smirked while ushering me into the waiting elevator. “I have four older siblings, three of them sisters, and all have children. I couldn’t help but learn more than I ever wanted to know about babies.”

Torin Byrne, brooding boxer and gun-toting gangster, had a side gig as Uncle Tor. I could hardly wrap my head around it.

“How did I not know about this? You never talk about siblings or family outside of your cousins.”

“They’re all very suburban. I’m the only one who went into the family business, so I don’t see them as much.”

A chime indicated we’d reached our floor before the silver doors opened.

“You’re a lucky man, you know that?” I said as we stepped into a sterile gray hallway.

Tor’s fathomless gaze met mine. “Luckier than I was before, that’s for sure.” He took my hand and led me to an OB/GYN suite around the corner. The door was locked.

“ItisSunday, after all,” I told him.

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