Fuck. “We’ll try again, Mae. When you’re ready. We’ll have our family one day.”
Her head shook against his chest. “It was an accident. A mistake that shouldn’t have existed anyway.”
“Our baby was not a mistake. They were a beautiful reminder of what the future holds for us.”
She closed her eyes, every painful emotion written on her beautiful skin.
“Did anyone else know? Besides Lily?”
She shook her head. “It was just Lily with me when I took the tests. I should have told you, really told you, as soon as you woke up. But I just couldn’t after everyone said…”
Stone froze. Gunner had said something similar just a few minutes before. The burden they placed on Mae. “After everyone said what?”
“It doesn’t matter. It was my decision. I’m sorry. I know it was only a few days, but I took that from you. I thought we had more time, and I just kept it to myself.”
“Please don’t apologize. Do I wish I had known? Yes. But only because I could have maybe helped you earlier. Maybe you wouldn’t have been in so much pain for so long all on your own. Seeing you in the shower like that… It killed me. I love you. I don’t know why it feels like you’ve been pushing me away since I was shot, but I want you to talk to me. Tell me why?”
Her chin quivered and she closed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters anymore, except that you’re healing. And I will too.”
Stone shifted, his body wrapping more of her up in his hold. “Were you happy when you found out?” he whispered.
“I was so scared I was going to have to do it all on my own. That you wouldn’t come back to me. But then you woke up…”
“I woke up.” He nodded.
“And there was this hope,” she sniffled, “that maybe the baby was a sign that things were going to be okay. That you’d get better, and they’d be born, and this chapter of our lives would close on a happy note.”
“You don’t think it will anymore?” Stone asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Mae…”
“I’m tired.” She rolled away from him. “I’m just going to go to sleep now.”
Fuck. He really hoped Lily would stop over in the morning because he was so in over his head.
“I’m glad you had her. Lily. I wish it could have been me. But I’m glad you had her.”
Fifteen
Ahand pressed down on Stone’s shoulder, shaking him awake.
“Come on, Sully. It’s time to get up. You need to take your pain meds, and I’ve got to get down to the office. Gage has that presentation to the SAR team in Washington and I need to be there to help him set up the conference room.”
Stone’s eyes cracked open, and for just one second, he forgot what the night held. Because sitting on the edge of the bed, hugged in close to his hip, was a fully dressed Mae. She had her hair and makeup done, and was holding out her hand. In her palm were two familiar white pills. But her eyes couldn’t hide the pain she was in.
The memories slammed back into him. Stone sat up with a jolt, groaning as his chest pulled tight with the motion.
“Mae, you shouldn’t be up. And you sure as fuck don’t need to be going into work today. You need to see your doctor.”
She shook her head, pressing the two pills into his palm as she stood. “No, I don’t. I’mfine.”
He reached his free hand out to caress her thigh, but she recoiled at the touch.
“You do. We need to make sure that the miscarriage was complete. That your body isn’t having any complications.”
“I hadn’t even gotten the pregnancy confirmed yet. It’s not a big deal to go right back to work.” She shifted her stance, clearly trying to hide her discomfort. But Stone had spent hours upon hours staring at her beautiful face since they started sleeping together. He knew how to read every emotion that came across it.
