I blink at him. “You brought me tea?”
Stephen is nothing short of a human mountain. I can see why Ronan chose him to head up his new security team. His biceps alone are bigger than my thighs, so there’s no way I would be able to get past him even if I wanted to. But it’s his quiet demeanor that I find the most intimidating.
Ronan told me that he’s an ex-Navy SEAL, so I know those blue eyes are constantly scanning for threats and tiny details that normal civilians would miss. He’s a living, breathing weapon.
So, to see him standing in the doorway to my bedroom looking, dare I say,embarrassedhas my lips twitching.
“It’s ginger,” Stephen walks over to the bed and sets the mug down on the nightstand. “It’s the only thing that helped my wife when she was pregnant with our twins.”
I freeze as I look up at him. “W-what?”
Stephen offers me a small, apologetic smile as he tucks his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans.
I cringe as I reach for the tea. “Is it that obvious?”
“To someone who’s seen it before, yeah.” He shrugs. “You’ve got that…glow. Plus, you’ve been hurling your guts up every second of the day and night.”
“I guess it really is obvious.” I sigh before taking a sip of the tea. It’s warm and spicy and instantly settles my stomach.
“How far along are you?”
“Nine weeks,” I reply before I can stop myself. “Shit, I shouldn’t be talking to you about this. Ronan… he doesn’t know.”
Stephen holds up his hands.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. It’s not my place. But if I can offer some advice?”
I nod before taking another sip of my tea.
“Tell him soon. Ronan… He doesn’t deal well with secrets, especially not from people he trusts.”
“I know. And I want to. I just… The timing never feels right.”
Stephen shrugs. “It never will, but putting it off will only make it worse.”
I clutch the steaming mug in my hands, the heat causing a shiver to run down my spine.
“I’m scared.”
I don’t know why I’m opening up to my bodyguard of all people.
When Ronan assigned Stephen to watch me, I made it a point not to really talk to him out of principle. But of course, I should have known better. A little silent treatment won’t be enough to put this guy off.
He frowns. “You’re scared of him?”
“No. But I am scared of what this means for us and this baby.”
Stephen nods, but something in his eyes softens when I glance up to meet his gaze.
“That’s normal, but he’ll want to know, you know that, right? He’ll want to protect you both. It’s who he is.”
I know Stephen’s right, but his words aren’t quite enough to ease the fear that settles over me every time I think about telling Ronan he’s going to be a father.
“So, twins, huh?” I opt to change the subject.
Stephen chuckles under his breath. “Yeah… Two boys. They’re almost three now, which is crazy. Time seems to speed up the moment you become a parent.”
“I can’t even imagine looking after one baby, let alone two.”
