“Don’t let these numbers get your hopes up.”
And then...“I don’t know how to explain it, but the fetus seems to be thriving. Give your OB a call and see if they want to have you come in before your next scheduled appointment.”
Except, I hadn’t had anext scheduled appointment, and when I’d called my doctor and told them everything, they hadn’t seemed worried about getting me in any time soon, since I’d just been monitored at the hospital for nearly a week.
So, I still had another two and a half weeks to go.
“Come on, baby,” I whispered into the dark room as I gently trailed my fingers over my stomach. “Let me know you’re okay.”
I’d obsessively researched whenever I snuck away to take naps and draw, considering I wasn’t only terrified, I also needed to know things I’d never been allowed to even consider before. I knew some women didn’t show until much later in the pregnancy, and I knew some women didn’t have any symptoms at all—unless we counted my near-constant crying as a symptom, which...Gray was. I also knew I might still have weeks until I felt it move, but none of that eased any of my fears.
Funny how I could bounce back from dying like it’d never happened, but I couldn’t seem to shakethis.
I shifted my hand so it was resting on my hip at the sound of the doorknob twisting and apparently failed at swallowing back my anxious sigh, because Gray’s murmured, “I heard that,” filled the room just after.
“No, you didn’t,” I argued.
Amusement wove through his voice when he said, “Whatever you say, Peach. Light,” he added seconds later in warning, and I braced myself for when he switched on the lamp behind me. The bed dipped behind me, and then his mouth was brushing across my temple. “She’s fine.”
I didn’t bother getting back into that argument again today.
With another tender kiss to the same place, Gray added, “Cloud couch still fits twelve, by the way.”
A hushed laugh started leaving me before I registered the hesitation in his voice. “What?” I snapped, and started turning toward him, only to stop before that pain could twist through me, thanks to Gray’s hands on my shoulder and hip, as if he’d known I would react that way.
“You okay?” he asked in a way that let me know that hadn’t been what he’d wanted to say. I knew he’d been holding back every plea for me to be careful and go easy this past week, and I was thankful for it.
I felt weak enough as it was.
At my confirmation, he slowly released his hold on me, and I did everything to keep from letting my discomfort show as I rolled to my back. “Explain.”
“Right, so, there are a lot more of those ARCK people than we knew of, and they wanted to stay in both Dallas and Huntley.”
“In hotels,” I stated in low warning, prompting that stupid face that made me want to simultaneously punch Gray and kiss him.
All mild hesitation mixed with that signature wry amusement as his wicked smirk stole across his face and showed those ridiculous dimples.
Really,howwas he so attractive? Andwhywhen he was purposefully frustrating me?
“I’m going to punch you if you say what I think you’re about to say.”
His smirk shifted into a bright smile before settling into something softer...settling intomine. “Don’t,” was all he said as he shifted on the bed so he was propped up on his arm, lying beside me. Fingers automatically finding their way to my stomach and making lazy circles as he continued.
“They wanted to be places where the Wreckers might go looking, so they’re at Thatch’s, Wren’s—since Evans still isn’t handling this well—my place, and, yes, yours.”
Embarrassment and shame stole through me so quickly as I worried over who was in my condo and what they were seeing, it felt like I was drowning under them.
“I let them in there,” he informed me before I ever managed to untangle my thoughts, “and they know not to mention anything theymightsee in there to the rest of our team.”
“Might?” I said on a strained laugh. “Gray, it’s thewalls.”
“And as soon as the walls were brought up, it was strongly suggested that what they were seeing wasn’t meant for them,” he told me meaningfully and waited until my head unsteadilydipped in understanding and gratitude. “As incredible as you are, and as much as I think you shouldn’t be hiding this part of you, I understand that you aren’t ready for everyone else to know. However, I could only push back against Briggs so much without revealingwhyyou didn’t want people in your condo. The ARCK guys aren’t going to say anything.”
“Thank you,” I whispered after a few seconds, even though every part of me wanted to get whoever was in my condo out of it. Wanted to hide whatever thoughts and heartbreaks I’d left painted on the walls.
With a steeling breath, I said, “So, if they’re staying, that means...”
“We gotta prepare for a war we know nothing about.”
