Wolfe settled back onto the same bench, and when she tried to move off him, his hold tightened. She relaxed against his hard chest again.
The wait was excruciating. Finally, a female veterinarian in green scrubs walked into the room, her eyes weary. “Roscoe’s family?”
“Yes,” Nari said, standing and moving to Angus’s side as if she could catch him should he fall. She set her hand on his arm.
The vet smiled. “It was a rough surgery to remove the bullet, but he’s a tough one, and he hung in there pretty long. He’s an impressive animal. He’s going to need rest for a while, but I think he’s going to be fine.”
The relief made Dana dizzy. “He was so brave trying to defend me. You’d be proud, Angus.”
“Can I see him?” Angus asked.
The vet looked around the room. “Just you. You can see him tonight, and everyone else can see him tomorrow. He needs rest, and I suggest you all do the same.” Motioning, she led Angus behind the reception desk.
Wolfe stood with Dana. “Mal? We need a place to stay tonight.”
“No problem,” Mal said, standing and holding Pippa’s hand. “We can deactivate the explosives at your place tomorrow.”
Dana slipped her arm over Wolfe’s shoulder and kissed a bruise on his jaw. She needed to tell him about the baby. “We have to talk,” she whispered.
“We will.” He kissed her, somehow walking out of the waiting room and into the heated night as he did so.
She sank into his kiss, feeling she was finally home. But what would he think about her being pregnant? He’d seemed open to the possibility of dating before, but his response had been more about protection than love.
This was different. This was everything.
* * *
Wolfe hurt from his big toe to the top of his head, but he’d never been happier. After a long, hot shower with Dana, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, he slid into the large bed in Mal’s guest room, and tugged her in with him. Was she still in shock? Or maybe she was regretting their conversation in the restroom, chalking it up to emotion. “What’s going on, Dana?”
She turned toward him on the bed, looking adorable in a cami and short set she’d borrowed from Pippa. Her gaze stayed on his chest, and her breath emerged shallow.
“You’re going to have a panic attack. Breathe deep.” With one knuckle, he lifted her chin so he could look into her spectacular eyes. “Talk now. What’s up?” He’d spend the rest of his life assuring her every day that he loved her, but he needed to know the problem so he could fix it.
She took a deep breath and pushed her blond hair over one shoulder. The scent of orange blossoms wafted toward him. “Okay. Here it is. I’m pregnant.” A light pink suffused her face, and she plucked nervously at the bedspread.
He frowned. “It’s only been a little over a week since we, ah, had unprotected sex.”
She shifted her weight. “Dr. Georgetown did a blood test, and sometimes early results can be conclusive. The pregnancy hormone is in my blood.”
He couldn’t breathe. His chest expanded and filled, with light and excitement this time. “You’re sure?” His voice shook.
She nodded. “Yeah. What do you think?”
His smile made his bruises ache, but he didn’t care. “I think it’s the best news in the entire world.” Grabbing her hand, he started to inch off the bed.
She tugged back. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going to get married.” He’d have to borrow clothes from Malcolm, but they were close to the same size, so that was okay.
She laughed and clutched his wrist, trying to pull him back. “What are you talking about?”
He could just carry her. “I know it’s fast, but let’s go do it.”
She sighed. “For the survivor benefits?”
“Of course.” Now they were on the same page. Why wasn’t she smiling? He ran through the last few minutes in his mind and then sat. “Oh.” Sometimes he was a blockhead. He slipped from the bed onto both knees, almost hiding a grimace at the pain. “Dana? I love you more than life. Will you marry me?”
Her lips twitched. “You mean it?”
