I toss my hands up and blow out a breath. “This is what happens when two ex-spouses decide to make a baby.”
“Did we decide? I would say fate just threw this at us,” Carter corrects me.
“Huh, so you’re Sheriff Carter’s ex-wife. Carter’s mom, Nancy, talks about you all the time when I run into her around town. I just moved here a year ago, but I feel like I already know you.”
My cheeks hurt from a tight smile. “My former mother-in-law isn’t so great with boundaries. Now, we’d appreciate if you keep this little situation under wraps.”
“Say no more. You have patient confidentiality. Well, I’ll leave you two alone, and the nurse will be in soon to place your line and start the fluids. Try and sip electrolyte drinks and juice on a regular basis. Stick to bland foods. Like I said, make an appointment to come back in for another blood test. Feel better soon.”
The moment she is out of earshot, I dagger my eyes to Carter. “Can you stop being so damn adamant?”
He leans in, and I feel him in my air. “No. Get used to it. You’re moving in. How else can I take care of you? I doubt saying you have food poisoning will work every day. Your mom for sure won’t buy it, which means you have to deal with your parents knowing you’re pregnant and not letting you have a second to yourself.”
Shoot. He’s right.
“Rosie, I’m putting my foot down. When we become roommates, even if I’m on duty I can still stop in to check on you.”
“Yeah? And how will that be the answer when everyone realizes that I’ve moved in with you? Because that won’t raise any questions.” I’m being sarcastic.
He rubs the stubble on his chin as he now realizes that his plan isn’t ideal, either. “Okay, for now it’s a little complicated to explain this since we want to keep the news to ourselves. But make no mistake, I give zero fucks what people’s opinions might be when they discover that we’re having a baby.”
Who the hell is this Carter in front of me?
He’s out to burn the world down if he needs to. It’s some twisted alpha male thing, minus the werewolf or hot guy fromTwilightpart.
Carter is sexy right now but delusional.
We can’t just live together at the click of his fingers.
Before I can point out that fact, a new wave of misery takes over my body. “Oh no.”
Give the man a treat because he now understands my cues and quickly grabs an emesis bag to hold out right in front of me.
I try but only my stomach moves with nothing coming up. It passes, and Carter combs a few strands of my hair to the side. Since yesterday, all he has done is be by my side. It could be suffocating, but it’s comforting not to be alone in this.
A middle-aged nurse arrives with the IV set-up and fluids and a smile on her face. “You’ll feel better in a jiffy. How are you with needles?”
“Fine. Just get this over with.”
My hand is squeezed again by Carter. “It’s going to be okay.”
The coolness of the air-conditioning is refreshing, and the feeling of the nurse spreading a blanket over me relaxes me.
“Let’s get you nice and comfortable. I assume Sheriff Carter is sticking around.” She begins to check my arm for veins. “It’s good to have someone with you for this.”
“I’m not leaving.” He makes it clear to all of us.
I must be halfway through the fluids by the time I feel a dose of energy return. Luckily, we’ve been quiet. I closed my eyes a few times to doze off, but I’m unsuccessful. Carter continues to stroke my forehead, and it’s wildly the answer to what I physically need right now.
I scoff a laugh to myself. “You’re really a popular guy around here. Mayor Carter doesn’t have the same ring as Sheriff, though.” My voice is still fragile, but I don’t want more silence.
“You can call me what you want.”
“Soon you’ll add Dad to your title.”
Our eyes latch, and the ghost of a smile appears on his mouth, and I even have a faint smirk.
“Rosie…”
