“What? No. That’s not it at all,” she insists.
“Then what is it?” I ask, with worry clawing at what should be the most joyful news of my damn life.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. That’s partly why I ran from my father. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew there was no way I could marry Stripe—not that I wanted to anyway—I knew as soon as he found out he’d either kill me or try and get me to get rid of the baby, but I’m not terminating this pregnancy or giving up my baby.”
The tightness in my chest loosens and I can breathe again. “Well, I’m not either. So, it looks like we’re doin’ this together.”
When she looks into my eyes, I can see a multitude of emotions reflected back at me. She starts tearing up again. “I didn’t like lying to you.”
“Then why did you?” I shoot back. Because, yeah, I am feeling some kind of way about her leaving me out of the loop. “Was it just because you weren’t sure if I would be happy?”
“It was that and a bunch of other stuff. In my dad’s club not many of the brothers have old ladies. If the club girls end up pregnant, the brothers take them to the women’s clinic. Usually, the woman agrees but sometimes they guilt her into it.”
I open my mouth to object to her comparing me to those assholes, but she speaks first, continuing her explanation. “I also worried that now wasn’t a good time to bring it up. I didn’t want to distract you when I knew the Hyenas were lurking in the shadows, waiting for you to lower your guard for a minute.”
I’m feeling less angsty by the minute because she’s not wrong about that. “I would have still wanted to know,” I say grudgingly.
“I wanted to wait until we were safe and find a sweet way to tell you.”
Now, I’m just smiling like an idiot because I’m a pushover for every damn thing related to my old lady and unborn child. “What made you jump the gun and tell me tonight?”
Both her hands drop down to cover her stomach. “I… I woke up before dawn to find that I was spotting. I had a cramp too. It was different from anything I’ve felt before. It might be nothing. But I haven’t been to the doctor. I don’t have anyone I can talk to. I’m stuck here and scared.”
Yeah, she’s saying a lot of things I didn’t know all at once. I jerk up from my reclining position against the headboard to a sitting position. “Yeah, you’re locked in a fortress with old ladies that know everything about pregnancy and child rearing. We also have a medic and a physician. So, things aren’t quite as bad as you seem to think.”
She looks back at me, her eyes filled with fear.
Reaching out, I cup her face in my hand. “Sweetness, I love you like I’ve never loved another person in my entire life. I’m fuckin’ thrilled you’re pregnant with my child. I’m in this onehundred percent. We’re gonna get Queenie and Tessa for you to talk to about bein’ pregnant, so you don’t feel like you’ve got no support from other women. And I’m gonna get our club doctor to have a look at you. If she feels you need to go to the hospital that’s what we’re gonna do. My club brothers will ride along and make damn sure we don’t get stopped by the Hyenas. How does that plan sound?”
Her expression changes to an assessing one. “You can really do all that?”
I can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, darlin’. I ain’t gonna put you or our child at risk. We’ll call in our club doctor first and see what she says. Gotta make sure our little guy or girl is safe, right?”
“Babe, we’re on lockdown. Nobody’s allowed in or out, by Jasper’s order.”
“Jasper’s order has a back door, and her name is Dr. Marsh.” I squeeze her hands. “She’s a family practitioner and damn good at her job. She’s sewn up bullet holes, treated sickness, and delivered babies. The club keeps her like other clubs keep lawyers. She’ll come, treat what ails you and she doesn’t keep written records. She is just our kind of doc.”
Nora stares at me. “You’re not panicking. Why aren’t you panicking? Kids are a lifelong commitment.”
“I can’t think of anything that I’d value more than a lifelong commitment to you and our child.”
Nora’s hands fly to her mouth, and she lets out a little surprised sound. It’s pretty clear that she wasn’t expecting me to say all that.
I pull her into a tight hug. “Don’t worry, you’re not flying blind all on your own anymore. Now, you’re mine and I come with a whole fuckin’ host of backup.”
“Thank you, babe. I love you too.” Her voice comes out strained and emotional.
We stay like that for a few minutes, but I know we need to get a move on. My old lady needs medical attention and I’m not taking any chances with her or our baby.
“I need to tell Jasper about this, so he can call in Dr. Marsh. Movin’ a doctor through that gate during lockdown is a security operation and he has to sign off on it. Can you live with him knowing?”
“Yes, of course. Tell Jasper and anyone else you want. Scream it from the walls. I’m done with secrets, babe.” Before I can answer, she adds, “I think Queenie already knows though. She guessed earlier today when I got tired, and a little nauseous.”
“You were nauseous?”
“Yeah, I think I was just full of nervous energy and did too much.”
“Well, that can’t happen again,” I tell her.
