Page 28 of Lost King

Taking a large bite, Quinn answers me around a mouth full of cheese pizza. "Max told me. Said he saw you scarfing down a juice and bag of chips. I'm going to tell you right now, babe, there will be no more skipped meals. Even if I have to bring you lunch every day, you will eat."

Chucking my food back into the box, I turn my body towards Quinn and level him with a look. "Who the hell is Max? Do you have people spying on me at work, Quinn? Because if you do, that is not cool."

"First of all, babe," he says grabbing me by the waist and bringing me over to straddle his waist. "I don't have people looking in on you because I don't trust you. I have you watched to protect you. You are the most important person in my life. I'll always have someone watching you and protecting you when I can't." Knowing this is something he feels strongly about, I decide to drop it, but not about who he has watching me.

"Fine, but that still doesn't answer my question on who this Max person is."

"Babe, you work with Max Collins. Also, the guys and I went to high school with him. He decided to come back home to Polson after med school and got back in touch with me when he did. I still grab a beer with him at Charley's a few times a month. He's a good guy," Quinn finishes with a shrug.

Still confused I ask, "Max Collins as in Dr. Collins?"

"One in the same, babe."

"How come neither one of you mentioned you knew each other?"

"I wasn't trying to hide it from you. I honestly thought you knew."

Changing the subject Quinn asks, " So, are there some other things we need to talk about, Sunshine?" he asks running his hands up and down my legs and suddenly all thoughts of earlier today come flooding back. The baby.

"Yes, I have something I need to tell you," I confess while looking down and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. My mouth has gone dry, and my heart feels like it's going to explode out of my chest. Placing his finger underneath my chin Quinn coaxes me to look at him.

"You don't have to be scared to tell me, Sunshine. I already know."

"Know what?" I choke out.

Quinn shakes his head, "Nope. I want to hear you say the words, Emerson. I want you to say the words I've been waiting two years to hear. Words that will make me the happiest man in the world," he rasps resting his forehead on mine, and I begin to cry. In this moment with me in Quinn's arms, his face a breath away from mine and with his beautiful blue eyes on me I know that this baby I am carrying is meant to be. So, I give him what he's waiting to hear. "I'm pregnant."

"Yeah you are," he says before claiming my mouth with a brutal kiss. A soul consuming kiss that wipes away every fear I had about the future and replaces it with hope.

Breaking our connection, I ask, "How did you know?"

"It was little things over the past two weeks that gave it away. Like for one, you started drinking milk like it was water. You used to drink orange juice. Then one day I came home, and you had five jugs of milk in the refrigerator, and you drink it morning, noon, and night. Then I noticed these," he says cupping my breast, "they're bigger and more sensitive," he tells me as he plucks my nipple through my shirt and I gasp. Quinn's right. My breasts are more sensitive. "Another thing that clued me in was you hadn't had a period in six weeks. I would know because I have fucked you every day of those six weeks."

"I can't believe you noticed all those things about me and I didn't."

"I know every inch, every detail about you and your body, Sunshine. I have been patiently waiting for you to find out for sure and then come to me with what I already knew. When I called Max to check on you, he told me since returning from your lunch break you seemed off. He also may have mentioned you spent about forty-five minutes up on the third floor."

"I don't know whether I should be happy Dr. Collins is your friend, and he looks out for me or creeped out by it."

Chuckling, Quinn shakes his head, "Max is a solid guy, babe. He's only reporting back to me as a favor."

A minute later we both fall silent. We are content at the moment with him holding me. Quinn begins to rub lazy circles on my back. That and the rise and fall of his chest is all that is needed to lull me to sleep.

Chapter Fifteen

Quinn

I'm awake again in the early morning hours because I can't sleep, so I lay on my side staring at my woman's beautiful face. My hand rests palm down, with my fingers splayed over her lower abdomen as she sleeps.

Holy shit balls I'm going to be a dad.

My heart races. It may be a huge cliché, but as I lay here next to the mother of my unborn child, I can't help but put a different perspective on just about every damn aspect of my life. For the past couple of years, I've watched my brothers become fathers. And I'm not ashamed to admit the envy I felt because I wanted that for myself. And now it's happening for me. My life belongs to them now; belongs to Emerson and my child she carries.

Emerson begins to stir in her sleep. Her hand comes to rest over mine. With a long moan, she turns over on her side and faces me. "Can't sleep again?"

"Too excited to sleep," I tell her, which is partially correct. It's true, I am excited, but other things on my mind have kept me awake as well, but that's for me to worry about, not her. Emerson needs to focus on herself and the baby.

"I'm surprised you didn't call everyone last night," she softly giggles. Closing her eyes, she snuggles her face into my chest, her warm breath brushes across my skin and I allow my eyes to close comforted by her warmth.