Page 17

“No, not really.” Lana sighed. “It’s actually kind of sweet how he’s looking after me. I’m just being a bitch and threatening to shove things up his ass. I’m not good at this pregnancy shit.”

Lana felt terrible about the way she'd been treating Sid lately. The man was only trying to take care of her, and she'd been giving him hell for it. She knew that, but knowing it didn't make having someone constantly hovering over her any easier. Her mother had always said Lana was the most independent child she'd ever seen, and that hadn't changed one damn bit as she'd gotten older.

An unexpected lump formed in her throat, and Lana frowned as she tried to swallow past it. What the hell? Before she could figure out what was happening, tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She quickly covered her face with her hands, but there was no stopping them. It was as if every emotion she'd held back for years had suddenly decided to come pouring out.

“Lana?” Caroline wrapped an arm around her, concern evident in her voice.

Lana shook her head, unable to explain what was happening even if she'd wanted to. For the life of her, she couldn't stop crying.

“You never cry.” Caroline sounded shocked, and what she said was true. Lana rarely cried, and the few times she had, she'd made damn sure no one was around to witness it.

Even through her tears, Lana couldn't help chuckling at the shock in her sister's voice. Leave it to Caroline to sound more stunned by her crying than Lana was herself. Still, she kept her face buried in her hands.

“Please, Lana. You're going to make yourself sick.” Caroline tried to pry her hands away, but Lana refused to budge. “And if Sid comes in here and sees you crying, he's going to blame me. Then Jax is going to get involved because Sid yelled at me and made me upset, and all hell is going to break loose.”

This time Lana laughed through her sobs because she knew Caroline was right. If Sid walked in and saw her like this, he would absolutely lose his shit. And if Jax thought Sid had upset Caroline, things would go downhill fast. She also knew her sister was deliberately trying to distract her from whatever the hell had come over her, and damn, she loved her twin for that.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Lana wiped at her eyes, but the damn tears just kept coming. “I can't stop crying,” she sniffed, frustrated that no matter how many times she wiped her face, it didn't seem to do a damn bit of good.

“What’s wrong?” Sid's voice came from behind them, filled with concern. “Why are you crying? Are you in pain?” His gaze shot to Caroline. “What did you do?”

“Told you I'd get blamed.” Caroline snorted, rolling her eyes. “She's pregnant and full of hormones. She's fine, Sid.”

Sid frowned, giving Caroline a glare before sitting on the coffee table in front of Lana. When she refused to look at him, he reached for her hands, but she stubbornly kept them pressed against her face. “Lana?” he said softly, finally managing to pull her hands away. His worried gaze searched hers. “What is it, honey?”

Lana stared at him, wishing she could explain what the hell was wrong with her, but she couldn't even figure that out herself. The concern on his face only made her feel worse, and despite everything she wanted to say, the only words she managed were, “I can't see my feet.”

And just like that, the tears started all over again.

Sid glanced at Caroline before looking back at his mate. “Honey, I promise you they're still there.”

Lana stared at him through her tears. He looked so serious that she couldn't help laughing. Leave it to Sid to reassure her that her feet hadn't disappeared, as if that was really the problem.

Caroline chuckled as she leaned over and hugged her. “Call me if you need me,” she whispered, kissing Lana's cheek.

Lana hugged her sister back, grateful for everything Caroline had done to help her through whatever the hell had just happened. Once Caroline left, she found herself unable to meet Sid's worried gaze.

“Sid, I'm so sorry about how I've been treating you.” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “No, let me finish. I've been bitchy, cranky, and just a pain in the ass. And I'm sorry.”

“Lana, you don't have to apologize to me.” Sid moved from the coffee table to sit beside her on the couch, turning her gently to face him. “I know I've been driving you crazy. You're used to doing things your own way, and here I come, hovering over you like you can't do a damn thing for yourself. I get it. I wouldn't put up with my shit either. But you don't have to feel bad about telling me when I'm being a pain in your ass. Hell, you've never had a problem doing it before.”

“True.” Lana managed a smile, already feeling a little better. Maybe she needed to cry more often.

“You and me, we're going to be super parents.” Sid tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before resting his hand on her stomach. “This little girl is going to be a badass with your beautiful looks.”

“We still haven't picked out a name for her,” Lana said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

“I've actually been giving this a lot of thought.” Sid rubbed her stomach. “What do you think about Violet Petunia?”

Lana turned her head to look at him. “Violet is a beautiful name, but Petunia? You want her to get teased and possibly beat up in school?”

“Our girl will never be bullied. She's gonna know how to fight before she walks.” Sid sounded so serious that Lana almost believed him. “And what's wrong with Petunia? Her initials would be VP, which means her nickname could be Viper.”

“Why don't we wait until we meet her?” Lana suggested, unable to hold back a yawn.

Sid nodded, then grinned. “So, Violet Petunia isn't off the table.”

“Petunia is definitely off the table.” Lana yawned again, her earlier exhaustion catching up with her. “Do you think you can take me home, Sid? Are you finished here for a little while?”