The Bachelor's Little Bonus (Proposals & Promises 3)

A low moan escaped her despite her efforts to swallow it. She managed a nod and a whispered, “I promise.”

“Mr. McKellar?”

Groaning in frustration, he straightened and released her hand. “I’m going. You take care of my wife, you hear? Whatever it takes, you save her.”

“I love you, Cole,” Stevie croaked but she didn’t think he heard her. Didn’t even know if he was still in the room. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the medical personnel surrounding her.

* * *

She woke much later in a narrow hospital bed, still hooked to IVs and monitors but mercifully free of pain. She sensed the discomfort lurking just outside the range of the medicines controlling it, but for now she was okay, just still very sleepy. The overhead lights were dimmed and the hallways quiet outside the room, so she guessed it was nighttime, perhaps quite late. She vaguely remembered that she was in an ICU unit being closely watched by medical staff. For the moment, however, no one hovered over her bed, which was a relief.

Her restless hand fell on her noticeably flatter stomach and she gasped in sudden fear. The baby?

“He’s fine. I have him.”

Cole’s reassuring voice came from close by. She turned her head to see him settled in a visitors’ chair with a snugly wrapped bundle in his arms. An empty portable plastic bassinet sat beside him. He glanced back down with a ridiculously besotted—and absolutely heart-melting—expression on his face. “Looks like Mom’s awake,” he said softly.

Her heart tightened.

Cole stood and carried the baby to the bed, looking so big and strong in contrast. “He’s doing great. The nurse will be back in a couple minutes to check on you both, but so far everything is good.”

Her gaze focused without blinking on that little bundle, the beautiful little pink face topped with a blue knit cap. “He’s—he’s okay?”

“He’s perfect. I don’t know how much you remember, but he weighed six pounds, one ounce, and he’s seventeen inches long. Little, but healthy. He’s got quite a set of lungs on him. I heard him protesting an exam a little while ago. Both of you will be staying a few nights here, but everything looks good. Ready to hold him?”

“Oh, yes.”

Smiling in response to her fervency, Cole shifted her loose hospital gown to uncover an expanse of skin on which to carefully lay the baby. Cheek to breast, the baby nuzzled instinctively but didn’t awaken. Cole rested a hand on the little back. “He’s worn out from that fit he threw, I guess.”

Stevie could hardly speak. The feel of the warm, damp little face against her skin was incredible. Her heart was so full of love she could barely breathe. She felt a jerk of nerves as she cradled him against her, cupping his little head through the snug cap. He was so tiny. So fragile. So totally dependent.

Something made her look up at Cole then, and she heard the fierceness of her own voice when she said, “I could do this alone if I had to. I could take care of him and support him. My mom did it. Twice. Lots of single mothers do it every day. I could handle it.”

He took a step back from the bed, looking almost as if she’d slapped him. He schooled his expression quickly. “I have no doubt you could handle it. Are you telling me that’s what you want?”

Her eyes were so heavy, her thoughts clouded. “I just...needed you to know,” she murmured, snuggling the warm, sleeping baby as she drifted on a cloud of exhaustion and medication.

“Get some rest, Stevie,” Cole said quietly. “I’ll be here to watch over you. For as long as you want me.”

There was more she needed to say, but her mouth simply wouldn’t form the words. She slept, knowing he would be there when she woke.

* * *

Cole had believed his inner barriers had been so heavily reinforced during his youth that words could never hurt him now. He’d thought he’d learned years ago to keep his emotions protected, never expecting too much so he wouldn’t be disappointed by rejection.

He’d loved Natasha, but he realized now that even with her he’d always held back a small piece of his heart. He’d grieved when he’d lost her, but it hadn’t destroyed him.

It had taken Stephanie Joan McLane to storm those old barriers and

lay claim to every molecule inside him. He wasn’t sure how. Wasn’t certain when the walls had fallen. But the events of this day had left him emotionally battered and bleeding.

Seeing the faces of the medical staff who’d attended to Stevie upon arrival, he’d immediately understood the gravity of her situation. Unable to think clearly enough even to make phone calls to her friends, he’d been almost paralyzed with shock, finding it hard to believe he was facing this tragedy again. He’d been wracked with fear of losing the baby. Of losing Stevie. Even knowing now that she would recover, he felt his throat tighten painfully just at the memory of that nightmarish hour.

Though her blood pressure had been carefully monitored during her pregnancy, it had soared rapidly and unexpectedly today. Pregnancy-induced hypertension. Had she not gotten medical assistance in time, it could have led to seizures, a possible stroke—or even worse, he thought with a hard swallow as he tried to remember everything her doctor had said. Now that the baby had been delivered, Stevie would be fine, though she would remain under watchful care for a few weeks. The doctor had added that future pregnancies were not ruled out, though even more precautions would have to be taken. He couldn’t even begin to think that far ahead. Especially without knowing exactly what Stevie had meant when she’d informed him she could raise this child on her own.

His gaze moved from the woman sleeping in the bed to the swaddled child dozing in his arms. Rocking the baby afterward had brought him back to sanity; he’d felt his world slowly begin to right itself again. Maybe his eyes had been damp and his throat dry, but his heart had returned to a strong, steady beat. He’d told himself that everything was going to be all right.

And then Stevie had woken to tell him she didn’t need him, after all. He’d always been aware of that, but he’d thought they’d become a well-oiled team, each with strengths to bring to the union. He’d thought she could overlook his flaws, his messed up family, his sometimes-obsessive commitment to his work, in return for the parenting partnership she’d thought she wanted.