Dare to Hold (Dare to Love 4)

He absolutely noticed her use of the word I. Knew he’d caused it by his callous comment about family being for suckers and happily ever after happening only in fairy tales. A lump swelled in his throat, and everything inside him screamed at him to reassure her. To promise he’d be there for her no matter what. But rehashing his past had reminded him all too well of how much pain he’d been in when he’d lost his own baby. Which led to the horrible realization that if he allowed himself to think of Meg and the baby as his, and she walked away when the danger was over, he’d lose a lot more than he ever had with Leah.

And he didn’t know if he could come back from that.

He glanced at Meg, noting both her fragility and the strength he admired. Damn, but he wished he’d thought this through earlier … like when he’d pushed for more than one night. But he hadn’t. He’d let his desire for her win out and, as Meg had pointed out, his white knight complex to come out to play.

Fuck. Now neither one of them would escape this thing unscathed.

“Do you have the Ashtons’ phone number?” he asked, focusing on her issues and not the emotions he couldn’t control.

She nodded.

“Let’s set up a meeting.”

“Okay.”

A phone call later and Meg had a plan to meet Mike’s parents for brunch at an out-of-the-way restaurant in South Beach on Wednesday. He’d have preferred an immediate get-together, but they were out of town this weekend. Scott didn’t know what, if anything, they could do to get their son under control, but assuming they cared about the baby the way they claimed to, he hoped they’d become Meg’s allies. She deserved to have something in her life go right for once.

* * *

Meg woke up and slipped out of bed, leaving Scott fast asleep. After the craziness of yesterday, she’d barely remembered she had an OB/GYN appointment this morning. Her doctor worked one Saturday a month, and because Meg didn’t want to miss a day of school, she’d taken a Saturday appointment. Now, of course, it didn’t matter. But no matter now tired she was, she didn’t want to skip something so important.

She took a quick shower, dressed, and slipped out of the bedroom, surprised Scott still slept soundly. She left him a note explaining where she went and propped it against the coffee machine, where he was most likely to see it first thing. She’d learned Scott liked his morning caffeine fix as soon as he woke up.

She had a hunch he wouldn’t be happy she hadn’t woken him and let him know she was headed out, but this was something she needed to do on her own. A doctor’s appointment and sonogram of her baby was the most personal, intimate thing she could imagine, and though she longed to have someone to share it with—and that wasn’t being needy, just honest—she understood she had to draw boundaries with Scott. No matter how much she wished otherwise, and there was no point denying that she did.

A quick glance told her that her friendly bodyguard sat outside the house, watching over her. Although Scott could handle things inside, Rick was making sure Mike didn’t lurk or cause trouble outside. She pulled out of the driveway, slowed, and waved, giving him time to put the car in gear and follow. She wasn’t stupid, nor would she take unnecessary chances. Mike was out there somewhere, not happy that she was still carrying his baby. Protection made sense.

A little while later, Meg lay on the table in a flimsy gown, and Dr. Taylor, a middle-aged woman who Meg trusted and liked a lot, spread warm gel over her belly.

“So we’re going to find the heartbeat.” The doctor moved the wand around while Meg held her breath. She vividly remembered the hospital visit after Mike had shoved her… She’d been bleeding, and the wait while the doctor searched for the heartbeat had been excruciating.

She felt that way now and found herself saying a little prayer, until finally, she heard the whoosh, whoosh from the machine. She expelled a long breath of relief.

“There we go,” the doctor said cheerfully. “Nice and fast. Good job.” She smiled and clicked on the screen, printing out the view. “Any questions for me this visit?” she asked.

Meg shook her head.

“You’re taking your vitamins?”

“I am. They make me nauseous, but I try to do it after a meal.”

“And that, too, is normal.” She hooked her wand back into a holder and met Meg’s gaze. “You look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?”

Meg swallowed hard. “Trying. I’m having some issues with the baby’s father.” She didn’t want to go into detail. No point mentioning she was out of work for the moment as well.

“Well, stress isn’t good for you or the baby,” the doctor said, as if Meg needed the reminder. She wasn’t asking for the nightmare her life had become.

“I know. There are just so many things that are out of my control right now.”

“Well, I recommend you rest. You’re healthy, but you did have that bleeding early on, and we don’t want a repeat, right?”

“Right.” Meg shifted uncomfortably on the hard examining table.

Dr. Taylor rose to her feet. “Everything looks good. Just try to take it easy,” she said. “I’ll see you next month. By then we should be able to see the sex of the baby, if you want to know ahead of time.” She treated Meg to a warm smile. “Take care.”

“Thank you,” Meg murmured. She waited for the other woman to shut the door behind her before pulling herself up to a sitting position, clutching the paper gown around her.

Did she want to know the sex of the baby? She wasn’t sure, but she had time to think about it. Her heart sped up at the thought of a little girl. Of course, she wanted a healthy baby and would adore a boy, but in her heart of hearts, she hoped she had a girl she could dress up and be there for. More than her own mom had been there for her, Meg thought sadly.