Bad Seed

“Because you’re suddenly a saint?”

“Hell no. Delia, I’ve always wanted kids. I wanted a large family, back when I was with Shannon. I thought I'd lost my chance at that, though.”

“What?” she asked.

“Yeah. I mean, I know I haven’t exactly acted like I want to be married with a family again, but I do. I always have. I’ve dreamt of having a ton kids since I was one myself. Look at what I do for Elsie. How could you not see that?”

I saw her jaw trembling again and quickly pulled her into my lap. I sat here, with her changing body against my chest as I sighed into her hair. She was scared. I knew she was. And I was, too. We’d though we were losing something precious today. Something that I didn’t even know to exist before a few hours ago. I was holding the mother of my unborn child in my arms, and the only thing I could feel was an overwhelming need to protect her. To care for her. To make sure she and this baby had everything they could possibly need to be healthy and succeed.

“I’ve got you now,” I said. “You’re gonna be taken care of.”

“I can’t ask that of you,” Delia said.

“Then it’s a good thing it don’t require askin’.”

I grinned at her as I pulled her back into me. I reached for my phone and pressed it into her hand, hoping she would go along with the plan I had for us. I felt her brow furrowing against my skin as I placed a kiss against her forehead, her eyes darting up at me curiously as I smiled.

“Call your boss. Tell him you’re okay, but that you’ll need until Monday off,” I said.

“I can’t do that. I have to work tomorrow,” Delia said.

“I shooed him away from the hospital once I got there. He’s waiting for an update. Tell him you need off until Monday. It’s just one day. He’ll give it to you. Seems nice enough,” I said.

“Then will you take me home?”

“We’ll talk about that.”

“No, we won’t. You want me to call out, that’s my condition. I don’t need a babysitter. I’m going back to my own place.”

I grinned as my eyes danced around her face. Her fire was back again. The feisty woman that had drawn me in from the beginning. I raked my eyes up and down her body as a chuckle fell from my lips, then I pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Either way, you could use some time off,” I said.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but did as I asked. Her boss was more than accommodating, and even asked her if she needed more time than that. I tried to get Delia to take it but she wasn’t having it. Then she handed my phone back to me and slid from my lap.

“There,” she said. “Called out until Monday. But if something important comes up, I can remotely access my files from my apartment.”

“You mean my guestroom,” I said.

“No. I mean my apartment.”

I'd already lost my wife and not one, but two, of my children. Delia didn't know that Shannon had been pregnant when she died, of course, but I did. It haunted me, and I could not lose anyone else. I could not lose another child.

Delia would have to work with me here.

CHAPTER 28

Delia

“Delia, you’re pregnant with my child. You're not leaving my side. I’m going to take care of you,” Drake said.

“Right now you need to be taking care of yourself,” I said.

“I’ve got it in check. You don’t see me pounding anything back right now, do ya?”

“You’ve also only been out, what? A few days? A week, maybe?”

“I’m okay. You gotta trust me on that,” he said.