Ashes (Dark in You 3)

Glancing at the smooth black and white picture, Harper swallowed hard again. That was her baby. Hers and Knox’s baby. It was growing inside her. She was… it was just… wow. Until a few hours ago, she hadn’t even suspected that she could be pregnant. It was honestly hard to wrap her head around it.

She gave the picture to Knox, who looked down at it with such an intensity of emotion that she sucked in a breath. If she’d have had any doubts at all that he was happy about the pregnancy, that one look would have eradicated them.

Rodgers grinned. “Feeling manly now, Thorne? This is the ultimate proof that you’re a virile man.”

Knox shot him an impatient look that made the doctor’s grin deepen.

Gathering his things together, Rodgers pointed at Harper. “No alcohol, no raw fish, ease up on the caffeine, and don’t overexert yourself.” At her nod, he said, “Call me if you have any questions or concerns and… well, congratulations once again. Don’t worry. This matter will be confidential and there will be no records.”

Knox inclined his head. “Thank you.”

“I appreciate you coming so soon,” said Harper.

Equipment in hand, Rodgers gave her a gracious smile. “It was no problem at all.”

Knox dropped a kiss on Harper’s head and then accompanied Rodgers to the front door. “Is there anything I should watch out for? Any complications I should expect?” He hadn’t wanted to ask in front of Harper.

“All pregnancies can have complications, but they don’t always do so,” Rodgers told Knox. He patted his arm. “Don’t worry so much. Try to enjoy it. And smile. Your life is about to be turned upside down and be forever changed.” With that, he walked out the door and down the steps, where his black sedan waited.

Knox closed the door and returned to the living room. He sat next to Harper and pulled her close, looking down at the scan picture she was staring at. Sweeping her hair away from her face, he asked, “You okay?”

She met his eyes, puffing out a breath. “I didn’t think I’d be so far along. In fourteen weeks, we’ll be parents.” Panic rose sharp and fast as it truly sank in. “We’re so unprepared for this it’s not even funny. Babies need lots of stuff and we have literally nothing. We’ll need a cradle, a stroller, a —”

“Ssh.” He massaged her nape and kissed her gently. “You’re getting yourself all worked up, and that’s not good for you. We’ll get everything we need. We’ll be as prepared as any set of parents can be. I know this has come as a shock to you – I can very much relate to that – but you don’t need to stress about anything.” He’d do enough of that for both of them anyway. “Just do what Rodgers said and concentrate on taking care of yourself. Now, why do you look guilty?”

“You heard Rodgers. The baby’s too small. That’s my fault. I wasn’t eating well.”

“I also heard him say that it’s not unusual for a she-demon’s appetite to suffer at first. That is not your fault.” He rubbed her back. “Everything will be fine. I won’t have it any other way.”

She bit her lip. “Don’t hate me if I turn out to be a really shit mom, okay? It won’t be something I did on purpose.”

He curled a hand around her chin. “You could never be a bad mother. Have we not already been over this?” If either of them were likely to make a bad parent, it would be Knox. But he had every faith in himself and Harper as a unit. “Like I’ve pointed out once before, Lucian didn’t raise you; he relied on you because he isn’t able to meet his own needs. You were the parent in that relationship, so you already know a thing or two about parenting. You’re also as caring, responsible, and protective as any mother should be.”

“Speaking of Lucian… I don’t even want to wonder how he’ll react.” Hearing she was pregnant would mean he’d have to accept that Knox was a permanent fixture in her life. She wasn’t like Lucian, she wouldn’t walk away from the father of her child unless she absolutely had to – Lucian would know that. “Jolene and the girls will be ecstatic. I have to say, though, that I’m thinking the person who’ll be most excited is Lou.”

Knox exhaled heavily. “Yeah. He’s going to be a pain in the ass once he finds out.” Glancing once more at the ultrasound image in her hand, Knox stroked the baby with his thumb. It still wasn’t quite sinking into his brain that there was a little person inside Harper; that that little person was his child. Their child. Still, every protective instinct that he and his demon had was on high alert. “No one will ever harm the baby,” he swore.

Harper squeezed his hand. “No, they won’t. And if anyone tries, we’ll string them up by their intestines. We’ll make an example of them to send a message of just how dumb it would be for anyone else to try.”

Knox looked into her eyes, saw the promise of retribution right there, and nodded. It was a vow. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

“I really don’t think I could sleep right now.” She was too wired.

His mouth set into a lopsided smile. “Who said anything about sleeping?”

CHAPTER TEN

Knox paused with the fork halfway to Harper’s mouth, his forehead wrinkling. “You’re going to work?”

Harper arched a brow. “What, you thought I’d spend the rest of the pregnancy sitting around, twiddling my thumbs?”

“A man can dream.”

She rolled her eyes. “I took three days off, even though I didn’t need them.” She’d agreed to spend the time catching up on her sleep, but she’d really done it so that he had a little time to adjust to the idea that she was pregnant. Honestly, she’d also needed that time to adjust. Now that she had, the anxiety had been replaced by a scary anticipation. But it was a good kind of scary.

It was amazing just how different her world now seemed. Everything other than Knox had taken an emotional backseat to the life inside her. And that was the way it should be, she thought. It hadn’t been that way for her own parents, but it would damn well be that way for her.

“I will admit that having your undivided attention during my time off was quite enjoyable.” Obligingly, Harper ate the chunk of grapefruit that he offered her.

Since discovering that Harper was pregnant, a delighted Meg had tried filling her with fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods. Knox often insisted on feeding her, which Harper would have quickly lost her patience with if she hadn’t understood why exactly he was fussing. He was worried for her, and it got to him that he had no control over the matter. It made him feel helpless. She didn’t want that. If letting him fuss over her made him feel more involved and not quite so powerless, she’d deal with it.

“And I enjoyed being able to give you my undivided attention for the past three days,” said Knox. “Why not allow yourself to enjoy it a little longer?”

“You can’t be with me all the time.” She took a sip of her orange juice. “We both have businesses to run.”

“I know.” Knox sifted his fingers through her hair. “But my protective instincts are in a frenzy right now and it’s making me paranoid over your safety.”

She gave him a reassuring kiss, humming because he tasted of coffee, porridge, and brown sugar. “I get that. My own protective instincts are a little hyper at the moment too, and my demon is on edge – seeing everything and everyone as a potential threat, which is going to get old fast. I need you to be the rational one. Besides, I have Tanner.”

Knox wasn’t so sure he could give her “rational”. His demon snorted at the idea. “Keenan will now also be guarding you. One bodyguard for you, and one for the little person in there.” He gently rubbed her stomach. “Do it for me. I need that peace of mind, Harper.”

“I do understand that we need to tighten the security. I’m not going to fight you on it.” Especially if it meant that her demon would relax just a little.

He nodded in approval and fed her a piece of kiwi. “Invite Jolene and the girls to the mansion tonight. We’ll get them and the sentinels in the same room and give them the news all at once.”