Gabe positioned himself to face her. “I promise you I will never hurt her again. I swear it.”
There was that blatant honesty that stripped me raw. Gabe continued to reveal his feelings to everyone important in my life. It unnerved me to have so much out in the open while still trying to determine how I felt. I was speechless.
Marie looked at him. “I hope you mean it.” She then gave me a smile. “I’ll see you at the hotel. Call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
After Marie left, we were alone again. I headed to the elevators without a word, not wanting to have a discussion at the moment. As we entered the white corridor, Dr. Byrum stepped off the elevator. “Good afternoon, Ms. Russo. How are you feeling?”
“I’m a little tired. I just saw Carson. We’re about to head back to the hotel.” I knew I sounded bad.
He switched into doctor mode. “Have you been sleeping?”
“I didn’t last night.”
Gabe watched the exchange intently. Dr. Byrum typed a note on his phone. “Can you come by my office first thing in the morning?”
My nerves were a little on edge. “Absolutely. Is there something I need to be worried about?”
“It’s simply precautionary. Rest this afternoon. I want you to avoid stress if at all possible.”
My eyes went to Gabe unintentionally. Our eyes locked and Dr. Byrum’s gaze followed. He held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Byrum.”
“Gabe Thompson. Willow’s—”
“He’s… uhh… the baby’s father,” I interjected a little too loudly, knowing Gabe, he was about to label us something I wasn’t ready for. My mind was barely hanging on and the emotional roller coaster was only adding to my problems.
What was wrong with me?
With an arched eyebrow, Gabe watched me from the corner of his eye as I focused on the doctor’s gray hair. There were a couple of hard shakes before Dr. Byrum released Gabe’s hand. “I haven’t seen you before.”
“An oversight on my part.”
The doctor nodded. “The last thing Ms. Russo needs is stress.”
“Understood. Willow and the baby’s health are my highest priority.”
Seemingly satisfied with his response, Dr. Byrum continued to the nurses’ station. He had been my OB/GYN while in the hospital. Idly, I wondered why he was up in the ICU. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Russo.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
The air grew awkward around us as Trent approached. Closing my eyes, I reopened them. “Are we ready?”
Trent pushed the button to call the elevator. “Yes. Peter is pulling the car around.”
“Sounds good. What happened to Andre?”
The elevators dinged and the door opened. Trent pushed the lobby button after we entered. “He’s on suspended duty.”
“He made the right call and you know it.” Gabe was beside me.
The doors closed, only heightening the animosity in the elevator. I ignored it and waited for Trent to respond. “I get you two were tight in your black ops unit. But, Gabe, this is my security team. Not yours. I can’t have people I don’t trust in charge of someone’s life. Back the fuck off.”
Black ops? That sounded a little more dangerous than the military. Too tired to delve into that at this moment, I filed that piece of information away for later.
As we descended, the vein in Gabe’s neck pulsed as he took in Trent’s mask of steel.
The doors opened. No one moved. This was ridiculous. The doors closed. I reached forward to push the button to keep them open. Gabe was about to say something. I touched his stomach, and he broke his standoff with Trent. “Please, don’t. I want to go back to the hotel.”
Gabe softened. “Yes, let’s get you back.”
The tension was still thick as we exited the elevator. I massaged my temples as the car pulled up.
“Willow, what’s wrong?” Gabe’s worried voice brought my eyes up to look at his.
“I need to sleep some. I’m tired. I feel off.”
He opened the car door. “I won’t argue with Trent anymore in front of you. I shouldn’t have done that. Let’s get you to the hotel.”
With a light touch, Gabe put his hand on my back to guide me into the car. I refused to acknowledge the little jolts of electricity I felt where his hand rested. Trent slid into the front seat before the car took off.
To distract myself from Gabe, I watched people on the sidewalk, walking their dogs. Still, I was acutely aware of the man beside me. The car stopped at a stoplight.
Gabe leaned in and his shoulder brushed mine. His voice was low. “What happened? I thought we made a little bit of progress in the bathroom this morning.”
I let out a deep breath and turned, not expecting him so close. Frozen, I searched his eyes. Gone was the irritated man in the elevator. This was the man who looked like he’d die for me, and he left me breathless. He waited for me to respond. I wanted to tell him how I felt, but I was scared.
The car resumed as our eyes searched each other’s. I cleared my throat and responded, “We did. I thought we did. I told Carson everything and it all irritated me again. My emotions feel like they’re all over the place. I want to punch something one minute, cry the next, and then I was fine.”
“Willow, you’re pregnant. It’s completely normal.”
“Have you researched pregnancy?”
“From the moment you told me you might be pregnant in the closet at Cocktails, I started reading. If you were, I needed to b
e prepared.”
I rolled my neck and leaned my head back. “I wish you had told me who you were. Things might be different.”
My eyes were growing heavy as I felt his hand on mine. “Me, too.”
I was too tired to respond or take my hand away as I drifted off to sleep.
There was movement and I barely woke, not wanting to leave my peaceful slumber. I was in Gabe’s arms with my head against his chest. The vibrations of Gabe’s voice soothed me even though I knew I should pull away. “Let me get her in bed and then we can review the schedule for the next week.”
“The lab will be coming by to take the DNA sample,” Trent whispered.
A door creaked opened. “I’ll be back as soon as I get her situated. We have other things to discuss.” There was an edge to Gabe’s voice.
What was wrong?
“Gabe, I’ve granted you more concessions than you deserve. Don’t push it.”
His arms tightened around me. “Not in front of Willow.” There was no arguing with his tone.
I buried my face deeper in his chest, wanting to escape.
Doors opened and no one else spoke. I let the sleep creep in again. My limbs grew heavier. Blankets rustled before I felt cool sheets, and I snuggled into the bed. I’d thank him later.
Lips pressed against my forehead. “I love you, Willow.”
Without thinking, I answered as the sleep continued to claim me, “Love you, too.”
It was early evening when I checked my phone after sleeping most of the day away. I lay in bed in the elegant beautiful room, but I was ready to be in my own bed at home.
I couldn’t hear anyone. Total silence.
Hopefully, Trent and Gabe had worked through their pissing contest. I wasn’t in the mood to play referee nor should I have to.
I shifted and listened again. Nothing.
I felt the urge to paint. It had been too long. Maybe that was why I felt off balance. The canvas was my way of coping. Since the night Gabe and I conceived our child, it was hard not to paint or draw with all the inspiration I felt.