“Better?” I murmured.
She relaxed back into the pillows, her blue eyes filled with sadness. She looked vulnerable and lost—more so than I had ever seen her. I stroked her cheek.
“Whatever it is, Lottie, I’m here. We’ll face it together.”
“I’m not so sure you’ll feel the same once you hear what I have to say.”
“I am. Nothing you can tell me will scare me away, Lottie. Nothing.”
For a moment, there was silence, then she spoke.
“I’m pregnant, Logan.”The words exploded in my head.
Pregnant.
I met her eyes. The worry and fear were blatant. Shock lingered in her expression—the same shock I knew she must be seeing in my gaze.
“Pregnant?” I repeated.
“It’s early,” she sniffled. “Really early, but the blood test came back positive.”
“I-I thought you were on birth control?” I asked, unsure what to say or do. I felt as if I were having an out-of-body experience. Logically, I knew I was sitting beside Lottie in the hospital, but it felt as if I were running around the room, screaming. My breathing had picked up, and my chest felt tight.
Did she say pregnant?
She slipped her hand under the thin blanket and held out a small package of pills. “I forgot. One day.” She shook her head. “I have never forgotten.”
Numbly, I took the package, noting absently the days marked, and she was one pill behind.
“My period should have started. I was so caught up in everything, it slipped my mind.”
I nodded, dumbfounded, still in shock. “It’s been crazy,” was all I could think to say. The past few weeks had slipped away in the blink of an eye.
The room was silent for a moment, my mind beginning to process again. To take in the words she was saying.
Lottie was pregnant. With my child. I was going to be a dad. That word echoed in my head.
“This is my fault, Logan. My responsibility. I don’t expect anything from you.”
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer.
She didn’t expect anything from me. It was all her fault.
I cleared my throat, my brain finally kicking in and working again. I took her hand in mine.
I was going to be a dad.
“Pretty sure we were both there when this baby was created, Lottie.”
“By accident.”
“The day I met you was an accident too. That turned out pretty damn well.”
“That was different.”
I met her eyes. “Yes, but no less wondrous.”
Her gaze widened. “You aren’t angry?”
Slowly, I pulled the blanket away and slid my hand along her flat stomach. I spread my fingers wide, amazed that beneath them was a child. A tiny little being so small and yet already so precious.
My smile was wide. Brianna was right. Last night was nothing compared to this. Not a blip.
Because the little blip under my hand was real.
My child.
Our child.
I raised my eyes to hers. “Not angry, Lottie. Shocked, a little off-balance, but not angry. How could I be? We did this together. Maybe a little faster than I expected, but we created a child. How on earth am I supposed to be angry about that?”
Her hand rested on top of mine. “I was shocked and upset when they told me, and I had no idea how you were going to take it,” she admitted. “But I was also…happy. All I could think about was holding your baby in my arms.”
My baby.
The image of Lottie, rounded and glowing, came to the forefront of my mind. The thought of being there with her, watching over her, being part of this journey, filled me. A spark of happiness lit in my chest. Then I recalled why we were here.
I frowned in concern. “Are you all right, Lottie? What happened? Why are they keeping you?”
“My blood pressure is low. They want to keep an eye on it.” She sighed heavily and rested back on the pillow. “It’s been a bad day. An argument with my father, a panic attack, and then finding out I’d been careless and screwed things up and had to tell you I was pregnant.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I thought you would be so angry that I might lose you too. Even though I know how wonderful you are, I was so afraid…” She trailed off, her voice shaking.
I knew she was overwhelmed. Shocked by the news. Add in the fact that she heard it alone, and no wonder she was worried. I leaned close, brushing my fingers over her cheek. “Look at me, Lottie.”
She opened her eyes, tears swimming in the lovely blue.
“It was a bad day until that moment you told me,” I assured her. “Finding out we’re having a child together is when the day went from bad to awesome. Understand me? I am thrilled, sweetheart.” I lifted her hand and kissed it. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.” I paused as a thought occurred to me. “Unless…you don’t want this baby?”