Chapter 40
Violet
Nevaeh had a really great OB-GYN taking care of her, and I was able to get an appointment a few days after we returned from Vegas. Remington went with me, but he asked me to invite Shaw with us. I loved having my best friend with me, but I’d kind of wanted this appointment to be just the two of us. When I mentioned that, he said he needed me to have someone else at every appointment with us.
Just in case.
He didn’t have to explain what he meant by that. I knew, and it broke my heart even more.
Just in case he wasn’t around for the delivery of our baby.
Just in case something happened before we brought our child into the world.
Just in case, so I wouldn’t be alone if he was gone and I went into labor.
I agreed with him, and I waited until he went for his usual morning run to cry. How could I be so fucking happy and so damn scared all at the same time? How could I be thinking of how joyous it was going to be to hold our sweet, innocent little baby. Love and cuddle him or her and smother them with all my love. While simultaneously so brokenhearted and afraid, it hurt to breathe when I looked at my husband?
Since he’d confessed his illness to me, I’d been paying more attention. And in just a few short days, I’d learned the signs of when he was having a headache. I knew when they would get intense because his eyes would glaze over with pain. I didn’t understand how I’d missed that for so long, but now that I knew, I couldn’t help how my heart stopped whenever I realized he was hurting.
“Thanks for inviting me,” Shaw said as the three of us sat in the doctor’s office. I was on the exam table in nothing but a cloth medical gown that opened in the front with a soft sheet over my lap. Remington stood beside me, holding my hand and stroking his thumb over my wedding ring, while Shaw sat in one of the two chairs by the window.
My husband was distracted today, but when I looked in his eyes, I didn’t see the pain I’d come to recognize. Those clear blue orbs were troubled, telling me he was lost in his own head, but I didn’t know what was on his mind.
“Actually,” I said with a smile as I tried to focus on my best friend. “We were hoping that you’ll want to come with us to more than just this visit. Maybe even take a few Lamaze classes with me?”
“Um, sure,” she said, her brows pinching together in surprise. “I’ll come to as many as I can if you want. My schedule is kind of crazy the next few months, though.”
I turned my hand over in Remington’s and linked our fingers together. He lifted our joined hands to his lips, kissing my fingertips, but still lost in his own world. I swallowed the lump that was trying to clog my throat and looked at Shaw. “We want you to be the baby’s godmother.”
She gave a happy cry, her hands covering her mouth. “Really?” I nodded, smiling, and she jumped to her feet. She wrapped her arms around both Remington and me, and she started bouncing up and down. “Yes! Of course I will.”
Releasing Remington, who was laughing and finally focusing on what was going on around him, Shaw put both her hands on my stomach. “You just wait, little bit. I’m going to spoil you so much, your parents are going to go insane. I’ll buy you everything you could ever dream of. All you’ll have to do is say “Auntie Shaw, please,’ and it’s yours. You want a pony? Done. A puppy? Done. An ice cream sundae big enough to swim in? Kid, I’ll help you eat that damn thing.”
Laughing, I covered her hands. “You’re going to be the best godmother ever.”
Tears filled her eyes. “You think so?”
“I know.”
The doctor came in moments later, and one of the first things she did was let us hear the baby’s heartbeat. I clung to Remington’s hand as the sound filled the room. I was still reeling from it throughout the rest of the appointment and long after we’d left the doctor’s office.
The three of us went to lunch, and then we went shopping. I wanted to make telling my parents about the baby special, so I searched all afternoon for the perfect gifts. Once we finally found what I was looking for, we dropped off Shaw and drove home to get ready for a night at my parents’ house.
As I walked downstairs before we were supposed to leave, I found Remington by the front door with a man I didn’t recognize. He was dressed in a suit that stretched over his wide chest. He had a neatly trimmed beard and a small scar on his right cheek. The ink on his hands disappeared under his jacket, making me wonder how much of his body was covered in tattoos.
Remington didn’t smile when he saw me, just held out his hand, beckoning me forward. “Violet, I want you to meet Jenner. He’s going to be your personal protection starting tonight.”
“What?” I gaped at him, stunned by the news. “Why do I need a bodyguard, Remi?”
His jaw clenched. “To make me feel better. You go nowhere without him. Not even to Shaw’s.”
“But why?” I demanded. “There’s no reason for a guard. I’ve never had any issues before.?
??
“You’re my wife now, Violet. I haven’t been in the spotlight much in the past, so not many people knew who I was. But you’re Shane Stevenson’s daughter, and the world already knows who you are.” He sighed and cupped my face. “But now the world knows you are my wife. The rocker’s princess became an insanely rich woman, and I’m not willing to wait until the first crazy person tries to do something. They will attempt to get to you, hurt you, use your kind heart to con money from you, or take you from me.”
“I know how to deal with people,” I tried to protest. “It wouldn’t be the first time I had people—”