Claiming the Drakos Heir

“I feel better now. The pain in my back has lessened. And I don’t have any cramping. It’s time to get the table set for dinner.”

He stared at her. What had just happened? She’d been miserable and now she wanted to set the table for dinner? Was she really feeling that okay?

Not paying him the least bit of attention, she headed for the cabinets and retrieved two bowls. She moved without hesitation. And the little lines on her face had smoothed out. Maybe he’d just let his imagination get the best of him. After all, what guy wouldn’t worry about being alone on an island with a pregnant woman—a very pregnant woman?

Lightning lit up the sky at the same time the power in the bungalow went out. Before either of them could speak, the lights flickered back on as a resounding clap of thunder shook everything. The storm was on top of them. And from the sounds of it outside, the island was definitely taking a hit.

He saw the worried look on Popi’s face. “It’s okay. It’s just a little thunder.”

She turned to the window. “It’s not the thunder that worries me.”

It was the lightning. It worried him too, as it was especially bad. But Popi didn’t need anything else to worry about. “Don’t worry. It should pass over in no time.”

“Not soon enough.”

He silently agreed.

The truth was that he couldn’t wait until tomorrow. The contractor would arrive and they would leave the island. Soon they’d be part of civilization again—close to doctors, nurses and a state-of-the-art hospital. And maybe then he would be able to breathe easy. He didn’t care how good she looked now—he still had that uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

While he filled their bowls with steaming-hot soup, Popi paced the floor. Her hand pressed to the small of her back as though it were permanently attached there.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Um, sure. Fine.” But those little lines returned to her face.

She wasn’t fine—

The trickle of water caught both of their attention. They both glanced down to find a small puddle around Popi’s feet. Either she just peed herself or they were in some serious trouble.

The breath stuck in his lungs as his gaze rose to meet her worried look. This was not good. Not good at all. He was freaking out on the inside but doing everything he could not to let it show. Like that was possible.

After all, he was a guy. He was used to traveling in the deepest, darkest jungles. He’d scaled rock walls. He’d lived through an avalanche. He been attacked by a bear and had the scars to prove it.

But this baby stuff. It scared him silly.

“My water broke.” Popi’s voice wasn’t much above a whisper. And the look in her round eyes was one of fear.

The two of them couldn’t freak out at the same time. That much was for sure. And then he saw her eyes shimmer and a tear splash onto her cheek. Okay. She got the first turn at freaking out.

He told himself to pretend he was on one of his missions. Popi was just another adventurer. And his niece or nephew wasn’t about to born. He also slammed the door on his past and stories of his birth. He just had to deal with the here and now.

He strode toward her. “You need to sit back down.”

“Not like this. Not in these wet clothes.”

In the next few minutes, Apollo did things that he’d never done before. And he did them in an almost out-of-body experience. He got Popi fresh clothes and, to both of their embarrassment, helped her change. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. And then he cleaned up the mess on the floor.

He’d never considered himself a squeamish person before, but then again, he’d never dealt with childbirth. And what little he’d been exposed to let him know it wasn’t for the faint of heart. And it certainly wasn’t for someone that didn’t know what in the world he was doing.

Inside he was yelling: Why did you do this? Why did you stay on this island when you could be near the hospital? Why would you take a chance with your life and the baby’s?

He strained, not letting his rolling emotions show on his face. It wouldn’t help the situation. But it was tough to hold it all in when he knew what this early delivery could mean if they didn’t get to the mainland soon.