by Amy Brent
She pulled away and stared at the floor wiping her eyes. “I’m so scared, Daddy.” I hated hearing the words from her mouth and hoped that Daniel had been at least as good a sport as I had been. “I love him, Daddy. I just want you to love him too. I don’t want to bring my baby into the world where the two men that mean most to me can’t get along. Daniel’s willing to try; he just wants to be accepted by you. He knows how important it is to me.” She pulled back and stared at my bare chest. She looked like she was struggling to find her next words. “Do you love—
The bathroom door creaked open, and it took a minute to see that Gemma was in trouble. She’d pulled on a bathrobe, but hadn’t had the strength to tie it before she stumbled out seemingly incoherent and collapsed.
Lila screamed and headed across the room, and thankfully, Gemma wasn’t banged up much, but for a skinned spot on her chin.
“We’ve got to get her to the doctor. She’s stone-cold, and with her being sick, she could be dehydrated.” Lila moved fast and grabbed Gemma some clothes as I got my own back on. Then I scooped her up and ran to the car as fast as I could.
She roused about halfway to the emergency room, but I was not turning around, not with my baby on board. Lila had tried to push a little water from the sports bottle she’d taken from her purse, and she got her take a few sips.
“I’m sorry, Lila,” she whispered, but Lila shook her head. The two were piled in the backseat like they had been as teens when I’d take them to the mall. And I glanced back in the rearview almost expecting to see my daughter as my little girl.
“You could have told me. Now hush and save your strength.” Being a forgiving person, I had a feeling that Lila wouldn’t stay angry long and when she heard about the baby, I knew she was going to be excited. So, I hoped. But I wasn’t going to tell her until we both could, but all I worried about from the moment Gemma hit the floor, was if she’d lose the baby.
Chapter 24
Gemma
I didn’t know what had happened to me when I roused in the bed and felt Whitt leaning over me. I’d caught the crinkle of the paper and figured he was looking at the sketches I kept by my bed. It had been my nightly ritual to sketch a design, and as of late most of mine had been in reference to hotels and resorts.
As soon as Whitt’s weight had shifted around me, it was like I’d suddenly lost my balance only I was lying down.
I’d been so queasy, and though I was alert when I’d heaved, nothing had come out. I’d already expelled all I had in me, and there was nothing left. My mouth was dry as a bone, and I coughed, and my throat felt like I’d swallowed sand.
I remembered the moment Lila had arrived and how I’d heard them arguing, and it was all so hazy and hard to tell what was a reality. By the time I heard something about a baby, I couldn’t tell what was being said or comprehend, but I thought that Lila knew all about me being pregnant.
In the car when I tried to apologize, I knew she was disappointed in me and if I hadn’t been in such terrible shape, I knew that burning in her eyes would have been anger against me.
I never wanted to disappoint her, and I’d been so selfish in my actions that I couldn’t blame her if she decided that we couldn’t be friends anymore. She deserved better than a friend like me. I’d targeted her father since we were younger, and though I loved him dearly, I should have stayed away.
I felt the car lurch as we stopped and then everything was moving very quickly. Whitt reached in the backseat to scoop me up, and Lila hurried out of the opposite side to find a wheelchair which they quickly put me in and wheeled me inside. Lila pulled me to a stop in front of the front desk, but Whitt did the talking.
“Yes, she collapsed at home. She’s been sick with a stomach flu.” He waited until Lila stepped away and leaned in closer to the nurse. “She’s in the early weeks of pregnancy as well.” The nurse’s eyes lit up and her lip curled in disgust, but she didn’t react.
“Whitt?” My voice was gravelly from the heaving and lack of something to drink, but Lila stepped in and gave me a bottle of water.
“Here drink this slowly.”
I did as she said, not wanting to create an argument, as the nurse came around and waved us into a triage area.
“Daddy, stay with her. I’m going to make a phone call. Daniel will want to know that I’ll be a while.” I glanced to Whitt expecting him to say something, but he nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m not leaving her side. I’ll have you go home and grab a few of her things later if you will?”
“Of course, I will. Gemma is my best friend, remember?” She gave her father a hard glare and disappeared down the hall.
“I’m just going to get your vitals, and I want to draw some blood.” The nurse moved her hands quickly to her blood pressure cuff and strapped it on, and in two shakes she had it pumping. She poked at my arm and then had me open up for a thermometer. I had taken my temperature so many times in the past few days, that the underside of my tongue was raw.
Whitt cleared his throat. “She’s had morning sickness, and we’re afraid she might have dehydrated.”
She felt around on my arm and then glanced up to my lips, which were dry too. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I’ve got a room ready for her, and we’ll start her an IV and get her some fluids going.
“Why can’t I just drink more?” I didn’t want to have a shot or especially an IV in my arm.
“This is much better, and besides, with you being pregnant, you don’t want to put you or the baby at risk. Dehydration is very dangerous, and it takes over very quickly. She pulled some supplies out of the drawer and Whitt pinched my chin and had me look at him.
“Don’t think about it, baby. It will all be over soon.” It was sweet of him to try and make it all better, but nothing was going to do the trick. Not until that needle was away from me.
The nurse chuckled. “Honey, you should get used to needles, especially since you’re having a baby.” Whitt narrowed his eyes and turned his nose at the woman.
She changed the subject, and I could only think it was to take my mind off the needle. “Once we get you back, we’ll do a pelvic exam and make sure that everything is okay with the pregnancy.”
Whitt’s hand came down on mine as tears filled my eyes. “It’ll be fine.”
It was strange how quickly I’d gotten used to the fact that I was responsible for a tiny life inside me, how much I cared for the little person I’d never met, simply because it was a part of me. I held out my arm and let her put the IV in, and I didn’t even cry.
Lila returned about the time they brought me into the room, and she let out a long breath as she saw her father put his arm around me. He didn’t seem to care if it offended her, and though I didn’t want to upset her, I was proud that he’d at least been there for me without letting Lila’s opinion of him change the way he’d treat me.
The two were sent out while I was examined and though Whitt offered to stay if I needed him, it was something I wanted to do without an audience. I couldn’t imagine Whitt seeing me on a table with my legs in stirrups and it not be for some sexual reason, and I tried not to think that the doctors might see I had just had sex not more than a couple of hours earlier. Whitt’s cock usually stretched me too much.
After the exam, they brought Lila and Whitt back into the room, and the doctor explained the findings. “Everything looks good. Sometimes during this phase of morning sickness, women will lose too much fluid, and when that happens, it’s easy for to get dizzy when you get up too fast. She’s in a lethargic state, and I’d imagine if she’d done anything rigorous, she might have made things worse.” The doctor stared at Whitt, and he gave me an apologetic look.
I glanced over at Lila who was glaring at her father. She slapped on a big smile for the doctor when he said goodbye and then when the door was shut, she spun around and flipped out.
“She’s pregnant? How could you not tell me? Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” She looked at me
. “You could tell me anything, Gemma. We’ve always been friends. And you, when I said to find a nice young woman, well, I didn’t mean Gemma!” She let out a long breath, and I choked up. I was barely producing tears as I cried.
“It happened about as planned as your own, I’d guess.” Her face reddened, and she looked at me and shrugged.
I cleared my throat. “Wait, you just said yours. You’re pregnant too?” I closed my eyes and smiled.
“Yeah, when I said I wanted to grow up and raise our kids together, I didn’t think yours would be my siblings.” She shook her head and then closed the distance between her and my bed.
“I’m sorry, Lila. It just happened. I love him.” I couldn’t expect her to understand or accept it. To her, it probably seemed unnatural.
“I know you do. You’re the most genuine person I know, but.” She looked me in the eyes and shook her head, and I thought that was it, the moment when she’d tell me how horrible I was. How I’d taken advantage of her friendship and that things would never be the same. But she just laughed. “Aren’t we a pair?” She sat on the side of my bed. “We’re going to be mothers. Look out world, here comes our children.”
“You don’t hate me?” I felt the sting of my tears wanting to produce.
“No, I am a little jealous. But only because I’m going to have to vie the little brat for my father’s attention. I mean, I always wanted a brother or sister, but I’d wanted one I could pick on, not one that was young enough to be my kid.” She was pulling a classic Lila; making jokes to lighten the mood.
“You’re always going to be my little girl.” Whitt reached across the bed and touched her shoulder. “It seems our little family is growing by leaps and bounds, and I guess if you can accept all of this with Gemma and me, then the least I can do is accept Daniel.”
“I’m sorry I blurted it out that way in anger, Daddy. I’d wanted to tell you at the gala but then everything happened and just didn’t think it was the right time. I was angry that you couldn’t just accept us, so it really means a lot to me that you’ll give us your blessing.”
Whitt gave his daughter a warm smile. “Anything for the father of my grandchild. Have you set a date?”
“We’re thinking about New Year’s Eve in the Bahamas. Something different. I don’t know though; I don’t want to be huge in my wedding dress. What about you guys?” She looked back and forth between us, and my cheeks burned with a blush at the thought.
He’d never asked me to marry him, and I didn’t expect it. Starting a family didn’t mean we had to be married to be happy and I imagined that marrying a woman so close to his daughter was something that might not look well for his reputation.
“Um, we’re not getting married,” I shrugged. “I mean, we haven’t talked about it.”
“No, it’s all happened too fast to think about it. We’ll talk about it once Gemma’s feeling better, but I’m sure she’ll agree, it’s no rush.” I nodded, and he patted my hand as if to comfort me. I was content with him to care for me, and at that moment, I didn’t need more.
“Well, I know you’ll take good care of her, Daddy. And likewise. We’re going to be big, happy family. Not conventional, but special.” She gave me a nudge and her smile was contagious.
Whitt stood and walked around to hug Lila. “I’m sorry I gave you a hard time, honey. Thanks for understanding.”
“Well, it does help that I get my way, and with me being pregnant, it was going to happen, but at least you and Gemma will have the house to yourself.” She giggled. “I’d rather play nice than lose to two of you.”
She hadn’t noticed that Whitt and I were staring deep into each other’s eyes. She’d insinuated that I’d be moving into the house, but that wasn’t set in stone either. The truth was, Whitt and I hadn’t talked anything about living arrangements, and I’d assumed that the two of us would continue seeing each other with the same addresses.
“Speaking of leaving you two alone, I think I’ll step out and call Daniel again. He’s going to flip when he hears the news. Oh, and I’d still like to get together for dinner and nice long discussion soon.” She tiptoed out and pulled the door closed behind her.
Once her footsteps faded down the hall, Whitt leaned in and kissed me. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”
Chapter 25
Whitt
The day had been one of the hardest I’d had in a long time. Seeing Gemma fall out on the floor was a wake-up call, and it let me know how much I cared for her. I was more determined than ever to take care of her and our baby, and with my daughter mentioning marriage and living arrangements I knew we had to get on the same page and fast.
I’d already promised her that I was going to take care of her and the baby, and now that we were alone, I was going to talk to her about how. We had a whole life to plan together, starting with the most obvious stuff.
I kissed her and brushed back a loose strand of hair from her face. “I think we have a lot to talk about.” She smiled and took my hand.
“I don’t want any of the things Lila mentioned to pressure us. I know marriage is a big deal, Whitt. I’m not asking for that. It’s too much too soon.” She wasn’t too convincing. I had a feeling about the way she hadn’t looked me in the eyes, that she was just telling me what she thought I wanted to hear.
At the same time, I was relieved that she’d tried to be understanding. I let out a long breath and rested my hands behind my head, entwining my fingers. “I want you to know that it’s not out of the question, though. I mean, I don’t think it’s something we have to do right away or even being engaged, but when we both feel the time is right, I’m not opposed to the idea.” I placed my hand on hers. “What do you feel about that?”
“I’m a bit surprised, I guess. I didn’t think you’d want to.” She tucked her chin and stared down to her lap where our hands were joined. I stroked hers with my thumb.
“You’re my girl, Gemma, and I love you.” She raised her head, and the surprise on her face was enough to make me smile. “Does that surprise you?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’m sorry I haven’t made you at least a little suspicious.” I’d done a horrible job trying to end things and even worse showing her how much I cared about her. No more. “There’s something else we need to talk about. Living arrangements. I don’t want you at your place alone anymore. I’d like you to move in. If you want your own space, I won’t argue, but I’d really like to know you’re at least under the same roof with the baby; safe and sound, the both of you.”
“What if I want to stay with you in your room?” She gave me a burning look of desire, and I felt my cock twitch with approval as she smiled.
I gave her a sly smile. “I’d prefer it, actually. I want us to be together as much as we can, and not just in bed. I want us to get to know one another on this level. I want to talk about how to raise our child and make decisions together.”
Gemma gave me a sidelong glance and closed her eyes a moment. “I’d love that. It’s not like I’ve ever had a family of my own and honestly, the only time I ever felt like I had a family was when I was with Lila at your home. I guess a normal girl would have fantasized about being a part of the family in a slightly different way,” We share a laugh, and I continued. “But, I’ve never regretted wanting to be with you. Or saving myself for you.”
“I’m just glad I’m worthy.” I leaned down and kissed her, and she brought her arms around me and held me tight, and we sat that way a moment until I pulled away. “You’re going to make me want to misbehave in this hospital if you’re not careful.” My dick swelled in my pants, tenting the front so badly I hoped one of the nurses didn’t come in and see it.
Her face flushed and she let loose a soft, but gravelly laugh. Her poor throat was dry, and I reached over to give her the cup of ice that the nurse had left. I didn’t like seeing her so weak and frail. It looked as she’d lost ten pounds over the last few days and I was going to have to make her eat better so
she’d have enough strength to carry and deliver our baby.
She put the cup to her lips and took a sip. “Thanks. So now that we’ve established where we’re going to live, I want to design a nursery. I thought about it this morning and was going to turn my guest room, but now I’ll just choose one of the guest rooms if it’s okay with you? You can choose which one.”
“Of course, that would be great, and I’ll give you full reign over the project too, but speaking of your designs, I’ve been thinking.” I closed my eyes as I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. I realized that Ashley was probably at my office leaving her letter of resignation on my desk. I’d failed to meet with her, which probably told her where she stood with me, but Gemma was more important. Accidents happened, even though I did feel bad for Ashley. I’d have to give her a call. If she only knew the bullet she’d dodged getting involved with me and my current situation. I would have broken her heart for Gemma regardless.
I looked up, and she was patiently waiting for me to continue. “What is it, Whitt?”
I waved a dismissive gesture and shook my head so she wouldn’t worry. “I don’t think that you should work in the office.”
“You’re firing me?” Her eyes widened, and she clawed at my sleeve. “Whitt, I know you want to take care of the baby and me, but having a job and providing a bit of my own income is really important to me. I need that job, and it means more than a paycheck, please reconsider.” I admired the fact that she was fighting to be a provider.