by Mari Carr
He craned his neck to see around the orderly, but all he got a glimpse of was Sterling’s bloody foot as they whisked her away.
“Then where do I go?” he asked.
“Are you family?”
“No. Yes. Well, I’m not sure. She’s pregnant. I’m the father.” Holy crap, it felt weird to say that out loud.
“Sorry, sir. It’s best if you wait until they’ve examined her.” The guy truly did seem apologetic, also sort of like he expected to get decked. “I’ve got kids of my own. I can imagine how you must feel. But you’re only going to get in the way. Head up to the second-floor emergency waiting room. They’ll come get you as soon as she’s stable and they can tell you more about her condition.”
Viho nodded as reality started to sink in. He went to shake the man’s hand and realized his fingers were stained crimson. So instead he headed back to the car.
“Good luck, buddy.”
“Thanks,” he managed to wheeze before calmly parking, then returning to the building. It felt like the day he’d gone with his mom to get her biopsy test results. When the worst-case scenario—aggressive, inoperable cancer—became reality, his whole world had shifted.
And he felt like it could again right now.
Fucking hospitals.
Viho couldn’t say how long he staggered from one end of the tiny holding pen to the other, hating the buzz of the fluorescent lighting and the smell of disinfectant. But it probably only felt like forever before Sienna, Jade and their parents flooded the area, making it seem even smaller, if possible. When Hope didn’t show, he figured she was working. Probably downstairs right now.
He found himself scanning the crowd for Jake, but didn’t see the guy among the gaggle of Comptons.
“Your father stayed back at the ranch. With Vicky.” Cindi didn’t ask first; she came right in and hugged Viho hard. “But he asked me to give you that and tell you he’s praying for the best.”
Sam Compton joined them, putting a strong hand on Viho’s shoulder. “We are too. We all are.”
Unsure of how to respond, Viho simply stood there and absorbed their affection. They seemed to understand he wasn’t used to being the center of that kind of attention and gave him some space, though he wished they would have clung a little longer.
He scanned the room and the sympathetic faces ringing him. How had he inherited so many supporters in the span of a single day?
Most of all, though, he studied Sienna’s expression, and then her Aunt Lucy’s. The two nurses had pretty damn good poker faces, though. He couldn’t tell what they were thinking or what the odds might be.
He figured they were pretty bad if neither was offering reassurances.
When the swinging door opened and a woman in a white coat emerged, it was as if everyone in the room held their breath. “Viho. I’m looking for Viho with Ms. Sterling Compton.”
He stepped forward.
The doctor lowered her voice and leaned in. “She’s stabilized. Her vitals are improving rapidly. Mostly I think she was dehydrated and stressed. If she keeps this up she’ll be able to spend the night in her own bed, as long as you—or someone else—are there to care for her.”
“I will be,” he said in a rush of air.
“Your baby…” Viho’s knees grew weak, anticipating the worst. “…is also doing fine.”
Viho bent in half, grasping his knees to keep from toppling over.
“Viho?” Cindi Compton cried out to him as he kept them in unintentional suspense.
“She’s good. They’re both great.” He turned to face them, not caring about the goofy grin he couldn’t suppress or the dampness in his eyes. And before he could think better of it, he wrapped the staid doctor in a bear hug and swung her around while the Compass Brothers laughed and hooted.
A couple of them smacked Sam on the back.
He set the doctor down as soon as decorum sank in. “Sorry about that. Can I see her?”
The doctor grinned up at him. “Sure. As long as you don’t pull that stunt with your lady.”
“I promise.” He chuckled, then tried to get himself together for Sterling.
“Right this way, sir.” She held the door for Viho then added for the family. “Not too many visitors for her tonight. Can you limit it to just a handful, two at a time? And only for a few minutes?”
The family murmured their agreement, then began to figure out who would stay and who would go. Viho had already stopped paying attention as they wound their way through the den of rooms toward Sterling.
When the doctor ushered him in, he stutter stepped.
Sterling looked so pale and fragile in the hospital gown. Propped up in the automatic bed, she’d placed the tortoise on her sternum. One hand rested protectively over her belly while the other stroked the figurine’s shell.
When she saw him, she smiled, though it lacked its usual sparkle. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.” He crossed to her and rested half his ass on her bed while one foot stayed planted to the floor. Immediately, she leaned into him.
“Sorry for scaring you like that,” she murmured.
“I was pretty sure you didn’t do it on purpose.” Closing his eyes, he kissed her crown.
“How is Vivi?”
“She’s fine. With Jake.” He hoped he wasn’t exaggerating. But really, could the woman be called fine anymore?
“She’s not. But thank you for saying that anyway.” Sterling sighed. “And thank you for coming to save me today. They told me that if I hadn’t gotten here as soon as I did…if my blood pressure didn’t get under control…”
“It did. Don’t stress yourself about what might have been.” He squeezed her shoulder, figuring he could worry enough for both of them about all that stuff.
“I’m going to be more careful,” she whispered. “I asked a ton of questions and got a list of books to read. Medicine and vitamins are coming too. I should have thought to do that this morning, but with how everything went yesterday…I didn’t have my priorities straight.”
“Sterling, neither of us has done this before.” He drew away so he could look directly at her. “We’re going to fuck stuff up. No matter how hard we try to do it all right. We’re going to work on it together. Right?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” He smiled down at her and patted the turtle on the head.
Sterling tipped her face up and reached for him, so he gave her what they both craved. A long, sweet, gentle kiss that felt like coming home.
“I’m pretty sure that’s not a recommended method for keeping someone’s blood pressure down,” Hope Compton chided them. She jiggled a paper bag in her fist. “I brought you a whole smorgasbord of fantabulous chemicals. This should have you fixed up in no time.”
Hope came closer and wiggled her way in for a hug. “You just about gave me a heart attack when I saw this order come across my desk. I’m not going to bug you for details, since I’m sure Sienna and Jade are blowing up my phone, but I had to come see you for a second.”
“Thank you.” Sterling blinked. “I’m so glad you came.”
“And now I’m leaving, before I get in trouble from your nurses.” She winked. “Take good care of her, Viho.”
“Promise.” He nodded and waved.
Before he could pick up where he’d left off with Sterling, a light knock came on the door. Viho grumbled and Sterling laughed. It was worth it to hear her happy.
“Hey, cuz.” Jade strode into the room with Sienna on her heels. “We just passed Hope in the hall. That bitch, sneaking in here before us.”
“Doing okay?” Sienna cut to the chase as she read the monitoring equipment scattered around the room. Satisfied, she nodded.
“Hell of a lot better now.” She winced. “But I think I ruined that dress you guys bought me for my birthday.”
&
nbsp; “Eh, Christmas is coming.” Jade smiled. “Better rack up the presents this year, ’cause after that it’ll be baby mania. Just think of all the noisy toys I can buy my mini-cuz.”
“Really annoying ones,” Sienna added.
“Exactly.” They smiled at Sterling, then turned a little more serious, squeezing her hand in theirs.
“If we don’t get out of here, your parents will probably explode,” Jade said as they edged toward the door. “If you feel up to company tomorrow, call us, okay?”
“I will.” Sterling smiled and wiggled her fingers.
And when they left, she turned to Viho. “Brace yourself.”
“No kidding. I saw them in the waiting room, you didn’t.”
Her eyes grew wide. “That bad? Shit, I’m sorry.”
“Sterling, you did not do anything wrong.” Viho took her chin in his hand and held her gaze. “This was not your fault. Everything is okay now. Regret isn’t going to help Peanut.”
“You’re right.” She smiled up at him.
And that was how her parents found them.
“You know, Viho,” Sam started as he entered the room. “I’ve wished a lot of things for my daughter in her life. You’ll see. It’s impossible not to want the best for your children. But that look in her eyes, it’s one I’ve only seen a few times. And I’m so happy that she has you to put it there.”
Viho swallowed hard as Sterling patted his cheek.
Her mom spoke more quietly, but what she said rocked him harder. “Even more, I knew my daughter had more love to give than most. And I’m so glad that she’s found a man like you who will appreciate that gift and never take it for granted.”
Instead of responding to the Comptons, he looked at Sterling and promised, “I won’t.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Do you want us to wait and take you home?” Her father might have approved, but he was still her dad. And he gave her an out to any potentially sticky situations.
Sterling looked from her parents to Viho. “If you don’t mind driving me, I’d rather go with you.”
“Of course.” He held her fingers with one hand, squeezing them lightly.
Her mom and dad took turns kissing her and saying goodbye. Hand in hand, they made their way to the door. At the last minute, Cindi turned and leveled one of her megawatt smiles at Sterling and Viho. “And I’m so sorry, I don’t think I’ve said congratulations. To you both. I’m thrilled that we’re going to be grandparents.”
“Thank you,” Viho and Sterling said in unison.
They looked at each other and smiled, still holding hands, just like Sterling’s mom and dad.
Viho couldn’t stop himself. He reached up and rubbed the center of his chest. Sterling seemed to notice him touching the small bulge beneath his shirt, but before she could ask him what caused it, the nurse returned with discharge paperwork. Eager to be home, in her nice comfortable bed—hopefully allowing Viho to hold her through the night—she forgot about her curiosity.
Together they listened to a long lecture about what she should and shouldn’t be doing, the dosage and schedules for taking the various vitamins and medicines she’d been prescribed, and scheduled the first of what seemed to be many regular doctor visits.
By the time Viho carried Sterling to the Jeep and buckled her in, she was done in.
“Sleep, Sterling.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ve got you. We can talk tomorrow, okay?”
Her response garbled as she drifted off, safely in his care.
Chapter Eleven
Sterling blinked as she floated from deep sleep into consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was having to pee. The second—a much nicer revelation—was that a full-length combination pillow and radiator transformed her comfy bed into the ultimate sleeping palace.
“Viho.”
“Good morning,” he rumbled with the sexiest not-quite awake voice she’d ever heard. Had he slept as well as she had?
Thank goodness it was Sunday and he had the day off. Not that her family would hold him to his schedule considering the drama of the day before. Still, she knew that if it had been any other day, he’d have dragged his ass out of their cozy haven and gone to work, making the most of each minute that ticked by in the dying year.
When he committed to something, he did it right.
“Hey.” She smiled up at him, then allowed her eyes to flutter closed once more as he swept her hair from her face with long, gentle passes of his broad palm. The tips of his fingers traced the arch of her brows, smoothing them into place too. If he kept going, she was pretty sure he could put her entire world in order.
“How are you feeling?” He dropped butterfly kisses on her forehead then cheeks, waking more than her mind in the process.
She stretched, testing the soreness of her muscles, happy to report none. The medicine they’d given her to combat early pregnancy discomfort seemed to have kicked in too. For the first time in weeks, she felt fabulous. What had women done before these groundbreaking drugs had been invented? “Terrific.”
How could she be anything else when she had Viho by her side and their baby growing safely inside her? It hadn’t taken more than an instant yesterday, when she’d feared losing one or both, to understand what she craved, even if it scared her too.
Sterling rolled fully onto Viho, nuzzling his neck and breathing deep of his rich, earthen scent. It made her calm, yet excited. Soothed and inflamed all at once.
“I like waking up with you in my bed.” She nibbled her way across his jaw to his lips. Her thumbs brushed his collarbones while her fingers curled around his powerful shoulders, kneading what she could reach.
“You don’t hear me complaining about it, do you?” He glided his hands along her ribs to land on the upper swells of her ass, covered by a long sleep-shirt. “You snore a little less loudly than the guys in the bunkhouse too. Bonus.”
She laughed as she lifted up to tweak one of his nipples. “Hey, I do not snore.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t slept that hard in years.” Viho squeezed her bottom as he craned his neck for a kiss.
She obliged him, tipping her head forward so that their lips could meet. Gently and slowly. They teased each other with tender licks and the prodding of tongues. Sterling could have made out with him all day.
Except after a minute or five, it wasn’t enough. She wanted to be connected to him.
After everything that had happened, it felt like they needed to rejoin each other. Make up. The old fashioned way. Sterling inched her nightgown up until it wadded around her waist, revealing her lacy panties. She got to her knees with her thighs splayed on either side of Viho’s. The new angle pressed her against him deliciously.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” His eyes pinched at the corners.
“Yep. And I don’t have to ask if you are.” A wiggle of her hips confirmed it. He was tempting her with the thick bulge in his briefs.
“A boner won’t kill me, Sterling.” He shifted, as if that would make his arousal less obvious.
“The doctor cleared me for loads of steamy—but gentle—sex.” She grinned. “No joke, I asked. Didn’t want to deprive either of us if I didn’t have to. I mean, if that’s what you want. I was hoping, after yesterday, we might be back on that track.”
“Seriously?” Viho stripped her shirt over her head, threw it to the floor, then wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck. A sound suspiciously like the purr of a jungle cat came from his throat when their bare chests pressed together. He held her as he kissed her, more deeply and fully than he ever had before.
“Yeah.” A breathless rasp would have to suffice as a response. “Except…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing major. I just have to use the restroom.” She du
cked her head, embarrassed. “I’ve never lived with a guy before. This is going to take some getting used to.”
Viho froze. “Is that what’s happening here? Am I moving in?”
“You don’t want to?” Sterling sat up, slipping off of him. With her knees tucked under her, she hugged a pillow to her like a shield.
“I didn’t say that.” He propped himself on his side, supported by a bent elbow and with his head in one hand. “I’m afraid to make any moves here, Sterling. To assume anything. I don’t want to scare you away or take more than you’re offering. But if you’re asking me to shack up with you…”
“I am.” She worried her lower lip between her teeth.
“Then yes, I’d love to.” A smile crossed his face. “You’ve got to be tidier than my current roommates. Do you think your dad and uncles…or, hell, my dad…are gonna come through here with pitchforks and rifles when they find out? Mind you, that won’t make me change my mind. I just want to brace myself, you know?”
“I’m pretty sure they’re aware of how babies are made.” Sterling shrugged. “What’s the harm in it now? I think they’ll respect us more for working on our relationship than if we had a one-night stand and washed our hands of each other. Besides, it’s empty here lately with the rest of the Compass Girls off doing their own thing. They won’t like me being alone, in case something happens… I could take care of myself, but they are a teensy bit overprotective. If you haven’t noticed.”
Viho laughed. “Yeah, I think I got that impression.”
“Anyway, maybe there’s a perk to being the last Compass Girl to find her guy. I’ve inherited the house by default.” She shrugged. “It’s a nice starter home for our family, right?”
“It’s perfect.” Viho took her fingers, kissing her knuckles. “I’ve never had a place of my own before. Not that I consider your house mine or anything.”
“You should.” She smiled. “Ours.”