They finished their bath and then Gryf gave Lydia one of his T-shirts to sleep in.
As he turned out the light and pulled her into his arms, he couldn’t deny that there was a shift in the vicinity of his heart. She felt right in his arms, in his life, and he wanted to keep her there. Maybe in the morning he could convince her that she belonged in his bed and not out in the cottage. He tightened his hold on her and closed his eyes, willing his body to sleep. The sooner morning came, the sooner he could find out where they stood.
Chapter Seven
Lydia felt warm and safe the next morning as she slowly woke. At first, she
couldn’t figure out what was different, then she felt the weight of an arm draped over her waist and remembered last night. A glance over her shoulder showed that Gryf was still sleeping. She wiggled a little closer to him, her cheeks warming when she encountered some rather impressive morning wood. It was completely unlike her to sleep with someone so soon after meeting them, but she’d been drawn to Gryf even before she had met him in person. And now that she knew what a wonderful guy he was, in addition to being drop dead gorgeous…well, how could she not like him?
He’d offered her a shot at her dreams by making her his marketing manager, and then he’d offered her a place to live, getting her out of the hellhole she called home right now. Even though they were newly acquainted, already he seemed protective of her, and that was something she adored about him. Even her parents hadn’t been that way.
They’d been self-righteous and worried about everyone’s opinions, but deep down, she had to wonder if they had ever really loved her. How could they have thrown her out if they did?
She hadn’t allowed herself to think about her family much, not since that first night on her own. Now, she wondered how they were doing, and if they missed her.
What were they telling their friends and the rest of the family as to why she wasn’t there, her and her dirty little problem. Their words, not hers. She loved her baby already, even if it hadn’t been conceived in the best way possible. Lydia tried not to think about that night and tried not to wonder who the father was. It served no purpose and only upset her.
Other than going to the doctor to confirm her pregnancy, she hadn’t seen an
obstetrician and knew she was overdue. If she could believe what the technician at the hospital had said, she was eighteen weeks along. She’d been taking her prenatal vitamins but what if that wasn’t enough? It wasn’t that she didn’t want to give her baby the best care possible, but her insurance had only recently kicked in, and from what she’d read, she had a deductible to meet before any visits would be covered. How was she supposed to afford five thousand dollars? Maybe with her new salary, the doctor would work out a payment plan.
She felt a kiss against the back of her neck and smiled.
“Morning,” she said softly.
“Good morning, gorgeous. You feel tense. Did I not do my job last night?”
She giggled a little. “You did just fine last night. I was just thinking about the baby.”
His arm tightened around her. “Everything all right? Are you feeling sick or
something?”
“No, nothing like that. I was just thinking that with my new salary, maybe I
could afford my deductible and could go see the doctor. I think you’re supposed to have regular visits when you’re pregnant.”
Gryf shot up in bed and gave her a horrified look. “You haven’t scheduled a
doctor appointment since the night I took you to the ER?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly had the money for the deductible.”
“Lydia, you should have said something. Here I’ve been trying to take care of you and I’ve missed the most important part of your care. I’ll call my brother and find out who Violet is seeing and make an appointment for you. We’ll go today!”
She was slightly bemused as he launched himself from the bed and grabbed a
cordless phone from his nightstand. Lydia listened as he spoke with his brother, and then by the change in his tone, she assumed Violet had come on the line. It was sweet the way he talked to her. When he was finished, he dialed another number and
somehow wrangled an appointment with the doctor for that morning.
Lydia had dealt with enough doctors in her life to know that you never were able to walk in right away. She’d heard him give his name and mention his sister-in-law, which meant one of their names carried some weight with the doctor’s office. Lydia rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. Gryf followed her and set out a toothbrush for her in a new box. It made her wonder if he had overnight guests frequently enough that he kept them on hand. With his experience, she was certain he’d slept with a fair number of women, but she’d like to think she was special.
After her teeth were cleaned and she’d borrowed his brush to detangle her hair, she changed back into her clothes from the night before. If she’d heard right, she only had an hour to get ready for her appointment and she wanted to go home to shower and change.
“If you’ll tell me where the doctor is, I’ll make sure I’m on time for my
appointment.”
He froze in the middle of putting on a shirt. “You’re going alone?”
“You wanted to go with me?”
Gryf finished dressing. “I had thought I would take you.”
“It’s just that I wanted to go home to shower and change clothes before I went to the appointment. I didn’t think you’d want to drive me home then bring me back for my car.”
“We’re packing your place today, unless the doctor says otherwise. I don’t want you sleeping in that place another night. It isn’t safe.”
It made her smile that he was so worried about her. It was nice to be cared about and to have someone watch out for you. She still worried that the agency might match them with different people and that what they had would slip through her fingers.
Something had happened last night, other than incredible sex. She felt closer to Gryf than she did to anyone, despite the fact they hadn’t known one another long.
Gryf walked her out to his car and drove her home, where she showered and put on something a little nicer. All of her pants were getting tight and she could barely button them. Even the ones she’d bought her first day of work didn’t fit as well as they had. Maternity clothes weren’t something she could afford though, not until she got a paycheck with her new salary amount. Something told her if she brought it up to Gryf, they’d end up shopping, but she didn’t want to take advantage of him. He was already doing so much for her, way more than he should.
The doctor’s office was crowded when they arrived, but Gryf found them two
seats together. Lydia checked in and sat down with a clipboard full of paperwork. It took her a while to get through it all, but when she was done, she handed it to the lady at the desk. She sat back down next to Gryf and her hands twisted in her lap. What if they found out something was wrong with the baby?
She had plenty of time to fret as it was an hour before they called her back. When she stood, she glanced down at Gryf. He looked conflicted and she wondered if he wanted to come back with her. She couldn’t think of anything she’d like more, but she wasn’t sure how to ask.
“I’m scared, Gryf.”
He shot to his feet. “I can go with you, if that would make you feel better.”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
Gryf took her hand, lacing their fingers together as they followed the nurse into the back. When they handed her a pair of paper shorts and a paper shirt, she blushed as she realized she’d have to change in front of Gryf. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen her naked, but this was different. The nurse left and Lydia changed quickly, setting all of her clothes in a neat pile on one of the chairs. Gryf helped her onto the padded table and then they waited another half hour before a doctor came in.
The woman was a stunning redhead and Lydia couldn’t help but notice the
“I’m Doctor Elliot and you must be Lydia.”
“Yes.”
The doctor looked at Gryf again. “And this is…”
Lydia opened her mouth, but Gryf beat her to it.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
Lydia stared at him in shock, but felt a little gleeful when the doctor’s smile dimmed. Served the woman right. She should have assumed that any man coming in with her was either a boyfriend or a husband. Or did women bring random friends with them all the time?
The exam wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. They took some blood and then the doctor said she wanted to do an ultrasound, even though the hospital had already done one. Now that she knew what to look for, she marveled at seeing her baby on the screen. She could make out her daughter’s little nose and tiny hands. Lydia reached for Gryf’s hand and laced their fingers together as they watched the tiny baby move around on the screen.
“You put on your forms that you’re eighteen weeks and I’m going to have to
disagree. Were you basing that number off your last period?” the doctor asked.
“No, I went to the ER and they did an ultrasound there,” Lydia said. “If I’m not eighteen weeks, then how far along am I?”
“I’d say more like twenty-two. The baby is smaller than she should be so I can understand their confusion, but if you look at the way she’s developed, then you can see that she’s a bit older.”
Lydia felt herself pale. If the baby wasn’t conceived at the party, but was in fact a month older, then that meant…
“Are you all right?” the doctor asked.
“I’m fine.”
Gryf frowned down at her and she knew he’d want to hear more than “I’m fine”
when they got out to the car. The rest of her appointment didn’t hold any surprises and the doctor scheduled her next visit a month out. Lydia had barely closed the car door when Gryf turned to face her.
“Why were you upset about when the baby was conceived?”
“Because it means I know who the father is. I just don’t know that I should tell him. He won’t care about the baby, not unless he thinks he can gain from her financially in some way. I’m not proud of having been with him, but it was a weak moment on my part.”
“Then I know where we’re going next.”
She looked at him in curiosity. “Where?”
“My attorney’s office. You need to tell the father of the baby, but I want you armed with papers for him to sign his rights away. If he’s enough of an ass to only see this baby as a way to gain something, we’re going to take that away from him. I don’t want him having leverage over you. And he doesn’t sound like the type of father our girl needs.”
Our girl? Lydia got a stupid smile on her face from hearing those words.
They reached the attorney’s office rather quickly and Lydia couldn’t help but feel nervous as they went inside. She was surprised when she saw the lawyer was an alien, this one tall with mint green skin and snow white hair. It was cut short and spiked on top, and his eyes were a beautiful lavender. He was rather striking and must have been staring because Gryf gave her hand a squeeze.
“Lydia, this is Virax. Virax, this is Lydia and she has a small problem. As you can see, she’s expecting and she would like the father of her baby to waive his rights. Would it be possible for you to draw up papers for the male to sign?” Gryf asked.
Virax smiled at Lydia. “Not good father material?”
She shook her head. “He’s into the party scene. Not just alcohol, but I think he does drugs sometimes too.”
The aliens shared a look.
“I actually have a standard document for something like this that I can tweak a little. If you’ll give me the male’s name, I’ll get it ready while you wait.”
“His name is Phillip Conroy.” She held his gaze. “As in Boaz and Felicia
Conroy.”
Virax whistled. “So he comes from a criminal family as well. Then we definitely want to make sure none of them have access to that baby. I have no idea how you fell in with his sort, but we’ll do our best to make sure that’s where he stays…with his sort.”
“I’ll just take Lydia out to the waiting room,” Gryf said, leading her by the hand.
When they sat down, she knew he had questions, but for whatever reason, he
wasn’t asking them. He kept their hands clasped together, but she noticed his knee bounced with nervous tension. She wasn’t sure if it was because of what she’d revealed to the lawyer, or if it was something else. She knew there was only one way to find out.
“Are you disappointed with me?” she asked.
He seemed surprised, his eyebrows lifting. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
She gestured toward his bouncing knee and he stopped.
“I don’t like the idea of criminals having access to a precious baby girl. But if Phillip won’t sign the papers, maybe we can apply a little pressure to make sure he does.”
Lydia snorted. “Pressure won’t faze him. You’d have to pay him to sign them…if he refuses. He may be completely disinterested in having a daughter and sign away his rights without a moment’s hesitation.”
“But you’re expecting trouble.”
“Knowing Phillip?” She sighed. “Yeah, I am. The key is to get him to sign before he can discuss it with his family. If he gets them involved, then it’s going to become a huge mess. Because even if you offered to pay them off, one payment would never be enough. They would keep asking for more, or change the terms before Phillip signed.”
“Remind me when she’s dating age that all her dates have to go through me
before taking her out somewhere.”
Lydia wasn’t sure he was even aware that he kept talking as if he’d already
claimed her and the baby. It was a little frightening because of how fast things were moving, but she knew he was an honorable man and she could do, and had done, much worse. If Gryf decided to claim her as his mate, then she would count herself lucky.
Getting to wake up in his arms every day would be a gift.
It didn’t take the lawyer long to get the form ready for her. He wished her luck as Gryf walked her out into the sunshine. At the SUV, he paused.
“We should take the form to him now,” he suggested. “Do you know where to
find him?”
“Probably on the grassy knoll in the quad at the college. He seldom goes to class, assuming he hasn’t been kicked out yet.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go. But first, I’m stopping by the bank. Better to be armed in case he needs a little persuading. If he’s into drugs as you said, the cash will be a temptation he might not be able to resist. Or it could backfire and he could ask for more.”
“Gryf, you shouldn’t have to pay off my mistake.”
He drew her closer and pressed his lips to hers. “I want to take care of you, Lydia. I know I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to you this morning, but I was hoping that when we packed your apartment, perhaps I could convince you to move those boxes into my home instead of the cottage. I liked waking up with you in my arms this morning.”
“It’s a big step, Gryf. We barely know one another.”
“After last night, I think we know each other pretty well.” He grinned. “Or do you need a reminder? We might scandalize a few people, but I’d be happy to give you a demonstration right here and now.”
She felt her cheeks warm and she playfully slapped him on the chest. “Behave.”
“So, will you? Move in with me?”
“You really want me to move in? Knowing I have all this excess baggage in my
life? I mean, it was one thing when I was pregnant with another man’s child, but now we know that child belongs to a well-known criminal family. No matter how much of a nurt
uring home I give her, what if those traits are inherited?”
Gryf gazed at her softly. “Lydia, that baby girl is going to be just fine. She’s going to have a loving home, be given the best education, and her friends and boyfriends will be screened. We’ll remove any bad influences as soon as we spot them.”
“We?”
His lips tipped up on one corner. “Of course. I’m hoping you’ll consent to more than just moving in with me, eventually. Until then, I figure I’m the closest thing that little girl has to a father, which makes my brothers her honorary uncles. Any boy who doesn’t toe the line will be dealt with severely.”
“You’re going to scare everyone off and she’ll never have a boyfriend.” Lydia snuggled closer to him. “It’s too soon to promise you anything more than that I’ll move in, but if you want to be a father to this baby, I won’t stand in your way. You would be a good influence on her, and as much as you’ve already spoiled me, I can tell that she’ll be spoiled rotten in no time.”
“Let’s go find this asshole and get this paper signed.”
She nodded and got into the vehicle. They made a quick stop by the bank before continuing to the college. When they reached campus, she pointed Gryf toward the visitors entrance and he signed in with the guard. It wasn’t too difficult to find a place to park, and within minutes, they were walking toward the quad. Gryf paused here and there to take in some of the more unusual looking buildings and she tried to give him a brief tour along the way.
“After the baby is born, I’ll pay for you to finish your degree. If you need me to stay with the baby while you’re in class, I have no problem doing that.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that. I’ll feel better about being your marketing manager if I’ve actually completed my degree.”
They continued through the campus until they reached the quad. Lydia searched the area where Phillip liked to hang out, but she didn’t see him. She walked the perimeter of the quad just in case she’d missed him. Just when she was about to lead Gryf in another direction, she did a double take. There was a guy hanging out near the ornamental garden that looked vaguely familiar. She tugged Gryf behind her as she got a little closer, and then she gasped. It had been a while since she’d seen Phillip, at least a month or more. In that time, he’d grown a scraggly beard, his hair had gotten longer, and he’d dropped a considerable amount of weight. He looked horrific.
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