Lydia approached him cautiously, not sure what to expect. He didn’t seem to
recognize her at first and then his eyes lit with a calculating gleam. That didn’t bode well. Unless it meant he was desperate enough to accept the cash Gryf had taken out.
She didn’t dare let go of Gryf’s hand, needing his strength now more than ever.
“Phillip.”
“Lydia, right?”
She nodded.
“I haven’t seen you around lately.” His gaze jerked from her to Gryf then back again. “New boyfriend?”
“I’m taking a semester off,” she said. “There’s something I need to tell you. I know it’s been a while since we saw each other, but the last time we were together…I think the condom must have broken.”
His gaze zeroed in on her slightly swollen belly.
“No way you’re trying to tell me that kid is mine.” His jaw jutted. “I’m not
paying child support or any of that shit.”
“So you don’t want anything to do with her?”
“Her? It’s a girl?” His brow furrowed. “What the fuck would I do with a little girl? Don’t you have to dress them up with bows and shit?”
Lydia took the document from Gryf. “Yes, you do. And they require lots of time and attention, as well as money. But if you don’t want to do any of that…”
“Fuck no, I don’t want to!”
“Then just sign this document, waiving your rights to the baby, and you’ll never hear from me again.” She watched him sign his name, but while she felt giddy about it, she could tell there was something wrong with him. “Are you all right, Phillip?”
“I’ve been sick. What of it?”
Unease trickled down her spine. “Sick with what? And for how long?”
“I had the flu for a while, and then some kind of bug.” He fidgeted. “I, ah…I was diagnosed as HIV positive a few weeks ago.”
Lydia felt faint ,and if Gryf hadn’t wrapped an arm around her waist, she
probably would have gone down for the count. “HIV? How long?”
“They aren’t sure, but they think it could have happened a few months ago.”
“Months?” she squeaked.
“Lydia, calm down,” Gryf said. “I’m sure something would have shown up in
your blood work at either the hospital or the doctor’s office if you had it. But if it will make you feel better, I’ll take you straight to the hospital and they can do more tests.”
“Gryf, if I have it… the baby…”
Gryf glowered at Phillip. “I think we’re done here. I don’t want you to have any further contact with Lydia or the baby, is that understood?”
“Crystal clear.” Phillip gave him a one finger salute and walked off.
Gryf lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the car. He buckled her in and took her straight to the hospital, where he explained the situation to the nurse at the triage desk. They already had Lydia’s information on file, with the exception of her change of address, so it didn’t take long to get her checked in.
She hated the wait because it gave her time to worry. When they finally called her name, she gripped Gryf’s arm as they walked through the double doors. The nurse flipped through her chart and began shaking her head.
“Did you already pay for this consult?” the nurse asked.
“The lady at triage didn’t ask for payment,” Gryf said.
“Good, because there’s no reason for you to be here. It’s standard procedure to do an HIV test on all pregnant women and yours came back negative, Lydia. I’m not sure what happened to cause this scare, but as of your visit with us a few days ago, you don’t have HIV.”
Lydia sagged in relief. “Thank you. I found out the father of my baby is HIV
positive, but he wasn’t sure when he caught it.”
“Looks like he contracted it after your time together. Do you have any other
questions while you’re here?” the nurse asked.
Lydia shook her head.
“Then you’re free to go.”
Gryf helped her to her feet and escorted her back out to the SUV. “Do you feel better now?”
“A lot.”
“Why don’t we get some boxes and you can stretch out on your couch and rest
while I get your place packed up. Then we can stop by Virax’ office on the way home and make sure we’ve covered everything with the Phillip situation.”
“A nap sounds good. It’s been a stressful day.”
Gryf lifted her hand and kissed it.
He stopped at a storage facility and loaded the back of the vehicle with boxes of every size and several rolls of tape. By the time they reached her apartment, she was swaying on her feet. Gryf helped her into the apartment before hauling all of the boxes inside. She told him that everything except the furniture and kitchenware needed to be packed. Then she stretched out on the sofa and promptly fell asleep.
Chapter Eight
Gryf finished packing Lydia’s apartment, loaded her box of clothes and
bathroom items into the SUV and decided he would come back for the rest. He’d need to borrow someone’s truck to get the remainder all at once. She was sleeping so peacefully he hated to wake her, but Virax would only be in his office for another hour.
He double checked that he hadn’t missed anything, then gently shook her awake. Lydia blinked up at him sleepily and he could tell that she needed more sleep.
“Rest a little longer. I’ll take the document back to Virax while you sleep, then I’ll come pick you up and we’ll go home. I’ll order dinner in for tonight.”
“Thank you,” she murmured and closed her eyes again.
Gryf pressed a kiss to her brow and then used her keys to lockup. As he drove to Virax’ office, he thought about the amount of stress Lydia had been under all day. First finding out who the father of her baby was, and then finding out said father was HIV
positive. He was surprised she hadn’t collapsed at some point and knew she needed as much rest as possible. No matter how much he might desire her, there was no way he would do anything more than hold her tonight. He didn’t want to jeopardize her health or that of the baby.
A daughter. Gryf grinned. She hadn’t said she would marry him yet, but she was moving in, and that was a good start. Even if she never married him, they could still have a good life together. She never talked about her past relationships, but he wondered if something had happened to make her leery of trusting men, or committing to one. If she just wanted to live with him with no strings attached, then he would have to be satisfied with that. And maybe one day, he could convince her to make his house her permanent home.
Gryf stopped by Virax’ office and handed him the signed form. Virax assured
him nothing more was needed of Lydia so he left the attorney to close up his business for the night. As he slid behind the wheel of his SUV, he knew there was one more place he wanted to go. Lydia might not be ready for an engagement ring, but he wanted to give her something, something that would show her he was serious about her.
He stopped in front of the jewelry store on Main Street and studied the window display. Gryf didn’t know what exactly he was looking for, but hopefully, something would stand out. He went inside and browsed the items in the glass cases. The stones twinkled up at him, but nothing felt right. He was about to give up when he came to the last case. Tucked inside was a silver rattle he would definitely return for, once he knew the baby’s name, and beside it was a charm bracelet. There was a vast array of charms in the case as well.
“May I help you with something?” the saleswoman asked.
“I’d like to purchase that charm bracelet,” he said, pointing to it, “along with the pacifier charm, the cup of coffee, and the house.”
“I’ll wrap those up for you.”
After he had paid for his purchase, he couldn’t stop smiling. He hoped Lydia
liked her present and knew he couldn’t have
picked anything more perfect for her.
When he got back to the apartment, she was awake and watching TV. Lydia smiled when he walked in the door and she got up and gave him a hug.
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
“More than. What are we doing with all this stuff? It won’t fit in the SUV, will it?”
“I’m going to come back tomorrow with a truck and get everything. I put your
clothes and bathroom stuff in the car already. Let’s get you home, get your things unloaded, and then I’ll order some food for us. With all the running around we’ve done today, you haven’t eaten, which I know isn’t good for the baby. I’m already proving I would be a horrible mate.”
“No.” Lydia cupped his cheek. “You would be a wonderful husband and father.
Today has been hectic and full of surprises. I should have said I was hungry. I know you would have stopped to feed me.”
He grasped her hand and led her out to the car, then went back and locked the apartment. He didn’t think anyone would mess with her things, but if they did break in, they wouldn’t be getting much. Whatever was stolen would be easily replaced. By the time they reached the house, he could hear Lydia’s stomach rumbling. He let her in and then quickly unloaded the car. While he probably should have asked what she wanted for dinner, he decided that something filling would be best.
He called the diner they’d eaten at the night before and asked if it would be at all possible to have an order delivered, offering to pay a delivery fee if they could get the food to him quickly. Gryf didn’t want to feed her the exact same thing she’d had the night before so he ordered meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans for Lydia and the special for himself.
The food arrived quickly, as promised, and he set everything up at the dining room table. Then looked at how ridiculous two place settings looked at such a large table and moved everything to the kitchen. Lydia padded in on bare feet a moment later and he pulled out a chair for her. She was quiet as she ate and he wondered if she was worried about something.
“Did you get enough sleep earlier?” he asked, thinking maybe she was still tired.
“Yes. Thank you for letting me nap while you did all the work.”
He ate a few more bites and waited for her to say something else, but she quietly ate her food.
“Are you all right? No pains or anything?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Gryf. Do you think we could go for a swim tomorrow?”
“We could get in tonight if you want. There are lights out there, both in and out of the pool.”
She smiled and nodded.
“I think I read that humans are supposed to wait thirty minutes after eating
before getting in the water. We could always watch a movie and swim after.”
“That sounds good.”
They finished their food and Gryf cleaned up the kitchen while Lydia picked a movie. As he walked into the living room, he couldn’t help but admire her sweet curves. Even now, knowing that the last thing she needed was a trip to the bedroom, he couldn’t deny his attraction for her.
“Find something?” he asked.
“I think so. Is this okay?” she asked, holding up a sci-fi movie.
He smiled a little at her choice and took the Blu-ray from her. He loaded it into the machine then settled on the couch with Lydia. She curled into his side, resting her head on his chest. Gryf felt content and knew that he would happy holding her the rest of his life. Maybe now was the right time?
“I’ll be right back,” he told her as he eased away.
He returned a moment later and knelt at her feet. Handing her the long white
jeweler’s box, he rocked back on his heels as he waited for her to open it. Lydia looked curious as she lifted the lid and then she gasped as she picked up each of the charms.
“I wanted to get you something nice, something to show that I care about you, but I wanted it to have meaning.” He took the bracelet and attached the charms before fastening it around her wrist.
She gently touched each one. “A pacifier for the baby. A coffee cup for my job and a new phase of my life. And a house…because we’re going to live together?”
“Yes. I thought you could add a charm whenever something special happens,
like when the baby is born, or you finish your degree.”
He watched as tears gathered in her eyes and he was worried he’d screwed up,
until he saw the small smile gracing her lips. She threw her arms around him, knocking him off balance. Gryf fell to the floor with Lydia sprawled on top of him. He barely had time to catch his breath before she was kissing him, her passion igniting his. But he’d promised himself he would look but not touch tonight, except to hold her, and he was going to keep that promise, no matter how tempting she was.
Lydia drew away, pausing to place one last kiss on his lips, and then she
returned to the couch. “I didn’t mean to get so carried away.”
“You can get carried away with me anytime.” He grinned. “But tonight probably isn’t the best night for sex, not after everything you’ve been through today. Let’s finish the movie and go for that swim. Then we can shower and cuddle in bed until you fall asleep.”
She snuggled closer to him. “I like that plan.”
They watched the movie and cuddled, and when it went off, they changed into
their bathing suits and went for a swim. The water was cool and Gryf had fun watching Lydia splash around. Her baby bump was much more noticeable in the bathing suit and he couldn’t wait until it was more pronounced. He wondered if she ever felt the baby move, or if he’d be able to if he placed his hand on her stomach.
They stayed in the water until Lydia’s fingers began to prune, then they dried off and went back inside. After they had stripped out of their wet swimsuits, Gryf started the shower and then thoroughly enjoyed washing Lydia. She was hell on his control, but he was determined to do right by her. Which meant not touching her tonight. They got out and put on pajamas, which for Lydia consisted of another one of his T-shirts. He knew she owned pajamas, since he’d packed them, but she told him that she liked sleeping in something with his scent on it.
Gryf grinned, knowing that meant they were one step closer to her agreeing to be his mate. He remembered Tiraz saying that Violet liked wearing his shirts. Gryf assumed it was a human female trait when they were attracted to a male. Of course, that made him wonder just how many male shirts she’d worn in her life, and he wasn’t happy. Just the thought of another male’s hands on her made him want to hit
something, even though she obviously wasn’t a virgin when she came to his bed. Oh hell…there was no denying it. He’d gone and fallen in love with the stubborn woman.
Epilogue
Four Weeks Later
“Reyna?” Lydia asked, as she stirred the sauce on the stove.
Gryf scowled at her. “That doesn’t even sound like an Earth name.”
“Maribel?”
“Gods, woman! Don’t you know anything common. Like Emily or Mary?”
She smiled a little.
“What about…what about Madeline?” he asked. “I heard it once in a store and
thought it was a beautiful name.”
“I like Madeline. But Madeline what?”
“Humans and your obsession with multiple names,” he grumbled.
Lydia curled her arms around his neck and went up on tiptoe to press a kiss to his lips. She knew she was driving him mad, but it was a little fun. She loved watching his expressions as she came up with names she knew he would hate. But maybe it was time to take pity on him.
“Madeline Renee?” she suggested.
“Perfect! Now, no more talk of baby names. Our daughter has a name. Let’s stick with it this time.”
It always thrilled her when he called the baby his daughter. They’d been living together for a month, but not once had he ever pressed for a more permanent
arrangement. She knew h
e wanted one though, could see it in his eyes sometimes. What he didn’t know was that she’d been planning something this past week; she had even snuck out to get something special for her little devious plan.
“Are you ready to eat? The spaghetti and garlic bread are finished.”
She’d never had much of an opportunity to cook prior to being tossed out by her parents, but she’d quickly learned how to follow a recipe, and now she knew how to make lots of different dishes. Spaghetti just happened to be Gryf’s favorite so far. She dished up their plates and set the table.
Before Gryf sat down, she lit the taper candles in the middle of the table and made sure her special prize was safely tucked into her pocket. When he sat down, she could tell he was curious as to why they were eating by candlelight in the middle of the day.
She moved closer to his side and took his hand in one of hers, giving him her best smile. “Gryf, I know I’ve told you a hundred times how much I love being here with you, and how grateful I am that you found me at the agency that day. But there’s something more I haven’t said yet.”
He waited patiently, staring into her eyes and making her feel flustered.
“The thing is…in the last few weeks, I’ve discovered that my feelings for you are little different than I’d first thought. I always knew there was passion between us, but what I didn’t realize, until recently, was that there was love there too. I’ve fallen in love with you, Gryf, and I want to be with you forever.”
She took a breath and pulled the silver engraved band out of her pocket. “And I’m hoping you’ll consent to wear this and agree to marry me.”
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