by Ana Sparks
My mouth is so parched I can barely get one word out. “Yes.”
His eyes slide over to the poker table behind me. “Aren’t you playing?”
I want to shake him for asking such a worthless question when Lauren is laying on the floor, unconscious. The anger wakes me from my stupor, though. I quickly look around at the people staring. No one has their phone out.
“Someone call an ambulance!” I shout. “She’s pregnant!”
The spell on everyone else seems to break, as well. A woman pulls out her phone and makes a call to the emergency services. I stay where I am, my gaze focused on Lauren.
Someone brings a wet cloth and I wipe it against her forehead. She’s so sweaty, so pale. Questions fly through my mind. Why did she faint? Is she going to be all right?
And is she mad at me? I walked over to the table without saying anything about the baby. She doesn’t know how I really feel…
The doctor lightly touches my shoulder. “I can watch over her,” he says, “so you can get back to the game.”
“No.”
He looks uncertain, like he’s going to say something else, but then, he just closes his mouth and nods. Behind us, I know the game is going on, but I’ve never cared less about poker in my life.
If anything happens to Lauren… If anything happens to the baby…I can’t even finish the thoughts.
I stroke her face. “Lauren, wake up. Please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Two medics arrive and I step back while they examine her. My heart is still beating wildly, though, and I’m one second away from screaming.
“What happened to her?” I demand. “Why did she faint? She’s pregnant. Could that be why?”
“There’s no way to tell just yet,” the female medic says in a thick French accent. “We are taking her to Princess Grace. You can meet us there.”
I nod. I don’t know where that hospital is, but I should be able to hail a taxi.
They lift Lauren onto a stretcher and carry her away. She looks even paler than she did a few minutes ago. Clutching at the roots of my hair, I follow close behind. The ambulance is on the curb in front of the casino, its lights flashing.
“I need a car,” I tell the doorman. “Right away. It’s an emergency. I need to get to Princess Grace.”
He nods and speaks to someone else in French. The ambulance is already pulling away, its siren on. I scan the curb for my car, pacing as I do so.
“Looks like you lost your nerve in there.”
I don’t need to turn around to know who’s talking. My teeth grind together and my vision turns red.
“Not now, Petit,” I growl. “Trust me. You do not want to start something with me right now.”
“Is your girlfriend all right?”
He could have asked in the sweetest tone possible, and I still would have known he didn’t give a shit. A man like Petit cares about no one but himself. He thrives on knocking others down and using their corpses as stairs to get to the top.
My exhale is so hot it burns my nose. “Get out of my face. Now.”
He doesn’t. Instead, he steps down to join me on the curb. “The game is over.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the game.”
He raises his eyebrows, pretending to be surprised.
“Did you not hear me the first time?” I bark. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Jones won,” he loftily responds. “He cheated, of course, but the security here is so relaxed, they’ll never catch him. It’s a shame, really.”
I turn and address the doorman. “Where’s that car?”
“On the way, sir.” He eagerly bobs his head. “It is on the way.”
“You’re not actually going to the hospital, are you?” Petit sneers. “She’s probably lying about being pregnant, anyway…or, it’s someone else’s. Women like that are all the same. They want a man’s money, and nothing else.”
My nails dig into my palms. It’s been a long time since I lost my temper, but everyone has their limit.
He keeps talking like it’s his fucking job and anyone who gets to listen to him is lucky.
“And you, you really made a mistake back there, Hammond. Leaving the table, giving it all up for a woman…” His cold eyes meet mine. “You really are weak, aren’t you?”
Enough is enough.
I’m pulling my arm back before I’ve fully decided I’m going to do it. My fingers lock in tight and my fist hits the side of Petit’s jaw with a satisfying crack. He falls to the pavement, his body crumpling from the blow.
Petit looks up at me in shock, eyes wide, like a scared animal’s. His tongue flicks out, tasting the bit of blood from his split lip. I could have broken his jaw if I wanted to, or I could have knocked him out. I know how to lay one clean punch that will make either of those options happen, and I’ve done both before.
He staggers to his feet and takes a step back. Just like I thought, he’s not looking for a real fight. He wouldn’t know what to do if he ever found himself in one.
I take a small step toward him. “Don’t talk to either of us ever again, or I’ll break your fucking face open.”
A car pulls up right next to me and doorman scurries forward to open the back door. I climb into the car without a backward glance.
Chapter Sixteen
Lauren
The light is too much. It pierces my eyeballs, blinding me like the sun. I squeeze my eyes closed tighter and turn my face away.
“Lauren,” a strange voice says. “Lauren, can you hear me?”
I open my mouth to answer, but it feels like it’s full of cotton.
“My name is Doctor Pichard. You are in the hospital. You fainted. Do you remember anything from that?”
I work to process everything he’s saying. I fainted…at the tournament…
I open my eyes, no longer caring about the light burning them. “My…”
“Here. Drink this.”
He hands me a glass of water and helps me drink it. I’m in a bed that’s elevated, so that I’m partially sitting up.
“My baby,” I gasp, trying again. “I’m pregnant. Is—”
“The baby is fine. We did an ultrasound, and everything looks good.”
My head falls back against the pillow as I sigh in relief. “Thank you.”
With my eyes adjusting to the light, I can see him better now. He’s a young doctor, with a sweet face. He gives me a smile.
“Most likely, you fainted from the heat. You were very dehydrated.”
“I was?”
I know I didn’t eat anything before heading to the casino, but had I had anything to drink? Now that I think about it, I can’t remember. My heart was too broken over the fight with my parents and my head too focused on what I planned to tell Jay. Maybe I really did forget to eat and drink all day long.
He nods. “How do you feel now?”
“Tired. And my head kind of hurts.”
“We can give you something for that if it gets really bad, but right now, you just need to rest. Don’t try getting up, yet. We attached you to an IV to get you hydrated.”
I lift my right hand a little bit and see the drip stuck in it. If my parents haven’t been notified already, they’re going to freak. But at least the baby is all right.
And then there’s Jay. What about him? Is he still at the casino? Does he know I passed out?
“Your boyfriend has been waiting here all night for you.”
“What?”
The doctor’s eyes drift over to the corner of the room. “I’ll give you some privacy. If you need anything, the button here will call the nurse.”
As he leaves, I turn my head to follow where he’d looked. To my surprise, there has been a third person in the room this whole time. Jay leans forward in the small plastic chair, his arms on his thighs and his hands clasped. His pale complexion makes him look just as exhausted as I feel.
“Jay!”
He smiles at me. “Hey there.”
“Wh
at are you doing here?”
He cocks his head. “You fainted.”
“I know. I heard the doctor.” I take a pause and swallow, my mouth already dry again. After a moment, I continue. “But you have a game.”
“It’s over.” He stands up and retrieves my water glass. After helping me to take a drink, he perches on the side of my bed and lightly rests his fingers against mine.
“I didn’t stay for it.”
Now, I’m even more confused. “But it was a special tournament, right? Wasn’t this one a big deal?”
“To some people, maybe,” he answers quietly.
My heart swells. “You came here for me.”
Jay makes a noise of surprise and shakes his head. “Lauren, are you serious? You fainted. You were out cold. Do you really think I was going to just sit there and play a game of poker while you were unconscious?”
“But the money…”
“Who cares about the money?”
I smile and look down at our clasped hands. “How much did you pay to enter?”
“I had a hundred thousand down.”
I gasp. “No.”
“It’s fine.”
“Jay, it’s not fine. That’s a lot of money.”
The shock of what he’s done must be invigorating me, because I suddenly feel incredibly awake. I sit up a little straighter, but the movement makes my temples pound.
“Lauren, the money doesn’t matter. I have plenty of it. Do you really think I was going to sit by while someone else took care of you?”
I duck my head sheepishly. “I guess not.”
He rubs his thumb over the top of my hand and looks down.
“I was so worried…I’ve never been that scared in my life. As soon as you went down, everyone was freaking out…and I went over there, and you weren’t moving…You looked so pale.” He takes a deep breath. “And the baby. All I could think was, what if something bad happens? If she loses the baby…or I lose her—”
“Jay,” I softly say. “Everything’s fine. You heard the doctor.”
He looks up at me with red eyes. “I know.”
I shake my head and sigh. “I should have taken better care of myself. I was being stupid.”
“Why weren’t you taking better care of yourself?”
“I just didn’t think to. I was preoccupied—we hadn’t talked in a while, you know, and I didn’t know what you were going to say. I was worried about what you would think about the baby.”
The last word hangs between us and I hold my breath. I still don’t know how he feels about the pregnancy news, but if he’s not fully happy about it, I need to know now. I need everything out in the open so I can accept his reaction and start moving on.
Jay runs his palm over his face. “I’m sorry. I should have said more—it’s just, Petit came up, and then the game was starting… I wasn’t trying to ignore you. Please believe me.”
“I believe you,” I whisper weakly.
He swallows hard, his gaze piercing me. “I’m happy, Lauren. I’m excited.”
The words are so good I almost don’t want to believe they’re real. What if I’m imagining them?
Jay smooths some hair on the top of my head down.
“When I first found out, I was shocked. I didn’t know what to think. There was so much going on at once. And then I sat down at that table, and it just hit me. A baby. We’re having a baby.” His eyes become misty.
We’re having a baby.
A laugh bubbles out of me. “Yeah,” I agree. “I guess we are.”
“How do you feel about it?” he asks.
“I’m…” I pause and take a moment to really think about it. All week, I’ve been worried about what everyone else is going to think. First my parents, then Jay. I haven’t given myself a moment to step aside from the rest of the world and listen to my own heart.
“I’m excited,” I say. “I’ve never really thought about kids, but somehow…” I trail off, not sure how to get to the root of what I’m feeling.
“It feels right,” he finishes for me.
I look at him in surprise. “Yeah. Exactly.”
He lifts my hand and kisses it. “Us doing this together seems like it’s the right thing.”
I know I must look like a crazy person right now; the smile on my face has to be that huge.
“I really didn’t think you’d say that.”
“Lauren, I’m fucking crazy about you. The last five weeks have been torture.” He pauses and looks thoughtfully off into space. “The second you showed up at the casino I thought, ‘There she is. The only person who’s ever made me feel like I belong somewhere in this crazy, stupid world.’”
My tears flow unchecked. After all the stress and worry, hearing this from Jay is the best present I could ever receive.
“And then the baby…” He looks back at me and smiles. “I can’t wait to be a dad.”
I laugh out of happiness, nearly hiccupping on the combination of tears and giggles. “You’re going to be an amazing dad.”
Jay wraps his hand around the back of my neck and presses his forehead against mine. “I’m not the best role model.”
“I happen to think you’re amazing.”
“Even if I punched Petit?”
This makes me lean back in shock. “Wait. What?”
“While I was waiting for the car to bring me here. He came out and started talking shit, and I just couldn’t take it.”
“What did he do?”
“He just stood there, staring at me like he couldn’t believe I’d actually left the game for you. I warned him, too, but he wouldn’t back off.”
“Oh my God,” I snicker, wiping the last of my tears away. “I’m sorry I missed that.”
“So, do you still think I’m amazing?”
“Are you going to teach our kid to fight?”
“Only for self-defense.” He grins. “And, if he’s a boy, only for the honor of pretty girls.”
“That sounds like you.” I chuckle and pull him close to me.
The kiss is perfect, our lips familiar with each other, just like our bodies and hearts. I get what Jay means about seeing me at the casino and feeling at home. Even though I grew up in New York, and everyone I know is there, I couldn’t stay there while he was on the other side of the world.
My home is Jay Hammond, and my heart belongs wherever he is.
Chapter Seventeen
Lauren
The doctors won’t discharge me until tomorrow morning, saying that I need to stay so they can keep an eye on me. Jay pulls the cot from under the bed out and grabs the extra pillow and blanket out of the closet while I argue with him the whole time.
“Go back to your hotel,” I insist. “You’re not going to be able to get any real rest here.”
“Babe, you’re crazy if you think I’m going to do that.”
I can’t keep glaring at him. It’s the first time he’s called me ‘babe’, and he does it in such a sexy way. I’d have to be numb from the neck down to not be turned on by it.
I am exhausted, which is weird, since I would think passing out would give my body a good opportunity to rest. The second I close my eyes, it’s impossible to get them back open, and the next moment, it seems, it’s morning.
After having my vitals checked, my doctor deems me fit to leave.
“Can we get her a wheelchair?” Jay asks.
My jaw drops. “Jay. I don’t need a wheelchair.”
“Um, I suppose we can,” Doctor Pichard says uncertainly. It’s obvious he thinks I need a wheelchair about as much as I do.
“I don’t need a wheelchair.”
“You’re exhausted,” Jay seriously says.
I jump down from the exam table. “Let’s go.”
He’s like that the whole ride to the hotel, constantly asking me if we need to stop and get me anything and if I’m sure I’m all right. I keep assuring him that he can stop worrying, but a part of me is enjoying the attention. This doting, worried s
ide of Jay is so endearing. This guy is going to be the best dad in the world.
As we get out of the car, he takes my hand and slowly guides me across the sidewalk and through the hotel lobby. “How do you feel now?”
“Still good,” I laugh.
The elevator doors close behind us and Jay’s gaze falls to my stomach. “It’s still hard to believe.”
“I know. It kind of blows your mind, doesn’t it?”
He wraps his arms around me but holds me loosely so he can still look down at where the baby is growing. “What time do you think it happened?”
“Wow, I haven’t thought of that.”
“I think it was when I pinned you against the wall,” he suggests.
“Maybe on the table before the tournament? Or in the shower…”
“Ooh, they’re both such good times. You know, I’m probably the only guy in the world who’s happy that pulling out didn’t work.”
“This is kind of weird,” I giggle, “Talking about the moment our child was conceived.”
“It’ll only be weird if we tell him or her the story.”
I groan. “Oh, God. Don’t even say that. Let’s just keep it to ourselves.”
Jay shuffles closer. “How about we make some more similar memories?”
I tilt my face up to his. “What did you have in mind?”
“Wait and find out,” he says huskily, right before his mouth covers mine.
A second later, the elevator door opens. Slipping his arm around my waist, Jay spins me around and into the hallway. We walk towards our room with my head tucked against his shoulder and his arm around me. It’s the perfect spot, and I never, ever want to leave it.
Jay unlocks the room and opens the door for me. I cross the threshold, take one step—and stop.
The hotel suite is full of roses. By full, I mean over half of the living room is covered with bouquets of red roses. They’re on the coffee table. On the windowsills. Along the walls. Surrounding the TV.
I slowly walk among them, gently reaching out to touch a petal here and there. Their delicious perfume fills the room. I’ve never smelled anything so sweet or strong in my life. To the right, a bed with rose petals strewn across it waits for us.