#Heart (Hashtag #6)

by Cambria Hebert

  “Decent of you,” I said and held out my fist to pound it out. Thomas returned the gesture as he and four other teammates stopped beside us.

  Blanchard was one of them. He was hanging toward the back, just watching. I took it as a sign of good faith that he was out here supporting.

  “Thanks, guys,” Braeden said, tightening his arm around Ivy.

  “Don’t you worry about that douche, Mrs. Hollow Leg,” Thomas said, focusing on her. “No one’s gonna hassle you about some drunk asshole’s attempt at attention.”

  Ivy’s mouth kicked up in a smile. “Mrs. Hollow Leg?”

  Crawford, the player beside Thomas, nodded. “Yeah, you’re one of us now. We take care of our own.”

  Yeah.

  This was definitely a team I was fucking proud to be on.

  I might have been unsure about the Knights when I walked onto their team last season, but all my doubts were gone now. This was my new pack, and they were accepting my family as their own.

  I could tell by the look on Braeden’s face that he was surprised they’d rally around us that fast.

  Of course, there was an asshole in every bunch that had to ruin everyone’s good time.

  “He’s not one of us, not yet,” Blanchard said from the back.

  My hackles rose.

  Thomas, Crawford, and Bingle all looked at him. “Technically, no,” Thomas said. “But it’s just details. Soon as the draft’s over, he will be.”

  “We’ll see,” Blanchard droned.

  “What the fuck is your problem, man?” Braeden spewed. “You got a problem with me personally, or is it just because Rome knocked you out of the top spot?”

  Crawford whistled beneath his breath. So the team had noticed the undercurrents going around. I wondered if they had, but I never brought it up. That’s not the kind of leader I wanted to be.

  “I didn’t realize I’d been replaced.” Blanchard lifted an eyebrow.

  “Details.” Braeden scoffed.

  Blanchard didn’t like being challenged like this, especially in front of four of his teammates, one of which was me. He stepped around all the guys and up to Braeden. “Don’t get your hopes up too high, Rookie. When the media starts making up headlines about the NFL hopeful’s dirty past as a murderer, those details you seem so unconcerned about are gonna bite you in the ass.”

  “Chill, man,” Thomas said and slapped Blanchard on the shoulder.

  Blanchard shrugged him off and glared at B.

  Don’t do it, Braeden. Don’t let him get the best of you.

  “You said it yourself,” Braeden retorted calmly. “Any headlines they run with will be made up.”

  He turned away to guide Ivy toward the Mustang. I was fucking proud of him right there. Blanchard offered him a big pile of ammo, and B walked away.

  “I don’t know,” Blanchard called out. “You look like a murderer to me.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I growled.

  The other players’ eyes widened, and they all took a collective step back from their quarterback.

  B laughed, an amused-sounding chuckle, and dropped his arm from around Ivy to glance back. “Enjoy your spot on the bench this season.”

  Braeden might have been in total control of his anger just then, but not everyone was.

  Blanchard fucking snapped. “You son of a bitch,” he ground out and leapt forward.

  “No!” Ivy shouted and shoved away from Braeden to step in front of the giant football player rushing at my brother.

  Blanchard’s body went taut when he saw her, but it was too late. He freaking body-checked her. Rammed into her so hard she went flying backward and hit the cold, hard ground.

  The jacket that had been draped over her shoulders flew off, landing in a heap behind her body.

  She cried out when she hit the ground, and from inside the Mustang, I heard Drew yell. Braeden’s neck bulged with anger, and I grabbed Blanchard and tossed him behind me.

  “Hold him!” I demanded, and my teammates grabbed ahold of him. I might not let Braeden pummel his ass, but Blanchard wasn’t going to walk away from this unharmed.

  Braeden moved to push by me, and I shoved him back. He looked at me, incredulous, about to yell, but Ivy whimpered.

  Both of us forgot about Blanchard and rushed toward her.

  She was still on the ground, sitting up, hunched in on herself with her arm wrapped tightly around her middle.

  “Ivy.” Braeden dropped to his knees beside her. “Baby, are you hurt?”

  She made a sound of pain and hunched around herself even more, as if she were doubling over from a cramp.

  A bad feeling wormed around inside me, but I didn’t know why.

  “No,” she moaned.

  “No what?” Braeden panicked.

  “The baby,” she sobbed, pressing a hand to her stomach.

  Everything stopped.

  Braeden froze like someone hit pause on a movie.

  We all stared down at Ivy, wondering if what we just heard was actually what we just heard.

  “What did you just say?” Braeden whispered, his voice deadly soft as he stared.

  Ivy looked at him with tears streaking down her face. “Our baby.”

  Braeden looked at her hand where she was cradling her stomach. His hand shot out to hover over her middle. He was completely speechless, his eyes wild.

  But then Ivy whimpered again and shifted, as if she were in pain. Braeden snapped out of it, and carefully—so damn carefully—he lifted her into his arms.

  “We’re going to the ER.” His voice was almost unrecognizable.

  Before I could say anything, he started running toward the Mustang.

  Holy fucking shit.

  Ivy was pregnant.

  Here Comes the Bride…

  & a Baby?

  (aka Part Three)

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Ivy

  I never set out to have a baby.

  Hell, it was so far removed from any plan I had for my life, it never even occurred to me as a possibility when I started wrinkling my nose at the taste of coffee, feeling dizzy and exhausted, and wanting things like orange juice and grilled cheese.

  I was on the pill. Getting pregnant shouldn’t have happened.

  But it did.

  I was.

  I was growing another person.

  One part me and one part Braeden.

  Shock was an understatement for how I felt when I looked at my calendar one day and realized I was over a month late.

  Shock and fear.

  But even though I was terrified, even though I knew my life was going to change forever and I had no earthly idea how to tell Braeden or what he would say…

  I was happy.

  So happy.

  How could I not be? A part of Braeden was growing inside me.

  I didn’t know how to tell him. It seemed impossible to just walk in the door one night and announce I was pregnant and his life would never be the same, that he would be bound to me for the rest of our lives, no matter what.

  I knew Braeden loved me. That was never a question. But we weren’t ready for this. Our life together thus far had been tumultuous. We were still dealing with the effects from everything that happened.

  Braeden was on the cusp of what I knew was going to be an amazing football career. I was trying to figure out my place in fashion. We were still navigating the world as a couple.

  How then could I look him in the eye and tell him this?

  What if he was angry? What if he hated me? What if he decided it was all just too much?

  What if now none of that even mattered?

  I’d seen that giant guy coming at Braeden after he’d turned to walk away. I’d been upset and wanting to go home, but in that moment, that hadn’t mattered. All I saw was someone threatening the man I loved. The man who’d been suffering needlessly so much lately.

  And there he was walking away, trying to be the bigger guy.

  Okay, fine. B was far fro
m innocent.

  But he was going to let that go. He was going to get in the Mustang and drive away.

  Moose Head had other ideas.

  The man who knocked me down = Moose Head.

  He was giant, scowling, and came charging at Braeden. Plus, he had a big head. Like a moose.

  I pushed B back, not that he actually went anywhere, but I stepped between them, thinking I’d stop the situation before it got any worse. I only wanted to protect Braeden.

  And now it might have cost our baby its life.

  I sat there curled in on myself, arms wrapped around my middle, as unstoppable tears dripped down my face. I’d had a little time to digest this. I’d had a little time to get used to the idea of a baby, and I’d gotten to carry him around inside me.

  Braeden hadn’t gotten any of that.

  I hadn’t even told him.

  God, this was not the way I wanted to tell him.

  He might not get any time at all now. His baby could be gone practically before he ever knew it existed.

  “I’m so sorry,” I sobbed, the words hoarse and low.

  “Don’t say that,” Braeden demanded, his voice as gravelly as mine. I was gathered in his lap in the front seat of the Mustang. His arms were all the seat belt I needed; he was so tightly wrapped around me. I could feel the hammering of his heart against his chest and feel the ragged breaths he pulled into his lungs at an uneven rate.

  His hands were fisted tightly, but they lay gentle at my sides.

  I wanted to sit up and explain, to tell him everything, but all that came out of me was tears.

  After I dropped the bomb, he’d rushed me into the car, sat down with me in his lap, and demanded Trent drive before the door was even shut. No one said a word about him holding me in his lap while Trent drove like a wild man toward the ER.

  “Braeden, you better tell me what the fuck is wrong with my sister,” Drew demanded from the backseat.

  He’d been just as silent as I. The only words he’ spoken since demanding we get to the ER was the brief rebuff of my apology.

  “Ivy’s pregnant,” Braeden ground out.

  I couldn’t tell what he was feeling from the sound of his voice.

  “You asshole!” Drew swore from the backseat. “You got my sister pregnant, then let that moose body check her into the ground!”

  See, he totally looked like a moose.

  Braeden didn’t say anything. He didn’t try to defend himself. The only reaction Drew’s words got was the even more frantic beating of his heart.

  “Now isn’t the time, Drew,” Trent said. It seemed he was the only voice of reason in this car.

  “You’re taking his side!” Drew demanded.

  I felt rather than saw Trent jerk. “I’m on Ivy’s side right now. And you acting like a fucking moron is not helping her condition.”

  That shut Drew up.

  Thank God.

  “Ivy, are you in pain?” Braeden asked. He sounded in pain himself.

  “I’m not sure,” I mumbled, wiping at my face with the backs of my hands. “I don’t feel good. That was a really hard fall… The baby…”

  I started crying all over again.

  Braeden pushed my head into his chest, and I clung to him, finally releasing my middle so I could dig my hands into his dress shirt and hang on.

  “I need an anchor right now, B.” I sobbed. “Please, please, don’t let me drift away.”

  I’d never really thought much about what a piece of glass felt like when it shattered. But now I understood. Glass was deceiving in some ways. It looked thick and strong. Even though it was clear, you always knew it was there—sometimes a barrier to all sorts of things. Like rain. Snow. Wind.

  Pain.

  But glass wasn’t always as strong as it looked. All it took was one well-placed hit to crack it. Once the slightest pressure was applied to the break, it splintered and spread, snaking across the surface and threating to break itself in two.

  And sometimes, a piece of glass didn’t just break.

  It shattered into a million jagged pieces.

  That was how I felt just then, as though I had cracked but was holding it together—only to have something hit me in just the right spot.

  “I got you,” Braeden whispered against my hair. “You’re not going anywhere.” He lifted his head and spoke over mine. “Here, just drop me.”

  The car stopped swiftly, but I didn’t jerk forward at all. Braeden was holding me too tightly for that. The passenger door opened instantly, and Drew stood on the sidewalk. He reached in for me, and Braeden growled.

  We got out of the car as one. Braeden didn’t even pause. He literally just kept moving. A car door slammed behind us, but I wasn’t sure if Drew had gotten in the car or stayed with us.

  The swooshing of the automatic double doors was loud, and the air they pushed at me caused me to shiver. The shiver turned into the shakes, and I tried to no avail to stop my body from quaking.

  I knew he had to feel it. I was too close for him not to. But he didn’t say a word; he just quickly walked through the ER and right up to the desk.

  “Sir?” a nurse said.

  “I need a doctor,” Braeden rasped. “Right now. She’s pregnant and she fell. I…” The way his voice just dropped away made me hurt.

  “Miss, are you bleeding?” the nurse asked.

  I jerked like she shot me. I didn’t want to bleed.

  “What the hell kind of question is that to ask her out here in front of everyone?” Braeden demanded.

  I sucked in a ragged breath and lifted my head. “Excuse him. He’s just…” Scared. “Worried. I don’t know if I’m bleeding.”

  The nurse looked back and forth between us. Her eyes softened. “First baby?”

  Braeden made a sound.

  More tears leaked from my eyes.

  “Come on,” she said, grabbing a clipboard full of papers and a pen. “Follow me.”

  She had no idea the war she’d avoided by taking me back right away. Braeden probably would have brought the roof down if she told him to sit in the waiting room.

  Thank God.

  I needed answers. I needed to know…

  She yanked back a curtain to a tiny cubicle with a narrow bed in the center. Braeden stepped right up to it but didn’t lay me down. Instead, he stood there holding me, standing over the mattress.

  The curtain made a scraping sound as it was pulled back around, closing us off from prying eyes.

  “You’ll need to put her on the bed,” the nurse said, not unkind.

  Reluctantly, he laid me down, and I tried not to wince.

  “How far along are you?” she asked, pen hovering above the clipboard.

  I glanced at Braeden and then away. “Twelve weeks.”

  He sucked in a breath, and I didn’t dare look at him again.

  “What caused the fall?” she asked.

  “What?” I echoed, barely hearing her. I was desperate to look at Braeden’s face but so incredibly afraid, too.

  “A ladder? Down the stairs? Off a chair?”

  Oh. She wanted to know how I fell.

  I licked my lips. “Someone pushed me.”

  The nurse’s eyes snapped up. “Someone pushed you?” She looked at Braeden.

  A little bit of panic left me to make room for indignation. “Don’t even look at him like that,” I snapped. “It was someone else. A very large football player. I hit the ground hard.”

  “Why do you look familiar to me?” the nurse asked, continuing to look at Braeden.

  He rose to his full, impressive height. “Who the hell cares? She needs medical attention. This is not some friendly house call!”

  “Date of your last period?” she asked.

  I told her. Then I said, “His mother is Nurse Walker. She’s a nurse here. And he was just drafted by the NFL. We aren’t trying to be rude, but I’m very scared.” I felt my lip wobble.

  “Shit, Ivy, not the lip.” Braeden swore.

  I bit
down on it, trying to make it stop.

  “You’re Caroline’s son?” The nurse glanced back at B and smiled.

  “My baby!” Braeden roared and pointed at me.

  I didn’t bother apologizing again. I wanted answers, too. And I was too busy crying again because Braeden had acknowledged his child.

  The nurse pulled the top paper off the clipboard and then placed the whole thing on the bed. “I need you to fill this out as soon as possible.” Then she handed me an ugly hospital gown. “Put this on and then go to the bathroom at the end of the hall”—she pointed in a direction—“and check to see if you’re bleeding. If you are, I need to know immediately.”

  “Is that bad if I am?” I whispered.

  “It all depends.”

  That was the shittiest answer I’d ever heard.

  I nodded and picked up the gown.

  “I’ll get the doctor.” She started to leave and then turned back. “Try not to worry too much. It’s not good for you or the baby. You’re early into your pregnancy, honey, and your body is built to protect that little baby. Chances are you’ll be just fine.”

  I tried to be comforted by her words, but I wasn’t. I wouldn’t be until I heard a doctor tell me so.

  Little baby.

  Calling it little made it seem that much more fragile.

  Yep. I started crying. Again.

  She walked around the curtain, and Braeden did something that showed me just how freaked out he really was.

  “Ma’am,” he called to the nurse, poking his head outside.

  I didn’t hear her reply, but she must have because he spoke again.

  “Page my mother.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Braeden

  Tiny hands.

  Tiny feet.

  So much tiny for such a huge, life altering thing.

  I stared through the wall of glass, seeing things I’d seen before, but never actually saw. There were three little carts parked behind the glass. All of them on big wheels with steel frames and legs that held the clear containers with little cards on the front. The cards had neatly typed names, identifying the babies inside.

  Baby.

  Ivy was pregnant.

  Maybe.