“Don’t say that! I’m glad you did. I need a place of my own, a place for me and the baby. Michael needs to understand that whether or not he’s the father of this child, he doesn’t own me and he isn’t my keeper. I make my own decisions and run my own life.”
Ramsey nodded, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “You’re definitely one head-strong, independent woman.”
Chloe nibbled on her lip. “Is that a bad thing?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. You’re going to need those traits to raise a baby on your own; unless you decide to accept Michael’s proposal.”
She winced. “You heard that part?”
He nodded. “How do you know he didn’t ask because he loves you?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “He knew the nurse because she was one of his conquests. There isn’t a woman in this town that he hasn’t slept with or tried to sleep with that’s under the age of forty. I’m not sure he’s capable of loving one woman.”
“And if he was? Do you love him?”
“I’m not sure what I feel for him. I feel something, but I don’t know if that’s just because of the baby or if it’s because of me.”
Ramsey nodded. It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it would suffice for the time being. If he got to spend enough time with Chloe, maybe she would come to care for him… maybe even love him.
Chapter Ten
An hour later, Chloe was tucked into a hospital bed with a monitor strapped across her stomach. It was connected to a machine that was keeping track of her baby’s heartbeat and stress level. Her fight with Michael had aggravated the baby, but the nurse thought she would be able to go home shortly.
Ramsey had his long frame stretched out in a recliner beside the bed. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed. Chloe wasn’t sure if he was asleep or just resting. Regardless, she took the time to study him. He had long eyelashes that brushed the tops of his cheekbones when his eyes were closed. His brown hair was thick and unruly. She knew that if his eyes were open they would be a beautiful shade of green. All in all, he was pleasant to look at. He had a strong chin and a roman nose. His lips were full and chiseled, but looked kissable. Chloe blushed at the thought.
Her thoughts strayed to Michael. He'd left once she was settled into a room and it had been determined that their argument had distressed the baby. The nursing staff had mentioned that it might be best if he were scarce. Chloe wasn’t sure if that was purely for her benefit, or for theirs. It seemed that all of the nurses assigned to her had been with Michael at some time or another.
Chloe wasn’t sure how she felt about Michael’s past. She had always known what he was like, but it was different when it was constantly being thrown in your face. The women had been nice to her thus far, but she had noticed at least one jealous look at her stomach. It was obvious they thought she had gotten pregnant on purpose, in hopes of trapping Michael. Little did they realize it was the last thing on her mind and if she could do things differently…well she probably wouldn’t change a thing. She was attached to the baby now and was looking forward to its birth.
She still worried about being able to care for her baby. Looking at the monitors, she watched the blip of the baby’s heartbeat. There was a life growing inside of her, a life that she and Michael had created.
Glancing back at Ramsey, she wondered why he was here, staying by her side. They hardly knew one another and yet he’d paid for her hospital care and had held her hand through the whole ordeal. They weren’t dating, he wasn’t the father of her child, and yet he was here. She’d never met anyone quite like him before and she wasn’t sure what to think of him. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit attracted to him. The man was sinfully delicious and exceedingly kind. He’d taken care of her, put her needs before his own even though he didn’t have to. That was rare in a man these days, at least from what she’d seen of men. Her dating experience may not be vast, but she’d heard enough horror dating stories to know that a good man was definitely hard to find.
Stifling a yawn, she closed her eyes for a moment. It had been a long day. Between her shopping spree with Kiera for the weekend party and her argument with Michael, she was wiped out. Just as she was drifting to sleep, she heard a noise and felt the bed dip under a large weight.
Opening her eyes, she found herself nose to nose with a large wolf and did the only rational thing she could think of – she screamed.
Ramsey jolted awake, ready for battle at the sound of Chloe’s scream. When he saw a werewolf on her bed, he growled. The wolf turned to look at him. At once, he recognized Lucas, a fairly new pack member.
“Get down off the bed,” Ramsey demanded. He might not be the alpha, but he did hold rank over the new member.
The wolf leapt off the bed and sat beside him.
Ramsey eyed the beast with curiosity.
“Do you know this… um... wolf?” Chloe asked with a shaky voice.
“Yeah, he belongs to a friend of mine. I’m not sure what he’s doing here though.”
“Oh. I’m sorry I screamed. It just isn’t everyday that I wake up to find a large wolf staring me down.”
The wolf in question snorted and rolled his eyes. Using his muzzle, he nudged Ramsey out into the hall.
“It seems I’ll be back in a moment,” Ramsey said with humor.
“I’ll be right here,” Chloe said dryly.
She eyed the door as Ramsey and the wolf exited, curious as to why the nursing staff hadn’t come barreling through the door at her blood curdling scream. Maybe it was the middle of a shift change?
Sighing, she relaxed back against her pillow. Ramsey said he knew the beast that had startled her awake. Obviously everything was okay. She had nothing to worry about except the little one growing inside of her. She watched the monitor. The baby’s heartbeat still seemed steady. The wolf apparently hadn’t startled her little bundle of joy as much as it had her.
Rubbing her stomach, she closed her eyes and tried to relax again. A nap was definitely in order.
Out in the hall, Ramsey glared at the wolf at his feet.
“Lucas, what in the hell are you doing here?”
The wolf tipped his head, indicating that Ramsey should follow him. When they reached an empty room, the men went inside and locked the door. Lucas shifted back to his human form and stretched.
“I didn’t mean to scare her, Ramsey. I just wanted a closer look.”
“Well, you scared the shit out of her,” Ramsey said, his arms folding across his chest.
“Sorry about that,” Lucas said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“So why are you here and why in that form?” Ramsey asked.
“Gabriel sent me. He heard that Chloe was moving in with you, and he wanted me to do some recon.”
Ramsey was surprised. “Why didn’t the alpha just call? I would have answered any questions he had.”
“I know you would've. He mostly wanted to know if Michael was here or if he’d been here.”
“So you were in wolf form so you could track Michael’s scent?”
Lucas nodded. “So why'd he leave?”
“The nurses asked him to. His presence was upsetting Chloe and the baby,” Ramsey answered. “I guess I better call Gabriel.”
“What’s going on, Ramsey?”
“Chloe is really independent. She needed some space so I offered to rent her the apartment over my garage. Michael lost it and they were arguing when I stopped by to pick up Chloe. It distressed the baby and here we are.”
Lucas cocked his head to the side. “I get the feeling there’s more to it than that.”
“Maybe a little, but that’s the condensed version.”
“Well, I’ll let you call Gabriel. Do you want me to change back and go sit with Chloe while you make your call?”
Ramsey contemplated the idea for a minute. “Yeah, I better walk back with you though. She wasn’t too pleased with you the first time around.”
Lucas gr
imaced, but refrained from commenting. Shifting back into his wolf form, he followed Ramsey back down the hall to Chloe’s room. The redhead was sound asleep in her hospital bed, her hand protectively resting on her swollen belly. Thankfully, no one was around to take notice of the large furry beast in the room.
Lucas quietly padded into the room and lay down beside the bed on the floor. He rested his head on his paws and watched Ramsey ease out of the room.
Back in the hall, Ramsey noticed the “no cell phones” signs posted on the walls. Stopping by the nurses’ station, he asked, “Is there some place where I can make a call on my cell phone?”
The blonde nurse behind the desk smiled. “Sure, just go through the double doors at the end of the hall and take a right. Go straight down the hall and you’ll come to a hospital exit. You can make your call out there.”
“Thanks,” he replied before quickly heading in the direction she had indicated. The quicker he made his call, the quicker he could return to Chloe’s side.
Once he was outside of the hospital, he turned his phone on and called Gabriel. The last thing he wanted, or needed, was the alpha to be angry with him. He answered on the third ring.
“Gabriel, its Ramsey.”
“I take it Lucas found you,” Gabriel said.
“Yeah. First off, I’m guessing you knew we were here because of Cassie.”
Gabriel chuckled. “She called Kiera.”
“I figured she would. Did she explain why?”
“No. But if Chloe is at the hospital, don’t you think Michael should be the one there with her? And why is she moving in with you when she’s carrying his baby?” Gabriel asked, getting right to the point.
“It’s complicated. How much do you know about Chloe?” Ramsey asked.
“Not much. She seemed really distressed when she showed up on our doorstep looking for Michael. I figured she hadn’t told him about the baby, but now that he knows I’m just waiting on him to pop the question.”
Ramsey cleared his throat. “He did. She turned him down.”
Gabriel was quiet on the other end. “Why?”
“It seems that Michael offered her marriage in order for her to have insurance for the baby’s delivery and for her and the baby to have a place to live.”
Gabriel groaned. “He’s an idiot.”
“I can’t argue that one. I know he’s your brother, but it gets worse.”
“How much worse?” Gabriel asked quietly, afraid of the answer.
“They were arguing when I stopped by to pick up Chloe tonight.”
Gabriel swore under his breath. “Did he hurt her?”
Ramsey stilled. “Is that something we need to worry about?”
“Did. He. Hurt. Her?”
Ramsey told him what happened, about Michael’s relationships with the various nurses on staff.
Gabriel groaned. “He’s made a mess that I can’t clean up this time. He’s on his own.”
“Gabriel, I’m not leaving Chloe here by herself. Besides, I may have to stick around to sign something when they release her.”
“Why would you have to sign something?” Gabriel asked.
Ramsey explained about the insurance issue and Michael’s unwillingness to pay.
“I’ll take care of Michael. Stay with Chloe and see that she gets to her new apartment safely.” Gabriel paused. “And Ramsey?”
“Yes?” Ramsey visibly swallowed. He hoped the alpha wasn’t angry with him. He’d never felt like he truly belonged to a pack until he’d found the Ashton Grove pack. He’d hate to be asked to leave.
“Thank you for stepping in and taking care of Chloe. I’d assumed that she was Michael’s mate because she was carrying his child. But maybe I was wrong,” Gabriel said before disconnecting the call.
Ramsey stared at his phone dumbfounded. Turning off the device, he slipped it back into his pocket and walked back to Chloe’s room in a daze. Had the alpha just given him permission to pursue Chloe? He had planned on seeing as much of her as possible anyway, but with the alpha’s permission… it was like having a father’s permission to marry his daughter.
When he reached Chloe’s room, he noticed the door was open. Peering inside, he saw that she was once again surrounded by nurses.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, stepping into the room.
“Everything is fine,” the blonde nurse assured him. “We’re actually going to release her.”
Ramsey visibly relaxed. “Good. When I saw all of you in here…”
The nurse smiled. She left the side of Chloe’s bed and walked over to Ramsey. “We know that Michael Andrews is the father of her child, but we’ve also noticed that you haven’t left her side for a moment.”
He nodded. “I’m a…uh… friend.”
“I have a feeling you’re more than that. I’m going to give you a list of care instructions for her. She’s okay to go home, but she needs to be monitored closely and needs to avoid stressful situations.”
He nodded, unable to say anything. The nurses had noticed the way he looked at Chloe? Was it really that obvious?
“Which means she needs to avoid Michael as much as possible,” the nurse said with a significant look.
“I can’t keep them apart. He’s the father of her baby.”
The nurse shrugged. “He may have planted the seed, but from what I’ve seen you’re already more of a father to the baby than he could ever be. Maybe you can convince her of that, too.”
She wasn’t telling him anything he hadn’t already thought of, but it still didn’t set well with Ramsey. He believed a child had every right to know who its father was. He didn’t have a right to keep the baby and Michael apart. If he had to keep Chloe and Michael apart for medical reasons, he would do so.
“Just give me the list of what she needs to do, and I’ll make sure she follows it,” Ramsey assured the nurse.
“Are there any stairs where she lives?” the nurse asked.
“Yeah, she lives in a garage apartment.”
“Well, she needs to be extra careful climbing the stairs. Closer to time for the baby to be born, she may need to move.”
Ramsey nodded. He’d move to the garage apartment if he needed to in order to make sure Chloe and the baby were safe. She could have the main house, if he could only convince her to take it.
“Once the doctor signs her discharge papers, she’ll be free to go.”
“Chloe doesn’t have insurance. I paid a deposit when we arrived, but I’d imagine it didn’t quite cover the whole bill,” Ramsey said.
“The hospital will probably just send you a bill, unless you want us to put the whole thing on your credit card?”
“If you could send me a bill, that would be great. I don’t know how much the total will be and it might put me over my limit,” he said.
“I’ll be sure to notate that on the chart so the billing department will know to invoice you,” the nurse answered.
“I appreciate it.”
Chapter Eleven
A few hours later, Ramsey pulled down the drive to his house. It wasn’t as large as most in the neighborhood, but it was a decent size. A Cape Cod style with a porch across the front, it boasted four bedrooms and two and a half baths. The three car garage had been added later with the studio apartment over it.
A mechanic typically wouldn’t have been able to afford a house such as this one, but it had fallen into disrepair and Ramsey had gotten a deal on it. Every time he arrived home, Ramsey sat in his SUV and eyed the place appreciatively. He'd repainted the outside himself, put on a new roof, replaced rotten wood, and replaced broken windows. He’d also landscaped the outside. The inside had needed just as much work, if not more.
“This is your home?” Chloe asked her eyes wide in wonder.
“It didn’t look like this when I bought it,” he answered, his cheeks flushed. He didn’t want her thinking he was richer than he really was.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. It was fa
lling down around my ears when I first bought it, but a lot of hard work later this is what I get to look at every day.”
Chloe smiled at him. “It was definitely worth the effort.”
“The apartment is just over here,” he said, tipping his head toward the garage.
Getting out of the SUV, he reached into the backseat and pulled out Chloe’s bags of clothes. He sat them at the foot of the stairs then walked around to help her out of the vehicle.
“I know you don’t like a lot of help, but the nurse said you had to be careful with stairs. I’ll help you up and then I’ll come back down for your things,” he told her.
Chloe sighed. “So much for independence.”
“You still have your own space. You just need some help getting to and from it. Promise me you won’t go running up and down these stairs on your own.”
She nodded. “I can’t promise that I won’t go up and down them without your help, but I promise I’ll be extra careful. I don’t want anything to happen to the baby.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask for,” Ramsey responded with a grin.
Once they reached the top of the stairs, Ramsey pulled a key out from under a plant pot. “This is your key. Ashton Grove is pretty safe so there’s only one lock on the door. If you want another one added, I’ll be happy to put a dead bolt on the door.”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Ramsey.”
He nodded and unlocked the door. “Ready to see your place?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Hopefully it won’t disappoint you. I haven’t had a chance to do much over here yet.”
He pushed the door open and ushered her inside. He almost didn’t recognize it. The scent of fresh paint assailed his nostrils. His eyes roamed around the room, taking in the fairly new furniture and decorative throw rugs. It seemed that Cassie had done more than bring over some pots and pans.
“It’s wonderful,” Chloe said as she gazed at the sage walls, taupe loveseat and matching chair, burgundy throw pillows, and matching throw rug that made up the living room. Her eyes wondered to the kitchen painted the same lovely shade with taupe leaves stenciled on the wall around the stove and on the off-white cabinets. Tears gathered in her eyes.
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