"I'm not saying they didn't. I just hate that you were put in a position where you had to kill or be killed when you were so young." Harper gave his hand a comforting squeeze. He looked at her, and what she saw in his eyes gave her the chills.
"By the time I was done with them, so were they."
CHAPTER NINE
Ending his brief phone call, Knox slung his cell on the small bar in his living room and poured himself a gin and tonic. "Want a drink, baby?" Receiving no answer, he glanced over his shoulder. Harper was sitting on the sofa, her gaze inward as she twisted her rings and twirled her ankle absentmindedly.
A sense of unease prickled at him. Taking a swig of his drink, he crossed the room to her. Harper didn't fidget unless something was playing on her mind. And that was when he remembered … "Sorry, baby, you wanted to talk to me about something earlier. What was it?"
She looked up at him and blinked. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Then a determination gathered behind her eyes and she licked her lips. "Maybe you should sit down. Yeah, you should definitely sit down."
He'd prefer to stand, but he humored her and perched himself on the edge of the coffee table. "What is it? Tell me. If something's wrong, I'll fix it."
Sitting up straighter, Harper cleared her throat. Her mouth bopped open like a landed fish, and she seemed to struggle for words. "Okay, so I'm just going to say it."
"All right," he said. But she didn't say it. Her mouth opened again, but still nothing came out. "Why are you so nervous?" Dozens of possibilities raced through his mind, and he didn't like any of them. That sense of unease began to swell.
"I'm not nervous … per se."
Yes, she was. He placed his tumbler on the table and took her hands. "Harper, tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong. Or, at least, I don't think there's anything wrong. You might feel differently."
"Harper, you're not making any sense. Whatever it is, just tell me."
"Okay, so, here it is. I'm … Well, it's … " Cursing, Harper delved into her purse and pulled out something that she'd stuffed in a sandwich bag. "I have something to show you."
Knox frowned, unable to make out what was in her grip. He held out his hand. "Why is it in a sandwich bag?"
"I didn't want you to have to touch it."
"Why?" he asked, as she finally handed it over.
///
"I peed on it."
"You peed on -?" Realization hit him, and he looked down at the item in his hand. Even through the plastic bag, the long, white pregnancy stick was clear. And so was the word "Pregnant" on the digital screen.
Harper stayed very still, giving Knox the space to work through the news. She wouldn't lie, she was totally on edge. Sure, they'd talked about having a baby and he'd been fine with it. But it was one thing to talk about a hypothetical baby and a whole other thing to find out that said baby was no longer so hypothetical.
She had a big family; she'd seen how differently males could react to pregnancy. Some were terrified by the prospect of being a father due to their own insecurities. Some felt trapped by the financial burdens, responsibilities, and social restrictions that came with fatherhood. Some, like Lucian, weren't ready to give up their own childhood or independence; they saw the idea of a baby as a loss of freedom.
Even the soon-to-be-fathers who were excited had their worries, and they sometimes did stupid things like act out or throw themselves into work rather than voice those concerns. Harper could understand it, though. She supposed that males probably often felt detached from their partner's pregnancy, since they played no physical part in it. The attention was usually on the women, so they might even feel a little left out at times.
Responsibilities didn't scare Knox Thorne, and he was too much of a confident, competent person to be insecure about his ability to be anything, even a father. Still, there was never really any knowing how a person would react to hearing they'd be a parent. And considering he was a total worrywart who constantly fussed over her health and safety, this news could very well send his anxiety levels soaring.
She figured that it could help if the news was delivered at a positive, well-timed moment. So, as they'd driven to Talia's apartment building, Harper had decided to delay breaking it to him. She'd planned to ask Meg to prepare his favorite meal and then fish out his favorite wine – possibly even get him drunk. She could then have broken the news to him gently, and he'd have had the time and privacy to allow it to settle into his brain.