Baby Steps (Yeah, Baby Book 2)(11)

I turned quickly and found him standing under the archway which separated the foyer from a formal sitting room with a window overlooking the front drive. He must have been waiting for me to get home. I felt the blood drain from my face and grabbed for the doorknob as spots danced in front of my eyes. Crap! What the heck was I going to tell him? And how in the world was I going to stop myself from passing out?





Chapter 6


Lucas


I lunged forward and caught Jade right before she hit the ground. My heart was beating out of my chest. I’d worried about her all day, then she finally arrived home and passed out in my arms. I stopped pretending I wasn’t worried.

Scooping her up, I hooked her bags on my fingers and started up the wide staircase, taking the stairs two at a time. At the top, it split into two hallways, one on either side, both open with a railing allowing a view down into the foyer below. I turned down the right hall and without thought, took her into my room and set her gently on the bed, dropping her bags on the dresser. What the fuck kind of a doctor had she seen? He was clearly a quack if he sent her home like this.

Her eyelids started to flutter and I quickly retrieved a damp washcloth from the bathroom to cool her forehead as she came to. I was still vacillating on whether or not I should call nine-one-one when her beautiful green eyes were suddenly staring at me, swimming with fear. She was obviously as worried about her fainting episode as I was.

“Sweetheart. What did the doctor tell you?” I asked softly, keeping my voice low in case her head was bothering her.

She looked around before asking, “Why am I in your room?”

I hadn’t even realized I’d come straight to my bed. “Force of habit,” I lied. I’d brought her in here because it felt natural, like this was where she was supposed to be.

“I’ll take you back to your room.” I started to lift her into my arms again but she pushed my hands away.

“I can walk—“

I grabbed her wrists and held them in front of her with one hand, the other going under her ass to lift her up. “I’ll carry you,” I said firmly, my tone brokering no argument.

She remained silent, which was probably a good thing because if I had to get her to stop talking again, there was a good chance I’d be using my mouth to do it and I wouldn’t be telling her to be quiet.

Once I had her settled, I sat on the bed next to her and her eyebrows rose to her hairline with surprise. “So?” I demanded.

She closed her eyes and sighed. “Could we maybe talk about this when I’m not so woozy? I think I just need to rest for a while.”

I wanted to argue, but the faint purple shadows under her eyes convinced me she needed rest and my inquisition could wait. I brushed some of her hair off of her forehead, resisting the temptation to place a kiss there. “Alright, we’ll talk after you’ve slept for a bit.”

I stood and padded to the door, leaving the room and shutting it quietly behind me. Then I strode purposefully into my bedroom and pulled my cell phone from my pocket, pacing as I put a call into my family doctor. I didn’t care what she said, she was going to be checked out by a physician I knew and trusted.

Hanging up my phone, I dropped it on the dresser and noticed the bags Jade had brought in with her. I picked them up intending to sneak into her room and leave them where she would be able to find them. I must have grabbed the wrong end because the contents of one of the bags slipped out and crashed onto the floor, making a racket despite landing on plush cream carpet. I squatted down and picked up the bottles, only glancing at their labels for a second.

The room started spinning and I lost my balance, my ass hitting the ground hard, the bottle rattling in my hand.

Prenatal Vitamins.

It didn’t take a genius to know what those were for. Was Jade pregnant? With another man’s baby? A slow burn started in my belly and I felt fury building. But another part of me knew it was more likely the baby was mine. Was it? No, we’d worn condoms. Every—oh fuck. I’d gotten carried away and fucked her bare in the shower.

The room stopped spinning, in fact, the world stopped rotating, time halted, and I’m pretty sure even the angels in heaven stopped singing. I’ve never experienced such utter stillness and quiet. All the better to hear the screaming in my head. One part howling with anger and one part a caveman beating on his chest in triumph.

I was torn, still struggling with my belief that she was using me for my money and position as owner of the gallery. Yet, the signs indicating I’d been wrong were piling up. Why hadn’t she asked about the gallery showing?

My mind played over her reactions at the lawyer’s office, once again. Could her shock have been genuine? Then she’d bought groceries and made us dinner, without being asked, or demanding reimbursement. Of course, it’s not like she needs the money anymore, right? She’s gotten exactly what she wanted. I think. I sighed and scratched my head, the whole situation was like a rollercoaster and I couldn’t figure out which way was up.