Kat sat up in bed, trying not to pull the darn IV from her arm. She inhaled the stench of bleach and blame. “I can’t believe I let my mother get me so upset.” She rubbed her belly.
Wind sat in the chair by her side holding her hand. “Girl, say the word, and I’ll bury her body.”
They laughed. Their childhood antics and empty promises provided a temporary tourniquet to her worry. “I know we banter, but you know I love you.”
“I know. What’s not to love?” Wind sat back and pointed at herself. “I mean, I am something special.”
“You’re something, alright.” Kat play slugged her in the arm. “Is she still around?”
“Your mom?” Wind nodded.
“Did she fire my doctor and hire a helicopter to fly me out of here to some special hospital far away?”
“She tried, but that doctor of yours put her in her place.” Wind fluffed her hair. “I like that woman.”
“So do I.” Kat looked to the door. “How’s Wes holding up?”
Wind shrugged. “Do you want the truth, or will it upset you?”
“Don’t coddle me, please. I can’t take that anymore.”
She nodded. “He’s what you’d expect, considering your mother told him she was your only legal family therefore had control of your care and he had no rights.”
“Ouch.” Kat thought her chest hurt worse than her stomach. “Why does the woman want to pay to care for me but doesn’t want to actually care for me herself? I’ve never understood.”
“I wish I knew.” Wind fidgeted with her nails the way she did when she didn’t know what to say.
“You do know something.”
“I overheard my mom on the phone one time. Something about your mother not trusting herself caring for you.”
“Why’s that?” Kat asked.
“Don’t know. When I asked Mom, she told me it was none of my business and to stop being so nosy.” Wind smiled. “But hey. You stood up to your mother. You were amazing.”
“Yeah, until I was doubled over on the floor. I’ve never felt so weak in my life. And now I’m going to be on bed rest for a few weeks.” She took a breath. “But I’ll do it if that’s what will keep my baby safe.”
“Of course you will, because you’re nothing like your mother. And Wes is nothing like his father. We are all our own people. Even if we wished we could be someone else at times.”
Kat caught that look again, the one where the stage light went out in Wind’s eyes. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”
Wind took her hand and squeezed it. “Not now. Just do me a favor and realize that the man out there loves you and would do anything to be with you. If you don’t marry him, you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it. Trust me.” She pulled away. “You need to get some rest and I know Wes wants to see you, so I’m going to go. Doctor’s orders. Only one person at a time.”
Kat wanted to get more info out of Wind, but she knew there would be no way while stuck in this bed, so she let her friend leave, knowing she’d corner her later. She’d figure out what was going on and help her fix it.
A few minutes passed before Wes appeared at the door. He stood there as if scared to enter without permission.
The sight of the fear in his eyes matched what was in her heart. A lump lodged in her throat, and she reached out for him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I almost lost our baby.”
Wes crossed the room in two long strides and took her into his arms. “Shhh. You’re fine. The baby’s fine. We’re fine.”
“Are we, though? I love you, Wes. There’s no other man in the world I want to be with.” She blubbered but didn’t hate herself for it. Especially when he crawled into the small bed and cuddled her into his side, her head to his chest.
Wes pressed a kiss to her head. “We’re going to be just fine. Because we love each other.”
She wanted to say more, she pushed to say more, but the words came out in heaving blubbers. “When you lifted me up and rushed me to the car, I realized something.”
He held her tighter as if he feared she’d slip away. “Shh. We can talk about it later.”
She nudged him to let her sit up and face him. Because she had to say these words to his face. She cupped his cheeks and looked him straight in the eyes. “You have been there for me through this all, and no matter how strong I am, I can’t get through this alone. I can’t get through this without you. No. That’s not it. I don’t want to get through this without you. I don’t want to get through life without you.”
Tears formed in his eyes, and he kissed her. Kissed away the worry. Kissed away the regrets. Kissed away the fear. Best of all, he kissed her the way he used to before the pregnancy.
The machines bleeped and beeped. Wes broke the kiss and rested his forehead to hers. “We better stop before the nurses come running in here.”
She wiped the tears from his eyes. She’d broken the man who’d never cracked, but now they could put each other back together. “I never knew love could be like this. That I would trust a man to hold me up in this world. It goes against everything I believe in, everything I was taught.”
“We’re holding each other up. And our friends are holding us up.” He guided her back to his side, so she settled her cheek to his chest with a yawn. “What are we going to do about my mother?”
“You can hate me if you want, but that woman isn’t coming near you if she’s going to upset you like that again.”
“I could never hate you. It was a shock to face her, but next time I’ll be ready. I won’t react that way. I won’t let her have that power over me. Not anymore. Not when I need to protect my own child.” She took his hand and pressed it to her belly. “As much as I want to work things out with my own mother, we’re the only family I need.”
The baby tapped her skin, and they both gasped. “Was that a kick?”
“Kick or punch, I’m not sure, but yes. I think our little one wants to meet you.” Kat sat still, waiting for the baby to move again, but when he or she didn’t, her eyes grew heavy and she rested back into the bed.
Wes stroked her hair. “Our little one wants to let us know he’s with us.”
“Yes, she does.”
They entered the house to find the boxes neatly stacked in the corner and the place spotless. Kat clung to him, her eyes wide. “Mother.”
His agitation stirred, but he wouldn’t let Kat see it. “Let me get you off your feet, and then I’ll speak with her. Don’t worry. I’ll be calm and cordial, but I won’t let her upset you.”
She gave a quick nod and headed for the stairs. He walked by her side to their room and tucked her in. A squirt of orange spritz filled the air from the device he’d bought to help keep her calm. Magazines were stacked on the bed, television remote on top. “Don’t get up without me. Promise?”
“I think I’ve heard that before.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “But this time, I’m not going anywhere. I won’t do anything to endanger our baby. Total bed rest for the next few weeks.”
He left her safely in bed and pulled the door closed, took in a calming breath, and headed down the stairs. In the kitchen, he found a maid dressed in a ridiculous uniform scrubbing all the surfaces. Mrs. Stein sat at a table with paperwork spread out in front of her.
“Mrs. Stein, I appreciate your efforts here,” he said in a friendly but stern tone. “I apologize for my harsh words, and I want you to know that I respect that Kat is your daughter. However, I won’t allow her to be anxious or any stress to cause her more issues.”
Mrs. Stein placed a paper neatly onto a stack, removed her glasses, and angled in the chair to face him. “This is why I didn’t return to the hospital. I’ve been here getting things ready. The nursery has been painted, the bedding ordered, and I’ve hired some staff to take some of the load off you both.”
“But Kat doesn’t want people in the house,” Wes argued but in a tone that brooked negotiation.
“I know you find me harsh and unloving, but despite current popular opinion, I do care about my daughter and what happens to her. Allow me to provide some help the way I know how while you tend to her other needs.”
He scanned the clean room. What she proposed gave Mrs. Stein a chance to worm her way into their lives. Despite the fact he wanted her gone, he didn’t have the energy to fight, but he would if it meant protecting Kat from more stress.
“By having staff, you’ll be able to keep her company, take care of her, and plan for your future while I provide food, cleaning, and workers to keep up things around here. Trust me, that girl will not remain in bed without a chaperone.”
“She promised this time—”
“Trust me, that promise will last a few days. Her mind cannot be idle, or she’ll never be able to remain in that bed. Keep a close eye on her the way only you can.”
He caught a hint of regret or jealousy in her tone, but he wasn’t sure, and he couldn’t argue with her logic. Playing housemaid grew tiresome, and she was right. Kat needed a chaperone, so he offered her his hand. “I accept that deal. As long as you don’t bother Kat unless she asks to speak to you.”
“Agreed.” She shook on it. “Trust me. We’re both better off with me working to protect her and not mothering her.” She studied him as if he were a strange piece of modern art. “I ask one thing of you.”
“What’s that?” He retreated a step, readying for battle.
“Don’t marry my daughter until after the baby is born. I don’t want you to do something you both will regret later.”
“I love—”
“I know you both think you do,” she said in a way that made him want to run from the room.
“You don’t think she loves me?”
“I think she’s wrapped up in all the baby stuff and thinks this would be the best arrangement for the child. There are many reasons people marry. Seldom are they the right ones.”
He thought to ask what she meant, but that was between her and Kat. Besides, he needed to get back to check on her. His legs were weak from exhaustion, so he climbed the stairs slowly and slid into bed by her side to doze. Each time she moved, he shot up to see if she needed something, but he must’ve fallen asleep at some point, because he woke to her fingers running through his hair and a smile.
“You could’ve crawled underneath the covers. You look like Morticia Addams like that.”
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled over to face her. “How you feeling? Any contractions?”
“No. They seemed to have stopped completely.”
“Can I get you anything?” he asked.
“No. I wish I could take a shower or a bath, but she wants me to remain in bed except for bathroom breaks for the next few days. I might run you out of the room with my stench, though.” She chuckled.
The light in her eyes flickered. He savored the glint of the old Kat, and he wanted more of her. “Wait here.”
“Where else am I going to wait?” She winked.
He went to the kitchen and retrieved a large bowl, ignoring Mrs. Stein’s inquisitive eyebrow raise. He returned to the bathroom for a washcloth and soap, and then he went to Kat’s bedside. “It won’t be a real bath, but we can get you refreshed a little.”
“You’re too good to me. You know that, right?” Kat tugged him down to the bed by her side. “I’m sorry for everything. The hormones, the crying, the anger, my mother. I guess I can see why you wouldn’t want to marry this version of a woman.”
He wanted to work things out between them here and now, but she looked pale and weak still. Her mother’s words echoed in his head with warning. Had Kat changed her mind because she was pregnant? Was it hormones? Nesting, like he’d read about in one of the books?
They needed to talk to figure out if Kat wanted to marry him for love or because of some maternal instinct or because it was the expected thing to do.