Robyn Donald - Finding Her Prince

“If there had been anything to tell you, I would have. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m supposed to stay off my feet. And not worry about anything—” Her voice caught and she put a hand over her mouth.

Nathan swore under his breath as he lifted her into his arms and shouldered the door closed.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Getting you off your feet.” He looked around the room. There was a small sofa, a wooden rocking chair and not much else. “I’m taking you to bed.”

“Put me down.” There was an edge to her voice.

“I didn’t mean that.” Not really. Not now that the pregnancy had turned risky. But before this, the thought had crossed his mind more than once. “That didn’t come out right. I’m going to put you in bed.”

“The love seat is fine.”

He glanced at it, a green overstuffed little sofa with tiny yellow and coral flowers. The first time he’d been here, having Cindy had been his only focus. Then he found out the condom broke and other details about the room disappeared. Now he took it all in.

The floor was wood, a medium-tone pine. A stand in the corner of the room held a small old TV. By the front door was a tiny mahogany occasional table with a mirror above it, right next to where he’d backed her against the wall and taken her. A bed would have been nice, but he couldn’t wait. And he couldn’t regret the most mind-blowing sex ever. Now there was going to be a baby. His responsibility was to take care of the mother in his arms.

That was why he was here. Because of the child.

In front of the love seat there was a cedar chest with a coaster and a glass of water. Five wadded-up tissues were scattered over the scratched and scarred top of the wood. She had been crying.

He walked over to the love seat and gently set her down. Now he felt the need to do more. To fix something. “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Did you eat lunch?”

“A little.”

That didn’t sound good. “I’ll fix you something.”

“I haven’t been to the grocery store.” Her eyes filled with tears again.

Nathan moved the glass out of the way, handed her a tissue, then sat on the cedar chest across from her. “Talk to me, Cindy.”

She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. “I’d just finished my assignment in the NICU and started cramping.”

He knew from Dina that there’d been a confrontation with one of the NICU nurses just before Cindy doubled over. That made him want to put his fist through the wall. She had tried to tell him, but he’d blown her off.

“Go on.”

“The pains wouldn’t go away and I got scared and called the doctor. She did a thorough exam and said everything looks okay. That probably extreme tension caused the episode. Then she said to be on the safe side I should stay off my feet for a few weeks. Then we’ll reevaluate after the pregnancy stabilizes.”

He nodded. All good advice. Err on the side of caution. Every doctor takes an oath and vows to “first do no harm.” “Then rest is what you should do.”

“In a perfect world,” she cried.

“You’re not seriously thinking about ignoring her advice.”

“No, but—”

“What?” he demanded.

“The Family Medical Leave Act will preserve my job, but if I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Without money I can’t pay my bills. I’m terrified for the baby, but what am I going to do?”

“First, you’re going to calm down,” he said, concerned that she was working herself up. “Then you’re going to let me help you.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“I can afford it.” Chump change for him.

“This isn’t your problem. It’s mine,” she protested.

“You didn’t get pregnant by yourself. I want to do something.”

“I’ll figure it out. But I appreciate the offer. Really.” She reached over and touched his hand.

His skin burned where her fingers squeezed, and the contact threatened to fry his concentration. He shook his head and struggled to focus. She needed his help. Because not working would give her lots of time to stress over everything she couldn’t pay. But if he’d learned anything since getting to know her it was that stubborn was her middle name. Picking a fight over how he could help wouldn’t be following her doctor’s orders. So he had a better idea.

“You’ll move in with me,” he said. “The pantry, fridge and freezer are full. You can eat pickles and ice cream to your heart’s content. I’m in and out, but I can monitor your condition—”

“No.”

Nathan waited for more and when she didn’t elaborate, he tried to figure out what was going through her mind. “I have lots of room.”

“It’s not about that.” She folded her hands in her lap.

“Then what’s wrong with the plan?”

“So many things, so little time.” Her answer was no answer at all.

Nathan stared at her—the big, beautiful eyes looked bruised and battered. Her full mouth with its defined upper lip trembled. The escalating need to pull her into his arms made him increasingly uncomfortable. But it wasn’t just because he wanted to comfort her. The truth was that if she wasn’t on doctor-ordered bed rest, he might have carried her to bed and made love to her properly.

Her spirit and courage in the face of adversity were admirable and he should be grateful that she was giving him an out. Every instinct he had urged him to take it and run like hell, but he wouldn’t turn his back on his kid, like his parents had with him. He was determined to be there and make the environment safe for his child.

To do that, he had to first of all not argue with the woman carrying that child. She’d drawn a line in the sand, so he had to find a way around it.

“Okay. We’ll stay here then.”

Some of the bruising left her eyes when suspicion replaced it. “We?”

“You won’t come to my house and I’m not leaving you alone. That means I’m not leaving.”

“You can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t invite you,” she said.

“With all due respect,” he answered, “how are you planning to stop me?”

“Logistics for one thing.” She folded her arms over her chest. “There’s nowhere for you to sleep. Certainly not in my room.”

“Never crossed my mind,” he lied.

“And the other two bedrooms are set up for an office and storage.”

He shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy. Been taking care of myself for a long time.”

“Nathan, no—”

He shushed her with a finger to her lips, and the touch seemed to shock her into silence. “You’re not supposed to worry. So, forgive my bluntness, but shut up and relax.”

Three days later Cindy wasn’t exactly relaxed, but that was less about pregnancy and more about Nathan invading her space. It was early in the morning and she was still in bed, putting off getting up because she knew he was still there. Nathan had spent every moment he wasn’t at the hospital in her house. Every morning since he’d refused to go away she’d walked out of her bedroom and peeked into the living room expecting him to be gone. And every day he wasn’t.

Yet she knew he couldn’t keep this up. He was a guy. Sooner or later he’d get bored with her as his latest charity case and bail. She wished he would get it over with—before she got used to him. Before it would hurt like crazy when she found out she’d been right, before she was alone again and less prepared to be that way.

Maybe she was borrowing trouble. Maybe today was the day he’d be gone. Today would be okay because she was ready for it, expecting him to disappear.

She threw the sheet off and slid out of the queen-size bed. After stopping in the bathroom, she tiptoed down the hall and through the kitchen. Peeking around the corner, she first saw his feet, then the rest of him dressed only in boxers. There was a sheet on the couch and he was still asleep, but probably that was from complete exhaustion. The sofa wasn’t anywhere big enough to accommodate him, yet there he still was.