Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Damien
I stepped off the elevator and stared at the wall, lined with thirty boxes ready to be picked up. I hoped Willa would like that space so my penthouse could return to normal because soon enough, I’d be walking into baby items and toys lying all over the place.
“You’re home.” Willa smiled.
Setting down my briefcase, I wrapped my arms around her.
“How was your day?” I kissed her.
“As you can see, I’ve been very busy.”
“You look exhausted.” I hooked my arm around her as we walked to the bedroom so I could change out of my suit.
“I am. How was your day?”
“It was good. No complaints. I told Uncle Kroy about the baby.”
“Oh yeah?” She smiled. “What did he say?”
“He’s happy for us.”
Suddenly, a weird look crossed her face. “I’ll be right back.” She went into the bathroom. When she came out, she was as pale as a ghost.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m bleeding, Damien.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Let’s go. I’m taking you to the hospital.” I pulled out my phone and called Louis.
I helped her into the car, and Louis drove us as fast as he could to the hospital. When I told the woman behind the desk what was happening, they immediately sent Willa up to the OB unit and hooked her up to a fetal monitor.
I gripped her hand as I heard our baby’s heartbeat for the first time.
“I can’t lose our baby, Damien. I already love him or her.” Tears streamed down Willa’s face.
“You’re not going to.” I kissed her forehead.
Dr. Cassidy walked in, ran some tests, and performed an ultrasound. I couldn’t believe how much our child had grown since the last ultrasound.
“The baby is fine.” She smiled. “It’s not uncommon to have some bleeding early in pregnancy. But you did right by coming to the hospital. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Have you been under a great deal of stress, Willa?”
“I wouldn’t say stress. I’ve been working a lot.”
“Well, I want you to stop working and rest for the next couple of weeks.”
“But—”
“You heard what Dr. Cassidy said.” I squeezed her hand.
“I mean it, Willa. You need to rest.”
“I will.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “I’m going to have the nurse come in and draw some blood for routine tests. Once the results come back, I’ll discharge you.”
“Thank you, Dr. Cassidy.” I smiled. “Damien, I have so much work to do.”
“Listen to me.” I stroked her forehead. “I’ll get you help. The only important thing here is our baby.”
“I know.”
The despair in her eyes made my heart ache. She was worried about the baby and her business.
“Willa, you have changed my life, and I’m so in love with you.”
“You are?” The corners of her mouth lifted.
“Yes.” I chuckled. “I think you already knew that.”
She raised her hand and brought it to my cheek. “I’m in love with you, too, Damien. What took you so long?”
“I’ve rehearsed it a thousand times. I was afraid. Not afraid of loving you—that was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I was afraid of what loving you meant. My mother was my father’s life. He’d built his entire world around her. He told me that after he found out about the affair, there was nothing left of him. That’s the reason he never remarried. He promised himself he’d never be that vulnerable again. And that’s when I promised myself the same. I was afraid things would fall apart if I told you I loved you.”
“I would never let that happen.” She smiled. “You’re the biggest accident of my life, Mr. Blackwood.”
“And you’re the biggest, most beautiful accident of my life. And now we’re going to have a beautiful accidental baby that will turn our lives upside down.”
“That’s for sure.” She laughed.
“I love you so much, Willa.” I leaned over and softly kissed her lips.
“I love you, too, Damien.”
The following morning, I got up and showered for work. Willa was still sound asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. After dressing, I went into the kitchen and brewed a cup of coffee. The elevator dinged, and Connie walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Damien.”
“Good morning, Connie.”
“Where’s Willa?”
“She’s still sleeping. We had a scare last night. I had to take her to the ER.”
“Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Both are fine. The doctor told her she needs to stop working so hard and rest. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to help Willa with her orders, temporarily. I’m going to send Christine over today to help. I will increase your pay for helping me out with this.”
“You don’t have to do that, Damien. I’m more than happy to help.”
“I appreciate it, Connie, but you will be compensated. I have to get to the office.” I kissed her cheek. “Tell Willa I love her and didn’t want to wake her up.”
“So you finally told her?” She smirked.
“I did. And she loves me too.” I grinned.
“Well, I love you both.” She hugged me.
“Oh, make sure she’s dressed and ready to go at twelve thirty. Louis will be picking her up.”
“For?”
“I may have found a shop for her business. But don’t tell her. I want it to be a surprise.”
When I arrived at the office, I called Christine into my office.
“Yes, boss?”
“I need you to spend the day at my penthouse, helping Connie fulfil orders for Willa’s business. In your next check, there will be a large bonus.” My brow arched.
“I’d be happy to.” She smiled.
“I appreciate it, Christine. Thank you.”
I had a meeting across town and then took a cab to 321 Greenwich Street. A few moments after I arrived, Louis pulled up. Opening the door, I extended my hand and helped my wife from the car.
“Hi.” I smiled, kissing her lips.
“Hi. I didn’t appreciate you leaving this morning without kissing me goodbye.”
“I didn’t want to wake you up. You need the rest.”
“I need your kisses more.” She smiled.
“And you’ll have a lifetime of kisses from me. Don’t you worry.”
“What are we doing here? What is this place?”
“Grant will be here soon, and I’ll show you.”
Grant showed up a few moments later, and I introduced him to Willa. After shaking hands, he unlocked the door, and I led Willa inside.
“This is nice.” She looked around. “What is it?”
“A storefront for Curated Chaos. That’s if you like it.” I smiled.
“What?” She cocked her head, a confused look on her face.
“I looked over your numbers and plugged in some others. This business is very profitable, and it’s time you expanded.”
“Are you serious? Because it isn’t nice to screw with a pregnant woman.”
“I’m dead serious.” I chuckled. “It’s yours if you want it. My company will buy the building, and you can set up shop.”
“Damien told me what your business is, and I think this is the perfect location for Curated Chaos,” Grant said.
“Damien.” She threw her arms around me. I love it so much!”
I winked at Grant. “I’m happy you love it. So, can I give Grant the green light?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She planted tiny kisses across my face.
“You heard the beautiful woman, Grant. We’re buying the building.”
“Excellent. I’ll call Chris and let him know.”