Chapter 16
16
B ellamy paced in the waiting room of the emergency department. His biceps throbbed. He freaking hated stitches.
But he hated being kicked out of Octavia’s exam room even more.
“Would you relax?” Ethan said.
“Seriously, you’re making me nuts with all that stomping.” Rusty leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “The only reason the doctor asked you to leave was because you were being an overbearing asshole.”
“I was not, and you weren’t even there,” Bellamy muttered.
“Doesn’t matter. We know you.” Cooper slapped him on the back and handed him a water. “Besides, I’m sure she’s fine. Even if she does have a concussion, it’s minor. ”
“Even I agree with him,” Claudius said from the small table and chairs by the big doors into the ER. He sat there quietly playing solitaire.
That wasn’t where Bellamy’s mind had wandered. The doctor had mentioned doing a blood test could give a false negative because it might be too early, but he was happy to perform one. However, Octavia was adamant that she wanted to wait a week.
Bellamy wanted her to do it now, and that’s when the discussion took a turn for the worse, and the doctor asked Bellamy to step outside.
That was an hour ago.
“I just hate hospitals.” Bellamy twisted the cap off the water and chugged. “I appreciate you guys coming and hanging, but there’s no reason for you to stay.”
Claudius glanced up. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I didn’t mean you,” Bellamy said.
“Are you telling the rest of us to leave?” Ethan lowered his chin. “Because that’s just not cool.”
Bellamy chuckled. “I’m giving you the option.”
“We’ll wait until the doctor comes and gets you.” Rusty nodded. “You know the rule, we don’t leave a man down.”
“Ride or die,” Cooper said.
Bellamy tapped his chest. These were his brothers. His family.
But Octavia was his heart. His soul .
“What if I needed help with a big romantic grand gesture?” Bellamy sat in the chair across from Claudius. For years, he kept things at a snail’s pace regarding Octavia. He figured he had the rest of his life.
However, that’s not how things turned out.
He couldn’t make the same mistake twice.
But what he was thinking was crazy. It was moving at lightning speed.
Perhaps that’s exactly what they needed.
Claudius glanced up over his cards and cocked his head. His lips curved into a smile.
As if he knew what Bellamy had planned.
“Excuse me?” Cooper pulled up a chair and straddled it. “What do you mean by that?”
“Yeah. I’d like an explanation.” Rusty pushed from the wall. “Since when are you a hopeless romantic?”
“I’m not,” Bellamy said. “But I’m not screwing this up again.” He glanced up. “Are you assholes in or out?”
“Oh, we’re in,” all three men said at once.
“Good. I’ll shoot you a text with what I want you to do. Now get out of here,” he said.
“That’s it?” Cooper asked. “You’re going to make us walk out that door and wait for instructions.”
Bellamy nodded and pointed toward the door .
His three brothers-in-arms strolled toward the exit without saying another word.
He’d be lost without those men in his life.
“So, want to fill me in?” Claudius set the cards on the table, leaned back, and folded his arms across his chest.
“I should have done this years ago.” Bellamy raked a hand through his hair. “She’s probably going to say no. Or maybe not right now. Because this is going so freaking fast I can’t think straight. But I love her. I always have and I want to marry her.”
“Are you trying to be a gentleman and ask for her hand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, it’s about bloody time.” Claudius gave him a little punch in the shoulder. “She’s not going to say no.”
“I wish I was that confident.”
The main doors to the exam rooms swished open and the doctor strolled through.
It was time to start the rest of his life.
“Are you sure?” Octavia hugged her father. “You know Bellamy has plenty of room. You don’t have to go stay at a hotel.”
“I know, baby girl.” He kissed her cheek. “But I do need to be on that flight tomorrow morning with Agent Adams. There’s a lot of work to be done back at the office. The fallout from what Eric has done will require my presence, and I can’t put it off.” He held her by the forearms. “Besides, you and Bellamy have something important to discuss.” He arched a brow. “You are going to tell him, aren’t you?”
“Eventually,” she managed.
He lowered his chin. “It would be best if you told him now. This isn’t the kind of thing that should wait.”
“I know, but a lot has happened and I haven’t even processed any of it. I need time.”
“The only time you need is alone time with Bellamy, which is why I’m leaving. I’ll be back as soon as I can wrap things up in a nice bow, and I’ll be sure to stay for a couple of weeks.”
Octavia sighed. “I understand, but I’ll miss you.”
“Oh, I’ll miss you too, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll call you as soon as I get to Virginia.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“Right back at you.”
She watched her father stroll down the driveway toward his SUV. He stopped at the driver’s door and waved before climbing in and driving off.
The front door squeaked open. Tucker and Roxy appeared at her side. Roxy plopped at her feet and Tucker sat by the steps and sighed.
Bellamy looped his arm around her shoulders. “How are you holding up?”
She glanced at the night sky. It was approaching the midnight hour. She yawned. “I honestly have no idea.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I’m a little scared to go back inside.”
“Come on, I have a little surprise for you.” He took her by the hand and guided her into the house.
Holding her breath, she glanced toward the family room and gasped. “Oh my,” she whispered. “How did you manage to get this place cleaned up?”
“Cooper, Ethan, and Rusty came over and did it.” He waved his hand. “They couldn’t get all the blood out of the rug, so I told them to toss it. I kind of want to get a new sofa now because of all that went down, but I don’t think you can tell anything happened here.”
She swallowed, trying to push the ugly memories from her mind.
Bellamy wrapped his arm around her and held her close. “It will take some time for you to forget.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.” She glanced up. “I took the name of a therapist from the doctor at the ER. I plan on calling in the morning.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” He palmed her cheek. “You most likely will have nightmares. ”
“I’ve had those for five years,” she whispered. “But I suspect the ones I’ve been having will be gone.”
“I don’t mean to keep bringing this up, but they could be replaced by what you experienced here tonight.” He brushed his mouth over her lips. “And if you want, we can still go to a hotel. I don’t mind. There’s one not far from here that will take the dogs. My cats will be okay for the night.”
“No.” She shook her head. “This is your home and if I’m going to stay in Hawaii for a few weeks, or even months, this is where I want to be.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” He smiled. “I have another surprise.”
“You can’t be serious?”
“But I am.” He tugged her toward the stairs. The dogs dashed past them.
She laughed. “I bet those buggers are ready for some sleep.”
“They’re very confused about why they were at the ranch all day and my cats are all hiding. They’ve never been out of my house, so going over to Waylen and Presley’s for the day might have traumatized them.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing we’re not leaving for the night.”
“All I want is for you to be happy and comfortable.”
He was making it so hard for her to keep her news to herself. She couldn’t believe it when the doctor had come back in to tell her the results of the blood test.
She’d even asked him if it was possible he had the wrong patient.
But sure enough, it was true.
She was pregnant.
She wanted to tell Bellamy. She really did. But she’d miscarried her first child so soon after finding out that she didn’t want to go through that again.
But if she didn’t tell him, and she lost the baby, he’d not only be sad and hurt, but he’d be mad.
And rightfully so.
This was their new beginning. Their fresh start.
A second chance to do everything differently.
He pushed open the bedroom door. “I had some help from the guys.”
“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth. Both nightstands had a bouquet of daisies. So did the dresser. On the center of the bed was a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries. “You asked your buddies to do this?”
“They have been busting my chops all night, especially Cooper, reminding me of how I asked you to prom and how lame that was.”
Tears burned her eyes. “It wasn’t lame at all. It’s who you are.” She turned. “I’m not sure who this man is. ”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring. “The man who doesn’t want to ever risk losing you again.” He took her hand and placed the ring on her finger. “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much.”
“This is crazy.”
“No. What was crazy was me letting you go eight years ago. I’ve been a miserable bastard ever since.”
She held up the ring and wiggled her fingers. “It fits.”
“If you don’t like it, we can get a?—”
She cupped his mouth. “I love it and I love you.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It is.”
He scooped her up in his arms and twirled her around.
Both dogs barked as if they were in agreement.
“Put me down,” she said. “I have a couple of things to say.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” He set her on the bed, pushing the dogs to the side, and sat next to her. “What’s on your mind?”
“First, I don’t want to race off to the chapel, so no quickie wedding.”
“I can be somewhat patient, but what about if you’re pregnant?” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “Won’t you want to get married before you start showing?”
This was going to get interesting real fast and she was going to have fun with it. For the first time in five years, her life was her own. “I don’t care if I waddle down the aisle like a penguin. I want to take my time planning my wedding. It’s the only one I will ever have.”
“Good to know.”
“Do you care?”
“About what?”
“If I’m all fat and can’t see my toes when we get married?”
He tilted her chin with his thumb. “You’d be pregnant, not fat. Big difference.”
“Not what I asked.”
“No. I wouldn’t care, but we don’t even know yet because someone wouldn’t take a blood test.”
She bit down on her lower lip.
He jerked his head back. “Jesus, O. You took the test.”
“Sorry, but you were being so weird about it and the guys were right out in the hallway and that’s another thing. I don’t want anyone to know until we get past the point where I could miscarry.”
“Wait. What? You already have the results.” He jumped from the bed, but must have miscalculated his footing, because he landed on the floor with a thud. “Jeez, that hurt. ”
She slid to the floor. “Are you okay?”
“Oh. I’m fine. Just a bruised ego and tailbone.” He stared into her eyes. “A baby?”
She nodded.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Roxy jumped off the bed and rested her head in Octavia’s lap.
“Hear that, Roxy? I’m gonna be a…” He blinked. His jaw dropped open.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m going to be a father. To a human,” he whispered. “I think I need a drink.”
“Just remember you can’t toss commands around at a child like you do the dogs. It doesn’t work that way.” She laughed, resting her head on his shoulder and snuggling closer.
She’d waited five long years to come home.
Being in Bellamy’s arms was where she belonged and she would never leave them again.