15. Nash
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NASH
C limbing out of bed, I walk over to my bag on the dresser and pull out a clean shirt and a pair of pants. I’ve been living out of a duffle bag since I’ve been staying with Riley—only going to my house to do my laundry and swap out dirty clothes for clean ones. When I wasn’t able to put weight on my ankle, I was staying on the couch. After that, she moved me into her spare room across the hall from the nursery.
I open my door, stepping through the threshold just as Riley comes out of her room, completely dressed for the day. Normally she doesn’t leave this early for the flower shop, so I’m a little surprised. As I pause in the doorway, lifting my arms to grab the top of the doorframe, a smile lifts my lips as I look at her. “Where are you off to already?”
“I have an appointment with my ob-gyn this morning. It wasn’t supposed to be until closer to lunchtime, but they called as soon as the office opened and asked if I could reschedule.”
“What time do you have to be there?”
Riley pulls her phone out of her back pocket, her finger pressing on the button on the side to unlock her screen. She looks back at me, a smile dancing across her perfect lips. “I have to be there in thirty-five minutes.”
“Give me, like, ten and I’ll drive you.”
Her eyebrows scrunch together. “What? No,” she says with a soft laugh as she shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that, Nash.”
I tilt my head to the side, dropping my arms. “Do you not want me to? I don’t have to come in.”
Her expression softens as her eyes slowly search mine. “You would come in if I wanted you to?”
“Of course I would,” I admit without any hesitation. I went to some of Nova’s appointments with her while she was pregnant with Posey because I didn’t want her to be alone. The same goes for Riley… although the situation is vastly different.
I want to be a part of Riley’s life more than I’ve ever wanted anything. Maybe even more than I wanted hockey.
“That would be nice,” she says softly, a hopefulness consuming her expression. “Nova came to some of my early appointments, but other than that, it’s just been me.”
Moving away from the doorway, I step into the hall, entering her space as I lift my hand to cup the side of her face. “It doesn’t have to be just you anymore. I’m here, Riley. I want to come with you, but only if you want me there.”
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, biting down as emotion passes through her irises. “I want you there, Nash.”
“That’s my girl,” I murmur, the pad of my thumb stroking her cheek. Riley inhales sharply, her eyes wide as they flash to mine. I watch hues of pink dancing across the tops of her cheeks and she bites back a grin and moves to walk past me.
I resist the urge to push her up against the wall and instead, I let her pass.
“I’ll meet you downstairs,” she calls over her shoulder as she makes a quick dash—or more like a waddle—to the stairs. I watch her until she disappears, a little confused by her quickly getting away, but also satisfied that I have that effect on her.
I head into the bathroom to get on with my morning routine and after brushing my teeth, I make my way down into the kitchen where I find her sitting at the island. She’s reading a novel I’ve been seeing her carry around for the past week.
“Whatcha reading?”
Riley looks up at me, a blush drifting across her high cheekbones once more as she slides her bookmark between the pages and carefully closes it. “Just some silly little romance book.”
I plant my hands on the counter and lean on them. “Is it spicy?”
“What do you know about spicy books?” she questions me, her eyes narrowing slightly.
I push away from the counter, shrugging as I walk over to the fridge and pull out a bottle of water. “I’ve heard they’ve been helping people figure out different things they like.” I pause, giving her a look of indifference. “You know, different kinks and stuff.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Who told you that?”
A chuckle escapes me as I twist off the cap and take a swig. “It’s not a secret, Ry. A lot of people talk about it. Especially the guys on the team whose girls are into reading.” I pause, my gaze roaming across her face before resting on her eyes once more. “Have they helped you figure out anything you might be into?”
She cocks her head, her eyebrows drawing inward. “I’m not answering that,” she says in a rush as she gets up from her seat and pushes in the chair.
“Because you don’t want me to know or because you’re afraid what might happen if I know?”
She steps directly in front of me, challenging me head-on, and goddamn my cock twitches. “Maybe it’s neither or maybe it’s both.” She winks, biting back a grin before she turns away and starts to walk toward the living room. She glances over her shoulder at me, waving for me to follow. “Let’s go before we’re late.”
***
Standing to the side of the bed, I stare down at Riley, watching the doctor squirt lube onto Riley’s stomach. She lets out a soft laugh, glancing up at me with her smile reaching her eyes. Instinctively, I take another step closer, moving until the fronts of my thighs touch the table.
“Who did you bring along today?” the doctor asks Riley as she presses the receiver attached to a small device and begins to move it through the lube.
“This is Nash,” she tells the doctor, looking at the middle-aged woman with her smile still wide. “He’s been keeping me company and making sure I’m not overdoing things.”
“And feeding her all the enchiladas money can buy,” I add, winking at her as she glances at me.
Riley laughs again. “Yes, can’t forget that.”
“Well, you sound like quite the keeper,” the doctor says as she glances at me and back at Riley’s stomach. She moves the wand around until a loud whooshing sound begins to come through the speaker attached to the device. “There’s the little guy. He was trying to hide from me.”
My eyes widen, amazement and wonderment flooding me as I stare down at Riley’s stomach. My gaze quickly flashes to hers. “Is that him?”
She nods, rolling her lips between her teeth before her tongue darts out to wet them. “That’s him.”
“Holy shit,” I breathe, my hand instinctively finding hers. “This is wild.”
“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” The doctor looks up at me, a smile on her face as she moves the wand around. “He sounds perfect, Riley.”
I watch as she pulls the wand away and wipes the goo from Riley’s stomach. The sound of his heartbeat is stamped in my mind, stored away in my brain for safekeeping. I can’t believe it—I can’t believe I got to hear him. Something about this moment makes things that much more real. In a few short months, he’ll be gracing us all with his presence.
My hand doesn’t leave Riley’s as the doctor measures her stomach and gives her a once-over, making sure everything is good.
“You’re measuring right on track and everything else seems to be good. Your swelling hasn’t gotten any worse, so that’s a good sign. We anticipate seeing a bit as you progress and although you started to swell early, whatever you’re doing has helped it to even out for now.”
“You can thank this guy.” Riley grins as she squeezes my hand. “He’s been my saving grace lately.”
“Well, I’d suggest you keep him around,” she replies with a wink. Something in her expression shifts and her face slides into a neutral one, giving nothing away. “Your blood pressure is still higher than your baseline, so I think I’d like to start you on medication for it as a precautionary measure. We want to keep you and the baby safe for the duration of your pregnancy.” She pauses, her lips pursing for a second. “Although he would survive if he came now, our goal is to keep him in as long as we can.”
“What could be causing her blood pressure to be higher?”
The doctor sits upright on her stool, her head tilting back to look at me. “The cause of hypertension is still a mystery. We know of risk factors, but Riley has none of them. Other than PoTS, she’s completely healthy.” She pauses, looking at Riley and back to me. “She’s at risk of developing preeclampsia, which can be a life-threatening condition marked by high blood pressure. We’re monitoring her closely so we can catch it early if that is the case.”
What the hell?
Why hasn’t Riley told me any of this? When she said her blood pressure has been a little higher, she didn’t once clue me in on the severity of it. She didn’t explain what could really happen.
“Did you know all of this?” I ask Riley, my eyes desperately searching hers.
She nods. “They explained it to me when they first noticed my blood pressure.” She pauses, squeezing my hand again. “They’ve been great about monitoring everything.”
I believe her, but at the same time, I want to know more. I want to know everything. What actually happens? What can happen? The good, the bad, and everything I need to be keeping an eye out for.
“What can I do to help keep her safe?”
The doctor smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Unfortunately, there’s no way to prevent it from progressing. At this point, making sure she takes the medication I’m prescribing her and that she doesn’t overdo it. I would also like you to start taking note of your blood pressure daily at home,” she adds in to Riley.
“And the medication won’t hurt the baby?”
“She wouldn’t give me something that would harm him,” Riley tells me, her voice soft.
I look directly at the doctor, waiting for an answer from her.
“It will not hurt him,” she assures me, nodding with amusement in her eyes. “While we do prioritize the health of the mother, we will not put the baby at risk unless it is our last possible option.”
Relief overwhelms me at the thought of the medication not harming him, but I don’t like her last sentence. Actually, it just leaves me feeling conflicted, which has my stomach knotting itself. I like that they prioritize her and at the same time, don’t like that the baby is secondary. It’s quite conflicting. Without Riley, there is no baby and I would be lying if I said she hasn’t become extremely important to me.
Her survival is vital… even if it puts the baby at risk.
“Are we good to go then?” Riley asks the doctor as she moves to sit up. I quickly release her hand, sliding my arm around her back to help her into a seated position.
The doctor looks back and forth between us as she bites back a grin. “Yep.” She nods, standing up from her stool. “I want to see you back in two weeks.” She looks directly at me. “I’m counting on you to take care of her.”
“I will,” I nod, promising her as Riley and I stand up together, “I promise I’ll keep her safe.” Her hand instantly finds mine and I glance down at her, my chest constricting.
I’ll always take care of her and she’ll always be safe with me…
They both will.