Chapter 12
Twelve
H e’d heard something in her breathing change as Evie stood, and his heart clenched watching her body sway. A moan ripped from her throat and an instant later Sam was reaching for her, steadying her before she collapsed to the ground. He lifted her up and rushed towards the sofa.
“Don’t do this to me, Bluebell. Come on.” His hand swept her hair away from her face as her eyes struggled to focus on him.
“Sam?” Evie’s voice sounded weak, but she was clearly coming back around.
“Shh sweetheart, you almost passed out.” He crouched down to rest his hand on her arm.
“I did? God, I’m dizzy.”
“Just rest. I’m going to call your doctor’s office and see if we need to get you to the hospital.”
“No!” She sat up, her eyes rolling into the back of her head with a groan. He pressed her back onto the sofa.
“Don’t argue. Just breathe. You scared the fucking life out of me, Bluebell. ”
“Please, don’t bother them. I’m fine. It’s just my blood sugar.”
“When was the last time you had anything to eat?”
She groaned. “This morning.”
“Evie! This morning? What did you have?”
“Breakfast.”
Sam stopped himself from growling at her evasive answer. “And that was?”
“A bowl of oatmeal.”
He stared at her in horror. She wasn’t eating enough, even after the fainting spell and Jake warning her about her low blood sugars levels.
Sam didn’t care if it was overbearing, he’d make sure she was eating enough from then on. He moved into her kitchen and poured her a drink as he grabbed the food he’d brought with him. He should kick his own fucking ass for forgetting to make sure she ate.
“Christ, Bluebell! You can’t just barely eat breakfast and think that’s going to get you through the day.”
Sam helped her sit up against the arm rest and handed her the glass of orange juice.
“I’m not a big breakfast person.”
“Are you not a big lunch or dinner person either?”
She looked at him with big doe eyes and cringed.
“I-I couldn’t eat after I looked at the ledgers. It made me sick to think I was going to lose everything again.”
Sighing, Sam ran his hands through his hair before he reached out and covered her hands with his.
“Evie, you heard Jake last week. Low blood sugar is serious. You need to start taking better care of yourself. Your top priority needs to be your health and the baby’s too. Okay? I can’t have you passing out on the ranch.”
“I didn’t. I passed out on the side of the road, and almost passed out in my apartment. You aren’t responsible for me at either of those places.”
Evie must have made up her mind, because she launched herself off the couch and wobbled for only a second before turning an unnatural shade of green. Sam held her waist and gently pushed her back onto the sofa.
“Could you pass me those crackers, please.”
“Here.” He opened the package sitting on her coffee table and held it out towards her, praying she would feel better once something got into her stomach.
She chewed one damn cracker so slowly he was about to yell again, but the color was returning to her cheeks, so that had to be a sign things were turning around.
“I need to step out for one minute, are you okay to sit here by yourself?”
“I’m a fully grown woman, Sam,” she snapped.
“I am well aware of that Evie, I just want to make sure you aren’t going to pass out again while I’m gone and injure yourself.”
He watched her push her back into the sofa and close her eyes.
“I’ll be fine. You should probably just go anyway. It’s late and I need to go to bed.”
“Yeah, well, I need to make sure you’re okay. Rest for a minute. I’m not going anywhere.”
She wanted to argue and tell Sam to leave, that she was fine and didn’t need anyone’s help. But there was something so comforting about the way he’d listened to her about the missing money. He hadn’t jumped to conclusions. And he’d been genuinely concerned about her and the baby.
The crackers had revived her enough that she felt okay about testing her legs and balance. She felt Sam’s doubt-filled gaze scrutinizing her, but she wasn’t about to give the stubborn cowboy anything to be worried about.
“You sure you’re okay to be up and about?”
“I’m fine.” Her legs felt a bit wobbly, but they would get her to the kitchen and back just fine she figured. There was a bit of cheese in the refrigerator that had been calling her name for the past few minutes, and since her stomach didn’t seem to revolt with the crackers, she was willing to give it a go.
Evie shuffled into the kitchen. The cool air that greeted her as she scoped out her loot was refreshing. Yep, she was going to be just fine. Leave it to the cranky cowboy to overreact about a little dizzy spell. Her hand jolted as she pulled the cheese from the fridge, sending her pickle jar crashing towards the ground. Pickle juice and glass shot in every direction around her.
“Evie?”
She stood to let Sam know she was okay, but regretted that decision faster than the pickle juice flowed out of the broken jar. The kitchen dissolved from her view as blackness crept back in. Her stomach lurched and she would have fallen again if not for strong, warm hands holding onto her waist.
“Hey now. Let’s not have you pass out on me again.”
Sweeping her up into his arms, Sam brought her back to the living room and set her down on the sofa.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes. I just stood too quickly.”
“I’m going to go clean that up. Don’t move until I’m back. And for the love of God, please try to eat something else.”
“I meant what I said before Sam, you don’t need to stay,” she protested.
She watched as he stomped over to the counter and grabbed a plate from one of the bags he’d brought with him.
“Eat this.” He shoved the plate at her. “The nurse on the call in line said we need to get your blood sugar up, otherwise you will need to go and be seen. And I’m staying until you can stand for more than a second without doing the worst baby deer impression I’ve ever seen.”
“Surely, you mean best, because they are wobbly on their new little legs.”
“Whatever,” he grumbled. “I’m staying until I know you’re okay.”
She lifted the cake with her fingers and took a big bite to spite him. Oh god. Her eyes rolled and a soft moan escaped from between her lips as the zesty lemon cake melted in her mouth. It was, quite possibly, the best thing she had ever tasted.
“Good?” Sam choked out as she stifled a laugh.
“Maybe the best damn thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.” She winked.
Silence filled the apartment as Sam went back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up her mess. She didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed with mischief when she accidentally let another moan slip past her lips. The cake was so moist and the perfect balance of sweet and tart that it was almost as good as an orgasm. Almost.
Jellybean seemed to be enjoying all the sugar, too. The baby was practically doing a line dance in her belly.
“Thank you for calling my doctor.” Evie placed the plate down on the coffee table and sat back against the stiff pillows on the sofa.
“I don’t know how you’re so calm.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and shook his head.
“Cowboy, I’m fi?—”
“I swear to…” He pressed his fingers into the corners of his eyes, and aside from the day she’d first fainted on the side of the road, she couldn’t remember seeing him ever that stressed.
He crouched down in front of her, his eyes filled with so much concern that Evie had to glance back at her empty plate to avoid thinking about how much his worry affected her.
“Maybe we should think about calling Jake. How can you be so sure she’s okay?”
“Because I can feel her dancing on my bladder right now.”
“Really?” His eyes dropped to where her hand laid over her belly.
She probably shouldn’t ask. It was crossing a line, but goodness, she just wanted a little bit of comfort in that moment. So she caved.
“Yes. She’s really active right now. Probably excited for the lemon cake to start flowing through the umbilical cord.” Evie pressed her lips together before allowing a small, hopeful smile to sneak out. “Would you like to feel?”
“Yes.” His eyes went wide. “I mean, would that be okay?”
Without answering, Evie took Sam’s warm hand and moved her body back on the sofa, tilting her hips out a bit in order to place his hand low on her belly. Her stomach fluttered with how perfectly her rounded bump fit into the palm of his hand.
He stared at the spot where his hand rested on her shirt, waiting.
And waiting.
Evie held her breath, willing the baby to move so she could see the reaction on Sam’s face. Something pulled in her heart, a tiny hope that maybe he would share her awe over the little miracle in her belly.
“Come on little one,” he whispered.
When she was just about to give up, it happened. The faintest little roll.
“Oh wow.” As soon as she’d felt the baby move, Evie knew he’d be able to feel it too.
“I think she likes the sound of your voice,” she chuckled.
“You do? ”
“Yeah. She’s always fluttering about in there when you talk to me. I think she tends to nap when it’s just her and me. She seems to save all her energy for you.”
His eyebrow raised as his eyes went back to her belly. “Well hey there, little girl. I’m quite smitten with you and your mommy, too.”
She felt the baby move again and Sam’s laugh filled the living room. Tears burned in her eyes.
“Are you okay? Does it hurt when she moves?”
“No, I’m fine. It’s just really special having someone to share that with. Sorry, I’m such an emotional mess.”
“If I’m being honest, it feels very emotional to me, too. It’s incredible. There’s a new little person in there. And they’re saying hello. It’s something so special, so sacred. Thank you for sharing that with me.”
A broken sob forced its way from her chest before she could catch it. “Sam, you have to stop. I’ll never be able to stop crying if you keep being that sweet.”
She tried to move her hand up towards her face, but his hand caught hers. Placing his palm against her cheek, he swept his thumb over the tears. She couldn’t help herself, the warmth from his hand had been too enticing. Evie leaned into his touch and a low sigh left Sam’s chest.
His face was so close to hers. Did he feel the heat radiating between them too? Was it all in her imagination, or was he really looking at her lips just then?
“I’m going to kiss you, Bluebell. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes.” Her breath caught in her throat as she whispered her answer, letting her eyes drift closed as he pressed his lips to hers.
Jesus. Her lips were so goddamn soft, he could spend the rest of the night just lost in their kiss. His tongue flicked out, running along the seam, begging her to open to him.
The baby rolled again, and Sam broke their kiss as he sat back, his gaze on the round horizon of her belly. Feeling her daughter move had shifted something in Sam’s chest. Something that had been dislodged, grating uncomfortably against his skin, felt righted by the experience.
Just as he was about to lean in for another kiss, he watched Evie lean back against the sofa once more.
Shit. Had he read the situation wrong? Was she regretting the moment they just shared?
“I shouldn’t have… I’m sor?—”
Her eyes squeezed closed. “Please don’t say you're sorry, Sam. Please don’t do that to me. I wanted that kiss.”
“I thought I overstepped.” He leaned against the back of the sofa, his head hitting the wall as he waited for her to tell him off.
Instead, he felt the weight of her head land against his shoulder. Her hand lifted his and placed it back on her belly.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything beyond tonight. I just… I’m not ready to go back to being all alone right now.”