CHAPTER 2
THORIN
Istare at the baby in my arms— Juniper. Or at least I think this is Juniper. That was the last word Scarlett mumbled before she collapsed in my arms.
To say I was scared is an understatement. Having a woman unconscious in my arms wouldn’t ordinarily worry me, but the blood is what sent me into action.
I immediately called Aiden to get him down here, not knowing what to do with Scarlett. I’m not a doctor. My medical knowledge is the basics.
“How’s the baby?” Aiden whispers as he walks back into the room.
I’m standing next to Scarlett as she lies asleep on the bed. After Aiden looked her over, he said she had to have given birth within the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours and shouldn’t have been driving.
What was she thinking?
She may not have had time to think. The doctors probably told her what she could and couldn’t do, but I doubt she had a choice. I can’t judge her for what she did if she is in danger.
Just the thought of her being in danger makes the Daddy inside of me scream. The darker side of me is begging to be let out so it can go after whoever is after her.
“Fast asleep,” I reply. “She’ll wake up soon, though. I have a feeling.”
Newborn babies eat every couple of hours.
“It could be a little while. We don’t know if she fed her before getting here,” Aiden points out.
I sigh and rock Juniper in my arms, trying to keep her asleep.
“We don’t have any formula.” I turn to look at him. “All the stores are closed, and even if they were open, they are at least thirty minutes away.”
“I know,” he says. “I’ve been thinking about that.”
An idea pops into my head, but I don’t know whether it’s okay or not.
“I know that look,” Aiden says. “Why don’t we go out in the hallway and talk?”
I shake my head, not ready to leave Scarlett. I don’t know if I ever will be. Over the phone, I felt like there was a connection between us, but I couldn’t be sure. Looking at her when she arrived, I knew she was mine.
“I’m not leaving her,” I reply, my chest rumbling.
“Easy,” Aiden reminds me. “Precious bundle in your arms.”
I look down at Juniper, still sleeping soundly. I let my shoulders relax as I turn toward him.
“Closer to the door. That is the farthest I’m going. I want to be able to see Scarlett at all times.” I look him in the eyes.
What if she wakes up when we are talking outside the room? I don’t want her to panic and think someone took her baby when she is in an unfamiliar place. I don’t know if she will remember driving up here. I’m not going to take that risk.
Aiden nods and walks to the door, with me following.
“Do you want me to take her?” Aiden asks, holding his hands out.
I take a step back. “No, I’ve got Juniper.”
“How do you know her name is Juniper?”
“Scarlett said it before she passed out in my arms. It was either her baby or a stuffed animal.”
A stuffed animal who looked really old and loved. Could it be Scarlett’s? When I picked Juniper up, there was a blanket and a little stuffed animal. Maybe Scarlett is a Little.
I shake my head. I can’t come to any conclusions until I talk to her, and even when she wakes up, I’m not going to ask. There is a lot we need to talk about, and her being a Little is really far down on the list.
“Don’t think she would be that concerned about a stuffed animal when she has a newborn daughter.” I shrug, looking over at Scarlett.
Aiden hooked her up to an IV to hydrate her and checked her over. But I can’t help but still worry. Is she actively in danger? Do I need to have Roman look over the car to see if there are any trackers?
“Remind me to get Roman to check the car for any trackers,” I say to Aiden.
“Trackers?” he looks at me, confused. “Why?”
“I don’t think she would have driven hours to get to the lodge after having a baby if she wasn’t on the run,” I reply. “Gut instinct. I have a feeling she is running from someone, and I don’t want them to find out where she is if she’s in danger. Her or her daughter.”
Everything in me wants to claim them both right now, but I need to be patient.
“Our daughter,” I declare before I can stop myself.
Aiden looks at me, shocked. “Claiming her already? You don’t know her situation.”
“I don’t need to know her life story to know that she belongs to me; her daughter is mine too. I am going to take care of them. I feel this pull toward her and I’m not letting go,” I explain.
I could have waited a day or two to claim them, but I couldn’t help myself.
“They are under my care and protection. Anything that involves them now involves me, understand?” I raise an eyebrow at Aiden.
He growls. “I’m not your submissive who you can order around and I’ll blindly obey.”
Sighing, I close my eyes for a second before looking at him again.
“I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry, I’m just on edge. When is she going to wake up?”
“I don’t know. We don’t know how long she was on the road or her condition before she drove,” Aiden explains. “We won’t know until she wakes up, so we’re just going to have to be patient. Now, what was your idea about feeding Juniper?”
I look over at Scarlett, my heartbeat speeding up. The urge to go after whoever made her run is running strong through me. The only thing stopping me is the precious bundle in my arms.
Juniper.
Someone needs to watch over her while Scarlett is unconscious, and that is going to be me. I’m not going to allow anyone else to do it.
“We don’t have formula. What’s the only other thing?
Breastfeed her,” I point out. “I know it probably breaks the rules, but it’s the only option.
We lie Juniper against her chest and help her latch on.
I’ll burp her afterward and help rock her back to sleep if she doesn’t self-soothe while feeding. ”
Aiden looks at me, blinking several times.
“I’m just thinking things through. We can’t give Juniper milk, and we don’t have formula. Sure, Scarlett might feel violated, but we would have kept her baby alive. Maybe she’ll get over it.” I shrug at the end.
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Well, then she doesn’t. I’ll help her any way I can. If that means leaving, then it means leaving, but I’ll give her cash. Not that I want her to leave,” I ramble. “But you said she shouldn’t move for several days. So if she wants to leave after that, she can. I’ll help in any way I can.”
“I agree. Have you helped a baby latch on before?” Aiden asks.
I glare at him. “Does it look like I have boobs?”
He winces. “That sounded wrong. You don’t have a wife and haven’t had a girlfriend in a long time.”
“I do have a sister who has kids. She lives here, remember. We’ll call her and ask. Then it won’t be as weird and Scarlett won’t feel as violated,” I suggest. “But I’m still winding Juniper.”
“Not going to let her go for a while?”
I shake my head. “Exactly. I can already tell I’m not going to like being away from her while she’s being fed. Even when Scarlett is awake, I don’t want either one of them out of my sight.”
If Scarlett doesn’t want to stay in my cabin, I’ll put her in the one next to mine. She doesn’t have to know that her original cabin was on the other side of the property. Nope. If she wants a cabin, it’ll be right next to mine, so I can listen out for any problems.
Maybe I should install some cameras and microphones in there, too.
Just the thought of being away from Juniper while Scarlett is unconscious makes me want to fight to get back to her.
But I know it’s necessary. Scarlett probably wouldn’t be comfortable with a man she doesn’t know seeing her while she is unconscious for something other than medical reasons.
Having my sister come and do it will ease any future anguish, I just know it.
“But you’ll be guarding the room.”
I scoff, slightly offended that he would think anything different. “Damn straight I will be.” I nod, looking back at Scarlett.
Still in the same position as before. When will she wake up? Aiden said I shouldn’t be worried, but I can’t help the urge to protect them and make sure that they are healthy and safe.
“Both of them already have you wrapped around their pinkies.” Aiden chuckles. “I’ll call your sister and let her know to come down.”