Chapter 12
Twelve
“They leave Jetty in as a wide receiver and there will never be another win on that team, you mark my words.” Sebastian sighed as the guys all laughed. A warm hand landed on Stone’s arm, and he turned to see Lily’s bright eyes filled with worry as she jostled a sleepy Sage in her arms.
“Hey, Lily. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, uh. Yeah, I think so. I’m going to have everyone clear out, though, okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
Lily looked over his shoulder, past the living room and down the hallway.
“Look, she asked me not to say anything, but Mae isn’t feeling well. She went into your room a few minutes ago, and I think maybe she just needs a calm and quiet night. Hosting was a lot to put on her shoulders.”
“Shit. She got sick this morning but told me it was nothing to worry about. I wonder if she caught some sort of stomach bug.”
“That might be it. But don’t let her dismiss anything if she really isn’t feeling good. And call me if you need to. I can come right down and help.”
Alarm bells started going off in his mind. Was Lily worried something else might be wrong?
“Thanks for looking out for her.” Stone turned back to his friends. “Hey, Mae isn’t feeling well, so I’m going to check on her. You guys are welcome to stay if you want.”
“No, no.” Gunner wrapped his arm around Lily. “We’ll clear out. After we make sure everything gets put away.”
“Thanks. I know I was a dick before, but I appreciate you all.”
“Go.” Nash smiled. “Check on Mae. Let her know we hope she feels better soon.”
“Thanks, guys. Appreciate it.”
Stone turned, making his way down the hallway as fast as he could. He opened the bedroom door, his heart tumbling in his chest at the sight of Mae curled up in their bed.
“Mae?”
“Hey.” She smiled. “What are you doing in here?”
His hip rested against hers as he sat on the edge of the bed.
She looked exhausted, the light from her phone illuminating the angles of her face in a harsh way that highlighted just how tired she’d been looking since he woke up in the hospital.
Stone brushed aside a few wisps of hair that had fallen over her face before resting his hand on her forehead. No fever.
Her wrist was his next target, and her heartbeat was there under his fingertip a few seconds later. Strong. Steady.
Her brow’s furrowed, clearly questioning what he was doing.
“Lily said you weren’t feeling good. Why didn’t you come get me?”
“I just needed to lay down for a minute. Apparently I need to brush up on my hosting skills. I got wiped out so fast.”
“You need to be resting.”
“Says the boyfriend who was shot,” she jabbed back.
“To the girlfriend who ran on adrenaline for the entire time his lazy butt laid in a hospital bed.”
Mae laughed, pushing herself up and settling against the headboard. His hands moved to rest on her hips and she gasped.
“What?”
Mae shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Is this about what you promised to talk to me about tonight?”
He didn’t think it was possible, but she looked more exhausted after his question. “Mae. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Come lay down on your side of the bed. Cuddle with me?”
Stone pushed off the bed, walking around to his side before pulling his shirt over his head and wiggling his pants off. Now, properly in his sleeping attire, he slipped beneath the comforter and rolled, facing Mae with his arms open.
Her smile sent his heart into overdrive. She had to hear it beating loudly as she set her head against his chest and curled into his arms.
“Just say it, sweetheart. Whatever it is, whatever has got you all twisted up, we’ll face it together.”
She shook her head against his skin. “I’m pregnant.”
The whispered words might as well have been shouted, the reality of what she’d just announced slamming into him.
“You’re pregnant?” His thumb rested under her chin and he tipped her face up towards his. “You’re sure?”
“I peed on a bunch of sticks with Lily while you were in the hospital. I’m sure.”
Stone stared into her eyes, his mouth refusing to form any of the ten thousand thoughts that were running through his brain. Mae was having a baby. His baby. He was going to be a dad.
“Say something…” she whimpered, her eyes wet with tears.
“Marry me.”
“What?! That cannot be the first thing you say when you hear I’m pregnant.”
“Why not? I’m so happy, Mae. I want you to be mine, forever.
The baby…” Stone’s breath caught in his chest, but that didn’t stop him from tightening his hold on Mae, pressing a kiss to her lips.
His hand moved down, spreading across her belly.
He knew her body like the back of his own hands.
He’d spent hours upon hours worshiping every inch of her.
So how could he have been so oblivious to the little bump that sat between her hips?
“Our baby…”
His eyes went wide as Mae giggled.
“I’m just bloated. The baby’s only the size of a raspberry… or a blueberry… I don’t know, some very tiny berry.”
“The most perfect little berry ever.” Stone pulled his arm from under Mae and moved down the bed, until his face was right at her belly button.
And then he leaned in, pressing against the tight skin.
“Hi, sweet baby. I’m your dad… Holy shit.
I’m your dad. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment.
My god, Mae.” His eyes bounced up to meet hers. “I’m so fucking happy.”
“I was so scared.”
He could see the truth in those words shining back at him so clearly in her eyes. And that broke his heart. Because she’d known for days… weeks… and hadn’t felt safe to tell him. “You thought I wouldn’t want to be a dad?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to do it with me.”
Stone moved back up to the top of the bed so he could wrap Mae back up in his arms. He stroked his hand over her shoulder and down her back, trying to pour some of his excitement into her. “How could you think that?”
“We weren’t exactly out in the open with our relationship before you were shot.
It all just sort of rushed out and since then you haven’t said anything about what you’re thinking about us and the future and then to just throw a baby in, which is like the most stressful experience two people can go through—”
“Michaela soon-to-be-Lawson Morgan, take a breath. You’re breathing for two now.” He smiled as she took a big breath in, melting down into his embrace.
“I thought I just made it perfectly clear what I’m thinking about you and me. Wedding. Honeymoon with baby on board. More babies. A house with a white picket fence and three golden retrievers named Matthew, Colleen, and Brian.”
“You hate dogs. And what about Katie?” Mae laughed, catching on immediately to the fact that he’d suggested Dr. Quinn’s children’s names for their pets.
“She’s obviously our cat.”
He expected Mae to laugh at that, but her face pulled tight.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…” Her hand budged him out of the way and she pressed circles into her side. “Just a little cramp. It’s why I came to bed earlier. I had a few and Lily said I should rest.”
Shit. She was overdoing things, which was already bad. But she wasn’t just exhausted because of what she’d emotionally gone through. She was exhausted because she was pregnant. “Mae.”
“It’s all good. Just blueberry demanding I take better care of myself.”
“Our kid is already so smart. Making sure their mama listens to her body.”
Mae smiled. “I don’t think that has completely sunk in. I’m someone’s mom.”
“A beautiful little someone. I hope they look just like you. And they’ll have your commanding personality, bossing us around our home by the time they’re two.”
She nodded, placing her head down on his shoulder.
“I don’t want a white picket fence though.
I want to live somewhere that has wide open spaces.
Where the kids can hop on their bikes and ride a little ways to get to our neighbors.
Maybe there’s land, or a house we could renovate, down the way from Lily and Gunner’s? ”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Being neighbors with our friends?”
“No. Although that does sound nice. But you said ‘the kids’. I’m all in on this plan, Mae. I love you. I love this baby.”
“We love you, too.”