Chapter 13
LUKE
Luke wasn’t sure what to say. A million things raced through his head, from “Why didn’t you tell me?
” to “How wonderful!” to “I’m really going to be a father?
” Until now, he’d worked so hard to stay professional and respect Bella’s privacy, but seeing her lying in that bed, her face pale, her eyes a little red from crying, he hadn’t been able to hold himself back.
She was upset and scared, and he’d needed to know.
Now he did, and he didn’t know what to say. He was still trying to find his voice when Bella spoke.
“Are you angry?”
The question was so unexpected that Luke’s brow furrowed. “What?”
“Are you mad?” she repeated. She looked away, down at the monitor across her stomach. “That I didn’t tell you?”
“I…” Luke paused before shaking his head. “No. I mean, we were just a one-night stand, right? It didn’t… we didn’t… no one made any promises.”
“I know.” Bella met his eyes again. “And there’s no need for any promises now. I know we’re practically strangers to each other, and I’m not about to ask you for money or anything.”
Luke’s mouth fell open. “Is that why you didn’t tell me? Because you didn’t want me to feel like I had to give you money?”
Bella nodded, tears gathering in those soft green eyes. “We don’t know each other. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to support me or the baby, and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to become a dad if you didn’t want to.” She looked away, and Luke’s heart shattered.
“You’re right,” he said quietly. She looked back at him, and one tear spilled from her eye.
Luke realized what she must be assuming — that he was saying she was right about him not wanting anything to do with her and the baby — and quickly corrected himself.
“You’re right that we don’t know each other that well, because if you did know me, you’d know I would never get anyone pregnant and leave them on their own. ”
“I want to be on my own,” Bella said softly.
“I’ve always been on my own. Even since I was a kid, everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I’ve had to do on my own.
I had to figure it out for myself. I built my catering business on my own, with no help.
That’s the same way I got into college, found scholarships, and flew across the country to move into my dorm — on my own.
And it’s the same way I rented my first apartment, got my first car, and made a life for myself.
On my own. So why should this be any different? ”
Luke’s heart ached for her. He wanted to comfort her, to say something to make this feel better, but he got the feeling she had more to say.
Bella shook her head. “The worst part is that things are falling apart, and maybe I can’t do this on my own.
You told me I need to rest and not work so hard, but I can’t do that.
I got an awful review today from the woman whose wedding I walked out on.
I need to work harder than ever if I’m going to get my business back on track — yet I’m also supposed to be on bed rest?
The business I’ve spent years building is going under, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
And if I don’t work, how will I afford to have a baby? ”
And then she was crying in earnest, tears rolling down her cheeks as she hugged her arms around her stomach. Instinctively, Luke reached for her hand, threading his fingers through hers and squeezing gently.
“The difference now is, you don’t have to do this alone,” he told her. “I can help you.”
“Really?” She looked up at him through teary eyes. “You’d help me after I didn’t tell you about the baby?”
“Of course,” Luke said. “I already told you, I’m not angry. You made what you thought was the right decision — it was the wrong decision, but you didn’t know that.”
Bella gave a watery chuckle.
“And,” Luke continued, feeling more confident now, “I have a gut feeling that this is something we should do together.”
Bella brushed away her tears and laughed again. “I’m not very good at accepting help.”
“You’ll get better,” Luke said with a wink.
“I really don’t understand how you can be so calm about this.” Bella shook her head again. “When I found out about the baby, I was overjoyed but also overwhelmed. I couldn’t imagine how I’d work and be a mother at the same time. But you seem… fine.”
Luke smiled. The truth was, he already knew he was stretched too thin.
He’d have to cut back his hours at the hospital, and try to restructure things, but he could do it.
It was worth it. He already felt protective over Bella and their baby, and there was no way he was going to turn them out of the hospital to struggle on their own.
Whatever it took, he was going to help. And though he was surprised about the baby, a part of him was excited, too.
“I’m used to dealing with crises,” he said instead, an equally true answer. “I work in the ER, after all. I know how to stay calm when everything feels like it’s changing.”
“That’s impressive.” Bella turned her head to the screen of the fetal heart-rate monitor, and Luke followed the gesture.
For a few minutes, they both watched the calm, steady heartbeat, then Bella sighed.
“I know I need to do whatever it takes to keep my — our baby healthy. Even if that means resting. I just have no idea how I’m going to do it.
I… I really don’t have enough savings to take time off. ”
“Well, that’s simple,” Luke said. “You’ll move in with me.
” He hadn’t known he was going to offer that, but the moment he did, it felt right.
His house was big and empty anyway, and the idea that he could come home to Bella…
well, it felt right. And it would help her.
“And I’ll do whatever I can to help with your business, too.
I can find temporary staff for you, help with logistics, talk to your clients, help financially, or just make sure you’re taking care of yourself. ”
Bella bit her lip, her brows drawing together. “Luke, that’s too much.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Yes, it is.” She let out a puff of air. “If I move in with you and you help with my business, I’ll be completely reliant on you, and then…”
She trailed off, but Luke could imagine she was thinking that if he backed out, she’d be left in an even more precarious situation.
“I’m committed to this,” he said. “I want to be involved with the baby. I want to be a father. We’ll have to work out the specifics of that later, but right now, this makes sense.
You said you don’t have enough savings to take time off.
Well, if you’re living with me, you won’t have to pay rent or utilities or anything, which will mean you’ll save a bunch of money. ”
“I know that, but…” She trailed off again. Her face looked paler than ever. “Luke, you’re being so generous, but I thought when you said ‘help,’ you meant helping me pick out cribs or something.”
Luke smiled despite the tense situation. “I’m happy to help you pick out cribs, but Bella, what you need is more help than that. And I can help you. I want to help you. I want to make sure you and the baby — our baby — are in the best possible situation.”
“I do, too.” Bella bit her lip again. “Of course I do. I just… it feels like a lot. I would never ask you to do this.”
Inwardly, Luke agreed. Inviting Bella into his home, into his life, would mean a huge change from the solitary workaholic lifestyle he’d embraced these last five years.
But the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that it was the right thing to do.
Yes, this was a momentous change. Just a few hours ago, he hadn’t even known he was going to be a father, and now he was offering to move in with a woman he’d just met.
But for him, there was no other path forward.
Luke could keep Bella and their baby safe. It was as simple as that.
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Look at it this way: you’re making our child, a brand-new human being, from scratch. The least I can do is give you a bed and a little help with work.”
Still, Bella hesitated. “I don’t mean to be rude; it’s just that I’ve always done things on my own.”
Luke squeezed her hand again and, as gently as he could, he asked, “And how is that working out for you?”
Bella stared at him for a long moment, and Luke was sure he’d made the wrong call and that she’d yell at him, push him away, and storm out of the hospital. Instead, though, she let out a slow breath.
“You may have a point there.”
Seizing his chance, Luke leaned forward.
“You don’t have to do everything on your own.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything on your own, either.
As your doctor, I’d recommend two weeks of really taking it easy — ideally bed rest, but in any case, not working.
How about we give this a try, just for those two weeks?
I’ll help you, and if it’s too much, you can walk away at the end. ”
Bella looked up at him and bit her lip. In that moment, her worry seemed to fade away, and Luke saw in her the gorgeous woman he’d met at the bar, the woman he’d initially only wanted to know more about.
His heart skipped a beat. Until now, he’d mostly been thinking about doing the right thing by her and the baby (and yes, a little about not wanting to be alone in his house any longer).
But now, he realized what living with her would mean: a thousand small, shared moments with a woman he found fascinating.
Luke wanted her to say yes. It would complicate his life, but he needed her to say yes.
He wanted to be able to take care of this woman who had taken care of herself, alone, for far too long.
And he wanted to take care of their baby.
If he said any of that, though, she’d probably turn him down completely and insist that she was just fine on her own, so Luke didn’t say it. He just waited.
Finally, Bella let out a sigh, and her shoulders slumped. “I just—”
“Wait. Before you say no.” Luke held up a hand. “Think of it like this: I’m not trying to take care of you — I’m trying to take care of your baby, right? Maybe you can do this, not for yourself, but for the baby. For our baby.”
She looked back up at him, and a smile danced across her lips for a fraction of a second before fading. “Fine. For our baby, I’ll try. And… thank you.”
Relief flooded Luke, and he stood, adjusting his lab coat. “Wonderful. Now, I need to finish up my shift, and you need to stay here for monitoring a little longer. I’ll move you up to a private room as soon as one becomes available, but are you okay here for now?”
Bella nodded.
“And I can have someone bring you some Jell-O,” Luke added. “Or something else to eat. When was the last time you ate?”
Bella looked away, pink coloring her cheeks. “I may have forgotten to eat today. A little bit.”
“Bella, it’s two o’clock!” Luke cut himself off before he could say more. After all, he’d been in the same situation many times, so caught-up in work that he forgot to eat or drink. He hadn’t been pregnant at the time, but he could still understand. “I’ll have some lunch sent over.”
“Thanks.” She looked away. “I’m really more organized than this.”
He paused, one hand on the curtain, and turned back to her. She was looking down at her stomach, an expression he couldn’t quite read on her lovely features. He took her hand again.
“I know, Bella. I believe you. And now, we can try to be organized together.”
She looked up at him again, and he was suddenly aware that he was holding her hand in a very intimate way — his fingers now threaded between hers, one thumb skimming over the back of her hand. He quickly let go.
“See you soon,” he said. He slipped out through the curtains and flagged down a nurse to bring Bella some food and another pillow. Then, with a final glance back at the bed where she was resting, he went back to work. He did have a shift to finish, but he certainly wouldn’t be staying late today.