Chapter 32
Titus
“You’re really getting the hang of this leaving your house shit.” Trevor slaps me on one shoulder, looking annoyingly proud. "You want me to have them put an office in here for you?"
My reaction to his offer is visceral and swift. I can't stop the full-body grimace that clenches my ass cheeks and tightens my throat. "No fucking way."
I’m happy to come in once a week and meet with my team. I think it's actually been really good for productivity and my own understanding of how things work amongst them. But one day a week is more than enough.
It'll definitely be more than enough once the baby comes and I'm helping with feedings and diaper changes.
"If you change your mind, just let me know." His grin turns to a smirk. "I'll even add one for Mariah right next to yours if it makes you happy."
I'm not going to claim that wouldn't make me happy. I'm also not going to try to make my brother think he's headed down the wrong path. I won’t attempt to convince anyone Mariah and I don't have something going on. I’m just not confirming it either.
"Speaking of Mariah." I step outside my team's room, looking up and down the hall.
"Have you seen her?" I know she likes to go look at the fish in Trevor's office and frequently peruses the snacks in the closest break room.
But when she's ventured out before, Mariah always came back before my meeting was over, and I'm curious to find out what she's gotten into.
If maybe she found something interesting, or possibly made a friend.
Holding Mariah back isn’t anything I ever want to do. I love having her at my side—and knowing she’s close helps ease my anxiety—but that’s my problem. Not hers. So whatever she’s found to occupy the time, I hope she’s having a hell of a good time.
“No, but I’ve been busy trying to train my new assistant.” Trevor tips his head toward the security station near the entry. “I’m sure we can track her down.”
“Or I could just call her.” I pat my pockets, looking for my cell phone, but come up empty. “Shit. I must have left my phone in the car.” I’m still not used to going out of the house, and once I set my phone in the console, I have a bad habit of abandoning it there.
“I’d call her for you, except I don’t have her number.” Trevor gives me a smirk. “You feel like sharing it yet, or are you still worried I’m going to try to get her to bring me a caramel cake?”
“Like we’ve discussed before, you are more than capable of getting a chef of your own.
It’s not Mariah’s job to provide you with fucking caramel cake.
” I cut a path across the lobby, going for the security office.
“And I’ll send you her number as soon as I get to my phone.
” It’s probably best if Mariah can get in touch with my brothers in an emergency.
I don’t ever want her to feel like I’m all she has.
Not when it comes to entertainment or socializing or support.
Will I be thrilled if she calls one of my brothers for help instead of me? No. I’ll fucking kick their ass for it. But I still want her to have the option.
We walk into the room and park ourselves beside the guard seated in front of the wall of monitors. Trevor props one ass cheek on the desk, crossing both arms over his chest. “We’re looking for a pretty blonde who doesn’t work here. You know where she’s at?”
The security guard looks between us before focusing on my brother. “You mean the one he carried out of here last month?”
Trevor glares at me. “Yes. I mean the one this fucker carried out of here last month.”
“Last I saw her, she was with Maren, the girl who restocks all the supplies, headed into Tobias’s garage. They haven’t come back out yet.” The security guard checks his watch. “That was probably a good fifteen or twenty minutes ago though.”
Great. It sounds like Tobias is the first brother getting an ass kicking for monopolizing Mariah’s attention. “Thanks.” I turn and walk out, intending to go track Mariah down.
I’m barely out of the room when a tiny brunette comes sprinting toward me, her feet skidding across the floor as she tries to come to a stop.
“There you fucking are.” She sucks in air, breathing heavily.
“You need to go to Willowdale right now.” She wrinkles her nose in a scowl. “And start answering your phone.”
My brows jump up, both in surprise at her sharp words and the directions she’s given me. “The hospital?” My stomach drops. “Why?”
“Because Mariah got real weird when we were in Tobias’s office, and she sort of passed out and when we couldn’t get a hold of you, Tobias decided you would want him to take her to get checked out, and told me to find you.
” After the run on sentence spills free, her eyes dart to where Trevor comes to stand at my side, lip curling a little at his appearance.
“And since you weren’t answering your phone, I had to run all the way here to try to find you. ”
“I gotta go.” I turn, ready to run myself, but pause to thank the woman before taking off at full speed, racing out the doors to where my car’s parked in the spot I now occupy on a regular basis.
Thankfully, the hospital is close by, and I’m pulling into the emergency lot in under ten minutes, phone pressed against my ear as I dial Tobias’s number for the five hundredth time.
When he doesn’t answer yet again, my molars grind together.
I want to be pissed at him, but he did bring Mariah here knowing I’d want her to get taken care of as quickly as possible.
I’ll reserve my anger until I find out whether or not he was successful in that endeavor.
The second the car’s in park, I’m out and running again, feet flying across the blacktop, grateful I haven’t given up on my nightly workouts. I’m still breathing heavily by the time I reach the check-in desk, but it’s got nothing to do with physical exertion, and everything to do with fear.
“Hi there. Are you here with someone?” The nurse behind the desk greets me calmly. Like she doesn’t know the woman I love needs me.
Fuck.
I’ve been avoiding the full scope of what I feel for Mariah, thinking it would protect her from my expectations and desires. But I’m not sure I can pretend like she’s not become my everything. Like I’m not ready to peel my skin off right now with how badly I need to be at her side.
Because I love her. Plain and fucking simple.
“Mariah Copeland. I think she came in not long ago with my brother.” I fight for a full breath. “Can you take me back?”
“You must be Titus.” The nurse stands. “Your brother said you would come running in here looking like you were going to dismantle the building.” She gives me a grin. “But there’s no dismantling required. I’ll take you right back.”
The air rushes from my lungs as cautious relief makes it a little easier to breathe. “Thank you.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to have you with her.
It can get kinda scary when things like this happen.
” The nurse swipes her badge across the sensor and the doors to one side of the desk open.
“They’re checking her out right now and making sure everything looks good.
” She leads me down a quiet hall, stopping outside a room, frowning at the empty space. “This is where she was...”
“They just took her for an ultrasound.” A woman in scrubs rolls past us with a computer on wheels. “Probably only left five or six minutes ago.”
“I guess we’re headed there then.” The nurse helping me find Mariah starts walking again and I stick right with her.
Why would they be taking her for an ultrasound? Are they worried something’s wrong with the baby?
I appreciate that the nurse doesn’t seem to be dragging her ass, but she continues talking as we walk, and I can’t fucking pay attention to a single word of it. Not with my mind racing through all the terrifying possibilities of what could be happening right now.
We go through another door that requires her badge to enter, and a few doors down, she stops, knocking before cracking it open.
“I have a visitor.” She widens it, and I get my first look at Mariah since learning Tobias brought her here.
She’s laying across an examination table, shirt shoved up, the curve of her belly on full display.
The room is dimly lit, but I can still see how pale she is. How scared she looks.
“Thank God.” Tobias looks just as scared as Mariah does. “You took long enough.” He stands from the chair situated right next to Mariah, releasing her hand and getting out of my way. “This is above my pay grade.”
The woman with the wand pressed to Mariah’s belly gives me a smile. “You’re just in time, Dad.”
Dad. I should correct her, but I don’t. Instead I sit down in the chair Tobias vacated, gripping Mariah’s hand and bringing it to my lips. Pushing the hair off her face, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” Her eyes dart to the screen now displaying moving blobs I can’t identify. “They're double checking to make sure everything looks all right before they let me go.”
My own eyes fuse to the glowing shapes and shifting shadows. “Are they worried something’s wrong with the baby?” My hand tightens on hers, but I don’t know if I’m providing support or seeking it.
“We just like to double check when mamas come in. Give everybody a good once over.” The nurse who brought me turns to Tobias. “Are you staying, or do you want me to take you back to the waiting area?”
Tobias must decide to go, because when the door closes and the room quiets, it’s just Mariah, me, and the ultrasound tech. All of us staring at the screen now displaying the cutest little face I’ve ever seen.
“Holy shit.” I never made it this far when Kara was pregnant.
Never had the opportunity to see the child we created.
And witnessing the new life growing in Mariah’s belly steals my breath.
It’s not a perfect rendering, but I can identify eyes and a nose and a tiny pointed chin. Little hands and ears.