Chapter 29
ROXY
Two days later, my nausea returned with a vengeance.
After a nightmare night, one morning, as the sun streamed into the house, I woke retching.
As soon as I got up, the room spun, my vision blacking out before I could reach the bathroom door.
I fainted on the pine floorboards.
Angel found me crumpled on the wood, his tight growl pulling me back to consciousness.
I opened my eyes to his face, lips pursed, eyes narrowed on me with concern.
‘I scarcely slept last night,’ I whispered, tears leaking down my cheeks. ‘The only time was when I was sitting up straight with my legs crossed in bed.’
Angel gathered me into his arms, his face set in a grim line as he took me back to my room and helped me dress.
Then he carried me out to his Defender and drove me to my doctor’s clinic for an urgent evaluation.
Inside the examination room, a nurse came in to manage what the doctor declared was severe dehydration.
She hooked my vein to a fluid drip and administered an IV dose of promethazine.
I sat back against the medical pillows, depressed and dejected until the midwife entered and checked the vitals on the monitor screen.
‘Does this get better?’ I asked her.
‘There is hope. At fifteen to sixteen weeks, the placenta takes over,’ she reassured me. ‘The hormones causing this intense nausea should subside then.’
On the advice of the nurse, Angel stopped at a store to stock up on green apples, citrus fruits, and mints.
He bought massive quantities of Pedialyte popsicles and electrolyte infusions.
At home, he added the infusions to ginger juice for me and served me popsicles along with frozen fruit bars he made himself.
Angel also threw together sandwiches, fresh garden salads, and diced vegetables that kept me hydrated when the fluids made me gag.
He kept a supply of oatmeal cereal bars and ginger biscuits beside my pillows.
Despite his care and the doctor-prescribed meds, my sickness intensified as the days dragged on.
The nausea remained debilitating.
Angel was amazing throughout the ordeal; he kept me going when I thought I wouldn’t make it through the second trimester.
Nothing was too difficult for him.
Each time I heaved, he was by my side.
He even smoothed warm oil over my distended stomach, using light strokes that relieved me.
He also took full charge of the dirty laundry and the grocery runs, and slowly my heart began to shift with his devotion.
In time, I realized how much he was extending himself to prove his devotion and loyalty.
My defensive walls began to crumble.
Maybe we had a real chance after all with the beautiful, maddening, chaotic odyssey of love.
ANGEL
I spent my days split between running my business affairs and caring for Roxy, which was fuckin’ righteous.
Her nausea wouldn’t let up, so I stepped up, tackling her care, the household duties, and cleaning to lift every ounce of stress off her shoulders.
One mid-morning, a knock sounded on the front door, breaking the quiet.
I went to the door, opening it to find Roxy’s mother in elegant heels, a tailored white Chanel suit, and a wide-brimmed hat.
‘Elsa, lovely surprise,’ I drawled.
She marched into the house, whipped off her hat, peeled off her gloves, and dumped them along with her designer bag straight onto my chest.
‘Where’s my daughter?’ my mother-in-law demanded.
I arched a brow, holding onto her gear.
‘Inside, resting on the couch.’
Her uncle, Ed, loomed right behind his sister, his eyes glowering at me.
Damn.
The pair strode past me into the living area, Elsa’s face tight with worry, followed by her glaring, resentful brother.
All this heat was because the night before, while we were watching TV, Roxy dropped a hint to Elsa over the phone that she was not 100 percent.
‘I’m not the reason she’s unwell,’ I muttered after them as we entered the lounge.
‘Well, in fact you are, champ,’ Ed growled. ‘You’re the daddy, and the basis her whole life got turned upside down.’
The man was on a warpath.
I trailed him into the dining room, where I placed Elsa’s things on a table.
The pair went to Roxy on the sofa and fussed over her, giving her hugs and kisses and asking questions.
I eyed the scene, leaning my hip against the edge of the massive dining table, hands crossed over my chest.
Ed then sauntered to me, eyes hard, and I braced to let the man say his piece.
‘Here’s what I think. You’ve been a self-absorbed dick,’ Roxy’s uncle spat, poking a finger straight into my torso.
I arched a brow. ‘is that right?’
‘Yes! You spent a decade chasing Evangeline’s ghost, blind to the diamond right in front of your face.
When her messed-up sister dumped you, Roxy picked up the pieces.
Then Evangeline ghosted back into Nashville, and you went running to her?
Instead of staying away from her toxic ass and focusing on your pregnant wife?
What kind of a man are you? Roxy deserves a real partner, not a rockstar gigolo. ’
I pushed my tongue inside my cheek to keep from lashing back.
‘I’m here now,’ I muttered, keeping my tone level.
‘Too little, too late, man,’ Ed fired back, his eyes narrowing. ‘I used to think you were a good guy, a stand-up man, but you’re just a massive disappointment. I’ve almost lost all respect for you.’
With an inhale, I took the verbal beating, letting the humiliation burn through me because I’d freakin’ earned it.
‘Ed, stop it, right now,’ Elsa pleaded, appearing between us with her hands raised.
‘No, Elsa,’ Ed growled, his eyes still boring into mine. ‘He needs to hear this.’
‘Uncle Ed, back off,’ Roxy’s voice cut through the tension.
She was leaning against the archway between the living and dining room, pale and taking deep breaths.
I went to her at once, wrapping an arm around her to steady her and help her to the table.
‘Angel has been nursing me for weeks through this morning sickness,’ Roxy said, as she sat in a chair. ‘He cooks every meal, cleans the house, and runs the errands. Best of all, he’s the one who got Reese locked up.’
‘He what?’ Ed froze mid-breath, his eyebrows shooting into his hairline. ‘What did you say?’
‘Reese is behind bars because of Angel,’ Roxy repeated, giving me a soft look before turning back to her uncle.
‘He hired his law firm to dig into the company accounts and expose Reese’s massive fraud.
They’re building an airtight case against him right now because of the evidence Angel’s team recovered. ’
All anger vanished from the room, replaced by shock.
Elsa let out a gasp, rushing straight past her brother.
She threw her arms around my neck, planting a kiss on my cheek with a bright smile.
‘Angel, you beauty, as they say down under!’ Elsa laughed, her eyes glittering with relief. ‘Ding dong, the wizard is dead. Well, almost.’
‘Is this true?’ Ed asked, sinking into a dining room chair.
I nodded, eyes narrowed and still wary of him.
‘What a coup!’ Elsa said, rolling her eyes as she pulled away from the hug.
‘I had no clue you were behind his downfall. The man has been calling me from jail for days, begging me for bail money and cash for his defense. He even suggested I start a GoFundMe for his lawyers. Can you believe it? I’ve never laughed so hard. ’
‘Speaking of, are you going to be OK when it comes to your finances, Mum?’ Roxy asked, as Elsa moved to sit beside her daughter.
‘Your mother is a savage,’ Ed interjected, winking at his sister.
‘Turns out she took a chunk of Grandma Tabitha’s inheritance and was investing for years.
One of her stocks went through the roof two months ago and it’s made her a tidy nest egg.
Reese never had a clue it existed. It’s locked down on an account he can’t touch. ’
‘Mother, you never told me.’ Roxy uttered, surprised. ‘I thought you were broke.’
Elsa shrugged. ‘A woman’s got to have her secrets, and I didn’t want Reese to ever find out.’
I let out a chuckle. ‘Damn, Elsa, you’re a gangster. You played Reese like an A-track.’
‘She really did,’ Roxy said, her eyes flashing with genuine joy.
‘I’m initiating divorce tomorrow,’ Elsa declared with a smirk. ‘Reese was too greedy to ever put a single asset in my name, so I’m scot-free from his debts.’
Her face saddened for a moment. ‘I’ll also support Evangeline the best I can through rehab.’
We all fell silent at the mention of my ex’s name, until Elsa spoke up again.
‘She’s still my daughter; it’s the least I can do. Meantime, I’m staying with Ed until I make a decision on where to live next.’
‘This farmhouse is in both our names, mama,’ Roxy reminded her with a gentle smile. ‘You can always stay here.’
‘I know I can, honey,’ Elsa murmured, squeezing Roxy’s hand while throwing a meaningful glance my way. ‘However, I sense you two require this space far more than I do. Stay here as long as you need. If things change down the road, I’ll move in when you go back to Nashville.’
I sliced my eyes over to Ed.
‘Still think I’m the villain?’
Ed studied me for a beat, his expression shifting from anger to skepticism.
‘That you’re a decent man at heart is not the question here, Angel. It’s whether you’re now over your obsessive addiction to Evangeline.’
I met his intense gaze, lifting my chin.
‘I am. My eyes are open now, and my heart is all Roxy’s. Our honeymoon and what’s come since shifted everything for me, Ed. My feelings for Roxy grew, and they keep growing every single day. I love her with all my soul, and I’m working twenty-four-seven to prove that to her.’
‘Is that right?’ Ed asked, swiveling his chair to face my wife. ‘What’s your verdict, Rox?’
I held my breath, my pulse racing hard as the room went dead silent.
‘He’s been amazing, Uncle Ed,’ Roxy murmured. ‘We’re building back our trust. I’ll share more when there’s more to share.’
I loved her even more in that moment.
She was protecting our privacy while making it crystal clear to her family that she had my six.
Absolved of my sins, I let out an exhale.
‘Right, you’re both staying for lunch. Nobody argues with the chef.’
Elsa and Ed exchanged amused glances and nodded.