Chapter 10 #3
Drew took her hands into his, effectively stopping her fidgeting. “Baby, I can’t just walk away from you. Even if you weren’t pregnant with my baby, these three months apart have shown me that I can’t live without you. I wish your dad had told me about Jake. I would have—”
Karlie’s eyes widened, “No—that’s why he couldn’t tell you.
Officer Peterson wants to let Jake fall into his old ways.
He said that sooner or later, he would mess up, and when he does—well, I just hope Jenna and the baby are nowhere around.
” That was her biggest fear in all this mess, Jenna or the baby being hurt by Jake.
She needed to stay away, and maybe Jake would just forget about her and be happy with Jenna.
How could Jake not become a better person after seeing his son for the first time?
Karlie hoped that being a father would put a few things in perspective for Jake, but she was smart enough to know better.
“So, you figured that if you stayed away, Jake would just move on?” Drew asked as if he was reading her thoughts.
“Yes,” she nodded. But Drew didn’t look as if he believed the idea any more than she had.
“Keeping you and our baby safe is now my top priority. So, for now, we’ll stay away from home. We’ll give your dad and Officer Peterson time to work on Jake. But I want to be kept in the loop. I want to be a part of this,” he ordered.
“Okay,” she agreed, pulling his hand into her own. She missed him so much, she just didn’t know how much until she found him at her door. “What about your business?” She was worried about his shop since he was the only one there to run the place.
“I hired another mechanic. Things are going well, and it was time to bring on someone to help me. I needed to concentrate on finding you. Now, I’m glad that Toby is there to fill in for me.
I’ve known him for a few years, and he’s a good guy and a hard worker.
He knows that my top priority is you. That’s not going to change, baby.
” He bent to kiss her, but had to cut it short when the nurse walked in.
“It’s time to move you to a private room,” the pretty nurse seemed only capable of talking to Drew.
“Great, thanks.” Karlie snapped her fingers at the nurse, effectively getting her attention away from Drew. He bent and finished kissing Karlie, right in front of the young nurse, making her laugh when the nurse suddenly left the room in a huff.
“I love your spunk, honey, but you don’t need to worry. I only have eyes for you.” He smiled down at her. “Now let’s see about getting you that shower,” he teased. She halfheartedly pushed him away, laughing at him when he theatrically made a face at her like he smelled something bad.
∞
The doctor had finally been in to check on Karlie and the baby.
He was still getting used to the fact that there was a baby—his baby.
The more it sank in, the more excited he was about his little lima bean.
Karlie liked to call the baby her little peanut, but when he saw the sonogram, he saw a little lima bean.
Karlie seemed to be feeling much better.
While she was showering, he ran back to her apartment and brought her some things that she requested.
He wanted her to be comfortable. Unfortunately, the chair that he had to sleep in didn’t afford him the same level of comfort.
He was afraid of disturbing her sleep, but finally gave up on getting any sleep in the bedside chair.
He didn’t sleep a wink until he climbed into her bed with her at one in the morning.
He couldn’t stay away from her another minute.
After the nurse made the last rounds of the night, he knew that it would be safe to slip into her bed and pull her into his body.
She snuggled in and sighed, but didn’t wake.
He had the best night’s sleep that he had had in the three months since she left.
He wasn’t going to ever spend a night away from her again.
The next morning, the new nurse hadn’t been too happy with him when she found them in bed together at seven in the morning, but he didn’t care.
Karlie was happy, and she hadn’t been sick since before he found her.
The doctor said that he could take her home as soon as Karlie ate some breakfast and kept it down.
Karlie eagerly agreed, making Drew laugh.
She even said she was starving. While she was getting dressed to be discharged, he took a few minutes to call Mr. Angel.
He needed to make sure that Karlie’s dad knew that he had found her and that when it came to Jake, he would be the one to call from now on.
He didn’t want Karlie worrying about anything except the baby and staying healthy.
Her dad wasn’t too happy that Drew accused him of keeping Karlie and the baby from him, but the man had to know that shit wouldn’t fly in the future.
Karlie and the baby were his, and he would be taking care of them from now on.
He ended the call as Karlie came out of the bathroom.
“How are you feeling, baby?” He couldn’t stop himself from going to her.
He constantly needed to touch her and her baby bump.
He wouldn’t tell her this, but he noticed that she had started showing slightly.
When he helped her into the shower the night before, it was all he could do not to strip and join her.
She was so fucking sexy—naked and pregnant with his child.
Instead, he washed the little protruding bump and kissed her belly before helping her dress in the clothes he got her from her apartment.
She told him that she had gained seven pounds and that she was worried about him not finding her sexy while she was pregnant.
He assured her that she was the sexiest fucking woman he’d ever seen and that being pregnant with his child was a complete turn-on.
He even led her hand down to his erection as proof.
He spent the entire night in bed with her, hard, and felt like a total ass because the last thing she needed was a horny man pawing at her.
So, he kept himself in check. She needed time to get over the morning sickness, and he’d wait as long as she needed.
He just couldn’t stop touching her; that was out of the question.
She smiled at him, “I think we’re out of the woods. I feel better today than I have in two months.” She stroked her hands up and down his back and then settled them on his ass, squeezing.
“Now, honey, don’t go getting any ideas.
You need to recover completely, and we need to find a place to live for a bit.
First things first.” He removed her arms from around his waist and kissed her fingers, slowly.
She moaned just as the nurse came in with a wheelchair.
“I guess we will finish this later, honey.” Karlie’s pout was adorable.
“Ready, Miss Angel?” The nurse helped her get into the wheelchair, and Drew grabbed her things. After he got her settled in the passenger side of his truck, he buckled her in and kissed her gently. Sliding into his seat, he noticed her whole demeanor change.
“Wait—why do we need to find a new place to live? My apartment is just fine,” she said in defense.
“Your apartment is a hole. It’s in a bad neighborhood, and I won’t have you staying there.
We will be moving in a few days. I have found a place closer to home.
I spoke with your dad, and he thinks that it would be best if no one knew that I’ve found you.
He’s afraid that Jake will stop sending you texts because he fears me.
” Drew sneered at the thought of hurting Jake.
He lived for the day that he could lay his hands on him for all the trouble that he caused.
“He should fear me because if he even thinks about you, I will take him apart.”
She just shook her head at his statement, “I’m just worried about Jenna and her baby.”
“I know, but my only worry right now is you and our baby,” he rested his hand on her belly.
“Your dad is taking care of Jenna, and I have called in some help. Ryan is home—he was supposed to be gone for another nine months, but the ship he was on had engine troubles. They had to return to the States, and he’s on leave right now.
He doesn’t know when he’ll have to ship out again, but it won’t be for at least a few weeks.
He’s going to keep an eye on Jenna for us. He won’t let Jake hurt her.”
Karlie laughed, “Jenna had such a crush on Ryan when she was younger. She followed him everywhere. I was so embarrassed that she was my little sister. Ryan is six years older than her, poor guy! She used to practice her name as Jenna Jackson in her notebooks. I told her Ryan would never marry her because she was too much of a baby. I got grounded for a week for being so mean to her. Now, I wish—I wish she were with anyone but Jake. But, at the same time, if Jake hadn’t cheated on me, I’d still be with him and he’d still be hitting me, or worse.
And, I probably wouldn’t be with you,” her last statement was almost a whisper.
“I’m really glad Jake cheated on me. I’m so happy that you found me on the side of the road.
And I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud, but I’m not that upset I had to go on antibiotics for my busted lip because I love our baby almost as much as l love her daddy.
” Drew didn’t know what to say to her confession.
He was so relieved to hear that she was happy about the baby because, truth be told, he was happy about the baby too.