Chapter 19
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Britton
I’m grateful not to be confined to bed, at least, not by doctor’s orders.
If Tanner had his way, though, I wouldn’t leave it for the rest of this pregnancy, and that would test my patience fast. We already clashed this morning when I insisted on joining everyone else for breakfast instead of staying tucked away in the room like a hermit.
In the end, my stubborn streak won out over his, and I got my way.
Jersey keeps glancing up at me through her lashes as she tears her toast into tiny, fragmented pieces.
Normally, I wouldn’t think much of it, but her hands are shaking which gives me cause for concern.
I lean back in my chair and keep my eyes on her, waiting for her to look at me with more than a quick glance.
When she finally does, I widen my eyes in silent question.
Her brows draw together, and she gives a slight shake of her head. The silent exchange tells me she’s holding it together, even if she’s struggling to do it. I release a heavy sigh, wishing I could figure out a way for her to get over the hump of anxiety she lives with on a daily basis.
Her folks really did a number on her.
She has no self-esteem and thinks everybody is out to get her. I’ve spent hours with her, trying to convince her otherwise, but nothing I say seems to penetrate.
Tanner leans over, asking me, “She really doesn’t do well with a large group of people, huh?”
“She’s a work in progress,” I tell him, not wanting to share her personal business with him.
If she wants to open up and talk about her past, that’s up to her to do.
My loyalty to her isn’t double-sided. I’m her confidant and there’s no way in hell I’ll give her any reason to doubt my loyalty to her.
Even if that means keeping some things from the man I’m trying to build a life with.
“We’ll get her there,” he states as he bends sideways and gives me a peck on the temple.
“We’ll do it together, huh?” I ask, teasing him. “When did taking care of Jersey and helping her blossom become a ‘we’ thing?”
“You consider her as part of your family, don’t you, Britton?”
“I do, and she is,” I confirm. “She’s the sister of my heart.”
“If she’s your family, then that makes her mine too,” he declares.
“Since when?” I inquire, curious where his mindset is on that topic.
He places his hand over my belly and cups it. “Since this.”
Tears well in my eyes—stupid hormones. “You’ve flipped my entire world upside down.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing, Britt.”
Jersey stiffening captures my attention and I swivel my head to where I’m looking at her dead on.
Slayer takes the seat beside her which has her cemented in place.
She’s like a living, breathing, statue. But it’s the moony look on her face that has me second guessing the reason behind her uncomfortableness.
I think somebody’s got a crush on the vice president.
He’s rougher around the edges than what I pictured her future man being. But they do say opposites attract, and in this case, that’s exactly what it is. They couldn’t be any more different than night and day.
I’d brush it off as a one-sided attraction on her part, but when Slayer intentionally brushes his arm against hers and slyly looks at her underneath the brim of his hat, I know it’s not. It hits me out of the blue, he’s getting her used to his touch before he makes his move.
“Holy shit,” I mumble.
“What?” Tanner asks as he follows my line of sight.
“Oh. Never saw that coming,” he states. “It’s going to go one of two ways. Either she’s going to be receptive and he’s going to help her crawl her way out of that shell she’s shrouded herself in, or she’s going to run like a scared rabbit and he’s going to chase her.”
“I see the second one happening,” I convey. “And like the predator he is, he won’t let her get away.”
“He’s not a predator, baby, he’s an alpha man,” Tanner rebuts.
“Same thing, Tanner,” I counter.
“No, Britt, it’s not. A predator goes after his game and once he’s done playing with it, he throws it away. An alpha man knows what he wants, goes after it, and keeps it.”
“So he’s a neanderthal?” I question.
“Aren’t we all?” he asks, gesturing to the room ladened down with men in black leather.
I scan the men around the table who are sitting here with their better halves, and each one of them has a possessive arm slung over their old lady’s shoulders.
Indiana has Zoey basically draped across his lap.
Riptide and Van couldn’t sit any closer together than they are, because if they were, she’d be wrapped around him like a koala.
Icer does have Letti sitting sideways in his lap, feeding her from their shared plate. That’s sweet, in a ‘me Tarzan, you Jane’ type of way.
These men are a conundrum. If you were to judge them by their outside appearance, you’d never think they were as dedicated, loving, and loyal to the women in their lives.
Then I look at Tanner out of my peripheral, and realize we’re touching in one way or another.
Our legs are basically adhered, our shoulders are perfectly aligned regardless of our height difference, and he’s watching me with an eagle eye to make sure I’m eating.
Which I am, today, I’m ravenous, and I know I’ll pay for it sooner rather than later because it never really goes away.
Much to my hope that I wouldn’t suffer from morning sickness, the moment my pregnancy was confirmed, it hit like a sledgehammer.
It took my stomach a minute to catch up with what my mind already knew.
But ever since I got here last night, I’ve been queasy and worshiping the porcelain throne like it holds all the answers to the kingdom.
Here’s the thing, I don’t give a shit about gaining that knowledge, I could care less, especially in the middle of the night when all I want to do is sleep.
“Is it back, Britt?” Tanner asks, reading my mind and giving me a probing stare. When I don’t answer in a timely manner, at least not according to him, his voice raises and he repeats his question, “The morning sickness, is it back?”
I inhale past the ever-present nausea, swallow, and answer, “It seems to always be there, lurking and waiting to catch me by surprise. How did you know?”
“Your face is a little pale, you’re swallowing a lot, and you’re holding your stomach,” he answers. “We need to ask Zoey who she’s seeing so we can schedule you an appointment and ask the doctor what we can do to help you hold food down.”
“I planned on asking her once breakfast was over,” I tell him. “I have a lot of questions to ask.”
“Such as?” He turns around, giving me his sole attention.
“I’ve heard there are some things you can’t do or eat when expecting. I just don’t know how much of that is a myth and how much is the truth.”
“We should make a list so we don’t forget to ask anything,” he suggests. “I’d rather both of our minds be at ease because I have a few questions of my own.”
“Do I want to know what those are?” I mirthfully inquire.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he wisecracks, smirking.
“I guess it’s a good thing I don’t embarrass easily,” I banter.
“Now you’ve given me a mission, darlin’,” he retorts.
“Did I just challenge your ego, Tanner?” I ask, puckering out my bottom lip in a pout.
“Nah, it’ll take more than a provocation from you to test my ego,” he replies, looking smug. “I’m solid, baby girl.”
“You’re something alright,” I say, taunting him. Just then, the room starts to spin and my tummy begins to churn which has me moaning.
I clamp my eyes shut and feel the room tilt, but soon I realize it’s Tanner carrying me from the room in large strides. “Almost there, darlin’,” he announces.
“Where?” I ask, breathing in through my nostrils and slowly exhaling it through my mouth. I repeat that routine until I hear a door open and shut and smell the disinfectant answering my earlier question.
He bends down and places me on the floor and I crawl my way up onto my knees before I lose the contents of my breakfast. I feel like I’m in the midst of an exorcism because just when I think I’m done, I get cramps that let me know I’m not.
A cold rag is placed on my forehead as Tanner coos at me, but I can’t decipher his words over the prayers I’m sending out, begging for relief.
A knock on the door has Tanner abandoning me. I turn my head long enough to see who the intruder is because I do not want anybody witnessing this. When I see it’s Indiana, the humiliation hits and I flush the toilet.
“Hey, man. Zoey wanted me to let y’all know there’s a stock of toothbrushes and toothpaste in the third drawer. She stocked it to the brim so she didn’t have to go to the house whenever she got sick. Also, in the fourth drawer, is some ginger candy, she swears it’ll help settle Britton’s nausea.”
“Thanks, Indiana, we appreciate that,” Tanner tells him.
“She also wanted me to hand you this,” Indiana states, passing over a business card.
“It’s for her OB doc. We went through a few until we settled on this one.
The others didn’t like that we belong to the Kings and were pretty snobbish and short with us.
This one, she’s cool as shit and she gives as good as she gets.
She’s not put off by the club and doesn’t come across as judgmental.
She’s good people or we wouldn’t recommend her to you. ”
“I’ll call and get her in once we’re done here,” Tanner assures.
I’m glad he’ll be making the call because at this point, I’m scared to open my mouth.