“I can’t . . . I don’t trust doctors, not anymore and not when it comes to you.” There’s a deep pain in his voice that shreds through my chest.
God, how could I forget? After Dr. Xavier put Blake’s body through a living pressure cooker, pumping him so full of steroids he was crawling out of his skin, no wonder he’s suspicious. Add to that his already fiercely protective and possessive nature makes his reaction completely understandable.
“Yeah.” I nod into his chest.
“Promised I’d protect you and I am.” He says it as if it’s the simplest explanation. “I won’t fail you again.”
I want to smack him, to scream in his face that he didn’t fail me. He’d had no control over his actions back then. I want to plead for him to understand that he saved me, but it’s a tired conversation, and no matter how hard I try, he can never seem to forgive himself for what happened that night.
Silence hangs in the air, weighted with the memories of my past, a past I’d hoped I could move on from, but it hasn’t been as easy as I thought. I don’t hear Stewart’s taunts anymore, but along with my pregnancy there’ve been nightmares. They could be flashbacks from the past, things I’d forgotten or repressed, but either way Blake has had a front row seat to them all.
I wrap my arms around his waist and feel the press of his lips to my head.
“No one gets to touch you unless I say it’s okay, and Dr. Swinging Dick does not have my okay.”
“Blake.”
“What? Probably hits on half his patients.” He mumbles that last bit as if to himself.
“His pregnant patients, I’m so sure.”
“Don’t care if he’s a doctor. Pussy’s *, and not a straight guy alive isn’t turned on when he sees one.”
I tilt my head back to meet his eyes and glare. “You did not just say ‘*’s *.’”
He shrugs. “I did, but yours is different.”
I roll my eyes and shake my head, the warmth that his words conjured up earlier cooling quickly.
He tips my face up by my chin. “Yours is different because it’s not just * anymore. It’s mine.”
The sincerity in his eyes, tick in his jaw, and grip of his fingers at the base of my neck are enough to bring tears to my eyes. I blink to stave them off.
“You get me?” His thumb rubs firmly along my lower lip.
I suck in a breath, aroused and so in love with the man before me. He’s proven over and over that he’d do anything to protect me. I close my eyes and lean to rest my cheek to his chest. The paper gown I’m wearing opens completely so my bare belly presses firmly to his abdomen.
“Yeah, she gets me.” He holds my head to his chest and drops kisses to my hair. “Love you, Mouse.”
We sit in silence just holding each other when a small knock on the door announces what I hope to be a different and very female doctor.
“One sec,” Blake calls and releases me. He takes a moment to close my gown over my breasts, my belly, and even tucks the edge over my thighs to protect my modesty. “Alright, come on in.” He takes my hand in his and steps to the side of the exam table.
Cassie walks into the room first, followed by an older woman who’s grinning. “Mrs. Daniels, I’m Patricia, the nurse practitioner. I’ll be doing your exam today, and can I just say”—her eyes swing to Blake’s—“I’ll take good care of her.”
Blake nods his approval, and I lie back, sighing in relief that, although being with this big strong fighter isn’t free of its obstacles, I have no doubt that he’ll always protect me.
Protect us.
Something we’ve never had before.
Three
Blake
It’s after twelve when I finally drag my ass to the training center. Once we got the news that Layla’s dilated “at a two, thirty percent effaced, and cleared for a v-back,” which basically translates into this baby could come at any time, I fed my woman and dropped her off at home.
She’s still working with Cameron, but now that Eve is there to take over the majority of her duties, Layla has the option to come in or not, depending on how she’s feeling. With Axelle in school, I figured this was a good time for her to have a quiet house and get some much-needed sleep.
As if on cue, a yawn claws its way up my throat. “Damn, who knew being pregnant would be so exhausting.” I rub my eyes.
Jonah, Rex, and Mason are in various stages of eating or drinking shakes in the small break room. I rest my head in my hands, elbows propped on the table to support its weight.
“You think you’re tired now, wait until you’re up every two hours for feedings with a newborn.” Jonah shakes his head, but can’t hide that damn fatherly grin he’s been sporting ever since Sadie was born. “You’d be surprised how quickly you get used to being barfed and pooped on by a tiny person.”
Mason sets down his fork and groans. “Dude, do you mind?” He nods to his food. “No talk of shit and barf while I’m trying to eat.”