“I think you need to go to the doctor,” he said.
“No, it’s fine. It’s just a sickness bug. I’ll be fine in a couple of days. I thought you needed to go and meet with a bunch of people today,” she said. “I can handle this. Believe me, I don’t want you to think of me throwing up. Not when I want you to imagine me doing other things.”
He chuckled. Guilt swamped him. She had no idea.
“It’s fine. I want to stay with you.” He rubbed her back. “How about I go and make you some dry toast and some tea?”
“I don’t know if I can stand them.”
“I’ll go and do it. You leave it to me.” He left her in the bathroom, heading downstairs to her kitchen. He still hadn’t unpacked anything. His meeting today was with the underboss. He couldn’t miss it but he also didn’t want to leave her alone.
He dialed Night.
“What’s up, Prez? I’m about to head out.”
“I need you to arrange a different meet. I can’t make it today.”
“Are you kidding me? This is the only day. We’ve had this meeting planned for three weeks. We needed it secure. You know this.”
Rubbing at his temples. “I can’t make it.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve got personal shit, Night.”
“Any fucking you do can be done a different day.”
“I don’t think you understand me, or you seem to think you’re the boss of me.”
“Right now, I am the boss of you because you’re making decisions on a piece of pussy that’s going to be out of your life by the end of the year.”
“She’s pregnant with my child,” he said.
Silence.
“She is?” Night asked after a long pause.
“I believe so. You need to bring the Doc here. I want him to find out. She won’t go to the doctor and he works for the club so I can keep this to myself for the time being.”
“She doesn’t know she’s pregnant?”
“Bring the underboss to my house. I’ll deal with him and then I can be close in case she needs me.”
“I don’t like this. The capo has eyes on you. You know this is a big risk.”
“It’s a risk I have to take. You know it and so do I. Arrange it and call me back when you have the details.”
He hung up the phone. Anyone else he would have fucking beaten the shit out of for speaking to him in that way. Night was different.
“Is everything okay?” Anna-Beth asked. She was dressed in a suit, looking ready to go to work.
“Oh, no, you’re not going to work.”
“I feel fine. I was sick but I’ve got a lot of work to do. You’ve got business to handle. It’s fine.”
Ever since they had discovered all the previous owners of their houses were in some way happy and together, he’d noticed Anna-Beth kept pulling away from him. He hadn’t professed his love and neither had she, but she clearly was having a hard time dealing with what was going on between them.
“I’m not joking, Anna-Beth. Get your cute ass upstairs, in pajamas now. I will force you upstairs.”
“I feel fine.”
He clicked his fingers and moved toward her.
“Seriously, I’m not a child. You can’t order me around.” She screamed as he lifted her over his shoulder.
“I can and I will.”
“Damn it, Rix, put me down. You’re going to make me feel sick again.”
He rested a hand on her ass to steady her.
“This isn’t fair.”
“Tough.” He dumped her on the bed and started to remove her clothes.
“I can handle myself,” she said.
“No, you could handle yourself but you’re being stubborn and now I get to take over. I’m so much better at getting you out of your clothes than you are.”
“Rix, stop it.”
He cupped her face.
“I don’t want you to miss an important meeting because of me.”
“I won’t. I’ve already arranged everything. I can take care of you.”
“Have you taken care of a lot of women?”
He paused. “No, I haven’t.”
“Oh.”
Not women pregnant with his child but he’d find out the results of that soon enough. He didn’t want to scare her in case she just had a stomach bug. Would it really only arrive every morning? He tried to ignore the little niggle inside his head that told him he really needed to tell her the truth. It wouldn’t do her any good.
Removing her clothes, he kissed her lips.
“If I have a bug, you’re going to catch it.”
“Then we’ll be ill together.” After taking her clothes to the laundry basket, he grabbed some sweatpants and a shirt. Helping her into the pants and the shirt, he decided against any underwear.
“I can walk downstairs,” she said, holding up her hand so he didn’t carry her.
He held her hand, leading her downstairs to her sofa. “Sit, watch television, relax.”
“What about work?”
“I’ll call and deal with them.” He called Night and got one of the boys to pay the accounting firm a visit to let them know she wouldn’t be in for the next couple of days. He returned to the kitchen, making her a cup of tea and finishing off her toast.
He couldn’t cook. Never learned, but these were two things he figured he couldn’t screw up. The tea didn’t look right. It was way too pale and the toast was burnt. Not exactly a good look, but he presented it to her with a smile.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll do something better for dinner.”
“I wonder what,” she said with a smile.
“You know it’s going to be takeout.” He sat beside her, pulling her in close.
Time ticked by.
At the sound of the bikes arriving, he got to his feet to check out the window.
Sure enough, Night was carrying the underboss, who looked disguised as someone else. In another car was the doctor.
At the door, he shook hands with the Doc.
“Night has told me your suspicions.”
“Can you test her without her knowing?” Rix asked.
“I can ask her to give a urine sample. I don’t feel comfortable not letting the woman know she could be pregnant.”
“Until I know for sure, I don’t want to worry her. All the results you get come to me, and I don’t need to give you the usual spiel.” He slapped the doctor on the arm. Returning to his woman, he saw she had a lot more color. He really did believe she was pregnant. Only pregnant women were sick in the morning and perfectly fine for the rest of the day, right? He honestly didn’t know. “I’ve got the doctor.”
“Rix, really? It’s just a little sickness.”
He went to her side, kissing her head. “I don’t want to worry in case it’s something more. Do this for me.”
“I think you’re worrying for nothing.”
He hated lying to her, but for now, that was all he could do. “Please?”
“The doctor’s already here so why not.” She looked past his shoulder with a smile. “I don’t like needles.”