CHAPTER SEVENTEEEN

T hat was absolutely not the way she wanted to tell him.

She’d only just taken the test—well, several tests—a few hours ago and was still processing things.

Then, he knocked on her door, kissed her, and … her brain shut down and her heart and body took over.

But during her shift, when she started adding up all the changes to how she’d been feeling lately: the fatigue, the sore breasts, the nausea, and not to mention the fact that her period was late, she realized the last time she felt this way, was the last time she was pregnant.

She ran to the Town Center Grocery Store and bought three different tests. Thank god, Jordana was the cashier on the till. She met Chloe’s gaze as she swiped the tests across the scanner and gave her a sympathetic look, but didn’t say anything. She was also very discreet in how she handled the tests, hiding them from the curious glances of the customers behind Chloe in line.

Then, with her heart racing, Chloe peed on the sticks and waited with bated breath.

She had one ovary, one fallopian tube, and a history of not only needing IVF to conceive, but miscarriages. The doctors had basically declared her infertile.

And now she was pregnant.

Staring at Dom, from where she stood on the threshold of the bedroom door, she couldn’t get a read on him. He just sat there in the bed, with the covers draped across his waist, his chiseled abs tight, blue-hazel eyes wide and unblinking.

How long had he been like this?

When the words fled her mouth, time and space paused. Hours? Minutes? Weeks? She glanced down at her belly which was still flat. Okay, well it probably wasn’t weeks or months.

Hesitantly, she crept into the bedroom, located her pajamas, and pulled them on. Then she sat on the edge of the bed. “You, uh … you going to say something?”

His throat bobbed on a swallow, and he finally blinked, then met her gaze. “You’re … you’re pregnant?”

She nodded. “Yeah …”

“B-but how?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Um … I think you know how.”

“Yeah, but … you said you were basically barren.”

“I know. The doctors said so too. It took ages, and all our savings, to conceive Elliott. Then two more rounds of IVF to try for a second, and when I had the ectopic pregnancy that took out an ovary and fallopian tube, the doctors said the likelihood of me conceiving at all were less than five percent.”

His nostrils flared. She couldn’t tell if he was angry or just still in a state of shock. “And it’s … mine?”

She nodded slowly. “I haven’t been with anybody in … a really long time. Not since my divorce. It’s yours.”

Blinking a bunch more, his chest heaved as he tried to calm his breathing. “So … you’re going to keep it?”

Dropping her gaze to the comforter, with a trembling hand, she traced her index finger around the stitching on the pretty, turquoise, paisley quilt. “I’ve learned not to get my hopes up with pregnancies. The chances of this one going to term are low.” She swallowed again and lifted her gaze to his face. “But I am going to keep it. I will see this pregnancy through as long as I can.”

Pain soaked his gaze.

“You don’t have to do anything though if you don’t want to. I’m not asking anything from you if this isn’t what you want. I know it complicates things even more.”

She was about to glance down again, but he surged forward and took her face in his palms, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “You’re not doing anything alone.”

Tears burned the back of her eyes. Oh yeah, another thing that made her wonder if she was pregnant: the roller coaster of emotions. More so than usual. “I know this wasn’t part of your plan when you knocked on my door.” The smile she gave him was her meek attempt at humor, but it fell flat and they both knew it.

Why couldn’t they just rewind thirty minutes. To when he had her on her belly, with his tongue in her ass and his fingers inside her. When everything felt right, and easy, and pain-free in the world.

“I should have told you before we …”

He shook his head, still holding the sides of her face. “It wouldn’t have changed anything.”

“So now we … what?”

Shifting his gaze across her face, a mix of uncertainty and fear in his eyes, she felt his warring emotions as if they were her own. Because they were her own. She wasn’t sure what to do either. “You’re fired,” he said, releasing her face.

“What?” That was not what she was expecting.

“You’ll move out of the cabin. Quit Hawke’s, and come up the hill and live with me. If you’re not my employee anymore then there are no complications. And if I fire you, you can collect severance. Maybe we should ask Hawke to fire you as well.”

She stood up off the bed, plunked her hands on her hips and stared at him in disbelief. “Are you insane?”

He mirrored her disbelief. “No. This makes sense. If I fire you then there’s no conflict of interest anymore. We can be together.”

“And I will do what, exactly? Just be barefoot and pregnant up in your castle on the hill, milord?” She gave a dramatic bow while still glaring at him. “I don’t think so.”

“But we can’t stress you out. It’s bad for the baby.”

She rolled her eyes. “ Not working will stress me out. I will go crazy and kill all your houseplants—on purpose—out of sheer boredom, if I’m not allowed to work. I will just take it easy. Maybe I should quit Hawke’s, but not until he finds a replacement.”

“Is he even looking?”

Of that, she wasn’t sure. It didn’t seem like Hawke was. But then again, maybe he just hadn’t found any suitable applicants … or nobody was applying.

“Regardless. I made a commitment and I’m not going to abandon him. I also happen to like bartending. I’m not giving that up.”

He got up from the bed, located his boxers, and pulled them on. “Then what do we do? Your whole reason why we couldn’t be together was because I am your boss. But we blurred those lines and made a baby. Now what?”

“I don’t know,” she blurted out, beginning to pace the bedroom. “I’ve only known I was pregnant for a few hours.”

“More time than I’ve known.”

Her glare made him rear back a little bit.

Good.

“Not helping,” she grumbled. “You’re not firing me. I’m not quitting—either place. But we do need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

He didn’t look pleased with her going up against him, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to forfeit something she enjoyed—which was working—because a man told her to. She would work as long as she could. Then, they’d figure it out from there.

Still looking like he was on the verge of having a mental breakdown, Dom threaded his fingers through his damp hair and exhaled loudly out of his mouth. Then he did something unexpected, he reached for her hands and tugged her to sit back down on the bed with him. “Fine. So long as you know that it’s ‘we.’ Not just ‘you.’ That’s my baby too. And if you’re going to keep it and go through with the pregnancy, then we’re in this together.”

A burgeoning sense of hope filled what was once an empty spot her heart occupied, because

until he said those words, she hadn’t been aware, or actively acknowledged, how much the idea of doing this all alone terrified her. The stress and unknown of it all was stacked on her shoulders like baby elephants, but hearing him say the words, that she wasn’t going to do this alone, gently nudged those tiny pachyderms to the floor. A tear slid down her cheek and he was quick to reach up and swipe it away.

Her breath escaped on a stutter and her chin trembled. This was going to be a long eight months of whirlwind emotions. Her first trimester with Elliott had been a breeze. No nausea, no cramping.

Something told her this pregnancy wasn’t going to be like that. She already couldn’t stand the smell of anything fried, which didn’t bode well for her working at a restaurant with a commercial deep fryer.

“Move in with me,” he said, cupping her jaw on the left. She shook her head to dismiss him, but he tightened his grip on her other hand. “Come on. You won’t let me fire you. But at least, up at the house you’d have more people there to help you. If something does go wrong with the pregnancy, we’re all right there. Justine is right there. Besides,” he shrugged, his smile lopsided, “I want to be part of this.”

“Won’t Silas think it’s weird that you’ve moved in this woman he’s only met once?”

That made him chuckle a mirthless laugh. “Not really. Three of his uncles did it. He probably thinks it’s the new norm for our family. And besides, I have a spare room. We don’t have to sleep in the same room or bed.”

The idea of not getting to do more of what they just did sat like an uncomfortable spike in her gut. Another sign that she was pregnant: sex was on her brain all the time. Not just when she saw Dom. But ALL. THE. TIME. She was already raring to go for round two, and hoped he had enough energy to go for rounds three and four.

Squeezing her fingers, he encouraged her to meet his gaze. “Come on. We can try it and see. If it doesn’t work, then …”

“Then?”

“I don’t know. But we’ll figure something out.”

It was her turn to laugh humorlessly. “That’s not giving me much confidence.”

“I’m doing the best I can with twelve minutes to process the news I’m going to be a father again.”

Yeah, okay. Fair enough.

His gaze softened. “You need to at least give us the chance, the opportunity to figure it out.”

The smile he offered her was small, crooked, and laden with guilt and uncertainty.

She struggled to even get out her reply without taking a hot second to let it all sink in. She wasn’t sure at all how he was going to react to the news, but never in her wildest dreams did she expect, or even think, he’d go all in like this so quickly, not to mention, insist she move in with him.

“Come on,” he said, standing up and searching the floor for his pants and shirt. “Let’s get you packed up.”

Well that snapped her out of her swirling vortex of uncertainty and made words come to mind. “What? It’s like eleven o’clock at night. And it’s pouring rain.”

His shrug was non-committal. “So? My place is so much better.”

“Yeah, but—”

He wasn’t taking no for an answer. Tugging his jeans and shirt back on, his hair disheveled and flopping sexily over his face, he met her gaze. “We’ll load up your car and head to the house. You’ll be settled in in no time.”

Did she really want to do this? Move in with Dom? Move in with her boss? Move in with the father of her baby?

“Once we’re unpacked, I’ll do that thing with my tongue you seemed to like,” he said, pulling on his damp socks, then sliding into his shoes. His eyes twinkled as he reached for her suitcase in the corner and flopped it open onto her bed.

She released a long, slow sigh. “Well, when you put it that way …”

Sunday was Chloe’s only full day off.

Even though she told Hawke that she didn’t mind working a longer shift at the hostel since she didn’t work at the pub, he refused. He said everybody needed at least one day off to recharge their battery.

And Sunday was Chloe’s.

Now, she was grateful the big mountain of muscle held his ground because after the emotional roller coaster and sex marathon of last night, she was absolutely exhausted.

Unsure what time it was, and not really caring, she rolled over in Dom’s enormous king-sized bed and hugged the pillow, pressing her nose into it. It smelled like him. Manly and fresh with a hint of sandalwood.

She smiled and burrowed in deeper.

She was almost back to dreamland when the front door downstairs opened and slammed shut, rattling the whole house, followed by the loud call of a six-year-old in search of his father.

“Dad!” Silas hollered. “Where are you?”

Chloe’s eyes flew wide at the same time the bathroom door opened and a wet, ripped, and mouth-wateringly delicious Dom emerged with a towel wrapped dangerously low on his hips. The tree tattoo on his right side, crawled up from his hipbone and over his ribs to just under his armpit. She’d licked every square inch of that ink last night, but already had a taste for more.

His gaze met hers, and he smirked, before yanking the towel from his hips and using it to dry his hair, his cock thickening before her very eyes. She licked her lips, zeroing in on the way the head darkened to a tantalizing plum-shade. “Was there a noise downstairs?”

Oh shit!

Thunder echoed up the stairs and down the hall, but they didn’t have time to hide or for him to duck into the bathroom before Silas appeared in the doorway. His blue-hazel eyes, the same shade as Dom’s went the size of dinner plates.

“Shit,” Dom exclaimed, whipping the towel from his head to cover his erection. “Dude, you’re home.”

Should Chloe hide her face? Duck under the covers or cover her head with a pillow? She didn’t know how to handle this situation. Either way, this was not how they intended to tell Silas about them, or the baby, or any of it.

Silas’s gaze moved to Chloe and an intense amount of shyness crept across his features, turning his cheeks an adorable ruddy color. “Dad?” He glanced back at Dom.

Dom securely wrapped the towel around his waist and reached for Silas. “Come here, buddy.” He pulled Silas over so they could sit on the edge of the bed. Silas’s gaze was wary as he glanced back at Chloe. Chloe was naked under the covers and had no idea where her pajamas were. It was probably best she stayed silent and waited until Dom took care of things. The last thing they needed was for her to traumatize the little boy further by crawling out of bed naked.

“So … Chloe and I have been spending some time together and we really like spending time together. We … um … Chloe is going to stay here for a bit with us.”

“I thought she was in the cabin,” Silas whispered.

“She was. But, uh … well …” He glanced back at Chloe, his eyes beseeching. He was as lost on how to handle this as she was. “Chloe and I are going to have a baby. So we decided that it might be best for her to move here that way I— we— can help her with the pregnancy and baby.”

Chloe swallowed, waiting for … some kind of a reaction from Silas. Was he going to be happy? Sad? Angry? She didn’t know the kid at all. Only from what others had told her.

The little boy swiveled around to look at her, then his eyes slid down to the bed around the area of her belly. “You’re having a baby with my dad?”

She nodded softly. “Is that okay?”

He was a ridiculously cute kid, with big hazel-blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and the same serious look as his father. His skin color was a little tanner than Dom’s, which was probably from his Latina mother. Nibbling on his bottom lip, Silas was quiet, still staring at her belly. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

Dom and Chloe exchanged hopeful looks.

“We won’t know for a little bit, bud,” Dom said. “It’s still really early. We’re telling you because you’re a part of this just as much as we are. You’re going to be a big brother. But, we’re not going to tell anybody else for a while yet. There’s a period of time when a person is pregnant that the baby might not survive, and so most people keep it a secret until that time has passed.”

“The baby might die?” Silas whispered.

“Well … hopefully not,” Dom said gently. “But it does happen. So it’s easier on everybody if we keep it a secret. We’ll tell the family shortly, but don’t tell anybody at school. Okay?”

He let go of Dom’s hand and leaned forward so his face was basically hovering over Chloe’s belly. “Don’t die, little baby. Okay?”

Chloe’s throat was impossibly tight and the backs of her eyes stung. She met Dom’s gaze again, and his eyes were wet as well.

“Are you like … my new mom or something?” Silas asked, studying her face.

“Oh, no, honey. I mean … you have a mom. And from what I’ve heard, she was wonderful. I would never try to replace her, or ask you to call me Mom. But … I am here for you for whatever you may need. I’m … I’m Chloe. Just call me Chloe.” This was uncharted territory for all of them, and as much as she thought they were sailing smoothly through it, who knew when a white squall would hit, or they might break their keel from a hidden rock just below the surf. They needed to remain alert, vigilant, and aware of their surroundings. There was no room for complacency.

“Chloe,” he said, almost under his breath.

“Mm-hmm?”

Silas lifted his gaze back from her belly to her. “Do I get to help pick out the baby’s name?”

“Not Spiderman,” Dom said.

Silas shot his dad a look. “I know. But Peter is a good name. And so is Mary Jane. Or Gwen. Or even May, after Aunt May. Or Parker?”

“Peter is also your grandfather’s name,” Dom said, his lips twitching as he tried to hide his smile of relief. “And your middle name.”

“Right.” Silas nodded. “Peter is a really good name. I’d be fine giving my middle name to the baby.” He slid a cheeky smile and side-eye toward Dom. “I could call him ‘Spidey’ as a nickname, right?”

Dom rolled his lips inward and ruffled his son’s wild bedhead.

“I like Peter,” Chloe said. She didn’t want to get to ahead of herself. The babies she named before they were born had all passed away in utero. She decided not to name Elliott before he was born, and he was the one that survived to term. So even though she typically wasn’t a superstitious person, she was when it came to pregnancy. With her whole heart. “But, let’s wait until we meet the baby. If it’s a boy, he might not look like a Peter. He might look like a—”

“Bruce?” Silas asked. “Like for Bruce Banner?”

She nodded. “He might look like a Bruce.”

“You’re okay with all of this?” Dom asked, bringing his son’s attention away from Chloe and her stomach and back to his father. “I know it’s a lot.”

Silas didn’t nod. He didn’t say anything.

Uh-oh.

“You don’t have to be okay with anything right now,” Chloe said. “It’s a lot of information to take in. Your dad and I are still processing things too. We only found out about the baby last night.”

Silas glanced at her over his shoulder. “I’m okay.” His gaze flitted down to her belly once more. “I won’t let Carnation hurt you, little baby,” he said quietly. “Aya’s teaching me how to bite.”

Dom groaned and shoved his fingers into his hair. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He exhaled dramatically. “Did you have breakfast at Uncle Wyatt’s?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to shower?”

Silas shrugged. “I could.” He touched his face. “My face is a little sticky from the whipped cream on our pancakes.”

“Then go have a shower.”

Silas stood up, unease creasing his youthful, round face as he bounced his eyes between Chloe and Dom. Then, without saying another word, he spun around and headed to his bedroom.

“And we don’t bite people,” Dom called after his son, who was already gone. He buried his face in his hands. “Fuck. That was not—”

“I know. But … even though I don’t know him well, it seems like he took it okay?”

He collapsed onto the bed so his face rested against her belly. She ran her hand through his silky tresses. “Yeah, he took it better than I thought. Not that I really had any idea how he’d take it. But then again, the kid is quiet about things. He takes a while to process. So, we need to just give him time.”

Nodding, Chloe continued to play with his hair. It was relaxing for both of them. Who needed a little desktop Zen garden with sand and a finger-sized rake when she had Dom’s hair to play with?

“I don’t want to name the baby until it’s here,” she said again. “I named all the rest, but not Elliott. So … call me silly or superstitious, but I’d rather we just hang tight.”

Pressing a kiss to the duvet cover over her stomach, he turned his head to face her. “I’m okay with that. We didn’t name Silas until he was born either. We had his name on our list, but we waited until we met him. Do you want to find out the sex though?”

She nodded. “I think so. It might make the transition for Silas easier. The more he knows, the more he can prepare.”

His small, warm smile eased the tension surrounding her scarred and bruised heart. “I love how much you’re already looking out for him.”

“I’ll admit, when I first met him, it was weird. He reminded me a lot of Elliott, and still does in some ways. Elliott was shy too. But he’s not Elliott, and I will overcome any weirdness I feel, and I’m sure I’ll fall in love with him.” She laced the fingers of her free hand through his.

“What about his dad?”

One eyebrow lifted on her face. “What about his dad?”

“Do you think you’ll fall in love with him?”

Her heart did a heavy thump-thump against her ribs and she exhaled. “I think I already have.”

The glimmer of relief and hope in his eyes winded her. “Good. Because his dad has definitely fallen in love with you.”