Chapter Nine

Kaiden

"Oh no," Laura cries, sitting upright in bed.

My eyes spring open just in time to see the color drain from her face. She clamps a hand over her mouth and practically launches herself out of bed, making a beeline for the bathroom.

"Fuck," I growl, flinging the covers back to follow behind her. Early morning light pours in from the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the valley. My little star likes to wake with the sun spilling across her face, albeit not like this.

What the fuck is going on with her? This is the second time this week that she's woken up sick. I don't like it one bit. If this is what stress does to her, I may revise my decision not to hunt down the assholes who run the sites currently printing their bullshit lies about her. It's nearly Christmas. She should be floating on cloud nine, not stressing like this.

I'm not taking good enough care of her. As soon as she finishes filming her final scene on Christmas Eve, I'm whisking her away to spend Christmas in the mountains. We have to be back in time for the wrap party on New Year's Eve, but we'll have six days to ourselves. I can't fucking wait. It'll be just the two of us, naked in a cabin. The only thing she's allowed to wear is the ring I plan to put on her finger on Christmas morning.

Fuck, I can't think about that right now. She needs me.

Focus, Kaiden. Focus.

I stride into the bathroom to find her crouched in front of the toilet, dry heaving into the bowl. She looks so tiny and vulnerable. My heart aches at the sight. My poor little star. She's too damn perfect to be this miserable.

I hurry toward the sink and wet a washcloth in cool water before crossing back to her.

"Go away," she moans when I kneel behind her, pulling her into my lap. She said the same thing the other morning too. It didn't work then, either.

"Never." I press my lips to the back of her neck and then place the cool cloth against her skin, holding her cradled in my arms as she dry heaves again, whimpering pitifully. I feel completely fucking helpless, so I rub her back, murmuring to her.

Eventually, the dry heaves stop. She slumps weakly against my chest.

"I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You're stressed out. We need to get you in to see a doctor."

Where the fuck is Gage Bronx when you need him? I forgot she knew him until she brought him up the other day, but either it's a small fucking world or the universe put this shining star in my path for a reason. My best friend from childhood, Tate Grimes, went to medical school with Gage. As far as I know, they're still friends.

"I feel fine. I just wake up in the morning, and I'm…" Laura trails off with a little gasp. "Kaiden, what is today?"

"The day of your sex scene with Abel Clarke," I growl. I haven't forgotten that bullshit. Nope. Not even eating her perfect little cunt until every lick had her pleading for mercy last night made me forget that.

Shit. She hasn't felt well, and I've been all over her like an asshole. No wonder she's so stressed out. I need to give her a break and keep my damn hands to myself for a few days.

"No, the date!" she cries.

"It's the twentieth."

"Oh no." She jumps out of my lap, elbowing me in the chin. Before I can even ask where she's going, she's running back into the bedroom, her blonde hair bouncing behind her and that perfect ass jiggling.

My cock stirs at the sight.

"Forget it. You're riding the bench," I growl, glaring at him as I toss the washcloth toward the sink and then flush the toilet before following her back into the bedroom.

She's seated on the side of the bed, her phone hanging limply in her hands.

As soon as I step into the room, she bursts into tears.

What the fuck?

"I didn't do it on purpose!" she cries.

"Didn't do what?"

"K-keep it from you."

What the fuck is she talking about?

I stalk across the room toward her, prying the phone out of her hands. I go to toss it across the bed, not giving a shit what's on the screen when she's in tears, but then I see the name of the app out of the corner of my eye, and everything falls into place like an anvil cracking me in the head.

The fact that she throws up in the mornings. Her question about the date. The fact that we've been fucking like rabbits for a month straight. She isn't sick.

She's pregnant.

Holy shit. My little star is carrying my baby.

"You're pregnant." My knees cease functioning. I land on my ass on the bed beside her.

"I don't know." Her bottom lip quivers as her big, watery eyes meet mine. "I should have started last week. I didn't even realize I was late until you told me the date. I've been so focused on other things; it never even crossed my mind. I swear I didn't realize, Kaiden. I would have said something if I had."

"Fuck," I whisper, my mind reeling. She could be carrying my kid right now. My star…pregnant with my baby. Goddamn, I like the sound of that. A whole helluva lot.

"You're mad." Her expression crumbles.

"Mad?" I shake my head, shocked that she could think that. "Never," I growl, cupping her cheeks in my hands to brush away her tears. "Christ, princess. I don't know how I feel right now, but mad isn't even close."

"Upset? Afraid? Annoyed? Outraged? Crushed?"

"Hopeful," I whisper, making her sob my name. "Awed. Elated. Overjoyed. Humbled. Grateful." Emotion swells in my throat, threatening to choke me. "So fucking grateful."

She throws herself into my lap, sobbing. I catch her, wrapping her up in my arms. My hand goes to the back of her head, cradling her to me. She presses her face to my throat, her hot tears soaking my skin as she cries.

"I want it so bad," she says, her words muffled. "I didn't know how much until I realized it was possible." She pulls back to look at me, her face wet with tears, still so fucking perfect it hurts. "I want your baby, Kaiden. I want so many of your babies."

My dick turns to steel at the thought.

"Then I need you to stop crying so I can go buy a test, princess."

"Okay," she sniffles.

"Wait!" Laura cries an hour later, spinning around so fast she bumps into me.

I grab her before she bounces off and lands on her ass in the middle of the bathroom floor. She's carrying my kid. Falling could hurt both of them. We can't have that.

"You know you aren't watching me pee, right?" she asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Fuck, I know," I mutter, blowing out a breath. I'm not sure which of us is most nervous. I think I bought every damn test in the drugstore. The clerk looked at me like I was crazy. I wanted to growl at him that he'd understand one day, but then I thought about all the people who never get to experience this and kept my damn mouth shut.

My little star is turning me soft. Before her, I don't think that thought would have ever crossed my mind. But now? I think about shit like that now. I think about what she would say and how I would want people to treat her.

"You're nervous," she says.

"So are you."

"I'm scared it'll be negative."

"Me too."

"Really?"

I nod, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "Now that I've thought about you carrying my kid, I want it, princess. But if you aren't pregnant this time, that doesn't mean you won't be next time. I'll keep you stuffed full of my cock and cum until you're good and bred."

"Kaiden," she moans, her eyes darkening.

"Go pee on the stick so we can both see that you're already carrying my kid."

"Okay," she whispers. And then she hesitates and reaches for my hand. "Maybe you should wait outside the door. Just in case I need you."

"I can do that," I murmur, grateful as hell she's not kicking me out of the room entirely.

She takes a deep breath and then marches into the bathroom with the test in her hand. I pace in restless circles outside the door, my heart in my throat. It takes an eternity before she finally pulls the door open.

"What does it say?"

"We have to wait three minutes."

I scowl at the test in her hand. "Who the fuck made that rule?"

"I don't know."

"Give me the test."

"It says we have to wait! It takes time for it to process."

I arch a brow.

She huffs and reluctantly hands the test over.

I glance down at it, but the little box that's supposed to say pregnant or not pregnant doesn't say anything. "This one is broken," I complain. "Pee on a different one."

She laughs, pushing her way into my arms. "I told you we have to wait three minutes."

I scowl at the test, positive it's broken. Only…that little box isn't empty this time.

"Holy shit," I wheeze, my heart skipping a beat before it slams against my ribcage in a resounding thud that shakes me to my core.

"What?" Laura asks.

I tilt the test so she can see it.

"Oh my god," she whispers, bursting into tears.

I drop the test to the floor, scooping her up into my arms.

"You're carrying my baby," I growl, claiming her lips in a deep kiss.

She sobs against mine.