12. Ryder

As soon as a couple of the maids have helped get Evangeline into a hot bath, I'm pushed out of the room for "privacy".

Theo and I stand together in the hall, exchanging worried glances and occasionally pacing the floor while we wait for news.

Fitz has gone to fetch our family's on-call doctor. Oliver is busy, so we decide not to tell him yet so he doesn't rush home and make the situation worse.

Guilt gnaws at my insides. I can't believe we let things get this far. I know that it's our fault for pushing her around so much that she felt she had to leave, but to put herself in danger like that? It had to have come from a place of extreme desperation.

"If she gets sick, it's on me," Theo admits in a low voice. "I did this to her."

"We both did," I say, refusing to let him carry the burden of guilt like he usually does. "I liked pushing her around. I liked watching her break."

"Me too," Theo admits. "She always looked so pretty with tears in her eyes."

"For someone we proclaim to despise, the three of us kind of became obsessed with her," I suggest. "It's like… the more we tormented her, the stronger the urges grew."

"What is it about that girl that draws us in?" Theo asks, looking down at his hands.

"I don't know, but since we did this, it's our responsibility to make sure she recovers," I tell him. "I'll watch after her."

"You don't have to do that," Theo protests.

"Hey, you've always wanted me to step up and be more responsible," I tell him, giving him a weak grin. "So let me do this."

Theo exhales, then nods. "Fine. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she recovers. Don't let anyone on the staff mistreat her, either."

I nod in return. "I won't," I vow, flexing and clenching my hands.

The doctor comes within the hour and enters Theo's bedroom to examine Eva. Theo eventually has to leave, guilt still hanging over him like a cloud, but I stay, waiting to hear from the doctor.

Dr. Monroe steps out of the room a little while later, a grim look on his face. "She was very weak," he says. "She's been working herself to the bone. I don't think she's had proper rest or nutrition in days."

A fresh wave of guilt washes over me, and I realize with horror that it's our fault once again.

"How's she doing?" I ask, tapping each finger to my thumb in an unconscious habit.

"She's sick," Dr. Monroe says plainly, not mincing his words. "She's picked up some kind of bug and she needs rest and relaxation. Plenty of fluids. I'm prescribing her some antibiotics that are safe for the baby. But she'll recover."

"I'll look after her," I tell him. Dr. Monroe searches my eyes for a moment, trying to find something.

"I know that you and your brothers are quite strict with your staff," he says. "If she relapses, she could get sick enough to lose the baby. So you"d better make sure she has no stress so she can make a full recovery. No work for her for at least the next ten days."

"Got it," I agree. "I'll make sure she has plenty of time to recover."

Dr. Monroe nods and takes his leave. I slip into the bedroom as soon as he's gone, and Evangeline is lying in Theo's bed, covers drawn up to her chest. She's breathing a little deeper than before, and her cheeks have more color in them and she looks like she's actually resting now, not passed out.

Pulling up a chair, I sit by her bedside, bitterness in the back of my throat. I could have fucked up here. This is what Theo was always on me about—how I never seem to give a shit about the consequences of my actions.

Now, here I am, face to face with one of them, and it's something I can't simply charm my way out of or pay someone off to make it go away.

Evangeline looks so pretty like this, sleeping peacefully. Her long lashes touch the tops of her cheeks as she breathes slowly in and out. Pale blonde hair is fanned out on the pillow behind her, and she scrunches her nose, something unsettling her in her sleep.

"Shh," I whisper, reaching out to smooth a hand over her forehead. "Relax, okay? I'm going to stay here and take care of you. You don't have to worry about anything right now."

My protective side has shown up with a vengeance, and I'm not about to let anything else happen to her. I'm not sure why she's drawn it out of me, but I don't feel like questioning it right now.

I stay by her side in the chair all afternoon and evening, only leaving long enough to pick up her prescription from the pharmacy before I return.

Fitz comes in at one point to relieve me of my duty, but I shoo him away. "I can handle it," I tell him.

He stares at me for a long, uncomfortable moment before bowing and leaving the room. Evangeline finally wakes up a few hours later as the fever takes hold. She's shivering and shaking, and I pile a few more blankets on her, unsure whether I'm even helping her in the right way. I don't know much about how to take care of a sick person.

"Where… where am I?" she asks, voice thick and hoarse from sickness.

"You're in Theo's room."

She struggles to get up, panic in her eyes. "I'm sorry!" she cries out. I gently push her back down, smoothing circles over her arm with my thumb.

"Shh, you're fine. You got sick. Theo wanted you in here so we could keep an eye on you. You're not in trouble. Not anymore. Just rest, okay?"

Eva's eyes are wide and glassy, but eventually, she nods, seeming to understand, and lies back down.

Once the fever finally breaks around three in the morning the next day, I feel exhaustion creep over me. I need a shower. I had hastily changed out of my wet clothes after bringing Eva back home yesterday, but I hadn't taken a second to look after myself.

After a quick shower, I head down and grab a bite to eat from the kitchen and then head back upstairs, bringing some more water for Evangeline.

She's awake when I enter, looking less glassy-eyed this time.

"Hi," I say as I hand her the large cup of ice water. "Here."

"Have I been asleep long?" she asks, forgoing her usual questions.

"A while," I respond, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "But you needed rest."

"Why are you taking care of me?" she asks, smoothing a hand over the comforter.

"Because… you need looking after," I tell her, unable to voice the real reasons. "You can't work for like, ten days, according to the doctor, so someone has to look out for you. And we can't afford to spare any of the household staff."

She looks down at the white blanket on her, cheeks pink. "Oh," she says softly.

I mentally berate myself for being so harsh. "That and you… you scared me when I saw you like that, passed out on the forest floor."

My face heats up as her eyes turn upward, facing mine. "It did?"

"Yeah. You may not remember it, but you looked like hell. I know that we haven't always been very nice to you, but I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. It made me realize that you were upset enough to put yourself in danger to get away from us. Kinda sucks knowing that someone hates you that much."

Evangeline looks surprised by my apology. She opens her mouth, but I push my finger against her lips, silencing her. "Get some more rest," I tell her. "You need it. The doctor gave you some antibiotics that are…" I stop, unsure whether I should reveal that I know about her pregnancy. "That are like, supposed to help you."

"Thanks," Eva says, mouth moving against my finger. Her lips are so soft. How have I not noticed that before now?

I pull my hand away quickly and drop it in my lap. "Drink some water and rest. Someone will bring you some tea and a little bit to eat in the morning."

Eva nods, eyes drooping from exhaustion. I watch her fall asleep again and breathe a sigh of relief. I don't want to bring up the whole baby thing before she's ready.

The next few days, Eva starts to regain some strength, and she gets more color in her cheeks and puts on a little healthy weight while she recuperates.

As promised, I continue to take care of her and wait on her hand and foot. "You rang, doll?" I ask, bringing her a tray of soup like a fancy waiter and presenting it to her.

She giggles, and I place the tray in front of her. "I can't believe I'm getting five-star service around here," she says.

"You deserve it," I tell her. "You are the patient, after all."

"I still don't get why you feel like you need to be the one to take care of me," Evangeline says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she picks up her spoon to eat some soup.

"It's because the Everharts were raised as gentlemen," I tell her, sitting down in the chair I've been occupying. "Well, we were raised to be ruthless and take what we wanted," I amend myself. "But in a gentlemanly sort of way."

"I know what it is you guys do," she admits. "I overhear you on the phone with people all the time."

"So you know we were raised to be criminal overlords, then?" I ask. She nods. "Yeah, our father, Marcus Everhart, was the head of the Callahan Mob Family. He wanted us to be just like him. And we were, even after the DeLucci family, our rivals, attacked the manor, started a fire, and killed him."

Eva gasps, stopping her spoon halfway to her mouth. "Is that what happened to him?"

"Yep. They showed up one day, asking for a meeting. When Dad refused, they started throwing firebombs into the manor and gunned down my father in his own study. That's why part of the manor is closed off."

Eva gives me a sad smile. "I'm sorry you lost your father."

"And I'm sorry we were dicks to you. We shouldn't have taken our bullshit out on you."

Eva stares down at the blanket for a long moment. "I need to tell you something,' she says. "I didn't just run away because of you. I ran away because… because I'm pregnant."

I look up at her and give her a gentle half-smile. "I know," I admit. "We overheard you telling Fitz. But don't worry, we aren't mad or anything. It's fine."

Eva frowns, then takes another bite of her soup. There's something in her face that seems almost troubled by the revelation that we already know, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," she says. "It's fine. I'm just surprised you already knew."

The silence hangs heavily between us before she goes back to eating.