Chapter Seven
Drake watched as the moonlight played across Shiloh’s face. She looked so innocent, but he knew there was a strong, determined woman beneath that innocence. He rolled to his side and ran his fingers through her long hair. While he was overseas he’d dreamed so many times of lying in bed with her, and now that he was here, he wanted to savor the moment. No doubt, she’d wake in the morning, thinking this had been a huge mistake. He didn’t want to take advantage of her, but when she’d asked him to stay, he’d been powerless to deny her.
He wished they could start over. He’d have done things the right way that night, and would have kept in touch after he’d left. And he sure as hell wouldn’t have accused of her pawning another man’s baby off on him. It was the one regret he knew he’d always have. Maybe if he’d done things differently, she wouldn’t have had to struggle so much, and wouldn’t have carried the burden of her pregnancy for so long without confiding in him. She’d fought hard to get where she was, and he wouldn’t take that away from her, but he wished like hell she’d admit that she needed help. His help.
Shiloh shifted in her sleep and nuzzled closer to him. Her soft curves pressed against him, making him groan and curse his aching dick. He’d been hard ever since he’d had that first glimpse of her earlier. Not that he was going to act on it. She was the mother of his child, and they were strangers despite their one intimate night together. It didn’t mean he wasn’t attracted to her, though, and the more he learned about her, the more he wanted her.
His arm tightened around her and he rubbed his chin through her silky hair, his whiskers catching on the soft strands. She felt right lying in his arms, and Drake wondered what it would take to convince her to sleep with him every night. Even if she wasn’t ready to take things further, just holding her would be enough. It would give him hope that maybe they could have a future together.
Fuck. He needed his head examined. What the hell was wrong with him? One close encounter and he was ready for wedding bells and baby blankets? Just because the kid was his didn’t mean they had to live together. But for some unknown reason, he really wanted to give it a try. The thought of her living in that trailer on the bad side of town made his stomach turn. And his child being brought up there? Hell would freeze over before he let that happen.
Shiloh’s hand clutched at his shirt. “You’re thinking too hard.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I don’t sleep the entire night through anyway. I get leg cramps sometimes and have to run to the bathroom other times. If I slept the entire night through, it would be a miracle.”
He stroked her arm. “Do you need to get up?”
“I’d better. I’ll be back.”
She slid out of bed and padded across the hall to the bathroom. Drake folded his hands under his head while he waited. When she cried out, he lurched out of bed and ran across the hall. She was sitting on the toilet with her panties around her knees, but he could see the blood from the doorway. His heart kicked in his chest and there was a roaring in his ears.
“I’m taking you to the ER,” he said.
“I need to change.”
“Do it quickly. I’ll put on some jeans and I’m going to call Dallas to let him know what’s going on. I have a feeling he’ll want to meet us there.”
She nodded as tears streaked her cheeks.
When they were ready to go and his phone call had been placed, he buckled her into the front seat of his truck and hauled ass to the hospital. He screeched to a stop at the ER doors and rushed around to the passenger side to help Shiloh from the vehicle. Drake escorted her inside and left her with a nurse while he went to park. By the time he got back inside, she was speaking to triage.
Drake placed a hand on her shoulder. “I haven’t had a chance to add her to my insurance yet, but I’ll cover the bill.”
She blinked up at him in surprise.
“Drake Edwards?” The nurse’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t realize you were back home.”
His brow furrowed as he tried to place how he knew her, but he came up blank.
“Jeannie Barlow. We met at your bar last year?” Her cheeks pinked. “We had a rather fun night.”
He was still drawing a blank.
Shiloh patted his hand. “It’s okay, Drake. You have a past. It won’t hurt my feelings if you acknowledge her comment.”
“I-I’m sorry. Are the two of you married?” the nurse stammered.
“Engaged,” Drake said before Shiloh could open her mouth to deny it. “Do you know how long my fiancée will have to wait until she sees a doctor?”
Jeannie looked over the information on the screen in front of her. “Well, because of the pregnancy, she’s considered a high risk. I’m going to get an orderly to take her to the back. It’s actually been pretty slow tonight, so there are a few rooms open both in the ER and upstairs if they need to move her to the maternity ward.”
His heart nearly stopped when he thought about Shiloh losing the baby. He had just gotten used to the idea of being a dad, and he’d hoped things were going well between Shiloh and him. He waited with Shiloh and when an orderly came with a wheelchair to take her into the back, he went with them, hoping she wouldn’t kick him out once they reached the room. Drake was every bit as worried as she seemed to be about the baby.
The rooms were curtained-off sick bays and Shiloh stared at him pointedly after the orderly left.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m not changing into that gown,” she said, pointing at the garment on the bed, “until you turn your back.”
Drake arched a brow. “Really? We’re going to pretend I’ve never seen you naked? Do you need a reminder about how you ended up pregnant? Because you certainly didn’t get that way by yourself.”
She huffed at him and narrowed her eyes, but he wasn’t budging. She’d already been unsteady on her feet earlier and now the bleeding had him extra worried. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight for a moment. Hell, if she needed to use the bathroom, he was going there too.
When Shiloh got caught up in her pants and nearly fell, he grabbed her and eased her onto the bed. He helped her get her pants off and then stood back to let her do the rest. She slipped on the gown and he tied it in back for her before helping her lie back on the bed and drawing a sheet over her legs. Drake claimed the chair beside the bed and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. There was fear lurking in her eyes and he wished he could put her at ease. The truth was that he was every bit as terrified.
It felt like they waited forever as nurses came in and took her vitals, asked a bunch of questions, and checked on her periodically. When they strapped some sort of monitor to her belly, Drake tensed and wished someone would tell them something useful. The monitor beeped in time to what he assumed was the baby’s heartbeat. They spent another two hours at the hospital before they finally got a chance to speak to a doctor.
“I’m Dr. Marks,” the man said, holding out his hand to Drake. “The good news is that the baby seems to be doing fine. Some bleeding isn’t entirely uncommon, but if it happens again you need to bring her back. I’d suggest that she take it easy for a few days.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Shiloh said.
“I’m assuming you two are a couple,” the doctor said. “I’d lay off on intimacy for at least three days and make sure you don’t start bleeding again. If you feel fine at that point, you’re clear to have sex, within reason. No acrobatics or anything kinky.”
Shiloh’s cheeks flushed and Drake couldn’t contain his smile.
The doctor left and a nurse came with Shiloh’s discharge papers. While she was getting dressed, he made a payment on her bill with a promise to pay more later. If he didn’t get her on his insurance soon, he was going to be broke pretty quick, unless her state-issued insurance card arrived before her next trip to the ER or a doctor.
Drake pulled the truck up to the ER entrance and helped Shiloh into the vehicle. Once she was buckled, he went around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel. She was silent on the way back to his apartment and he wondered if she was worried about the baby. His fears were momentarily allayed by the doctor, but he knew that anything could go wrong between now and when the baby arrived. He’d just have to keep an eye on Shiloh, as much as she’d allow.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Both for taking me and for taking on the financial burden of paying for the visit.”
“You’re welcome. It’s my baby just as much as yours. That makes you my responsibility until he or she arrives.”
She pressed her lips together.
“I’m glad you were with me when it happened. If you’d been alone at your trailer, what would you have done?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. Tonight has proven that I shouldn’t be alone, at least until the baby comes. But Rebecca only has one bedroom, and you don’t exactly have space either.”
“Staying in my room wasn’t so bad tonight, was it?” Drake asked. “There’s no reason we can’t share a bed until the baby gets here. If you don’t want me to touch you, I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
She stared at him. “Is that what you want?”
Should he tell her the truth, or lie his ass off?
“You’ve been different today. In your email, you were hateful and nasty, but you’ve been the perfect gentleman since you walked into the bar today. I’m not sure which is the true Drake. The guy I’ve seen today I wouldn’t mind being around, but the one who sent that horrible email? That guy I could do without.” She licked her lips. “If today has been a glimpse of who you really are, then maybe us getting to know one another wouldn’t be such a bad idea. We’re going to have a kid together, and even if we’re not a real couple, we’re still going to have to deal with each other all the time.”
“Would being a couple really be a bad thing? Like you said, we’re having a kid together. I’m sure people have gotten together for worse reasons.”
“You’re kidding, right? Today is the first time we’ve had a real conversation or spent any time together, other than when the baby was created. You don’t honestly expect me to rush into a relationship with you, do you?”
“Would it be rushing? We only have so much time between now and when junior gets here.”
“Really? All you know about me is that I’m broke, carrying your kid, and your brother is my friend. And you want to talk about happily-ever-after with me?”
Okay, so maybe she had a point. He might be rushing things because of the baby, and in all honesty, if there wasn’t a baby, he wouldn’t even be thinking about asking her to live with him. Maybe even marry him. If she wanted to slow things down, then he’d do that, but damned if he didn’t want her under his roof while they got to know one another. Just the thought of her being alone and falling in her trailer with no one around to help, gave him chills.
“All right, we’ll go slow.” He glanced her way. “I swear I’ll keep my hands to myself if you’ll agree to stay with me. And if you really want your space, we can see if Dallas will temporarily move in with Rebecca and you can have his room.”
“I’m not throwing your brother out of his apartment. We can share the bed.”
She didn’t look too thrilled with the idea and Drake wanted to kick his own ass. If he hadn’t sent that nasty email to her, then they wouldn’t be in this predicament. They could have talked in the last few weeks and gotten to know one another.
“FUBAR,” he muttered.
“What?” Shiloh asked.
“Nothing.” It was accurate, though. He’d definitely fucked up the situation beyond all recognition. He wasn’t entirely certain how to dig his way out of the very deep hole he’d dug for himself, but he was determined that Shiloh would welcome his company by the time the baby arrived.
Way to go, asshole. Your baby momma can’t stand you.
Whatever it took, he was going to make Shiloh see she could depend on him. Even if it took the remainder of her pregnancy to do it.