Chapter 48

Penny

“How did you know where to find me?” I whisper. My throat feels like fire at each word, curtesy of Mirabelle’s death grip.

Fuck, I can’t believe she’s gone. I shiver, trying to block the memory of her head exploding before my eyes.

“Rafe,” he tells me, stroking my hair. I lean against him, refusing to be away from him for anything longer than a moment or two. Which made for an awkward situation when the doctor came in to examine me.

Damien and the guys insisted on a quick visit to the hospital. I didn’t think it was necessary, but after witnessing their eyes harden with worry, I reluctantly agreed. As long as I didn’t have to ride to the emergency room in the back of an ambulance.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks, leaning back to look down at me.

“I told you, besides my throat, I’m fine.” I offer a warm smile, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of my head. But I’m not ready to tell him yet. Not until I know for sure.

“I mean about Charles being Miguel.” He lowers his voice.

“It was a big shock seeing him sitting on the other side of the glass, especially thinking he was already dead. But he’s gone now.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, sounding exhausted. When Damien took off into a sprint after hearing Mirabelle’s voice, Rafe went upstairs looking for him and found Miguel’s lifeless body.

“At least she died finally free of him,” I surmise, thinking of Cassie and everything I’ve learned about her today. Who would’ve known? “When I was younger, I used to have these dreams about running away from my mother and Miguel. I never went anywhere specific, because all I wanted was to be free of the fear, the lack of control, and the unknown in my life. He was a monster to us, but when I think about what he did to her—”

“It wasn’t your fault,” he interjects, trying to guess what I’m about to say. And he’s wrong.

“I know it isn’t, but she was with him for fourteen years, Damien.” I swallow, trying to make him understand. “I was one when he came into our lives, and I never knew where he was going on those long trips he used to take. Now I know.”

“Penny…” he trails off, understanding me now.

“He never hurt me like he did her, not that he wouldn’t have given the opportunity, but those times he was gone, he was with her, and I was celebrating his absence.”

Guilt.

I felt guilty for feeling happy. When he wasn’t there hurting and torturing us, he was with her.

“If it wasn’t her, it would have been another. He was a monster.”

“And in the end, she escaped him.”

“You both did,” he corrects me.

“She pulled the trigger. Not me.”

Before he can argue any more, a knock on the door announces the doctor. The door opens, and she walks in, closing it softly behind her.

“Well, I’ve got some good news.” Dr. Yvette Saunders smiles, her whiskey-colored eyes darting between Damien and me. She’s a petite woman, with caramel colored skin and ebony colored hair. She has a spitfire personality, reminding me one of the girls I friended in the earlier months of my captivity. I felt instantly comfortable with her. Damien asked for her the moment we arrived. I noticed her name stirred something in the one called Zero, because he began acting nervous. He bolted out the door the second she came through the doors. I couldn’t help but find his behavior odd, but then again, Dr. Saunders is a stunning woman. “Your test results have all come back good, and we are going to release you.”

“See, I told you,” I giggle, feeling a burst of light enter the room.

“What about her throat?” Damien asks, still not convinced I’m okay.

“Little to no damage that we can see. With a few days rest and minimal talking, it’ll be good as new.” She winks at me, knowing he’s being a worry wort. “But before you go, I’m ordering an ultrasound, but from everything we can tell, the baby is doing great.”

“Baby?” Damien asks with a frown stitched into his brow. I sit up straight, relief filling my body.

The baby is okay.

My heart pounds and skips a beat all at once.

I’m going to have a baby.

“I take it you didn’t know you were pregnant?” Dr. Saunders asks, confusion laced between her brows. Damien’s mouth hangs open, but he looks to me for an answer.

“I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but I knew it was a possibility,” I admit, placing a hand on my belly and turning my head toward Damien. I’m not sure how he’s feeling at the moment, because we still haven’t talked about the future as far children go. “Are you okay?”

“I’m going to be a father?” he asks with a hint of excitement in his voice. I nod, unable to put to words the emotions I’m feeling.

“I’m going to give you two some privacy, but the ultrasound tech will be in soon, and we’ll see how far along you are. I’ll also have a nurse let the group in the waiting room know that everything is all right and you’ll be out soon.” The doctor doesn’t wait for a response and lets herself out of the room just as quietly as when she entered it.

Damien’s green eyes bore into mine until I feel like the world around us has stopped completely. He lifts a hand and places it over mine. A blinding smile slowly creeps across his face. “We’re going to have a baby?”

I nod. “You’re going to be a daddy. Is that okay?”

“Okay?”

“We haven’t really talked about a family, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to tell you,” I explain, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

“This is amazing news, angel.” He pulls me into his arms and places a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs softly. I lean into him with a sigh and kiss his lips. “I love you, angel, and I love our baby. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”

“You love me?”

“I do. I wanted to say it sooner, but I was afraid to admit how much you mean to me. You deserve so much more than I can give you.” He wraps me into his arms tighter, burying his face in my neck. “I’m scared you’re going to wake up one day and realize I’m too broken for you and our baby.”

“Never,” I ressure him, knowing down to the depths of my soul there is no other for me. “You are the most amazing man, and I’m lucky to call you mine. I love you, Damien.”

“I love you, too, angel, in the light of the day and the glow of the moon, forever and always,” he whispers before claiming my lips in a searing kiss.