The fabric of Ward’s shirt was damp against my cheek as I took another shuddering breath. I couldn’t seem to stop crying. But then, I supposed that made sense. I’d been trying to keep up a brave front all week and not fall apart, but I missed him so much. His absence made everything feel lonely.

There was all of that and then the fact that I’d fallen in love with him. My emotions were so raw, I couldn’t talk myself out of my feelings any more. Oh, and I was pregnant. I felt like I was hurtling down a path I hadn’t chosen. Yet, I had no choice but to keep going.

He felt so strong and steady as he held me. One hand traced in circles on my back, while the other sifted through my hair where my head rested against his chest. He smelled so good, that woodsy, citrusy scent he carried. I tried to remember if I’d ever noticed how a man smelled before. I couldn’t seem to recall. But Ward’s scent? I knew I’d never forget it.

I was mortified I’d fallen apart like this. I was also too tired emotionally to stop it. I hadn’t slept worth a damn all week. After a few long moments, there was a knock at the door.

“Susannah?” Maisie’s muffled voice came through the door.

“Do you want to talk to her?” Ward asked, his tone careful and low.

I shook my head against his chest. “Not right now,” I mumbled into his shirt.

“Susannah?” Maisie asked again. “Just let me know you’re okay.”

“Can I tell her you’re okay?”

At my nod against his chest, his hand dropped from my hair, and I felt him turn slightly. His back was to the door, so he had to reach behind himself to open it. The bathroom here was tiny. There was hardly enough room for the two of us in here. We stood between the wall and the sink with only inches on either side.

“She’s okay,” Ward said through the crack in the door when he opened it.

“Are you sure? I want to talk to her,” Maisie said, her tone firm.

Ward didn’t seem to take the slightest offense at her insistence. I felt him nodding and then his voice rumbled in his chest. “Hang on.”

I looked up now, realizing I could only hide my face in his shirt but for so long. His eyes met mine, the concern there almost making me burst into tears again. “I don’t think she’s going away until she can talk to you.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Maisie called from outside the door.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I had protective friends. “I’m okay,” I called over Ward’s shoulder. “I promise.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Maisie said and then the door closed again.

Ward reached behind him to lock it and then lifted his hand to brush my tangled hair away from my face. It was damp from my tears and rubbing my face against his shirt. When I sniffled, he leaned over and snagged some toilet paper from the roll before handing it to me. “It’s not tissue, but…”

“It’s fine,” I said as I took it from him.

Blowing my nose noisily, I dabbed at my cheeks and then tossed the tissue in the wastebasket under the sink. I caught sight of my face in the mirror as I turned back to face him. My checks were splotchy pink and my eyes were red from crying. I looked like hell. Mustering my courage, I looked up at him finally.

His eyes met mine, his gaze steady, but slightly uncertain. That was a new look for him. We stared at each other in the tiny bathroom with the muffled sounds from the bar drifting down the narrow hallway. I heard another cluster of people coming in the back door, their footsteps echoing as they walked into the restaurant.

“I didn’t mean to fall apart like that. You could say it’s been a long week,” I finally said.

He was quiet as his gaze coasted over my face. He brushed my hair back again, tucking a few loose curls behind my ear. As it always did when he was near me, my body betrayed me. Goose bumps ran in a shiver from the side of my neck down to my toes at nothing more than a brush of his fingertips behind my ear.

“It has been a long week.” His voice was low and gruff, his eyes intent on mine. “I missed you every day. Every minute. How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m not getting sick as much, but I want to eat weird things.” Gulping in air, I decided to be honest because I’d already made a fool of myself. “I miss you. This is a mess. You don’t have to tell me you love me.”

His eyes flashed silver, and he cupped my face with both of his hands, his gaze burning into me. “I know I don’t have to. But I do.”

“Are you…?” I started to ask. My mouth went dry when he shook his head sharply.

“I don’t say things I don’t mean. I love you. Like I said before.”

Staring at him, I was hit with another wave of emotion and before I knew it, tears were rolling hot down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my sleeve. Glancing back up, I found him looking startled and concerned, as if he didn’t quite know what to do with me like this.

I didn’t quite know what to do with me like this.

“Zanna, I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot,” he muttered as he leaned over and grabbed more toilet paper, carefully dabbing at my cheeks before handing it to me. I blew my nose again and then took a deep breath.

“It’s not you. I love you, and I’m a mess. I mean, look at me,” I said, gesturing to my face.

He did as I asked, his mouth hitching at the corner with a smile. “You look beautiful.”

Rolling my eyes, I blew my nose once more. “Right. I think you’re just being nice now.”

With another shake of his head, he pulled me back into his arms. I felt his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath, his body relaxing slightly as he pulled me closer. It was then that I noticed the feel of his hard cock between us, pressing against my low belly. My channel clenched in response.

As if he could read my mind, he said, “Ignore it. I don’t have much control over myself when I’m near you. I promise I didn’t drag you into this bathroom for that.”

I giggled. “It’s all good. We have a mutual problem,” I said, leaning my head back with a grin.

We stood there grinning at each other, a sense of giddiness spinning through me. There was another knock at the door. This time, an unfamiliar voice filtered through the thin door. “Gonna be out anytime soon? I kinda need to pee.”

I burst out laughing again, Ward right along with me. He called out, “Give us a minute.”

When he looked back down at me, his gaze sobered. “If Chad wants to be a jerk, Cade warned me we might get charged.”

I’d completely forgotten the events that led to me storming down the hallway. “For what it’s worth, please don’t go around hitting guys for me. I can take care of myself.”

He shrugged, completely unrepentant. “If any guy, Chad or otherwise, talks about you like that, I reserve the right to hit them.”

Staring at him, I shook my head. I just had to go and fall in love with a tough, alpha guy. So be it. With another roll of my eyes, I stepped back, not that there was much space for it. “Okay, I suppose we should face the music.”

He stood there, looking at me for a beat, lifting his hands to brush my hair back again, his palms cupping my cheeks. “I meant what I said. I love you. If you’re wondering what that means, it means you’ll never be rid of me.”

My heart was pounding so hard, I could hardly breathe. Joy swirled inside. “I love you too. I think we have to save the rest of this for later. Nature calls for someone,” I said, just as there was another knock at the door.