229

I sat in a hospital bed, wrapped in an unflattering gown, with three of the most stubborn men staring at me, their expressions a mix of worry and frustration. It was crazy what money could do. Lucas had gotten me a room in no time—no waiting in the ER when you’re a billionaire. The thought caught me off guard. I’d been sort of proposed to by a billionaire. Weird.

A kind nurse had started an IV and given me fluids before stepping out to fetch the doctor. But that wasn’t good enough for the guys. They had called in a personal doctor, and Lucas had already flown him in.

I felt a little better, but I wasn’t sure what had happened earlier. I figured it was just too much excitement. Despite my protests about staying at the hospital, they weren’t budging. Surprisingly, Ryder was the one most insistent. Laid-back, sweet Ryder could be pretty stubborn when he wanted to be.

“You can pout all you want. It changes nothing.” He sat next to me, his dark circles matching the exhaustion I saw in Lucas and Jaxon. He patted my thigh gently. “Once we know what’s going on, we can go home.”

“But not my apartment?” I reminded them of their comment about my place.

Before they could answer, the doctor entered. He examined me a little too thoroughly for my liking, drawing blood while I cringed. Jaxon growled when I winced, making the doctor look like he wanted to run.

“Almost done, Dr. Hall?” Lucas’s voice was strained, and I could tell they were all on edge.

Dr. Hall flashed me a quick smile. “I’ll have answers for you within the hour.”

As soon as he left, the guys crowded around me. Jaxon gently stroked my wrist, Lucas ran his hand through my hair, and Ryder held my other hand.

“About my apartment?” I asked again.

Lucas started to answer, but Jaxon interrupted. “It’s my fault. We went looking for you and I didn’t like the attitude of the guys standing around outside. Things got a little heated.”

I looked between their faces and hands, searching for signs of a fight. “What happened? Those guys are awful, parking their Mustang where they’re not supposed to.”

“Have they bothered you before?” Lucas’s hand stilled on my head. “Tell me.”

I started to reconsider whether I could handle their level of intensity every day. I was only one woman, after all. “They’re just jerks. The usual catcalling. They’ve never actually touched me.”

“Call Gregor. Tell him to go back and handle it.” Jaxon’s voice was cold. “I should’ve taken care of it myself.”

“Don’t call Gregor. What’s going on?” I pulled away from them, but immediately regretted it when I saw the hurt in their eyes.

“They were armed, baby. They flashed their guns to intimidate us and even offered to take you for the right price. They’re lucky Gregonly shot their engine.” Lucas rubbed his face, the sound of his hands on his beard making my neck itch.

I shuddered. “They wanted to hurt you?”

Ryder sighed. “They were just bluffing. We’re fine. But you’re not going back to that apartment. You’re ours now, and if we don’t keep you safe, what kind of men would we be? Like Lucas said earlier, we’re going to buy a bigger place here. Somewhere safe, private, and with room to grow.”

My voice was barely audible. “Grow?”

Jaxon cleared his throat. “Your mom will move in, of course. We’ll have her settled as soon as the house is ready, with private care if she needs it.”

“And we’ll need room for kids,” Lucas added, trailing a finger down my nose and over my lips before gently pressing my mouth closed. “This doesn’t have to be our forever home, but I hate moving. We’re in this for the long haul. We’re not leaving without you.”

My heart was racing. Kids? They were already planning our future, and they weren’t joking. “Okay.”

“One day, you’re going to have to say more than that,” Ryder said with a gentle squeeze to my thigh. “Maybe even tell us how you feel about us.”

I instantly softened, my panic over talking about kids melting away. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them—it was just that I was scared. I still wasn’t sure I could trust that they wouldn’t leave me again.

Just then, Dr. Hall walked in, rubbing hand sanitizer into his hands, and came up to my bedside, cutting off whatever I was about to say. “Well, I found a few things. You’re dehydrated, malnourished, and low in iron and vitamin D. But that’s not the worst of it.”

The atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. Lucas’s hand tightened at the back of my neck. “What is it?”

“Your body’s been through a lot, Margot, but there’s more going on. You’ve got one of the most expensive parasites in the world growing inside you.” He saw my eyes fill with tears and quickly backpedaled. “Wait, no! I didn’t mean it like that. You’re pregnant, Margot. You’re pregnant.”

Lucas wasted no time, grabbing Dr. Hall by the shoulder and dragging him out of the room, scolding him all the way. I sat there, still staring at the spot the doctor had been standing, my mouth hanging open. Pregnant? I was pregnant?

“Oh, shit.” I sank back into the bed, wishing I could somehow pass out to escape this moment.