Page 136 of Embracing the Beat
“It was closed when we got back.”
“It’s fine.” She turns the knob, and I maneuver us both through the door, reaching back with my foot to close it quietly.
The little guest house looks exactly like it did when I first walked in. Warm, inviting, comfortable. I’m glad Michaela has had a place like this to stay for the last few months. Compared to my hotel room, this is a palace.
“Here or your room?” I ask quietly, my voice husky at the lower volume.
Her yawn is a sufficient answer. Since the house is small, there’s only a tiny hallway with a bathroom on the right and the bedroom straight ahead.
But when we make it to her room, I find I can’t let her go. Physically, it should be as easy as setting her down, but emotionally, my body craves the contact with hers. So instead of fighting that need, I sit on the edge of the mattress with her still in my arms.
Her blond hair is still up, but large strands have fallen to brush my bicep and incite goosebumps to shiver down my spine.
“How are you feeling?” I search her face for any signs of pain.
“I’m fine. Tired, but the cramps are gone,” she assures me, and I release the breath I’ve been holding.
“God, I was so worried about you. Both of you.” I place my hand gently along her abdomen, closing my eyes at the soft swell of warmth pressing against my palm.
“I was scared, too,” she admits. “Especially when I overheard the doctor say something about miscarriage.”
Her lip quivers, her eyes filling with tears from the residual fear her memory invokes. I raise my hand to cup her cheek.
“But it wasn’t. And according to the doctor, the baby looked really good. Healthy. Strong,” I tell her reassuringly.
Her eyes flutter shut, a tear dropping to tangle with my fingers, and I wipe away the moisture with my thumb.
“I’m glad you were here,” she whispers, her hand covering mine where it caresses her cheek.
I hate that she worries about what would have happened had she been alone.
“Mia and Garrett weren’t far. They would have taken you.”
“No.” Her eyes blaze open to lock on mine. “I’m glad you were here.”
“I should have been all along.” Regret stabs sharply, and I suck in a breath.
“I’m not going to disagree,” she tells me wryly. “But you were here when you needed to be. And you’re still upright and breathing after seeing Sawyer.”
“We had a talk.”
“You did?” she asks. “When?”
“When I stepped out for a few minutes earlier.”
“Did you two kiss and make up?” God, this woman. She’s teasing me even after this nightmare of a night. It makes me love her even more.
I lift the corner of my lips in a half smile. “I think we’re on the way.”
“Good. I never meant for you guys to fight about me. I’d like to say that if I had known, I never would have gotten involved with you. But I don’t regret it. I can’t regret this.”
Her fingers spread over her abdomen. And the poignancy of this moment isn’t lost on me.
“My only regret is the way I acted,” I tell her. “I deserved Sawyer’s hatred. And yours.”
“I don’t hate you, West.”
“You should. I was a jackass.”
