Page 304 of Labor of Love

“Micah,” I said, walking to where he was sprawled on the couch. A position completely opposite to what his scent was screaming.

”Hey.” He sat up, and after a second, reached for my hand. He tugged a little, urging me to sit. I did, gaze searching his face.Fuck. It had to be so much worse than he’d led me to believe.

We sat in silence. His green gaze was focused on where our hands were still clutched together, but I couldn’t stop staring at his face. His short blond hair was in disarray, product demolished from nervous fingers. This man wasn’t afraid of anything. I’d seen him face down situations that should have killed both of us—maniacs with guns, bombs, and every other weapon imaginable. Yet, genuine fear oozed from him over whatever it was he had to tell me.

When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I said, “Micah, please. Just tell me.”

He nodded, almost to himself, and took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”

Micah

Nash’s hand spasmed in mine. From the moment he’d walked in, his scent had told me how worried he was. How scared. Nash was one of the bravest men I knew, but he’d been terrified of whatever news I was about to give him.

As the seconds passed after I’d dropped my bombshell, the fear in his scent melted to something much sweeter.

I lifted my gaze to finally meet the dark brown of his.

“How?” he asked, voice whisper-quiet.

“I don’t know. My suppressants failed. Which—” I let out a gusty sigh and shrugged. “Which is really rare, but the doctor didn’t have any other explanation.”

His thumb stroked over my knuckles. “It’s mine?”

I scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course it’s yours.”

A small, sweet smile pulled up his lips before he blew out a deep breath, and a more serious countenance took over. “What do you want to do?”

I’d barely opened my mouth when he cut me off.

“Whatever you decide, I’m with you. I’m here.”

I nodded, fighting down the swell of emotion suddenly tangling up my throat.

“I’d have to leave the squad.”

Nash nodded. “Or I could. If you choose to have it, I could leave the squad so you could stay.”

“You’d do that?”

He tilted his head. “For you? Yes.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “But it’s your dream job.”

His gaze dropped back to our entwined hands, and his voice when he spoke was quiet. “It’s not my only dream.” When he looked at me again, his face was more serious than I thought I’d ever seen it. “I know that us potentially having a baby together doesn’t automatically mean we’ll be together, but, Micah… you have to know I’m crazy about you. What we’ve had—the friendship, the camaraderie, the intimacy? It’s all been wonderful and a lot of fun. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I didn’t want more.”

It was my turn to look down. The thought of having a baby was still terrifying, but the thought of having a baby with Nash—of being with Nash—made my heart skip in my chest. Without really thinking about it, I rested my free hand over my still-flat stomach. The ridges of muscle beneath my palm were something I worked hard to maintain. Was I really ready to upend my life and change my body?

“I don’t… I don’t know.”

Nash didn’t flinch, but it seemed like a close thing.

I continued before he could speak. “It’s not that I don’t want something more with you, but a baby? A child? I need a little more time to think about this.”

He let out a shuddering breath. “I understand. It’s a huge commitment.”

“The ultimate commitment.”

Nash nodded, gripping my hand tight.

---