Page 296 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2
He ran his hand up and down my back.
"Say anything, James."
"I don't want you to give Scarlett a bath because I don't want you to strain when you pick her up to put her into the tub. And I don't want you doing dishes or lifting pillows."
My laugh was muffled by his shirt.
"And I didn't want to talk to you about any of this because I didn't want you to worry about me being worried. I was trying to be strong for you. But I'm scared too. Does that help? I'm terrified every day that the baby I put inside of you is going to kill you."
Those were the words that I needed to hear. They were morbid. And horrible. I swallowed hard. But that was the truth I needed to hear.
"And I'm mad at you for not following Dr. Nelson's advice. He didn't say to start bed rest in a week. He said now, Penny."
I leaned back and put my hands on either side of his face. "And Dr. Nelson also said that he didn't necessarily mean I needed to lie in bed all day. He said to take it slow. Relax. No stress." I stared into his eyes.
He lowered both eyebrows. "Are you saying that I'm causing you extra stress?"
"By not talking to me? By snapping at me instead of saying what's actually bothering you? By pushing me away? Yes. I'm already worried about losing my son, I don't want to have to worry about losing you too."
He pulled my face back into his chest. "We're not going to lose this baby. And you're not going to lose me. And Scarlett does need you. She's just going through a phase."
I knew he was sorry. I could feel it in the way he was holding me. "I know, I'm sorry. And the baby and I are both fine," I said into his shirt. "We just had a checkup. We're both healthy." I said the words for myself as much as I did for him.
"Your heart is leaking." James' voice sounded strained.
"My very healthy heart is leaking." I could feel him shaking his head above me.
"How about we cancel our plans tonight," he said. "We can get my dad to take Scarlett for the rest of the day. Then we can spend some time relaxing, just us."
"Scarlett will crash after hanging out with her friends all evening anyway. Then we can have some much needed alone time."
"If we can get everyone out of here. Why does it seem like whenever we have company they never leave?"
"Because we're so much fun to hang out with," I said.
He laughed and pulled back so he could look down at me. "How about you spend the day in bed until our company comes? It'll make me feel a lot better."
"I swear, James. I'll go crazy sitting in bed alone all day."
"Who said anything about being alone? Maybe you and Scarlett can draw or something while I read your manuscript?"
My stomach felt like it flipped over, and for once it wasn't because my son was being poorly behaved. I had forgotten I told James he could read my novel. Now that he was actually going to, I was incredibly nervous. "You want to read it today?"
"I want to at least start reading it today."
"Maybe we should all draw together? You know how much Scarlett loves your stick figures."
James laughed. "No, I know how much you love making fun of them."
"That's because you're so good at everything except for drawing. Your stick figure proportions are completely ridiculous. I can't not make fun of you."
"You're trying to change the subject."
"No, I'm not. But I am going to casually walk away and go wake Scarlett." I smiled at him and turned to leave the kitchen.
"And Penny?"
I glanced at him over my shoulder.
