Page 23 of Tangled
Her gaze flickered to Brad, then drifted back to Anthony. And in that moment, she saw exactly what Ava had told her. Part teddy bear, part mother hen, Anthony Warwick would be a force in her child’s life. A positive force.
She smiled. “You know there are less than a handful of Black Olympic skiers.”
Anthony grinned. “That may be, but the world hasn’t met my grandkids yet.”
CHAPTER NINE
Brad cracked his eyes open and looked out the sliding glass door to the view of thelake beyond. The sun was coming up over the eastern mountains, and a halo of light illuminated the peaks.
One of his favorite times of the day because anything was possible.
He glanced over his shoulder and wondered how long it would be before he could invite Scarlett into his bed. She was too sick for anything more than sleeping, but he wanted to hold her, to feel her breathing beside him. A sense of yearning twisted inside him at the thought of the three of them—him, her, and their baby—cocooning away from the world together, and his heart hitched. Someday she’d be beside him. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
With an hour left before he needed to get up, he let his eyes drift closed again. The peace of the morning had nearly lulled him back to sleep when he heard the rush of Scarlett’s feet across the floor of her bedroom, followed by the unmistakable sound of her retching. Without thinking, he leaped out of bed, dragged on a pair of sweats, and dashed down the hall.
“Scarlett?” he called, knocking on her door. When the only sound that followed was her being sick, he walked in.
“Scarlett?” he said, making his way to the en suite bathroom.
The toilet flushed. “I’m okay,” she said, her voice shaky.
He knocked on the door, then eased it open. Scarlett sat on the floor, beside the toilet, her back against the bathtub.
“What can I get you?” he asked, kneeling in front of her.
She dropped her head to her knees. “A time machine so I can jump forward a month or two and be over this?”
He brushed her hair back. “How about some water and one of the pills Kara prescribed you? Have you taken one this morning?”
“I haven’t,” she said with a shake of her head. “Thank you. I suppose that’s the next best option.”
He found the medicine beside the sink, poured her a glass of water, then took a seat beside her.
Silently, he handed her the cup and the pill. She eyed both, then reached for them and dutifully swallowed the tablet.
“How long until Ryan and Sabina get here?” she asked.
The two had intended to come by the night before, after his parents left, but Scarlett had been dead on her feet. Nothing they’d wanted to talk about was urgent, so he’d put them off and they’d both agreed.
“An hour and a half,” he answered. “Do you want to get back into bed?”
She hesitated, then nodded. He rose again, then reached out his hand and helped her up. After tucking her back under the covers, he sat on the edge of the bed. “Can I get you anything else? More water? Ginger ale?”
She shook her head. He hesitated. At close to five foot eight and with a lithe body that had plenty of curves, Scarlett wasn’t a tiny woman. But as ill as she was, tucked under the puffy comforter, she looked small. Not helpless, but definitely vulnerable.
Biting back a sigh of frustration at not being able to help her more, he started to rise and leave her to her rest. Only her hand snaked out from under the blanket and wrapped around his wrist. “Stay,” she said. “Please.”
He didn’t need to be asked twice, and ten seconds later, he slid under the comforter and curled up behind her. “Can I put my arm around you?” he asked.
In response, she reached back and grabbed his hand. Then, curling it in hers, she tucked them both between her breasts and sighed.
Her exhale reverberated through his body, and he relaxed, too. Dropping a kiss on her shoulder, he closed his eyes and drifted back into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
Ninety minutes later, the sound of his doorbell woke him with a start. Scarlett let out a cute sleepy noise and snuggled back against him. In that moment, he kind of hated Ryan and Sabina. Then again, once they sorted out what had happened to Gracie—and figured out how to get people like Alexei Petrov off her tail—they’d have lots more mornings of lying about in bed. At least until the baby was born.
“Ryan and Sabina are here,” he said, untangling their hands and moving away from her.
“Hmm?”
