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“The baby is fine.” She smiled. “It’s not uncommon to have some bleeding early in pregnancy. But you did right by coming to the hospital. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Have you been under a great deal of stress, Willa?”
“I wouldn’t say stress. I’ve been working a lot.”
“Well, I want you to stop working and rest for the next couple of weeks.”
“But—”
“You heard what Dr. Cassidy said.” I squeezed her hand.
“I mean it, Willa. You need to rest.”
“I will.”
“Okay.” She smiled. “I’m going to have the nurse come in and draw some blood for routine tests. Once the results come back, I’ll discharge you.”
“Thank you, Dr. Cassidy.” I smiled. “Damien, I have so much work to do.”
“Listen to me.” I stroked her forehead. “I’ll get you help. The only important thing here is our baby.”
“I know.”
The despair in her eyes made my heart ache. She was worried about the baby and her business.
“Willa, you have changed my life, and I’m so in love with you.”
“You are?” The corners of her mouth lifted.
“Yes.” I chuckled. “I think you already knew that.”
She raised her hand and brought it to my cheek. “I’m in love with you, too, Damien. What took you so long?”
“I’ve rehearsed it a thousand times. I was afraid. Not afraid of loving you—that was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I was afraid of what loving you meant. My mother was my father’s life. He’d built his entire world around her. He told me that after he found out about the affair, there was nothing left of him. That’s the reason he never remarried. He promised himself he’d never be that vulnerable again. And that’s when I promised myself the same. I was afraid things would fall apart if I told you I loved you.”
“I would never let that happen.” She smiled. “You’re the biggest accident of my life, Mr. Blackwood.”
“And you’re the biggest, most beautiful accident of my life. And now we’re going to have a beautiful accidental baby that will turn our lives upside down.”
“That’s for sure.” She laughed.
“I love you so much, Willa.” I leaned over and softly kissed her lips.
“I love you, too, Damien.”
The following morning, I got up and showered for work. Willa was still sound asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. After dressing, I went into the kitchen and brewed a cup of coffee. The elevator dinged, and Connie walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Damien.”
“Good morning, Connie.”
“Where’s Willa?”
“She’s still sleeping. We had a scare last night. I had to take her to the ER.”
“Is she okay? Is the baby okay?”
“Both are fine. The doctor told her she needs to stop working so hard and rest. I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.”