Page 21 of Love’s Patient Journey (The Relinquished #2)

She wrapped herself in her towel and stepped out of her shower, right into Ryan. He was standing in her bathroom, holding her pregnancy test, and staring at it, like he had never seen one before.

“When were you going to let me in on your little secret, Jenna?” He turned the test to show her that she was indeed pregnant. She gasped and covered her face, sobbing into her bath towel.

∞

Ryan looked at the pregnancy test that Jenna had taken before her shower. He was starting to suspect that something was going on, but never in a million years would he have guessed that they were going to have a baby. From her reaction, she didn’t know it either.

“Jenna, honey,” Ryan pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. She was shivering all over. “I take it you didn’t know until just now?” She shook her head against his chest. Ryan was stroking her back, trying to calm her.

“I thought it could be possible,” she sobbed into his shirt, “but I didn’t want to believe that I could be so stupid again.” Now, she was fisting his shirt, looking into his eyes. “I didn’t plan this, Ryan, I swear.”

Ryan chuckled at her worry that he would believe that she planned on getting pregnant to trap him.

Hell, he wanted to be “trapped”. “Honey, I’m the one who should be sorry.

I was so out of control that first night that I forgot the condom.

This is all my fault, but I won’t lie, I love the idea that you are having my baby.

I told you earlier, and I’ll say it again—I love you, Jenna, and I want you, Zac, and me to be a family.

Well, and now this baby.” He put his hand over her bare belly, cupping where the baby was not yet showing.

“I want for all of us to be a family, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen, even making a deal with the devil. I would do it all again to keep you all safe.”

Jenna pulled away from him and looked into his eyes before she could say anything to argue her point.

Ryan sealed his lips over her mouth. He would just have to show her how much he loved her, every day, for as long as it took her to see that she was his.

Jenna moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around him.

Her towel fell to the floor, giving him access to her breasts.

He slid his palm up over her taut nipples and ground his erection into her belly.

“Mommy- where you clothes?” Zac was standing in the doorway, smiling up at them. Ryan instantly covered Jenna with his body, shielding her from Zac.

“Mommy just got out of the shower, buddy. Go on to your room and play with your trains. I’ll be right there, and we’ll eat our pancakes.” That seemed to make the curious toddler happy, and he ran to his room, shouting to the world about his trains.

“Thanks,” Jenna sagged in his arms. “I can’t believe he saw that.”

Ryan helped her pull her robe on and pushed her unruly hair out of her face, “I don’t think he saw too much, princess.

It’s okay that he sees how much I love his mama.

He’s going to have to get used to it because I’m not going anywhere, baby.

” Ryan thought that if he said it enough, she would just accept it.

Jenna nodded and started brushing her hair.

“I just need a few minutes to get ready for work, then I will come down and help with breakfast.” At the mention of food, Jenna seemed to turn green.

Ryan pulled her back against his body, “You take all the time you need, honey. I’ll feed Zac and take him to pre-school.

” She opened her mouth to fuss at him but stopped when Ryan bent to kiss her open mouth.

He liked this new technique; kissing Jenna every time she wanted to argue with him wouldn’t be too much of a hardship.

And with the way his woman liked to argue with him, he’d be kissing her all the time.

As he pulled away from the kiss, he swatted her ass and winked at her.

He wasn’t about to give her any more chances to argue with him.

At this rate, they’d never get to work on time.

∞

Jenna got to work almost an hour late. After Ryan and Zac left for the day, she tried to hurry to get to work on time but ended up in her bathroom, bowing to the porcelain god.

She couldn’t hold down any food in the morning, and Ryan’s pleading to just eat a little something wore her down.

She ate half a pancake and drank some orange juice, which turned out to be a really bad choice of juices when dealing with morning sickness.

She wasn’t this sick with Zac. The thought made her smile; maybe she would have a girl this time.

She adored her niece and would love for Zac to have a little sister.

Loving another baby wasn’t the problem for Jenna.

Building a relationship with Ryan might be another story.

She never wanted to be so in love with a man that she forgot who she was, and God help her, she was completely in love with Ryan.

She had at least figured that out in the past 24 hours.

Now that there was going to be another person in the equation, half her and half Ryan, she was going to need to figure out how to be in a relationship with him.

The day seemed to drag on. Her father shot her many concerned looks and even asked her, quite a few times, if she was okay.

She would always smile and reassure him that everything was fine.

He mentioned how tired and pale she looked and finally ended up sending her home an hour early.

She loved her dad but wasn’t quite ready to admit that she had screwed up, yet again, and got herself pregnant.

It was easier to just do as he ordered and go home.

Honestly, she was ready to head home. Ryan was picking up Zac, and she could use an hour or so to relax and figure things out.

When she pulled into her driveway, she noticed that her family room curtains were open.

She never opened them, worried about nosy people or even potential burglars hanging out in her front bushes.

She cautiously checked the front door, making sure that it was still locked.

It didn’t seem to have been tampered with but looks were deceiving.

Her entire first floor was in a shambles.

Her family room was completely tossed, even her sofas and tables.

Zac’s trains were in pieces on the floor.

Her kitchen cabinets were emptied, drawers were thrown onto the floor, and broken glass was everywhere.

Jenna yelled for Zac, worried that he had come home with Ryan, but heard no reply.

With a sigh of relief, she carefully made her way into her kitchen and noticed her back door was wide open.

She also found a note, written in Sharpie, on her kitchen wall.

We will find the papers that Jake signed, against his will. Next time, we may even take your son. Stop causing trouble bitch .

Jenna felt a chill run down her spine. What if she wasn’t alone? What if whoever left the note was still in her house? She jumped and screamed when she heard someone barreling through her front door. “Jenna, baby, are you in here?” Ryan burst through the front door with Zac in his arms.

“Trains, my trains!” Zac was squirming to get down, but Ryan told him that he needed to hold him because of all the broken glass.

Jenna was having a hard time paying attention to the two of them.

The room seemed to be getting longer, and she was feeling woozy.

The last thing she remembered before her world went black was Ryan running in slow motion towards her, shouting her name.

When she woke up, Zac was sitting next to her on the sofa in her family room. Ryan must have carried her in. She also heard Ryan’s voice and Drew’s.

“Hi, Mommy,” Zac smiled down at her and rubbed her cheek with his chubby little hand. “You took a nap, and Ryan talked to Uncle Drew on the phone. Uncle Drew can’t play trains now, and Jem’s sleeping.” Well, at least her toddler liked to keep her up to date on current events.

“Thank you for catching me up, Zac. Where is Ryan now?” At her question, Ryan appeared and knelt next to her on the floor.

“Hey, honey. How are you feeling?” Ryan was caressing her head, and she felt like she could go back to sleep.

She could feel her heavy eyelids closing.

“Baby, the EMTs just got here, and they will want to check you out. You probably fainted because of the stress and the pregnancy, but we need to be sure.”

Jenna shot up, “Ryan, Drew doesn’t know that I’m pregnant. I haven’t told anyone yet.” Ryan’s hands were on her, gently holding her down. Zac slipped off the sofa and ran to Drew.

“I had to tell him, Jenna. He needed to know because I needed his help.” He was once again gently stroking her head.

“We need to pack up some stuff and get out of here for a bit. We are going to get you all checked out and talk to the police. Drew is going to take Zac back to his and Karlie’s house, and we will pick him up on our way out of town. ”

Jenna felt so confused. “Out of town? Ryan, why would we have to leave town?”

Ryan looked a little guilty, “Honey, whoever broke in here and tore your house apart will be coming back. I have the papers they are looking for, so I know they didn’t find them earlier.

They threatened to take Zac. I won’t let that happen.

I won’t lose him or you, baby. You two are my life.

” He leaned over Jenna and gently brushed her lips with his.

“I love you, Ryan. I love the way you love Zac and want to take care of him and me.” Ryan didn’t say anything at first, just grinned like an idiot. The EMTs came in and started to take care of her, making Ryan back away to give them room to work. Jenna managed to keep hold of his hand.

“Say that one more time, honey.” Ryan was still smiling, and now Drew stood behind him holding Zac, both smiling like loons.

Jenna couldn’t help herself. She smiled back at them all, “I love you, Ryan.”

He squeezed her hand and winked at her, “Bout time, princess. I have been waiting forever for you to admit it, and we both know that I’m not a patient man.”

Drew barked out a laugh and slapped his brother on the back. “It’s about damn time you two get it together. Karlie is going to be pissed that she lost the bet, though.”

“Pissed,” Zac mimicked Drew and smiled at Ryan. Both men laughed at the little parrot, Jenna, however, found her son’s cussing somewhat less amusing.

“Sorry, Jenna,” Drew didn’t look too remorseful.

“Your sister bet that you would hold out for another six months, but I knew that you’d tell my brother how you felt sooner.

She’s going to be pi—very mad that she owes me a blow—” Drew stopped talking and screwed up his face, trying to think of a clean way to say what he’d won.

“She’s going to lick my lollipop.” Drew smiled, proud of himself.

“I want a lollipop, Uncle Drew,” Zac pleaded, making them all laugh, even the EMTs.

∞

It seemed to take forever before they were able to pack some things and leave Jenna’s house.

Ryan wanted to get her and Zac as far away from town as possible.

He and Drew had planned everything while Jenna passed out.

He felt bad making plans for her, once again, but his top priority was keeping his family safe.

They picked up Zac from his brother, and he and Drew finalized a few things while Karlie and Jenna caught up.

He knew Jenna had told Karlie that she was once again pregnant.

When Jenna looked down, ashamed, Karlie pulled her into a hug that turned into a jumping, squealing girl fest of happiness.

He could tell that Jenna was taking the pregnancy hard.

She seemed to feel that she had let her family down by getting pregnant again.

What she didn’t understand was that no one who loved her would ever find fault with her for following her heart.

By the time they finally got on the road, it was after midnight.

Both Jenna and Zac slept in his truck while he drove to his family’s cabin in Tennessee.

Drew and Ryan both agreed that the cabin was off the beaten path enough that no one would find them there.

Drew was working with the local police to keep an eye on Jenna’s house.

He was going to be staying at her home while they were away.

They wanted whoever broke in to believe that Jenna and Zac were still at home.

The police believed that the person responsible might come back if they believed they could get what they wanted.

Karlie agreed to explain what happened to Jenna to their parents.

Ryan wanted to keep them all in the dark as much as possible.

He didn’t want anyone to go after his and Jenna’s families, trying to get to them.

Drew and their younger brother, Shep, were the only ones who knew where they were heading.

Shep lived in Tennessee in his little cabin.

He was also on the local police force there.

After he passed the academy, he got an offer to move to Tennessee to join the force there.

Shep had always been a bit of a loner, so he jumped at the chance to move two hours away from his family.

If Ryan and Jenna needed help in Tennessee, Shep was going to be the one to call.

Ryan trusted his little brother with his life.

Jenna stirred in the passenger seat next to him. He loved to watch her wake up, soft and sexy.

“Take it easy, Jenna. You know that you need to rest. The EMTs said you should be in bed for the next few days.” Ryan waggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to laugh.

“Where are we going?” she mumbled, still sleepy.

“We are going to the cabin, honey.” Jenna seemed to perk up.

“Oh, I just love your family’s cabin.” She sat up a little taller and stared into the darkness. “You don’t think they will come after us, do you?”

Ryan reached for her hand across the console, linking their fingers together. “I don’t know, baby. But I do know that they will never touch you or Zac. I swear I won’t let that happen, honey.”

Jenna seemed to sag with relief. “I trust you, Ryan.”

“And—you love me!” he quickly added.

Jenna giggled, “And I love you.”