Page 17 of Rushing Her: Seattle, Westerners (Gridiron Warriors #2)

Brayden

S itting in the private room we were shown to immediately, I watch as Alexandra strips off her slim, navy skirt, and if you lifted the ruffle of her shirt, you’d see her little belly before she replaces them with a medical gown.

We are at the twelve-week checkup for the babies, who are showing already, and even though she won’t admit it, I know she’s worried.

We were told that the woman who threw the acid at Warner was hired by the person we call Kimberly.

It’s the name she used to register with Dr. Jarvis, but we found out the last name was fake.

All her information, too. She’s still out there and has doubled down on her letters to me.

She now refers to Alexandra as ‘the red-headed bitch’.

I’m pissed that it’s taking so long to find her, but my worry is more for my family now.

Alexandra needs to remain calm for our children, which is why we arrived here in two different vehicles.

I also have an appointment set up with a different doctor in the same building, in case anyone ever searches.

I even came in through a back entrance of the clinic so that I could be with Alexandra for her appointment.

All the sneaking around is getting on my nerves.

This is the last week of the first trimester, which has been a hard one on Alexandra. There were days she would work from home because the nausea was so intense, but we never resorted to the medications.

The doctor walks into the room. “Hello, Alexandra and Brayden.”

I’m glad Alexandra stuck to her guns and didn’t let me change her physician.

Dr. Grands has been extremely helpful and willing to work with our unique situations.

She’s also been wonderful with Alexandra, which is crucial to me.

Oh, and that she’s female, too. The thought of another man between my woman’s legs makes me want to shove a football up their ass.

Dr. Grands reviews all of Alexandra’s current symptoms, takes baby measurements, checks her internally, and then we go over the schedule. Our appointments will switch to bi-monthly for this next trimester.

Due to my travel schedule, our last visit was two weeks ago, and they determined that we have trichorionic triplets—each baby has their own placenta and amniotic sac. Proof that my girl had several eggs drop at one time when she was given the trigger shot by mistake.

I don’t regret how my babies came to be because it was done with love.

I love Alexandra, and even though she hasn’t said the words, it’s clear she does.

They will come soon enough, as will the marriage—she’s still holding out on that as well.

I’ve asked her every week, but she just keeps saying it’s not time yet.

The doctor says, “Alexandra, you asked about when we’d be able to find out the sexes of the babies. I would like to wait until we do the anatomical survey ultrasound at eighteen weeks, just to be sure. All right?”, but Alex doesn’t acknowledge her.

I take my girl’s hand in mine and squeeze. She has been unusually quiet since we arrived, and now she’s trembling. I look to the doctor and back to Alexandra, noticing that she’s become pale.

“Lexi, are you okay?” I ask just as her eyes roll back, and she collapses. I grab hold of her to keep her from falling.

“Lay her back,” the doctor orders, and she turns to her assistant, saying, “Call an ambulance.” She then moves to the head of the table and starts checking over Alexandra.

“I was worried about this. Before you showed up, she told my nurse that she was still struggling with nausea, and that she hadn’t eaten very much today. ”

“I didn’t know. She told me it wasn’t that bad.”

“I imagine she doesn’t want you to worry because you’re playing so well.”

“I don’t care about that. My career means nothing without her.” As those words pass my lips, Alexandra’s phone alerts to a message. Checking the screen, it shows she has several texts from an unknown number. Part of the message is displayed for the most recent one, and my blood runs cold.

Unknown Number

I will never allow you to take him from me. He’s mine. I’ll kill you. I have his baby, and you don’t. I made sure of that.

Anger boils to the surface, but I pocket the phone while taking a deep, cleansing breath to then focus on our current situation.

Alexandra’s hand remains in mine until the paramedics show up. The clinic is housed on the hospital campus, but we still need transportation to the ER. That’s why an ambulance was called. When they arrive, the doctor gives them an update that she fainted, possibly due to low blood sugar.

She looks at me, saying, “I’ll meet you in the ER shortly. Stay with her,” then turns to the medics. “He goes where she goes.” And her final words to me before leaving are, “I’ll let her security know where you are.”

We are taken through the same back entrance I came in only a short time ago.

I follow as the medics monitor Alexandra, and we board the elevator to the underground garage, where it’s just a short ride across the property to the main hospital building.

In that time, I text Alexandra’s parents to let them know what’s happening.

A couple of hours and multiple tests later, Alexandra sits in bed with a tray of food in front of her and fluids running through her IV. They determined that not only was her blood sugar low, but her hydration, as well, and they want her to stay for the night.

My place is by Alexandra’s side; yet she takes a deep breath and sighs, resting back against the pillow. “You can leave, Bray. I’ll be okay. You have an early morning practice.”

“I’m not leaving. I’ve called the coaching staff and told them what’s going on. You are my priority, Lexi.” Bending over the bed, I kiss her forehead as my hand rubs her tummy.

“Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the nausea.” She avoids my eyes for the last part, and I realize she’s hiding more.

“How about you tell me about the text messages?” I ask as I turn her head to focus back on me. “I can’t protect you if you don’t share everything with me. Warner and I need all the information. I have some friends stopping by to help us with this. I’m also getting you a new phone.”

“I can’t get a new phone. My clients have this number. I’m sorry, but again, I didn’t want you to worry. I thought if I ignored her, she’d go away.”

“She’s not going to stop until we make her. Now, you’ll unlock your phone so we can access the full messages.”

“Fine,” she huffs, and it’s so adorable I can’t stop myself from kissing the tip of her cute nose.

“I love you, Lexi.” I repeat those words often, hoping that she believes me and will tell me the same thing soon.

“I love you, too, pain in the butt,” she sighs, and I pause, tipping back slightly to take her chin in my hand, cupping it gently.

“Say it again, Lexi,” I order in a gruff tone.

In that sultry phone operator voice of hers, she gives me the words I’ve been dying to hear for years. “I love you, Brayden. I never stopped.” I lean down and kiss her lovingly.

“Knock knock,” a voice comes from the doorway behind us. “Are we interrupting?”

I pull away from Alexandra’s luscious lips but don’t turn around. “Yes, you're fucking interrupting.”

“Good, serves you right,” Thor chuckles as I hear him shuffle farther into the room.

Alexandra

I watch the couple move into the room. The woman is as tall as I am, but curvy—what people call a bombshell or pinup look to her body.

She has chestnut hair and seems vaguely familiar.

The guy is tall, but not as tall as Brayden.

His hair is brown but greying at the sides, with a wide streak at his forehead.

I would consider him distinguished-looking.

His arm wraps around the woman, with his hand resting on her hip.

Brayden stands at the side of my bed, shadowing over me as if trying to protect me. I don’t know if it’s the couple that has him so wound tight or if it’s something else. The woman smiles, and that’s when I realize who she is.

“You’re Briar Bennington. You work with Elora Danvers.”

“Prentrick,” the man corrects me. “She’s Briar Prentrick.”

Briar playfully smacks his chest.

“Ignore him. Yes, I’m Briar Bennington professionally, but my married name is Prentrick. Elora is my best friend. You are the new regional manager for Top Tier Sports Agency. You’re company rents a couple of floors in one of our buildings.” She then points to the man. “My husband, Thor Prentrick.”

“We do. I know you, too,” I nod at him. “You’re the dean at Ramsey University.”

“I am. But we are here as friends of Bray’s. My wife and I have some extra computer skills that we can help you with.”

I shake my head, not sure of their meaning until I glance at Brayden, and he offers, “They can hack just about anything. They plan to use a special program on your phone to track the stalker.”

I nod as understanding finally hits me. “Okay.” I reach for the bedside table to hand over my phone but realize I haven’t seen it since collapsing in the doctor’s office. “Uhm, I don’t know where my phone is right now.”

“I have it.” Brayden reaches into his pocket and pulls it out, handing it to Briar. She starts typing away on it while Thor gives Brayden a box containing another phone.

He says, “Picked that up as you requested. We don’t want to mirror her old phone because if there’s any tracking software on it, it will transfer, too. I’ll get it taken care of, though.”

I’ve had enough and quietly smooth out the blanket covering my legs and then fidget with my hospital gown.

The objective is to calm myself before completely blowing up.

Briar interrupts the work she’s doing on my phone and watches me as I tug my upper lip between my teeth, then close my eyes and count to ten in my head.

None of it helps, as more of Thor and Brayden’s conversation filters through my ears.

“I think if we can get a backtrace on her phone, we should be able to find this person. Leave the phone with me for a few weeks,” Thor says.

“Nope.” I pop the P for emphasis. “No one will be taking my phone. I have personal client information on there.” I look at Brayden. “I realize I told you that I would cooperate, but I can’t just let my phone go somewhere else.”

“Baby,” Brayden starts, but I hold my hand up.

“I will use a new phone, but I can’t lose the important data on the other one. Plus, there is private contract information on it that others cannot have access to.”

“How about if I agree to allow you to be with me when I do the data transfer?” Briar offers.

I’m about to agree when Thor interjects.

“Bri, I can do it. Why do you get to?”

“No, absolutely not.” I put my foot down. “You work for a university and can influence your player contracts with me if I give it to you. She doesn’t have any skin in the game.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” he defends himself.

“You wouldn’t on purpose, but you still could.”

“As the dean, I don’t work with contracts, so that’s a moot point.”

I repeatedly worry my lip between my teeth, considering how I honestly feel about this.

Thor’s attention switches back to his wife. “I’m doing it because I have the SCIF room; you don’t. Besides, babe, I love you and all, but we both know I’m the better hacker.”

They face off and continue to argue.

Brayden pulls up a chair and folds his tall frame into it.

He kisses the back of my hand, and I turn to look at him.

“Alex, it’s going to be okay. I understand your concerns, but let them help you.

They’d never do anything to you like you’re insinuating.

Thor performs this type of work for his own company, in addition to being the dean of the university. They are some of my closest friends.”

“I understand, but I can’t give that information away. I have a reputation, too.”

He smooths his hand down my cheek and releases my lip before I do damage. “Okay,” he reassures me, and then barks at the couple, “Enough! Briar will help Alexandra.”

Briar smirks triumphantly at her husband, and a giggle escapes my mouth.

She says to me, “Keep your phone locked, and when you get out of here, Brayden will bring you to the office where we will work on your phone together. But I want to take it with me now; okay?”

I’m fairly certain that with the way she was already maneuvering through my phone, she’s bypassed the locks.

“I’ll have you sign an NDA if you are okay with that.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine with that. I’m also an attorney.”

“If you give me my phone for a moment, I’ll send you one.” Briar passes it back to me, and sure enough, it’s already unlocked.

I enter my cloud storage, find the basic NDA form, and forward it to her email once she gives it to me. She uses her phone to sign it without reading it thoroughly, and I return my phone to her.

“Okay, we’ll see you in a couple days. Until then, I’ve set your old phone to forward to the office, where your assistant will send you anything business-related or from known persons.”

“Thank you, Briar.”

The four of us visit for a bit, getting to know each other better. I learn that they have two boys, one who’s eight and the other is two. Briar offers help with getting a triplet nursery together, and I take her up on it. You can never have too much help with three babies coming.

Later, my parents and even Brea call to check on me, but Raven stops by to make sure I’m okay.

I promise them all, especially Brayden, that I will remember to eat and drink.

The doctor agrees that we should wait another week or two until fully entering the second trimester before she prescribes anything for the nausea.