Page 7 of Sweetie Pie (Wildwood Construction)

Maggie

‘What the hell did you do?” His gorgeous face pales but he stands tall. I’ll give him that.

Because if I look as mad as I feel he should be pretty fucking terrified right now.

“What am I doing at the clinic, Colt McKendrick?” He fidgets and sighs.

“You were fucking sick, Mags. I took you somewhere to find out if you were alright.” He stiffens. “I will not apologize for worrying about you.”

“Fine. But I’ve just been a little queasy. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

My head buzzes and a chill washes over me. “I’m not alright?” I whisper.

“Oh shit!” He rushes at me and hugs me tight. Closing my eyes, I lean into him and let his warmth and his spicy scent surround me.

For some reason just that settles my edgy stomach. I feel better than I have in days. Maybe even weeks.

Until he opens his damn mouth.

“Were you going to tell me that you’re pregnant?”

Ice coats my body, my brain is buzzing with angry little bees and my vision blurs to a pinprick of light.

“I’m not pregnant.” I wish I sounded more sure than I do.

“You are. The doctor did a blood test before he ran more tests. You’re pregnant. I’m going to assume it’s mine.”

My back stiffens and I glare daggers at the idiot. “Since I was a virgin and I’ve been busy working since I got home and didn’t jump another guy, yeah, it’s yours.”

I can’t believe what I’m saying! I’m pregnant. My blood feels like sludge in my veins but for some reason there’s a funny feeling stealing over me.

It feels like…happiness. Then the stupid, stupid man holding me does the absolute worst thing he could do.

“I think we should get married right away.”

My jaw drops and I pull back from him so fast I almost tip over. His arms windmill as he catches me.

“Whoa! Don’t do that!”

“What the hell do you mean we should get married?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“I don’t want to get married.”

“Why? Seems to me with your brothers as a guide, you really should want to. I mean, they’re insanely happy. I think we would deal very well together.”

Huffing, I cross my arms and try to keep from smacking the idiot. “I don’t want to be married so that we can deal with each other. I want a man who loves me. And that I love desperately.”

“You don’t love me?”

Shaking my head, I wrinkle my nose. “We barely know each other. How the hell could we be in love?”

His eyes lock on me as he smiles slightly. I’ve been in love with you since you came home, Mags. I’m surprised you didn’t figure out that I was stalking you for the longest time.”

My jaw about comes unhinged and my belly flutters. “You did what ?”

“That’s how I knew where you were that night. I followed you.”

“Can I just say that’s a little creepy and slightly illegal, Sheriff.” The doc’s voice interrupts my whirling thoughts.

“What he said,” I mutter under my breath.

He chuckles and overwhelming terror hits me. I need to get the hell out of here. I don’t know what’s going on with this man but he’s acting crazy and I’m not ready to hitch my wagon to any man. I’ve got a lot of living to do.

Even if I’ve been dreaming about him for weeks and now I’m carrying the crazy man’s baby.

“Are you sure that you won’t marry me?”

Rolling my eyes, I groan and stand up, staggering to the door, dragging my blanket like Linus from the cartoon. “I can’t deal with this right now,” I grumble, pushing him out of the doorway.

“We’re gonna talk about this, Mags. I’m not giving up no matter what you say. We belong together. I’ve been pretty damn patient but I’m done playing around. I want this baby. I want you. I want the whole package.”

“You have lost your mind. You don’t love me and I’m not sure why you’re convincing yourself that you do but I’m done with this conversation.”

“Fine,” he huffs. “But this isn’t over. That baby is mine and I’m damn sure gonna fight until you give in and realize that the way we were that night was because there’s something damn magical about the way we feel about each other.”

When I open the door, I groan and my head drops to my chest. “Oh fuck.”

“What are you two doing talking about a baby?” My eldest brother, Jameson glares at the two of us and I can see the gears already working in his brain.

I flush and eye the two men who are eyeing each other like they’re about to destroy each other.

“Do not do this,” I whisper.

But it’s too late.

“What the fuck did you do to my little sister, Colt!” Jameson doesn’t give him a chance to answer. He slams a fist into his jaw and my whole body shrieks. It takes me a minute to realize that I’m actually shrieking.

“Stop, stop, stop!” I step between the two men and eye them carefully. Colt’s lower lip is split and my brother’s hair is a mess. He’s flushed and angry and judging by the look on Colt’s face he’s gonna get pretty mean right now.

“Why the hell did I even get out of bed today,” I mutter under my breath and pull my phone out of my pocket where Colt shoved it apparently.

“Fern,” I whisper, fucking ashamed when tears spring to my eyes. “I really need help. I’m at the clinic and Jameson and Colt are too. They’re fighting.”

“I’ll be right there. Make sure you don’t get hit. Men are idiots when they’re fighting and they don’t think straight at all.”

The two men in my life are circling each other like junkyard dogs and I don’t like where this is going.

It goes against every bit of sense I have but I head for the truck and sit down inside it, trying desperately to avoid the stand-off at the door.

Fern’s car pulls up and Fern and Aster both get out and then Fern’s assistant falls out of the back.

“Why is everybody here?” I ask.

Colt glares at me and growls, “I assume because you’re a terrible liar so now the entire family knows. I should have been sitting with you.”

“I can’t deal with this anymore, dammit. I’ll see you later, Colt.”

Fern claps me on the back and eyes me warily. “You go sit in the car. You look dead on your feet.”

Nodding my head, I slip past Fern and climb into the car. She paces up to Jameson and slaps him on the back. I can’t hear what she says but it’s hilarious to watch the tiny little woman tear a strip off of two grown men.

Jameson hangs his head and follows along behind her. He climbs inside and Aster climbs in back with me. Fern’s assistant crams in the back with us until we can all barely breathe.

She smiles at me. “So…how bad did he manage to fuck this up?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try us. We know all about these crazy fuckers.”

Jameson glares at her but then his smile flickers back into place. He glances over to me and his smiles fades. “Are you really pregnant?”

“Yes.”

Fern looks over at Jameson where he’s gripping the steering wheel like a mad thing.

The little bit of bravado I managed to pull together is hella gone now.

“What are you going to do?” he asks.

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect this at all.”

“I’ll help you bury the body if you need to do that. Hell, I’ll do it myself. I told that fucker to stay the hell away from you.”

Whipping around, I glare him down. “That was none of your business, Jameson. If I choose to sleep with a pack of dogs that’s neither here nor there.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know what you meant. Any decision to be made will have to be between me and Colt. Nobody else.”

“Right,” he grunts.

I close my eyes and sink back in the seat. I’m not sure what I’ll do. But it’s going to be my decision. Not his and not my brothers’.