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The way he looked at her.
The way he cared for her.
I could do that.
Even if it was something I’d wanted years down the road, with a wedding band on her finger, and one house instead of two. If the merger had taught me anything, it was that things didn’t always go the way I’d originally planned. But when a new course had been chosen for us, what had come out of that was an even larger fleet of properties, partnering with a woman I’d fallen in love with, and an empire that was now worth double and more than we could have ever built on our own.
What would come out of this wasn’t something I could dominate. All I could do was embrace it. Open my arms and accept that something much larger was in control.
So, when the handle of the bathroom door twisted, my ears picking up the sound of the metal, my head lifted to meet Rowan as she opened the door and walked out, her socked feet stepping across the hardwood floor. I straightened my back and spread my arms, and I wrapped them around her the second she was within reach.
“I haven’t looked yet,” she whispered.
Her free arm rested on my shoulder, and the other held the test off to the side, a strip of plastic I hadn’t bothered to attempt to read as she made her way to me.
While I held her waist, I stared into her gorgeous face. Cheeks that were even more flushed than before. Eyes that were still glossy, rimmed in red from all the emotion she’d shed.
“It doesn’t matter what it says, Rowan. My feelings for you aren’t going to change.”
Although I’d already promised her that, she needed to hear it again.
She needed to feel it in the way I held her.
“Cooper … I’m terrified.”
Her vulnerability was one of her sexiest traits. The fact that she could say those words and not feel ashamed or bashful about speaking such a raw truth. That was what I wanted from her. That was what I wanted to be here for—to help her overcome that sensation.
To take the weight so she didn’t have to bear it alone.
“Talk about it,” I said. “Tell me why.”
She glanced up at the ceiling, like she was trying to catch her breath. “It’s almost double-sided. On one side, if I’m pregnant, we’re going to be having a baby, and neither of us is ready forthat. And if I’m not, then my anxiety is creating some scary things, and my body is revolting from all the nerves.”
“If a baby is coming, then we’re going to make ourselves ready.” I backed that up with my grip, giving a strength she needed. “Whatever that looks like, Rowan, we’ll make it happen. And if you’re not pregnant, then we’re going to focus on why your body is revolting and solve that problem.”
I could take work off her plate and delegate many of her responsibilities.
The real issue here was how Rhett and her family were going to react to this news when things were already so fucking turbulent with them.
On top of that, there was something else. Something she didn’t know about—or she would have told me—a bit of impending news that had the potential of pulling Rowan into the darkness.
A layer that would change things even more.
For her.
For everyone.
An unexpected divergent.
And something told me that when that news was finally shared, the dynamics between her immediate family would be much different.
I just didn’t want that news to make things worse for her.
And I knew it would.
I gripped her tighter, moving my hands toward her navel. “One step at a time.” I then lifted my arms and cupped her face, aiming her gaze at mine. “I love you. Know that.” I squeezed. “Feel that.”
“I do.” She nuzzled into my hand. “And I love you too.”
