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“I’ll text you pictures of things we like,” I promised, wanting her input on everything. She was the one who would be using it, after all.
Before she left, Nova rubbed her hand over my belly. The two Hannigan women shared a look before Felicity winked at her daughter. I narrowed my eyes at Nova, following her steps as she walked to the door and closed it behind her. Once she was out of sight, I shot my gaze back to Felicity.
“I’m not stupid. I know you’re here to make me conform to whatever it is Nova wants me to do.” The older woman grimaced, but I shook my head at her. “My body, my choice. I’m having this baby here.”
“But, sweetheart—”
I lifted my hand to cut her off. “Mrs. Hannigan, please. I know the dangers, but my heart is telling me to stay right here.”
She was quiet for a long moment before nodding. “I can understand that. For now, let’s table this conversation. It’s obvious it distresses you, and that’s the last thing I want to do.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. “And while we’re discussing things that upset me, I’m going to ask you not to mention Garret in my presence again.”
“Cali—”
“I adore you, Mrs. Hannigan. You were there for me last year when I desperately needed someone. But I will ask Guzman to take you back to California if you mention your son’s name again.”
It wasn’t an idle threat. I couldn’t handle hearing the name of the man who had torn my heart from my chest. If I was going to keep Justice safe long enough for her to make it in the world without me, then I had to keep everything that had the potential for disrupting that progress far, far away.
“Okay, then.” Felicity gave in. “I won’t bring up my son again. But only until Justice is here. I can’t promise not to speak my mind on that particular subject past her birth.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed. It wasn’t as if I would be around to deal with it anyway.
“It’s a deal, then,” she said with a kind smile. “Now let’s start ordering baby clothes and furniture.”
* * *
Three weeks later
The cramp woke me from a restless sleep. It was so painful, I couldn’t keep from crying out. But it wasn’t just the discomfort that had tears stinging my eyes.
I was scared.
The wetness between my legs told me something must have happened. Groaning, I shifted and pulled up my nightgown. The sight of the blood on the insides of my things made me cry out again.
Multiple pairs of feet came running, and moments later, the bedroom door was practically kicked in as Guzman, Felicity, and Maria all stood there, breathing hard.
“Oh dear lord.” Felicity pushed through the other two and marched over to the bed. “That’s it, Calista. You have to go to the hospital.”
“No!” I wanted to shout it, but it came out as a whisper, followed by another cramp. Shit, that hurt. Tears spilled down my face. “It’s nothing,” I lied. “The baby is fine.”
“The baby is not fine,” she snapped, putting her hands on her hips and glaring down at me. “You might not care about what happens to yourself, young lady, but the rest of us do. And not only are you putting your own life at risk by stubbornly refusing to be admitted to the hospital, but you’re putting my granddaughter’s life in jeopardy as well. Now, stop acting like a petulant little girl, and grow the fuck up! You’re going to the hospital, right this minute.”
I felt the color drain from my face as the truth of what she’d just shouted hit me dead center. She was right. I had been putting Justice at risk by refusing to allow Dr. Ortega to admit me to the hospital. My fear of what could be waiting on the outside of the walls surrounding the mansion was nothing compared to what could happen to my baby if I went into labor so early. The hospital was too far away for Justice to survive without the immediate medical attention she would need.
“O-okay,” I sobbed. “I-I’ll go.”
“You’re damned right, you’ll go,” Felicity growled. “Maria, get her things ready. Guzman, have the men prepare one of the cars, and alert Nova that we will be leaving for the hospital in ten minutes.”
“No need to tell me,” Nova said as she came into the bedroom. Her face was tight and pale. When she saw the amount of blood on the insides of my legs, she closed her eyes. “I’ll… Um, I’ll call the doctor.”
“I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I didn’t mean… I wasn’t thinking… I-I’m so sorry!”
Felicity wrapped her arms around me, and I buried my face in her chest as the sobs tore out of me. I’d been so selfish. Justice deserved better than what I’d put her through. I was already a terrible mother.
“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart.” Felicity’s voice soothed quietly at my ear. “You had your reasons. But now it’s time to put all those stubborn thoughts away. You’re going to be fine. So will Justice. The two of you are going to be a family, my family.” She pulled back and used her thumb to wipe away a few of my tears. “Nova and I won’t allow anything else to harm you, sweet girl. Be strong for your daughter, accept that you’re going to live a long, happy life with her.”
That she knew what I’d been planning all along made my face burn with shame, but she tipped my chin up, refusing to let me hide from her kind eyes. “You can’t run away now, Cali. I won’t let you. The reasons you have for wanting to let go are no longer important. What you need to focus on is being strong for your little girl.”
