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“Or you can stay with me,” he says, shocking the hell out of me. Before I can argue, though, he adds, “The doctor said you need to rest. I’d feel better knowing you’re under my roof where I can make sure you guys are okay.” He says, ‘you guys,’ but for some reason—maybe it’s the hormones—all I hear is ‘our baby.’
“You don’t think I can take care of him?”
“What? No.” He shakes his head. “I mean, of course, you can take care of our baby. You can take care of the entire world if you wanted to...”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Sometimes, it’s okay to let someone take care of you too.”
His words make me pause. “You want to take care of me?”
“Ellie,” he says. “You’re pregnant with our baby. We’re in this together. Of course, I want to take care of you. You just have to let me.”
“I’m so sorry,”Sienna says with a pout over Facetime. “I hate that you spent your birthday alone. If I wasn’t afraid of passing this stomach bug on to you?—”
“Hey, stop,” I say, shifting on the lounger to get comfortable. “Lincoln went with me to my appointment and took me to lunch afterward for my birthday. He even had a cake brought out. I promise, I had a good birthday, even though it wasn’t spent with you and my favorite nieces.”
“Okay, good,” Sienna says, then squints. “Hey, where are you? That looks a lot like Lincoln’s terrace.”
“It is,” I tell her. “I’m staying with him. Didn’t Micah tell you?”
“No, but I did just wake up from a nap, so he probably hasn’t had the chance. So, you’re like moving in with him?” she asks cautiously.
“No, I’m going to find my own place. I’m just staying with him temporarily since the girls are sick and the doctor wants me to rest.”
“Why? Is everything okay?”
I tell her about my appointment, and when I’m done, she says, “I’m glad you won’t be alone and that Lincoln is stepping up. Do you need anything of yours from here?”
“Lincoln already handled it. He must’ve come by when you were sleeping.”
After Lincoln gave me a tour of his place and showed me to my room, he went by their place to get a bunch of my stuff before going to the office. He said he’d pick up dinner on his way home, and since I have the place to myself and it’s such a nice day out, I figured why not throw on my bikini and spend some time on Lincoln’s terrace. The doctor did say to relax, and there’s nothing more relaxing than lounging by the pool.
“Okay, cool. Enjoy the rest of your birthday, and once the girls are better, we’re having a redo. Dinner, cake, the birthday works.”
“You got it, sis.”
After we hang up, I remove my cover up and connect my phone to the Bluetooth speaker. With the sun shining down, I lie out on the lounger and close my eyes, taking a moment to relax, just like the doctor ordered.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
LINCOLN
“Did Rita misunderstand?Are you working from home indefinitely?” Micah asks over my Bluetooth as I drive away from the office, files stacked on my passenger seat.
“She didn’t misunderstand. I’ll be working from home for at least the next few weeks.”
“Because Ellie’s staying with you?”
Because I googled pregnancy and high blood pressure. I told Ellie not to do it, but then, after I arrived at the office, I did it anyway. And what I found scared the shit out of me. Which led to my decision to work from home. The doctor doesn’t feel she’s at risk at the moment, but the only way to ensure she stays that way is for her to relax, and the only way to make that happen is for me to be there with her.
“Because the doctor put her on bed rest.” Okay, not really, but she suggested it, and I’ll be damned if something happens because we didn’t take her suggestion seriously. For the next few weeks, I’m making it my mission to make sure Ellie stays calm and comfortable and stress free.
“Oh, shit. Is she okay?”
I explain what happened at the appointment, and once I’m done, Micah agrees it’s a good idea for me to stay home.
“So, when are you going to tell our parents they’re about to be grandparents again?” Micah asks, and even though I can’t see him, I can imagine the smirk he’s sporting.
