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Danny stood up, and Ben pulled him into a hug, crushing my baby between them. “Thank you.” He slapped Danny’s shoulder and fisted his shirt. “And I’m so sorry.”
Danny rubbed Ben’s head, messing his hair. The man was built like a wall and looked lethal. But he was sweet, like a giant teddy bear. “No apologies needed.” He ambled my way to kiss my head, then Mia’s, who’d stood up from her corner. “How are my two brave girls?”
“Tired. In love. Already in need of a vacation. Ready to tackle the world for that little boy.”
He chuckled at my answer. “I can relate to that. I don’t know if that’s helpful or not, but here’s a hunch: we’ll feel that way for the rest of our lives. What about you,cariño?”
“I’m fine.” At everyone’s suspicious expression, Mia added, “I’m just tired, I give you that.”
“What did the doctor say?” Aaron asked.
“You mean, your sweet and helpful friend Ariel?”
At his groan—and Mia’s attempt to change the subject—Zach butted in. “She had a grade two concussion.”
“What does that mean?” I questioned.
“It means she should stay home,” Zach asserted.
“It means,” she frowned at her brother, “I should be alert, but there’s no need to freak out.”
“You need to get some rest,” Danny insisted.
“That’s the last thing I’ll be able to do. Besides, I got a second opinion. Another doctor deemed me fine to be active.”
“Which doctor?” Zach was rightfully suspicious.
“When did you have the time to go see another one?” Ben bounced Teddy to her.
“That’s not important. The thing is, I’m not backing down.”
“Who’s the doctor, Mia?” Zach stood firm.
“We have so much more to discuss—”
“Are you talking about a doctor-doctor, or someone with a PhD? Because if you think you could mend those two, you’re sorely mistaken.” Stern Zach was so sexy. But I still wasn’t getting it. “You have adoctorate, you’re not a medical doctor. You saying you can go back to work doesn’t mean shit, and it sure as hell can’t be called asecond opinion.”
“That’s rude,” she complained, although she didn’t dispute her brother’s allegation.
Ben snorted. “Were you really trying to sellyoursecond opinion to us?”
“I know my limits. And let’s face it, we’re not in a place to be without a working person. More than ever, we need all hands on deck.” That was the hard truth none of them could argue against.
“Before we can decide who’s working on what, we should discuss what happened.” Aaron tried to pacify everyone. “From the beginning.”
Danny asked Ben if he could have Teddy. As the giant bear cuddled my baby, my man sat next to me, while everyone else got settled. Nestling closer to him was a natural response.
Mia explained everything. From the moment we left the clinic to the blocked roads. From the man following us without trying to attack the car to the crash. From calling the Company to ask for help to the labor.
“How did you notice it seemed to be a trap?”
She shifted on her seat, crossing one leg over the other on the couch, and peered at Ben to explain. “He didn’t try to do anything but tail us. He just kept forcing us along faster. I figured if he wanted to do something to us, he’d have done it already. By the time I realized that, it was too late. Right before I could turn the car around, the truck surprised me off the road.”
“Did you get a good look at who was following you?”
She gulped before answering Danny. “It was the same man I saw with Andrea. Same guy, same car, around the same place I spotted them.”
“Fuck,” the men chorused.
