The Girl With Hearts (Midtown Brotherhood #1) (19 page)

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t the first time she’s been in the hospital. She passed out once before and woke up not knowing much of anything. So, scared, she went to her doctor in New Jersey. She didn’t even know she was pregnant until they diagnosed her. It’s rare for preeclampsia to present itself before twenty weeks, so her doctor recommended her to me. She fit all the requirements for my study on medication during pregnancy to devaluate blood pressure levels in women diagnosed with preeclampsia. I suggested she not stay by herself in case of an emergency.”

His head fell back against the wall. “That’s why she came here.”

“She told me her brother knew, but apparently she’s been vague on the details with him.”

“Apparently.”

She’d been vague on the details with everyone.

“Look at me,” she instructed, her voice turning stern. “If you’re going in there to cause a scene about her not telling you, I will kick you out. Stress triggers her condition, and you saw her tonight. Keeping her calm and relaxed could mean the difference between life and death for her and the baby.”

“I’m not going to make a scene,” he promised.

“You’re positive?”

“I love her.”

It was the first time he said the words out loud, and he had to admit he liked how it sounded.

Dr. Anderson smirked. “I’m more concerned about the giant brother who apparently thinks some guy named Derek is the father.”

Henrik rubbed a tired hand through his hair. “No worries. That giant brother is my best friend, and he has no clue about us. Trust me, I’m keeping my mouth shut.”

“All right,” she conceded, standing. “Go on in. She’s been asking for you.”

Chapter 25

HENRIK’S PROMISE

Henrik stood outside the door, his hand shaking as he touched the handle. He willed himself to open it, and then stepped inside. Leila lay in bed, surrounded by monitors that beeped and pumped. The entire scene made Henrik sick to his stomach. Leila wasn’t supposed to be here, helpless against the powers of her own body. It brought back too many thoughts of his mother. The never-ending nightmare of her dying alone.

His stomach clenched at the thought, his throat tightening as he cursed himself for not trying harder. He should have been there for her. He should have held her hand, fussed at the nurses for no reason at all, and told her how much he loved her until the very last moment. It was too late, though. He couldn’t bring her back, or deny her wish and just show up to force her to allow him to take care of her.

All he could hope for now was redemption. He could make sure Leila wasn’t alone, that she knew how he felt. She lay in the bed, a small, worn smile quirking the corners of her lips as she looked at Drew and Austin.

They hovered over her like two mother hens. Drew straightened her pillow, and Austin checked the monitor for any signs of distress. She still looked pale, and very weak. It was a much more severe version of the night she’d shown up at his apartment. He should have known then, and he’d never forgive himself for such an obvious oversight.

Her eyes looked past Drew and found him. Her smile vanished, replaced with desperation and fear. He knew what she thought, the scenarios that flooded her mind. All of them were horrible, resulting in what was the only logical conclusion. He would leave, abandon her when she needed him most, because that was what he did to the people who cared about him. He could never blame her for such thoughts, especially after admitting his past.

“I can’t believe you’re having a baby,” Drew gushed, squeezing her hand, not even recognizing the terrified look on her face. “I definitely can’t believe you didn’t tell me! You let me drag you out for hockey games, when we should have been at home, letting me fatten you up.”

She turned back to Drew and tried to smile at her best friend, but she barely managed to lift her lips.

“And that’s exactly what is going to happen from now on,” Austin instructed, sitting back down at her side. “We’re going to take care of you.”

Then she asked the question Henrik was sure she’d been waiting to ask since she showed up. “All of you?”

Both Austin and Drew turned to look at him. Before he could even open his mouth to respond, Austin stepped forward and pointed to the door. “You. Outside. Now.”

“Austin, no,” Leila tried, but he turned to her, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

“I just want five minutes with him first,” he whispered, and then turned his cold eyes back to Henrik. “Let’s go.”

Henrik looked at Leila, locking his eyes with hers, his expression confident. “I will be right back. Don’t worry.”

He followed Austin into the hallway, where he found him already running his hands haphazardly through his hair. “Look, Henrik. I realize this changes everything.”

He stood quietly, not knowing where Austin would take the conversation.

“I don’t expect you to raise Derek’s child, or to continue whatever thing you two have had going on here lately. She should have told you up front, and there will be a time when I take up for you and tell her that. Tonight isn’t that night. I swear—if you say something to upset her, and she gets sick again, I will never forgive you.”

He stood there, gaping. Of course Austin didn’t think the baby belonged to him. It was only natural for them to think it was Derek’s.

A good friend obeyed the man code.

He should tell him. He should finally be honest with his best friend. He deserved it. However, he recalled Austin’s words too clearly. Tonight wasn’t the night. He promised Dr. Anderson he wouldn’t cause a scene, and he was determined to keep his promise. The most important thing right now was Leila.

“I love her, Austin. You know that. Hell, you’ve always known that.”

Austin’s lips stretched tight before placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “I know this sucks.”

“No,” he argued. “She’s alive. You didn’t see her lying there, barely breathing. You didn’t hold her in your arms, wondering if maybe it would be the last time. Leila is alive, and so is that child. That is the only thing that matters, and that, Austin, is by far the best fucking news I’ve ever heard in my life.”

Austin pulled him in for a hug, attempting to squeeze the life out of him. “Leila may never love you, but by God, I sure as hell do.”

“I know.” He could only hope he still felt that way once he was free to make his final confession.

The door opened behind them, revealing Drew, who also wore a weak smile. “Leila wants Austin and me to go home and get her things since she’s going to be here a couple days, which, of course, is Leila’s code for she wants to talk to you alone.”

Henrik looked back at his best friend. “You don’t have to worry about me, all right? I would never let anything happen to her.”

Austin nodded. “I trust you.”

Again, he felt it, just like the night Leila had spoken the words. Even after all the shitty things he’d done, his family still believed in him. It was amazing how three simple words could have so much significance.

He said his goodbyes to Austin and Drew, and stepped back in the room. Leila sat up in the bed, a nurse at her side drawing blood. He rushed over and took her hand just as she stuck her. Leila winced. “Well, your nose doesn’t look any more broken than it did the last time I saw you. I’m assuming you lied to them?”

He smiled, leaning over to kiss her cheek. “I thought it was something we might want to tell them together.”

The nurse removed the needle and started cleaning up. Leila still looked at him, though, her eyes flashing with light. “Together?”

“Yes, Leila. Never doubt that.”

He held on to her for dear life. After everything he’d experienced in the last twenty-four hours, he was more certain than ever that he could never truly be happy without her in his life. “I will always be here for you.”

She looked down at her hands, seemingly ashamed. “I was afraid you’d be angry,” she admitted. “I mean, I should have mentioned to you that night that I wasn’t on any kind of birth control.”

“Maybe,” he smiled, running his hand across her cheek, “but I should have asked. It doesn’t matter now.”

“We’re going to be parents.” Her features were straight. Serious. “You’re going to be a father.”

He laughed. It was a little bit hysterical. “Not going to lie, but you’re probably going to have to say that a couple hundred more times before it actually sinks in.”

“This is major, Henrik. This baby, it’s going to change our lives forever. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

He gripped his hand in her hair, willing her to hear the confidence he felt. “Will the thought that I’m actually going to be a father always sound shocking to me? Probably. Will I be horrible at it? Most likely. But Leila, I promise you, I will never regret you or—” he paused looking down at her stomach and then back over at the monitor “—do you know yet? Are you far enough along?”

She gave a slight nod, smiling from ear to ear. “It’s early, but they think it’s a girl. I found out right before you came in.”

“A girl? I’m going to have a daughter.” He shook his head at the thought. “Fucking serves me right.”

“Yeah,” she said, laughing. “That’s what I thought too.”

He continued to laugh as he leaned over and pulled her mouth to his. Perfect. The Leila kind of perfect. “I love you. I’ve never meant something so much in my fucking life.”

He felt her smile against his lips, her reassuring hand gripped tight around his shirt. “I love you too.”

Chapter 26

HENRIK AND LEILA’S REVEAL

Leila

Four days later, Leila finally made it home. She’d barely been settled in for twenty-four hours, and she already wanted to string Drew up by his ears. Technically, she was on bed rest until her next doctor’s appointment that afternoon. Drew wouldn’t allow her to set a foot on the floor. He made her breakfast—burnt and black— and lunch in bed, all while badgering her with questions about Derek, and more importantly, the details of conception.

She could fake a lot of things, but the details of conception wasn’t one of them.

Needless to say, by the time Henrik arrived after lunch, he was a welcome sight. She motioned for him to shut the door as soon as he walked through it. “Lock it,” she instructed.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Your brother is what’s wrong.” She raked her hands through her hair, trying to calm her nerves. “We’ve got to tell them, Henrik. I can’t ward off his questions about Derek forever. He wants me to get a lawyer. He’s micromanaging my every move.”

Henrik held back a laugh. “He’s a Rylander. You should know by now that micromanaging other people’s lives is what we do best.”

“We are telling them,” she said gruffly. “Today.”

He sat down on the bed next to her. “We can if that’s what you want. I’m not happy about missing your doctor’s appointment today anyway, and this way, I won’t have to fight Drew to take you next time.”

“I know they will probably be upset, but we can tell them after my appointment, and I’ll have a new picture of the baby to show off. It will distract them.”

“It will distract Drew, but Austin is doubtful.”

“So, it’s settled,” she said, gushing out her relief. “We can meet for dinner after your practice?”

He nodded, touching his black and blue nose gently. “It just started healing too.”

Leila grabbed his wrist, noticing a piece of gauze taped around it. “What happened to you?”

“Oh. That.” He suddenly grinned nervously. “That’s nothing.”

When she didn’t smile back, he rolled his eyes. “Take it off and see, then.”

She eyed him warily, but pulled the two tiny pieces of tape away to remove the gauze. It was a tattoo. A new tattoo.

Breath rushed out of her.

“It’s not a Stanley Cup, but—”

“It’s my name, Henrik. You tattooed my name on you.”

Again, he laughed. “It would appear that way.”

She held his wrist up to his face as if he had no idea what he’d done. “You permanently labeled yourself with my name.”

“Trust me, I know. It hurt.”

“I thought we were taking it slow. I thought—”

He cut her off with a kiss. A perfect, ‘make her forget her name, let alone the fact that he tattooed it on his body’ kind of kiss. “Damn you,” she whispered against his lips, “you’re impossible to argue with anymore.”

He kissed her again. “I know.”

She slowly pulled away, not because she wanted to, but because she had something specific she needed to finish telling him. “Wait.” She laughed when he didn’t move. “I have a surprise for you too.”

He looked at her expectantly. “I’m not sure I can handle any more of your surprises.”

“I owe you this one,” she promised, pointing at the nightstand. “Open that drawer, and look behind the box.”

He followed her instructions cautiously, pulling out the black backpack she carried upon her arrival. “I’d completely forgotten about it,” he said. “You were going to tell me about it when Derek showed up and ruined everything.”

“Yes.” She nodded eagerly. “Open it.”

He unzipped the bag and pulled out a stack of papers. He flipped through them. “Are these the papers from the first time you went to the hospital?”

“Yes, it’s all the paperwork about the study. Find the giant card that says congratulations.”

He searched through the stack, pulling out the white card with spiraling handwriting on the front. He opened it up, revealing the small, black and white ultrasound photo displayed inside. He gasped. “Is this her?”

She scooted up next to him on the bed. “Yes. She was just a tiny speck. See?” She pointed at the small, round sac in the middle, smiling.

“She’s grown a lot since then.” He chuckled, glancing back at her stomach, which was now obvious in her tight-knit maternity top.

“You’re telling me. I’m going to have to go buy new pants again.”

“I can take you shopping,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “We can go tomorrow, assuming you’re allowed off bed rest.”

“I’d like that,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted to pick something up for her as well. You know, just to make it all a little more real.”

He nodded. “I know the feeling. Maybe it would help if we could work on giving her a name. That way we have something to call her when we talk about her.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, actually,” she admitted.

“Come up with anything good? Because, honestly, I threw a couple ideas past Sam today, and he looked at me like I was crazy.”

“Wait,” she breathed. “You told Sam?”

He smiled sheepishly at her. “Yeah. I kinda told him about us a while back. I needed someone to talk to.”

“So, that night at the charity event when he said he’d heard a lot about me, he wasn’t stretching the truth.”

“Definitely not.”

She shook her head, laughing. “I’m starting to think we’re going to have to induct Sam into the family.”

“I think I already have,” he admitted. “Anyone who can hold on to a secret like ours deserves it.”

She nervously played with his hand as she smiled down at the way they fit so perfectly together. “What is it?” he asked.

“Lucy,” she whispered, holding his hand tighter.

“What?”

“You asked if I’d come up with anything good for a name, and I want to name her Lucy.”

His body stilled, his hand going limp in hers as he gawked up at her. “My mother’s name was—”

“Lucille,” she finished for him. “I did my research. I would love to name our daughter in her honor.”

Henrik sat on the bed, stunned. “Y-y-you would do that for me?”

She didn’t have to say it, because he already knew her answer.

He leaned in and kissed her. “You’re amazing. I don’t care how our brothers react to the news today. I can’t wait for the world to know about us.”

She smiled. “Me too.”

***

Henrik

That afternoon, Henrik stood outside Daddy Greens, Leila’s favorite pizza hotspot, waiting for everyone to arrive. He uncomfortably played with his watch, making sure it covered his new tattoo. It burned, but the inconvenience was necessary. For now. “Thanks for inviting me to come along,” Sam said, smiling. “I know today is a big deal.”

“Big deal?” Austin questioned, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. “It’s just dinner, Sam.”

“Oh, I know,” Sam tried. “It’s just great news about Leila getting off bed rest.”

Henrik shook his head mockingly at Sam, chuckling under his breath. “You’re horrible at this.”

“Yeah, well, I never said I was good at it,” he whispered back.

“Finally,” Austin announced, pointing down the street at a cab.

Drew cautiously helped Leila out of the back seat, for which she swatted at him like an annoying fly. Once they got closer, Drew practically bounced on his heels with excitement. “Look,” he said, displaying the small piece of paper in his hands. Henrik recognized it as another ultrasound picture. “She’s beautiful! I claim immaculate conception, because this kid is too damn cute to be Derek Deroty’s child.”

“Agreed,” Sam laughed from behind him, peeking around at the picture.

Henrik grabbed the picture the same time his brother froze to stare at Sam. “What are you doing here?”

“Drew,” Leila said, walking up behind him. “Don’t be rude. Henrik invited him.”

“You have to forgive him.” Henrik sighed, too busy turning the picture of his daughter around, trying to figure out which end was up. “My brother doesn’t have a filter.”

“No,” Drew interrupted. “I want to know. What are you doing here?”

“I came to apologize,” Sam said. “If you’ll let me.”

“Wait a second.” Henrik paused, looking up. “You two know each other?”

That’s when he saw it—Sam’s shirt. It brought back the faint memory of a conversation he’d heard. It was the first time he met Sam, at a team dinner, during training camp that summer. He hadn’t been listening to the conversation, too busy scheduling his next encounter on his phone. Someone asked Sam what minor league team he played for before the draft, and he’d answered—

“The Giants.” Everyone stared at him as if he’d just spoken Latin. “The Giants,” he exclaimed again. “You played for the Vancouver Giants before you got drafted here.”

Sam looked at him, confused. “Yeah. Why?”

He whirled around to look at Drew. “You little shit. You haven’t been coming to my games to see me. You’ve been coming to my games all year to see him!”

“Henrik,” Austin bellowed, stepping between them, “you don’t just accuse people of that.”

“No. He’s right,” Drew admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. “And he knows he’s right. I never thought he’d actually put it together.”

“You never thought I’d pay enough attention to you to put it together,” Henrik clarified, before turning on Sam. “And you. You’ve been dating my brother, and you couldn’t even tell me?”

Sam sighed, looking exceptionally guilty. “I didn’t know how you’d react, or how the rest of the team would react. It’s not something you usually discuss in the locker room.”

“No. You do not get an excuse.” He pointed at him. “Not after all the shit I’ve told you.”

“It’s different.”

“How? I opened up my soul to you that day,” he spat. “I told you about Drew, and hell, I even told you about taking Leila’s virginity. You could have at least given me a heads up.”

“Henrik.”

Leila’s hand touched his elbow, and he looked up just in time to see the stunned faces of his brother and best friend turning on him.

“I’m sorry,” Austin breathed, scratching his head. “Did you just say you told Sam about taking Leila’s virginity?”

“This Leila?” Drew added. “This very pregnant Leila?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he shot a glare over at Sam. “Thanks a lot, rookie.”

An eruption of voices scattered around him, except Leila, who stepped in front of him, holding up her hands as if she were some kind of WWE referee. “Stop! All of you, just stop.”

“Leila,” Austin exclaimed, his voice rising. “I want answers. Now.”

“I know.” She looked at him, her smile gorgeous and untamed. “Henrik and I will explain everything in time. Right now I just want to celebrate Lucy.”

“Lucy?” Drew let out. “You’re naming her after Mom?”

Henrik nodded, unable to control the smile that burst onto his face at the thought. “Yeah, it was Leila’s idea.”

Drew snatched the ultrasound picture back out of his hand. “So, this is my actual niece? Not just pretend?”

“Yes,” he assured him with a laugh, because he knew now his betrayal would never matter to Drew. “That would be correct.”

“I knew she was too cute to be a Deroty!”

Leila gave Drew a not-so-gentle slap to the shoulder. He cringed, leaning away from her. “What was that for?”

She shot him a pointed look. “You know exactly what. You stood Sam up the other night at the charity event, didn’t you?”

Drew’s face evened back out as he looked at Sam and then back to her. “Yes, I did. He wanted to keep our relationship a secret, and I told him I needed to tell my family. We had a disagreement.”

Leila hit him again. “You should have seen his sad little face.”

“You know I wanted to meet them,” Sam tried, stepping around him. “It’s different for me. I don’t have the kind of support you do. Telling people is still a very frightening concept for me.”

“As mad as I am at him, Sam’s right.” Henrik threw a consoling arm around Sam’s shoulder. “I can understand why he has reservations about members of the team finding out.”

“And you, of all people, should understand that, Drew.” Leila hugged her best friend. “How long would it have taken you to finally tell Henrik if I hadn’t opened my big mouth?”

Drew sighed before he looked over at his brother. “I guess you’re right,” he admitted, absently scuffing his foot on the ground.

“I also haven’t seen you this happy in years,” Henrik reminded him. “Plus, you’re playing hockey again. I have a sneaking suspicion about who has been encouraging that now.