Love Conquers All (Forever and Always #16)

by E. L. Todd

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Usually when we had conversations, she was vocal and argumentative. But now she was quiet. I knew she was embarrassed.

  “Baby, I love you. Don’t try to be something that you aren’t.”

  She looked down at the ground. “I guess I thought if I weren’t spontaneous in the bedroom, you would lose interest.”

  “Not possible. So, just do what you’re comfortable with. If you just want to make love every time, I’m okay with that.”

  “But I like the things we do.” Her smile returned.

  “You like the spankings and the fucking?” I hoped she would say yes.

  “Yeah. I like trying new things with you. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of things I like.”

  “I always knew you were a whore.” I rubbed my nose against hers.

  “You make me that way.”

  “Even better.” I cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “But if there’s something you don’t want to do, just tell me. I’m not going to be upset or disappointed. And I’m certainly not going to look for it elsewhere.”

  “Okay. So you still want to marry me even though I’m not quite as slutty as you thought?”

  “No. I want to marry you more.”

  12

  Mike

  “Let’s go to Alexander Lake in Killingly,” Sean said as he sat in the chair facing my desk.

  “Where the fuck is that?”

  “It’s about two hours away. We can rent a cabin and fish for a week.”

  “A week?” I asked incredulously. “My future wife is three months pregnant and I’m supposed to leave her for a week?”

  “I’m not happy about leaving my wife either, okay?”

  I growled. “Two hours is too far. Even if I speed, I won’t get to her quick enough if she needs me.”

  “I’m sure she’ll love the break from you,” he teased.

  “Sorry. It’s not gonna happen.”

  “Well, it’s the closest place I could find. Remember, we’re doing this for Ryan, so you’re going to have to deal with it.”

  I wish I didn’t like Ryan so much. “Can we make the trip shorter? How about four days. I don’t think I can fish for a week straight.”

  He nodded. “I think that would work.”

  “Anyone else going?”

  “I talked to Cortland and he’s down. Flynn is coming too.”

  “Flynn?” I asked. “Really?”

  “I know Ryan likes him. He’s been pretty popular in the group.”

  “Cool. I like him.”

  “Me too.”

  I still felt uneasy about leaving Cassandra alone. We were going to the doctor to get checked out today and I was panicky all day. If something bad happened to her or my baby, I’d die.

  “The girls can stay at the house and I’ll set the alarm. They’ll be fine,” Sean assured me. “I’d ask Dad to stay with them but he’s not answering his phone…doing god knows what.”

  I cringed. “Change the subject.”

  “If they stay together, they should be fine. And if something did happen to Cassandra’s pregnancy, Scarlet would take care of her and get her to a hospital.”

  I still didn’t like this. I was responsible for her wellbeing. “I’m sorry, man. I can’t.”

  Sean glared at me. “Seriously? I hate leaving my wife more than you do.”

  “She either comes with me or I’m not going.”

  “And you said my bachelor party was lame…”

  “It’s different. Scarlet wasn’t pregnant.”

  “I doubt she’ll want to go with a bunch of men while they fish,” he argued.

  “Bring the rest of the girls. We can make a trip out of it.”

  “Then that wouldn’t be a bachelor party.”

  I rubbed my chin. “I know Ryan pretty damn well. And I know he wouldn’t be thrilled about leaving Janice behind. I bet he’d be glad to bring her along.”

  “But I can’t ask him.”

  “Just do it. I can guarantee it.”

  “The reason why I wanted the girls there last time was because we were going to a stripper town. I didn’t want Scarlet to think I was up to something. This is different. It’s just us and the fish.”

  “Unless Cassandra goes, I’m not coming. I hate to spoil the party but you’ll have to do it without me.”

  “But you’re one of the groomsmen.”

  “He’ll understand. Who’s his best man anyway?”

  “Me,” Sean said immediately.

  “He asked you?”

  “No, but he doesn’t need to. That’s why I’m planning this.”

  “Dude, it’s not you,” I snapped. “It’s Cortland. There’s no one else he’d pick.”

  “Shows how much you know.” He looked away.

  I rolled my eyes, knowing my brother was a lost cause. “Whatever. I’m not going.”

  “I bet Cassandra would want you to go.”

  “I know she would. But that’s too damn bad. I take my responsibility has a husband and father very seriously. I’m not leaving her.”

  “First of all, you aren’t a husband yet.”

  “I’m as good as.”

  “And secondly, you aren’t a dad. When you have two kids and you have to leave on a business trip, you just aren’t going to go?”

  “That’s different and you know it is,” I snapped.

  “How’s the house, by the way?”

  “Oh. I got it.”

  “You did?” he asked with a smile. “Awesome. Did you tell Cassandra?”

  “No. And you better keep your mouth shut.”

  “Why…?”

  “I’m planning something special for her.”

  “Well, I know it’s not the proposal because you’re going to ask her in bed.”

  I didn’t confirm or deny the claim.

  He stood up. “I’m making the final arrangements. I sincerely hope you change your mind about this. And I will tell Cassandra you’re being a fucking pussy about the whole thing.”

  “Get out before I throw my pen at you.”

  “Who cares? You’d miss anyway.”

  I chucked the pen at him but he shut the door before it could hit him right in the head.

  I finished my day then had a phone conference for an hour. Meetings over the phone were even worse than in person. They were mind-numbingly boring. When I was done with everything, I looked at the clock. The workday was finally over.

  Cassandra walked inside, her belly noticeable in the dress she wore. She looked damn fine, like usual.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  She sauntered to me, her stomach shaking slightly. “Hey.”

  “That’s where you say something nice about me.”

  She gave me a playful look. “Hey, Mr. Ten Inches.”

  My eyes darkened. “Now make sure you call me that in front of everyone you know, especially Sean. I know he has a small dick.”

  “According to Scarlet he doesn’t.”

  “She doesn’t know how big a real man should be.”

  Her hand pressed against my crotch, outlining my hard-on. “But I do.”

  “Damn right.” I grabbed her hips and placed her on my desk, ready for a quickie.

  “No.” She put her hand on my chest.

  “Come on, baby. Please.” I was like a dog begging for a scrap of meat.

  “We have an appointment.”

  I growled then put her back down on the ground. “Fine.”

  “We want to make sure our baby is healthy, right?”

  That was her best way to manipulate me. “Yes.”

  “Then we need to go.”

  “Whatever.”

  When we got to the doctor’s office, we sat down and waited. My hand was on her thigh and I rubbed it gently. She read a magazine.

  “Sean planned Ryan’s bachelor party.”

  “Vegas?” she asked without taking her eyes off the magazine.

  “No. We’re going fishing.”


  “That’s cute.”

  “But the cabin is two hours away so I’m not going to go.”

  She finally met my gaze. “What? Why?”

  “I can’t be that far away from you, not when you’re pregnant.”

  “It’s not like it’s about to fall out,” she said sarcastically.

  “I still don’t want to leave you here alone.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine without you.”

  “I don’t want to risk it. Something could happen.”

  “And I know how to use a cell phone and call 9-1-1.” The sarcasm was heavy.

  I liked it when she was argumentative, but she wouldn’t win this round. “I don’t care. I’m not going. My duty is to take care of you.”

  “You’re being ridiculous,” she spat. “This is Ryan we’re talking about. He means a lot to both of us. You need to be there for him.”

  “He’ll understand.”

  “Mike, don’t be annoying. I want you to go.”

  “Well, I don’t. I take my responsibility to you very seriously.”

  “Clearly,” she snapped. “You’re going.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Her eyes widened at my defiance. “You’re going whether you like it or not.”

  “Then you’re coming with me.”

  “It’s a bachelor party. I have no purpose there unless I’m a stripper.”

  I smirked. “You can be my private stripper.”

  “Not now, Mike.” She meant business.

  I knew this would escalate into a fight. “You can argue with me all you want, but it won’t change anything. You’re my girl and you’re carrying my baby. I can’t be that far away from you, in the mountains, when you’re pregnant with my kid. Not gonna happen. Sorry.”

  Other people were in the waiting room and she eyed them. “We’ll discuss this later.”

  “There’s nothing left to discuss.”

  She flipped the page of her magazine so hard, it ripped the page.

  Damn, she was pissed.

  The nurse called us into the patient room, and Cassandra lay down on the bed while I stood beside her. She closed her eyes and lay still. I stood over her, watching her face. She seemed stressed so I rubbed her shoulder and the back of her neck. She didn’t swat me away. I knew I should sit down but I didn’t want to. I felt compelled to stand.

  The doctor walked in. “Hello, I’m Dr. Peterson. It’s nice to see you again, Ms. Riley.”

  “You too,” she said politely.

  He looked at her chart. “The nurse was going over your paperwork, and your insurance doesn’t seem to cover this visit. There’s not even a co-pay option.”

  “Oh.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “I’m not sure why…”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “She’ll pay in cash.”

  He extended his hand to me. “The father?”

  “Yes, Mike Preston.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” I dropped my hand. “She’ll have the best health insurance when we get married. Until then, I’ll pay for anything she needs with cash. Don’t worry about that.”

  “Well, Mr. Preston, doctor visits can add up quickly…”

  “It’s really not a problem.” My hand moved to her shoulder.

  “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get started.” He flipped through her papers and analyzed her lab work. “Your results look good. You seem to be a very healthy woman.”

  I was glad to hear that.

  “I’m just going to perform a sonogram and make sure everything is okay. You just completed your first trimester. Very exciting.”

  “It is,” Cassandra said.

  The doctor set up the equipment and wiped the gel on the tip. He lifted up her shirt and began the procedure.

  After what happened to Scarlet and Sean, I was scared shitless Cassandra would lose the baby. The idea haunted me constantly. I didn’t want my girl to go through that loss, and I certainly couldn’t handle it. The idea of leaving her alone made me sick. This baby was going to be healthy and well. I wouldn’t let anything happen to it.

  Now I waited for him to find the baby in her stomach. I was afraid he’d say something horrible, like the child had a hole in its heart, or there was some sort of birth defect, or maybe she already had a miscarriage. But I couldn’t think like that. I kept my hand on her shoulder and made myself appear calm. I had to make sure Cassandra wasn’t scared.

  “There it is,” Dr. Peterson said. He turned the monitor toward us. “You see that?” He pointed at some weird gray lines.

  “Yes,” Cassandra said.

  “That’s your baby,” he said.

  Cassandra stared at the monitor for a long time. Soon, her eyes started to coat with tears. “Wow…”

  I held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I didn’t want to get choked up about this, not when the doctor was in the room. It was lame and girly, but I couldn’t help it. My son or daughter was in there, and the sight was beautiful.

  Cassandra touched the screen. “Our baby…”

  I kissed her hand. “They look comfy in there.”

  She smiled then blinked her emotion away.

  “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” I asked quietly.

  “It’s too early to tell,” the doctor explained. “That takes about eighteen to twenty weeks.”

  “We’ll be back here in a month, then,” I said.

  “I look forward to it.” He put the equipment away then headed to the door. “Check out with the front desk. They’ll take care of you.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Peterson,” I said.

  “You’re very welcome.” He walked out.

  I stared down at Cassandra. After seeing my baby, there was no way in hell I was leaving her alone. “You excited?”

  “I’m so excited.” The moisture was back in her eyes. “I feel it every day, but…now it’s real, you know?”

  “I know,” I said with a nod.

  “I never knew I could love something so much…I just can’t believe I didn’t want to have children.”

  I smiled then kissed her forehead. “And we’ll have more.”

  “Let’s just concentrate on this one,” she said with a laugh.

  “I’ll knock you up whether you like it or not.” I helped her off the table and to her feet.

  Her hand automatically moved to her stomach, and a glow was on her face.

  I took her hand and guided her to the front desk. After I filled out all the paperwork, I paid for the visit with a credit card. I didn’t even look at the total. It didn’t matter. All I cared about was her health and safety.

  When we returned to the apartment, the excitement wore off. She was back to being pissed at me. “You are going to that bachelor party.”

  “No.” I said it without emotion or vigor. I was still knocked out from the doctor’s visit. I was really going to be a dad. All I could think about was her swollen belly and how sexy it was. We were already a family.

  I gripped her hips then guided her to the couch, needing to get to the closest furniture.

  “No.” She pushed my hands off. “No sex.”

  I growled. “I want to make love.”

  “Too bad. You better change your mind about the bachelor party.”

  If she weren’t pregnant, I’d push her down and take her anyway. But now I didn’t want to move her too fast or stress her out. “Let me rephrase that. I need to make love.”

  “No.” She didn’t back down. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  I really didn’t want to bring this up, but I knew I had to. “Watching Scarlet go through that miscarriage killed me. I love my brother and sister in a way I can never explain, and seeing them in pain was pure torture. And now that I have my own on the way, I refuse to let that happen to me. I don’t give a shit if you don’t like it. That baby is going to be healthy and safe. You can yell at me, withhold sex from me, I really don’t care. But I’m not leaving you. I will take ca
re of you for the next six months. You’ll just have to deal with it.” I held her gaze, showing her I meant business, and then I walked into the bedroom and slammed the door. I wanted a hot shower and some peace and quiet.

  After I was undressed, I sat on the bed and waited for the shower to get hot.

  She opened the door and approached me slowly. When she looked down at me, I didn’t meet her gaze. I stared straight ahead, not having anything to say to her.

  She moved to my lap and met my gaze head on. I had nowhere to look but at her.

  “I’m sorry for being so insensitive.” Her words came out as a whisper.

  She hardly ever apologized for anything, so when she did, I knew she meant it. Normally, she put me in my place then stormed away, not caring how vicious she was. Now the sincerity was in her eyes.

  “Some things are out of our control. What happened to Scarlet and Sean was tragic, and they certainly didn’t deserve it. But I knew it wasn’t because of them. Sometimes things just happen that’s beyond our control. You can be a guard dog and watch me all day, but that doesn’t change what’s going on inside me. I appreciate how much you love both of us, but I think it’s okay for you to leave for a few days. I got my girls to look after me.”

  She had a point. It really was out of her control. But what if Zander tracked her down and tried to hurt her? What if she was walking home and someone tried to mug her? What if she fell in the shower and hit her head? But I guess those were still concerns even if she wasn’t pregnant. I felt obligated to stay by her side and make sure nothing happened to my baby. I had to take care of it since it couldn’t take care of itself. And I had to take care of my girl. “I promised my dad I would always put the two of you first. I intend to keep that promise.”

  Her eyes softened when she looked at me. “And you’re doing a great job keeping your word.” She ran her fingers through my hair then down the back of my neck. “You’re such a wonderful man and I have no idea what I did to deserve you. You’re so loyal and trusting. And I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t give me a second chance.”

  “You’ll never have to worry about it.”

  She pressed her head to mine. “But you should still go to this bachelor party. I’ll check in every hour if that makes you feel better, except when I’m sleeping. And I’ll stay with Scarlet. I won’t be alone.”

  That still made me uneasy. “I don’t know…”