Twice the Malone

by Roberts, Laylah

  “Because she was a bitch. But Maddox, that’s not Snow.”

  Maddox blew out a breath. “How’d you convince her to talk to you? Thought for sure she’d greet us both with a knee to the balls.”

  “Yeah, well, she might have if I didn’t rescue her from a mugger today.”

  “What?” Maddox snapped.

  Yeah, he figured that would get his attention.

  He explained everything that had happened from getting mugged, throwing up, and then finding her apartment trashed.

  “What the fuck?” Maddox snapped. “So, whoever mugged her knew where she lived and used her keys to get into her apartment?”

  “Seems like it. Unless it’s a weird coincidence, but there was no sign of forced entry at her place.”

  “What the fuck is going on? Why would someone break into her place? Has she had problems with anyone?”

  “She told the cops she hadn’t.”

  “But you think she lied?” Maddox easily picked up on what he didn’t say.

  “Yeah, Snow can’t lie for shit. Which you would realize if you didn’t have your head in your ass.”

  “Beau, don’t start with me,” Maddox growled.

  Beau found himself grinning. He was beginning to come around.

  “So, you think she knows who could be behind this?”

  “I think she’s holding back, for sure. She hasn’t been to work the past few days.”

  “Do you think it’s something to do with Stanson?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to coax her into talking to me.”

  “Coax her? You don’t coax her,” Maddox snapped. “You demand that she tells you.”

  “Well, brother. You have your way, I have mine.”

  There. Suck on that.

  “Got to go, my girl needs help getting out of the bath.”

  “Wait, Beau, you need to—”

  Beau ended the call with a feeling of satisfaction. He didn’t have to do anything that bossy bastard said. And if he wanted to ask their girl something . . .

  Well, he could just come out here and ask her himself.

  * * *

  Scarlett lay in the bath.

  For the first time in months, she actually felt relaxed. And she knew why. Because Beau was here. She knew there was a lot they had to talk about. But tonight, she just wanted to get some rest. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept properly, and it was wearing on her.

  The only thing that would make it better was if Maddox were here.

  Then again, maybe it was better he wasn’t here. She didn’t think she was up to dealing with him. If he was mean to her again, she might just punch him in the nose.

  Or cry. Likely she’d cry.

  God, her life was a mess.

  Who attacked her today and trashed my apartment? Did it have anything to do with Richard? Did he find out what she did? Thank God, she’d transferred everything to that flash drive rather than leave it on her laptop.

  The flash drive!

  She’d had it in her pants, and Beau had sent them out to be laundered.

  No, no, no.

  She quickly stood, getting her foot over the edge of the bath and reaching for a towel. Suddenly, the world around her started to spin.

  “Snow, I think we might have— Shit, Snow!”

  Strong arms picked her up.

  Then there was nothing.

  15

  “Snow, Snow, wake up for me.”

  She groaned and brushed away the hand that was tapping at her cheek. “Go away. Wanna sleep.”

  “Baby, you can sleep later. I need you to wake up and show me those pretty eyes. Please.”

  Why did Beau sound so scared? What was wrong? She forced her eyes to open.

  “Oh, thank fuck.” Beau cupped her face between his hands.

  What was going on? Where was she?

  She attempted to sit up and he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Stay still, I’ve called an ambulance. Shit, you’re naked. And cold. I’ll get you a robe. Stay right there.”

  Naked? What? Why am I naked? Ambulance?

  “Beau, no!” She sat up and her head spun. Crap.

  He strode back in, a hotel robe in his hand.

  “Call them back, cancel the ambulance.”

  “No way, you just fucking fainted. And didn’t I tell you to stay still?” He scowled at her.

  Okay, she wasn’t used to him looking so serious. She must have scared him. He put the robe around her and got her arms through before gently lying her back.

  “Beau, I’m fine. Cancel the ambulance.”

  “No,” he replied stubbornly. “It’s my job to take care of you. Socks, we need socks.”

  “Beau, there’s nothing they can do for me.”

  He paused with a pair of his socks in his hand. “Why? What’s wrong? What do you mean, there’s nothing they can do for you? Are you dying? Fuck! Have you had a second opinion? Oh, God. What is it?”

  Oh, Lord, what have I done?

  “Beau, it’s all right. I’m not dying.” She sat up again.

  “Lie back down,” he barked, shocking her.

  She gaped at him. He ran his hand over his face. “Shit. Fuck. Sorry, Snow. I didn’t mean to snap. Just please tell me you’re all right.”

  She stared up into his tear-filled eyes and knew this was it. She had to tell him. She took a breath. “I’m not sick, Beau. I’m pregnant.”

  Beau simply stared at her. His lips moved but no sound came out.

  Pregnant.

  Pregnant.

  The word rolled around in his head. She was pregnant. And she hadn’t been with anyone else since them. So . . .

  “Holy. Fuck.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to tell you like this. Truth is, I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  “Yes,” she replied gently. She stood and moved over to him, watching him nervously. “I am. Are you all right?”

  “I think I’ve lost all feeling in my legs. I need to sit down.” He let her guide him over to a chair.

  “Here, maybe you should put your head between your knees. You’ve had a big shock. Can I get you something? A glass of water?”

  “Thanks, baby, that would be great. Wait! Fuck!” He jumped to his feet.

  Get your head in the game, Beau.

  What was he doing? Letting her fuss over him when she was the one who was pregnant. With his baby. Or his brother’s. Oh, fuck.

  Picking her up, he deposited her back on the bed. “You need to lie down. You shouldn’t be up. You fainted. Where the hell is that ambulance?”

  Maybe he should just pick her up and take her to the hospital himself. What would Maddox do?

  Well, he wouldn’t let her keep disobeying him by getting up. He glared over at her as she went to move again.

  “Stay. Still.”

  “Beau, you’re acting crazy. I just fainted. I’m pregnant, not sick. I need to get up and you need to cancel that ambulance.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he shook his head at her. “No, it’s not normal to faint. You’re going to get checked out.”

  “Okay, what’s going on with you? The other night you weren’t this . . . this bossy.”

  “Things are different now.”

  He was going to be a dad. It was time to stop fucking around. Time to step up. And since his idiot brother wasn’t here to take a hard line with their woman when she needed it, he was going to have to step up to the plate.

  Oddly, that didn’t scare him as much as he thought it might.

  “Fuck! I just remembered why I was getting out of the bath in a hurry. Beau, did you take the stuff out of my pockets before you sent it out to be laundered?”

  “Um.” He gave her a guilty look. “Did you have some money in there or something?”

  “A flash drive. Shit. Please, can you call reception and ask them if they can retrieve it? It’s really important.”

  He watched her curiously
, but she seemed so anxious that he nodded. “Fine, if you stay exactly where you are and agree to let the paramedics check you over.”

  She frowned. “You’re supposed to be the easygoing one.”

  “Easygoing doesn’t mean I’m a pushover, and I’d never just sit back and allow you to put yourself at risk.”

  “But you’d ignore me for nine weeks.” She ran her hand over her face after saying that. “Sorry, that’s not fair. There were extenuating circumstances.”

  “Actually, I think it is fair. I fucked up. Although I would like to know when you planned to tell me about the baby.” He sent her a pointed look, and she bit her lip.

  Yeah, she knew she was in trouble. But she wasn’t wrong about his own fuckup. He should have chased after her right away. Broken foot and phone be damned. Oh, and loyalty to his brother.

  Maddox was going to flip.

  The hotel phone rang before he got to it.

  “Mr. Malone, there are paramedics down here for you.”

  “Thank you, send them up. Also, I sent my girlfriend’s clothes to be laundered and there was an important flash drive in the pocket of her pants. Can you see if someone found it and send it up?”

  He saw her eyebrows rise at the word ‘girlfriend’, but she didn’t say anything.

  “Certainly, my colleague is escorting the paramedics up now.”

  Thank fuck. Then maybe he might be able to breathe easier.

  * * *

  She suffered through the poking and prodding of the paramedics, thankful when they reassured Beau she was fine. But then they had to go and tell him that she probably should get checked out by her doctor tomorrow and not to take hot baths in the future.

  Nope. No way. She wasn’t going to the doctor’s again.

  Once they’d left, a hotel employee returned the flash drive. Thank God. The knot of anxiety in her stomach finally unraveled. At the same time, the dinner Beau had ordered arrived.

  Shoot. She was going to have to tell Beau about what was on the flash drive. She shuffled around on the bed where she was sitting.

  “Do you want to eat in bed or at the table? Actually, I should just feed you in bed. First, you need to have a drink. The paramedics said you need to keep well-hydrated.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the mini-fridge.

  “Don’t get it from there!”

  He gave her a shocked look, glancing down at the water. “Why not? Do you think it’s been tampered with? Shit, you could be right.”

  “Wait, no, that’s not what I meant. When did you get so paranoid?”

  “When I learned that my woman is pregnant! Oh, and then she fainted.” He glared down at her. “You’re making an appointment in the morning with your doctor. I want to know for sure that you’re fine.”

  “I am fine. I was just at the clinic, I’m not going back there.”

  “Oh, yes, you are. I’m putting my foot down.”

  Her mouth opened then closed. “You’re putting your foot down? Is this even happening right now?”

  “Damn straight it is. I’m going to be a daddy. It’s time for me to step up, take things more seriously. Especially your health. Now, what’s wrong with the water?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with the water except for it being hideously overpriced.”

  “Well, Jesus, that’s nothing to worry about.”

  Maybe not for him. He didn’t have to pay for this hotel room. His stuff hadn’t been trashed. He hadn’t lost his job.

  Fuck. Shit.

  “Baby, are you crying? Oh, hell, you’re crying! What is it? What’s wrong?” Beau was suddenly hovering next to the bed as she sat there, tears trailing down her cheeks. “Is it the water? You don’t have to have it. I’ll go out and grab you as much cheap water as you want. Will that make you stop crying?”

  Oh, Lord.

  “I’m not,” sniff, “crying over,” sniff, “the water.”

  “Then what is it? You gotta clue a man in, baby. I’m dumb. I don’t know what’s wrong. Fuck, it’s not the baby, is it? Are you in pain? Shit. I’m calling Mia.”

  “W-who’s Mia?”

  “My sister-in-law. She recently had a baby. She’ll know how to fix this. Gotta fix this.”

  “Beau, stop. I’m sorry. It’s not anything. I’m fine.” She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the robe.

  “Here.” He gently pulled her arms from her face and wiped her tears and nose. Sheesh. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to that.

  “Please tell me what’s wrong,” he begged.

  “There’s just a lot going on, and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, I guess.”

  “I get that. But I’m here now, Snow. I’m going to take care of you. You believe that, right? I know I come off as a bit of a clown—”

  She put her fingers over his mouth. “Hey, I don’t think you’re a clown. You make me laugh. You’re sweet. And sexy.”

  “And manly, you forgot manly and strong.” He flexed his biceps to prove his strength, and she had to bite back a smile.

  “Sorry. You’re very manly and strong.”

  “Damn straight. And I’m here to help. You’re not on your own anymore.”

  If only she could believe that. But it felt like she’d been on her own for so long, with the exception of Margo. She wasn’t sure she could believe in his words. Not after what had happened. Sure, she got that there were reasons he hadn’t answered her texts. But the hurt was still there. And trusting him . . .

  “We don’t know each other very well. And I’m scared that you’ll . . . that you’ll . . .”

  “Leave you? Ghost you? Give you the cold shoulder?”

  She nodded, biting her lip worriedly.

  He drew her lip free of her teeth. “I fucked up. For a moment there, I believed that bullshit Maddox was spouting about you, and I got drunk and mad. I was an idiot. But I’m going to be better. For you and for our baby.” He placed his hand on her tummy.

  She sucked in a breath.

  Here it came. The part she wasn’t sure about how he was going to react.

  “I’m going to be a daddy.” He smiled then glanced up at her worriedly. “But I don’t want you just because of the baby. I mean, if you were pregnant and I didn’t want you, I’d still take care of you. But it’s not like that. I came here for you. The baby is just a bonus.”

  He had come here for her. She just hoped he wanted to stay.

  “Beau, that’s the problem.”

  “What is?”

  “Well, I don’t know that you’re the daddy.”

  16

  She watched him worriedly.

  As soon as he’d processed her words, he’d jumped to his feet and started pacing across the room.

  Back and forth. Back and forth.

  She was feeling rather dizzy. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the bottle of water he’d put on the bedside table. She gulped down half of it.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know that I’m the father?” he snapped. “I thought you said you’d only slept with three men, your ex, my brother, and me.”

  “That’s right.” How was he not seeing the issue? She thought it was perfectly clear. Obviously, he needed her to spell it out. “Beau, I don’t know whether you or Maddox is the father.”

  There. Now he knew. She sucked in a breath, almost cringing as she waited for him to react.

  “What? That’s it. That’s what you’re worried about?”

  “Well, it’s not the only thing I’m worried about,” she snapped back, a bit annoyed by his reaction. “You know, there’s the fact that I’m forty, and I’m about to have a baby. I don’t know how I’m going to afford everything the baby needs. Oh, and one of the possible father’s hates me. Yeah, I’ve got that to worry about too.”

  He waved his hand at her. “First, lots of women have babies later in life, right? We’ll ask the doctor about the risks.”

  Didn’t he think she’d done that? But before she could say so, he spoke again.

  “As for money, t
hat’s not something you ever have to worry about. It’s my job to take care of you and the baby. Money isn’t an issue.”

  “I can’t just let you take care of me,” she muttered. She had no idea what it was like not to worry about money. Although, it would be nice not to burst into tears over the idea of paying for overpriced water.

  “Wait.” He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, walking over. He picked up the bottle of water. “Did you cry because you were concerned about paying for a bottle of water?”

  “Well, when you say it like that, it sounds stupid,” she muttered.

  “Please tell me you’re not fretting over money.”

  “It’s hard not to when you’re on your own with little savings and your place has just been trashed and you’re staying in a hotel room you can’t afford.” Damn it, there went the tears again.

  Suddenly, she found herself in the air. “Beau! You have got to stop picking me up.”

  He settled on the bed with her on his lap. “Why? Oh, shit, did that make you feel sick? Are you having morning sickness? Well, with Mia it seemed like all-day sickness.”

  “I’ve had a bit,” she admitted.

  “Is that why you’ve lost weight? Because of the vomiting? We need to talk to the doctor about that. It can’t be healthy.”

  “I haven’t had much of an appetite,” she admitted. “And I’ve been nauseous a lot. But the doctor gave me some anti-nausea stuff. I think it’s starting to kick in.”

  “I need to feed you. Fuck, the food has probably gone cold. I’ll order some more.”

  “Beau, it will be fine.”

  “Pregnant women shouldn’t eat food that’s gone cold like that,” he told her. “It could have salmonella and that’s dangerous for the baby.”

  That sounded unlikely to her, but she let him lean over and grab the phone to order some more food.

  “Did me picking you up make you ill?” he asked, rubbing his hand up and down her back. “Do you need to lie down until the food gets here?”

  Damn. He was being so sweet, it was killing her.

  “No, I just didn’t think you should pick me up. Forgot that I’m not the hippo I was before.”