Back to the Heart (24 page)

“You and Sunshine come visit me whenever you’re able, you hear?”

“We will, Mom. I promise.” Ana’s stomach was full of butterflies, her mind full of excitement. Soon, she’d be in New York again, and hopefully for good.

The flight was long and boring, and Ana felt unsettled as the plane took off, thinking of what had happened to Brennan. But there was no need to worry. She arrived in New York safely, and there was a driver waiting to take her back to Brennan’s penthouse.

For the entire ride, she held on to her stomach, a smile playing on her face. A few days prior, she had gotten the first good look at her baby. Now she felt closer to the bundle in her womb than ever. Even if things with Brennan didn’t work out, she’d never be alone. She knew that now, and it filled her with a sense of serenity.

When they arrived, the driver handed Ana her suitcases, and she rode the elevator up to the top floor, her heart pounding with anticipation. The butterflies were going crazy now. Or was that the baby kicking? Ana couldn’t tell.

Much like when she had gone to visit Brennan in the hospital, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She knocked twice and waited, preparing for the worst. The last thing either of them needed was for her to be blindsided by her own naïveté.

Seconds later, the door was pulled open by Mary, Brennan’s mother.

“Hello, Ana,” Mary greeted her warmly. “I’m guessing you’re here to take over my duties caring for my son.”

Ana’s cheeks brightened. If there had been any question who Ana was before, it was clear now. There was apprehension behind Mary’s expression, but she knew Ana loved Brennan. That was plain as day from how much time Ana had spent at the hospital when he had been in a coma.

“I promise I’ll take good care of him,” Ana assured her.

“It will be fine, Mom.” Brennan rolled his wheelchair forward so that he and Ana could see each other.

All her fears melted away.

He held his arms out to her, and she dropped her suitcases to go to him, embracing him. The hug lasted for what felt like forever, and it was full of tears and desperation and love.

Mary stood silently by the door, watching the two of them hug.

“Well, I suppose I’ll take my leave then,” she said, causing the two lovebirds to pull away from each other.

“You don’t have to go so soon.” Ana didn’t want his mother to feel like she was being driven away. In fact, Ana kind of wished Mary would stay for a while. It would be nice talking to her under better circumstances.

“I really should go. Your father is probably going stir-crazy without me there to keep him on his toes.” Her attention fell to Brennan, who rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Fine. If you insist. Thanks for everything. I love you, and I’ll miss you.”

“And you’ll call me.” She pointed a long dainty finger at him.

“And I’ll call you.” His mouth quirked into a smirk.

Then she turned to Ana. “I really appreciate you coming to take care of my son. I know this is a big deal for you, especially in your condition.” A soft smile crossed Mary’s lips as she looked down at Ana’s stomach. “May I?” She held her hand out.

“Of course.” Ana felt affection from the woman as she placed her hand on Ana’s stomach, trying to feel the baby kick. She couldn’t help but wonder if Mary was thinking that this might be her first grandchild, though she was sure Brennan had told her the baby wasn’t his.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” She withdrew her hand, her expression turning serious.

Ana squirmed a bit. It was supposed to be a surprise, but she figured that disclosing the answer in front of his mother might make it even more special for Brennan. “It’s a boy. And I’m going to name him Ryan.”

“Ryan. That’s a good strong name.” Mary nodded approvingly. The grin plastered across Brennan’s face suggested that he appreciated the gesture.

“If and when we get married and have another boy, I’d like to name him Brennan,” Ana told them. It was a little too early to be talking about such things, but the hormones made the words bubble up and out of her. More than anything, she wanted Brennan to know how important he was to her, that she wasn’t just here because of his money or who he was to society. That the only thing that had dragged her nearly two thousand miles away from her family was her love for him.

“Hopefully, we’ll get the chance to name lots of children.” He beamed at her.

“You two need to get married first.” His mom looked at them disapprovingly, and both of their expressions turned sulky for a moment.

“Of course,” Ana agreed. “I need to get this bun out of the oven first before we start baking any more.”

Mary laughed. “Ana, you’re adorable. I can see why he loves you so much.” She smiled down at her son. “Well, I should be going. You two take care of each other. If you need anything—anything at all—don’t hesitate to call me.”

“We won’t.” Brennan gave her an earnest look.

Mary bent to embrace Brennan, then she hugged Ana and took her leave, glancing back at them a final time before the elevator reached the top floor and she stepped inside.

Now that they were alone together for the first time, Ana wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself. She picked up her suitcases and allowed Brennan to lead her into the living room. His penthouse was massive, taking up the entire top floor of the building, and it was every bit as lavish as she would expect from a billionaire. This would definitely take some getting used to.

“I cleared out the bottom two drawers of my dresser for you. I hope that will be enough room for your things. You also get half of the closet.”

Ana followed behind him in his wheelchair, the reality of how difficult this was going to be slowly sinking in. She would have to help Brennan with everything until the casts were off his legs. That included preparing his meals, helping him in the bathroom, getting him dressed and undressed, helping to bathe him, accompanying him to all of his appointments, and being at his beck and call. Her mother had been right. If they could survive this, they could survive anything. It would be a true test of her love for him, and she was determined to pass.

The first few days took a lot of adjusting. Brennan made caring for him as easy as he could, helping out with the cooking and whatever household chores he could manage, and he was always patient with Ana. It wasn’t anywhere near as difficult as she had feared, and she found that she enjoyed spending time with him doing domestic things, repaying him for the kindness he had shown to her and her family.

When they weren’t tending to his needs, they would watch television together, or he would offer her money to go shopping. She never took it, though, unless it was for groceries. Brennan needed to understand she wasn’t with him for his money. She was here because she loved him. That was the end of it.

Days turned to weeks and weeks to months. The baby inside of her grew, and Brennan began to heal. It amazed Ana how positive he stayed. Even when they had their downs, as every couple did, he quickly turned things around. The thing Ana loved and appreciated about him the most was that he hadn’t changed from the man she had met on her mother’s ranch. He was kind and down-to-earth, never acting stuck-up or entitled.

Within four months, Brennan was walking again, though he still needed crutches from time to time. The doctor told him it could be a full year before he was back to normal, but everyone was impressed with how quickly he had recovered. If Brennan was nothing else, he was determined. Every chance he got, Ana would find him walking or working on building strength in his legs.

A few weeks before the baby was due to be born, Brennan decided he wanted to go visit his parents.

“I want you to see how I grew up,” he told Ana as they sat together watching an old Western. “Besides, my mother is dying to have us over.”

“I’d like to see your parents again.” Even though she hadn’t agreed to marry their son yet, she still felt like part of the family. His mother was such a sweet and kind person, though a bit old-fashioned. His father was interesting, a man of few words. “They live in Washington, New York, right? That’s a little over two hours away, I think. Are we going to drive or fly?”

“Drive. I don’t think I’ll be flying for a long time.” Brennan stared down at his legs, and Ana knew he was seeing through his pants to the scars beneath where they had to pin and piece him back together. The plane crash would likely haunt him forever.

“All right.” She placed her hand on top of his, and he flipped his over to squeeze her fingers, giving her an apologetic smile. The ride would likely be uncomfortable with how pregnant she was. “Just let me know when you want to go, and I’ll call one of your drivers to take us.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I think I want to drive. It will make me feel useful again.”

“You are useful, love, the most useful man I’ve ever met.” She leaned in to kiss him. Even though he tried desperately to hide it, Ana knew Brennan had self-confidence issues. It was times like this, when he spoke about not being useful, that he felt at his lowest. Having his mobility taken away hadn’t been the worst, it was the scars, the shakiness with which he moved, the debilitating headaches, and most of all, the fact that they hadn’t had much of a sex life since Ana moved in.

For Ana, being intimate with Brennan was about the emotional connection. She could tell it bothered him that he couldn’t rock her world the way he used to.
All in good time,
she’d told him when they lay in bed together at night after she had ridden him until they were both fulfilled.
All in good time.
And he would say that good time sure was taking a long time. She couldn’t help but grin.

Even if their sex life was never how it used to be, it didn’t matter to Ana. All she cared about was that Brennan was alive and warm in her arms and the most wonderful man she had ever met. Making love with him would always be good.

They headed out early in the morning on a Sunday, hoping to make it after church. Sunday was the Lord’s day, as far as Mary was concerned, so it was a day of rest. The perfect day to receive visitors.

Ana stared out the window at the passing scenery, trying not to seem too nervous about Brennan driving them. He had driven short distances since the plane crash, but this would be a test of how much he could handle.

There was a heavy mist coming down, but Brennan wasn’t about to let that dampen his mood. He turned on the radio and sang to Ana, making her laugh and blush as they merged onto I-87. Eventually, she joined in, figuring that the baby would enjoy the sound of both of their voices. He had been active lately, but Ana figured that was because it was getting close to her due date. In three short weeks, she’d be a mother. It was a staggering thought. Not only would she be a mother, she and Brennan and the baby would be a family, sans marriage.

Brennan had brought the subject up several times since Ana had moved in with him, but she’d always brushed the thought away. It made her feel guilty. She remembered telling him that she would marry him in the hospital when he was unconscious. Everything had been rushed, though, and now that she was living with him, she figured they could afford to put the brakes on a bit. Besides, the thought of planning a wedding while she was pregnant, Brennan was recovering, and she was still having to deal with Rick Fasken didn’t sound too appealing.

Traffic was smooth, for the most part, though rain had people slowing down. They were two miles away from exiting again when a semi in front of them lost control and went skidding across lanes. Ana’s heart leaped into her throat as Brennan slammed on the brakes.

The next few seconds felt like a lifetime. The car hydroplaned, heading straight for the semi. Ana had seen something similar in a horror movie once. In the movie, when the two vehicles collided, it took the top off the car, decapitating everyone inside.

Ana closed her eyes, bracing for impact. Something hard pressed against her, keeping her from making contact with the dashboard. Then the car stopped, and she opened her eyes to find that Brennan had practically thrown himself over her to protect her and the baby.

She took a moment to breathe, her heart beating faster than it ever had before. Their car was only two inches away from hitting the semi in front of them. By some miracle, the vehicles behind them had been far enough back to stop. Ana couldn’t believe their luck.

“Are you all right?” Brennan asked.

“Yes,” she told him in an exhale of relief. “Are you all right?” It had just occurred to her that he had forgone his own safety for hers. Even after the plane crash, he hadn’t thought of himself.

“I’m fine. A little shaken, but fine.”

They sat in silence for a moment, waiting for the semi to pull back onto the road. Despite the hydroplaning, no accident had occurred, so there was no reason for them not to continue on their journey. Ana stared forward, catching her breath, her hands on her stomach. The baby kicked, signaling that he was all right as well, which she was thankful for. She was surprised the near-accident hadn’t made her go into premature labor. Another miracle.

“You know, you are the unluckiest man in the world when it comes to vehicles,” she told Brennan once they had pulled off the highway and their nerves were settled.