Stay With Me (10 page)

He shook his head and glanced away from Rhys. Stupid. The child was theirs. It would be raised by the three of them. He wouldn’t entertain any alternative. Petty jealousies, especially right now, were just boneheaded and completely selfish.

“What’s wrong?” Rhys demanded.

Logan looked back up at him. “When was the last time you made love to Catherine? Before Jamaica, I mean.”

Rhys’ eyes dulled. “Probably three months ago. It was the same night…I mean we both made love to her. I hadn’t since then.”

Relief made Logan breathe easier. So there was no way to know whose baby it was. Then he shook his head again. Did it matter? Did it really goddamn matter? He’d thought he was beyond all that.

“That means she has to be over three months pregnant then,” Logan said grimly.

“Which means she knew,” Rhys said.

Logan sighed. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why she hadn’t told us yet.” He rubbed a tired hand through his hair. “Who could blame her?”

“I don’t want to lose her,” Rhys said in a quiet voice. “Or our child.”

“Then maybe it’s time we put as much time and effort into our relationship with Catherine as we do our business,” Logan said. “Starting now. It’s going to take all we’ve got to get her back, Rhy. I feel that. I think it’s gone beyond disappointment or even anger. But she’s going to need us when she’s discharged from the hospital. She won’t even be able to think about leaving until she’s completely healed. We can use that time to show her she comes first and that she always will.”

Rhys looked up at him, hope flaring in his eyes. “Then let’s do it.”

Cat,

I love you. God, I want to see you so badly, but I understand why you don’t want to see me. I’ll wait. No matter how long it takes. I’ll be here when you’re ready to go home. Take care of yourself and our baby.

Rhy

Over and over she read those words, wrapped them around her. She’d never felt so alone in her life, and yet she knew they were just outside. The nurses had told her that they’d come every day and just sat. Waiting.

She smoothed a hand over her belly, careful of her healing incisions. The doctor had assured her that all looked well with her pregnancy, but lingering fear gripped her. She didn’t have words for the terror of waking in a strange bed, of faint, drug-masked pain in her abdomen, and the thought that in one terrible moment, her child had been taken.

Mindful of the doctor’s caution about getting upset, she tempered her thoughts and settled on more bland images. No, she wouldn’t allow them to risk her child by upsetting her. They’d taken far too much already. Her love. Her hopes. Her happiness.

They wouldn’t get an outburst from her. No emotion. No pain. She was through begging for something they couldn’t give.

She looked up when the door opened, almost fearful that Logan and Rhys would disregard her wishes and come inside. Relief came quickly when she saw the nurse enter.

“The doctor says you can go home today. Are you ready for that?” she asked softly.

Catherine held her breath. Was she? She knew she’d have to face them when she was discharged. She didn’t have another place to go and couldn’t do so even if she did. Whether she liked it or not, she was going to have to allow them to take her home and take care of her until she was completely well.

Slowly, she nodded.

The nurse squeezed her hand comfortingly. “Your obstetrician will be up to see you one more time before you go. He’ll want to see you regularly in the next few weeks to monitor the baby’s progress. You’ll have a follow-up with your surgeon in two weeks. In the meantime, you’re to get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, eat and take it easy. No stress.”

No stress. She was one big ball of stress even if she was working damn hard to radiate calm.

“Okay then, I’ll take out your IV and help you shower if you like, or you can wait until you get home. Completely up to you. After your OB sees you, I’ll be back to give you your paperwork and prescriptions, and then you’re free to go.”

“Thank you,” Catherine said.

“You’re welcome,” the nurse said with a smile. “Now, let’s get you ready to go, shall we?”

Rhys paced the hallway as he waited for Catherine to come out. The nurse had pushed a wheelchair in her room fifteen minutes ago, and still he and Logan waited.

Logan was no better off than he was. He stood opposite Catherine’s door, his stance tense with expectation.

Then the door opened and the nurse backed out of the room, pulling Catherine in the wheelchair. When she turned Catherine around, Rhys’ breath left his chest.

She looked small, huddled in the wheelchair, deep shadows under her eyes. Her hands were clenched in her lap, and she stared up at him, no emotion reflected.

“Cat,” he whispered as he fell to one knee beside the wheelchair.

He reached out and touched her cheek. She didn’t react, but her gaze followed him.

“Are you okay? Are you hurting? How is the baby?”

There. The tiniest flicker of feeling.

“The baby is fine,” she said huskily.

He took her hand in his, uncurled her fingers and kissed her palm. “Thank God.” He looked back up at her. “Are you ready to go home? The car is waiting downstairs.”

She gave a small nod, and Rhys stood. She turned her head to look at Logan, who still hadn’t said anything. His eyes were haunted. There was so much regret for the world to see that it made Rhys uncomfortable.

“I’ll take her from here,” Logan said politely to the nurse.

As he walked behind the wheelchair to grasp the handles, his hand brushed over Catherine’s shoulder and lingered there for a moment before he started forward.

The entire way down, the silence was heavy. Stifling. A thousand questions stampeded Rhys’ mind. But he held back. Talk was cheap. The time for talking was past. It was up to him and Logan to show her that they couldn’t—wouldn’t—live without her.

When they arrived at the car, the driver hurried out to open the door. Rhys bent over Catherine.

“Do you want me to help you into the car or would you prefer I carry you? I don’t want to hurt you, so you tell me what you need me to do.”

“Don’t pull me,” she murmured. “Let me pull against you. I’ll walk.”

As Logan held the wheelchair still, Rhys stretched his arm out and held it rigid as her small hand circled his wrist. Her face tightened, and she paled as she strained upward. Logan cursed and put one hand to her back to hold her steady.

When she was upright, Rhys stood there for a moment to let her catch her breath.

“Hurts,” she gritted out.

“I know, love. I’m sorry. As soon as we get you home, we’ll make you comfortable, I promise.”

He smoothed her hair away from her face, a face that seemed so much thinner than it had just a few days ago. With slow, small steps, she headed for the open door.

Logan hurried around to the other side and slid into the backseat. He leaned forward as Catherine ducked into the car and eased down with a groan.

Logan reached over, lifted her and moved her closer to him. After making sure she was comfortable, Rhys climbed in next to her.

“Okay?” Rhys asked as he regarded her shallow breathing.

She nodded, and Logan curled his arm around her shoulders, tugging her gently into his chest. He was shaking from head to toe.

“God, baby, I was so scared.”

The words came out choked, and Rhys had to look away as he was reminded of just how afraid he’d been as well. He reached for her hand, wanting to touch her even as Logan held her.

She was quiet. Too damn quiet, and it scared him. The light had gone out of her eyes. He’d been prepared for anger. Fear. Hurt. But what he wasn’t prepared for was her indifference.

They drove home, Catherine limp against Logan, her eyes closed. Rhys kept his hand curled around hers. He suspected she kept her eyes closed to keep him and Logan from seeing too deeply within. Which meant that despite her façade, she wasn’t as indifferent as she appeared.

He’d take hope where he could get it. He wouldn’t let her and their child go without a fight.

They pulled up to the building, and she stirred, opening her eyes as the car stopped.

“Just stay where you are,” Logan murmured. “I’ll carry you so you won’t have to move.”

She tensed for a moment as if expecting his actions to cause her pain, but he moved slowly, inching her out of the car with extreme care.

Stuart held the door open and was uncharacteristically silent as Rhys passed through followed by Logan carrying Catherine.

On the way up, Rhys stared at Catherine as she leaned her head against Logan’s shoulder. It was killing him, this silence. He wanted her to yell at him, to hit him, do something other than shut him out. But she couldn’t afford that kind of emotional outburst, and he wouldn’t drive her to it.

The elevator doors opened, and Rhys started out ahead of Logan. Unable to resist, he stopped and lowered his head, pressing his lips to her hair.

He inhaled her sweet scent, wanting to hold it, and her, close to him. Never let her go.

She turned slightly, her gaze meeting his. For that moment, her barriers fell, and he saw raw, aching emotion entrenched in her eyes.

“Cat,” he whispered. “I love you.”

She closed her eyes again and turned away into Logan’s neck. Rhys’ shoulders slumped, and he walked into the apartment. Logan carried Catherine inside.

“Not to bed,” she murmured when Logan headed toward the bedroom.

“Baby, you should be resting,” Logan protested in a gruff voice.

“Please, I want to sit up for a while. And eat. I’m hungry.”

“Couch okay? I don’t think a chair would be very comfortable.”

Rhys busied himself making her something to eat while Logan fussed over her on the couch. A few minutes later, he carried a tray and set on the couch beside her before settling down next to it.

They watched her eat, and only when she was finished did Rhys ask what was uppermost on his mind.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were pregnant?” he asked.

Her hand fluttered down to her abdomen. He wanted to put his hand there too, but he didn’t want to hurt her or bump her incisions.

She stared down at her hand, refusing to look at either him or Logan. “I had planned to tell you the night of our anniversary,” she said quietly.

Rhys’ chest caved in just a little more, and Logan cursed under his breath.

“Later…later I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, what I wanted. I knew if I told you in Jamaica that it would change everything, and I wanted that time with you and Logan. I wanted things like they used to be.”

“And what about now?” Logan asked. “Do you want to be with us now? Do you want to stay with us?”

Her eyes became troubled. She licked her lips, and fatigue swamped her face. “I-I don’t know. I can’t answer that now. Right now I hurt too much.”

Rhys knew she didn’t refer to physical pain, and it knotted his gut.

“What I want is for you to rest and get better,” Rhys said. “Logan and I aren’t going anywhere. We have a lot to make up to you, and words aren’t going to convey that. It’ll take time, and fortunately for us, you aren’t in any shape right now to go anywhere. We’re taking total advantage of that.”

A half-smile fluttered across her lips. Then she glanced between him and Logan, concern crowding her features.

“Are you happy? About the baby?”

Logan went soft about the same time Rhys felt himself unfold. They both reached for her. Logan’s hand slid up her arm as Rhys’ tucked around her neck.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Logan said. “I was so damn worried when you were in the hospital. I still am. I want this baby, Catherine. As much as I want you.”

She turned her head to Rhys, and he slid his hand around to cup her cheek.

“I’d love a girl,” he said with a smile. “Who looks just like her mother. Logan and I can spoil her rotten. Of course I’m happy, love. But I’m happier that you’re okay and that you’re home with us where you belong.”

She looked away, and Rhys had to hold back his sigh. He exchanged worried glances with Logan. The two of them had expected a battle, an argument, and then they’d planned to throw down the challenge. They’d show her, prove to her, that they were through putting her last.

Only she hadn’t responded how they’d thought. Now they were faced with not only proving themselves to her, but they were also faced with tearing down the protective barrier she’d created around herself.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Rhys said as he looked up and saw her.

She glanced self-consciously down at her rumpled knee-length T-shirt and bare legs and grimaced. She didn’t feel beautiful, even if she was feeling a lot better since she’d left the hospital several weeks ago.

“What’s Logan doing?” she asked as a way to put the focus off her bedraggled appearance. He was talking on the phone, but he looked at ease, not at all tense like he did in ninety percent of the phone calls he made.

“He’s talking with our new director of operations.”

Her brows furrowed. “Your what?”

He grinned. “Thought that might trip you up.”

She walked over and sat down in the chair across from the couch. Though she slept between both men each night, she still wasn’t comfortable overtly seeking out their attention or affection. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle into Rhys’ arms on the couch, but she didn’t like what the action implied.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Who’s your new director of operations, and what the hell is that anyway?”

“Paige is,” Rhys replied.

Catherine raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Paige? Not that she doesn’t deserve the promotion. I hope you gave her a hefty raise as well.”

“Oh, we did,” Rhys muttered. “It was the only way she’d take the job.”

She grinned and realized it felt good to let go and smile. It felt strange, and then it hit her that she hadn’t smiled—really smiled—since Jamaica.

Poor Rhys was looking at her like a desperate man. It couldn’t have been easy living like this for the last several weeks. Always on tiptoe.

Neither he nor Logan had pressed her. Hadn’t made demands or tried to persuade her to stay. In fact, they hadn’t done a lot of talking at all beyond idle everyday chitchat, asking how she was doing, if she needed anything, that sort of thing.

But what they had done was show her that she was all-important. Yes, they worked, but astonishingly, they were home by five every day, six at the latest. There had been one overnight business trip that only Logan had gone on, and he’d returned early the next day.

They ate dinner every night together, usually ordered in, but the guys also took turns cooking. Evenings in the kitchen had turned out to be the highlight of her day as they talked about everything and nothing.

At night, they crawled in beside her, always close to her, touching and snuggling. It was so much like the early days in their relationship that it made her physically ache.

How much longer would they keep it up? They were relentless in their quest to make her stay. She certainly couldn’t dispute that, but was it real? If she gave in, would things go back to the way they’d been before?

Logan bent over her chair, startling her from her thoughts. She hadn’t realized he’d gotten off the phone. He leaned in close and kissed her gently on the lips. She sucked in her breath in surprise.

“Good morning,” he murmured.

Then he very lightly put a hand on her belly, splaying his fingers over her shirt.

“How is the little one today?”

A sudden wash of emotion hit her hard in the chest. This was how it was
supposed
to be. She stared down at his hand and imagined a larger swell. She was only just now starting to pooch the slightest bit, but in a few months, she’d round out quite nicely.

She had fantasies about lying between him and Rhys, their hands on her belly feeling the baby move. Gentle kisses and late night conversations with their son or daughter.

“Why do you look so sad, baby?” Logan whispered.

She shook her head, refusing to voice aloud her innermost wants and dreams. As long as she kept them closely guarded, they remained hers. The moment she let them go, they entered the realm of harsh reality.

He stroked her cheek, light and loving. Then he kissed her eyelids before backing away.

“Are you not going into the office today?” she croaked.

He smiled. “Nope. Rhys and I are working from home. Paige is more than capable of running the office along with her new staff. I think she’s loving her new digs.”

“Staff?” she echoed in disbelief.

Logan and Rhys didn’t have a staff. They had Paige who they piled way too much work on. They had a secretary who worked on an as-needed basis, and they had one or two temps who filled in during busy times, but a staff? Logan was too much of a control freak to relinquish the running of their business to staff members.

“She’s on quite a power trip,” Rhys said in amusement. “It’s why Logan and I are hiding at home today. She’s holding orientation and letting her new worker bees know exactly what she expects from them.”

Catherine laughed. Rhys froze and stared at her with a fierce expression.

“That is the most beautiful sound,” he murmured.

Her chest caught, and her heart fluttered uncomfortably.

“So what’s with the decision to hire a staff?” she asked casually, afraid to read too much into their action.

“It was way past time,” Logan said. “Rhys and I have been too set on doing everything ourselves. It wasn’t fair to you, and it wasn’t fair to Paige, who we also took advantage of. We’ve made it up to her. We’re still making it up to you and will be for a long while.”

He spoke with such seriousness and determination. Against her will, excitement rose, unfurled like a budding flower.

“Are you ready to talk about us?” Rhys asked quietly.

She froze. No, they hadn’t pushed her. In fact they’d been nothing but patient. But the issue had still taken up residence. The gigantic elephant in the room, always watching.

“I need to call and confirm my appointment with the obstetrician for tomorrow,” she said as she hastily rose from her seat. “I’m getting an ultrasound.”

“We know,” Rhys said, his gaze directed on her. “We’ve made arrangements to go. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

She held her breath, trying not to hope, yet grabbing on to his promise with sick excitement. On some level she felt like a complete idiot for placing that kind of faith squarely back in their hands when they’d let her down time after time.

Despite the effort they’d put into spending more time with her, she still couldn’t keep the doubt from creeping in. All it would take was one little problem. Some deal going south. An issue with the new staff, and they’d quickly drop her to go fix it.

“We’ll be there,” Logan said calmly. “You’ll be riding with us.”