Chapter 32

I paced back and forth in the hospital room, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. The doctors had assured me that Olivia was going to be fine…that the baby was going to be fine too…but the sight of her…laying there.

I wanted nothing to do with this world without her in it.

I’d come full circle evidently. Because I understood now how much my mother had felt all these years. Without the other half of your soul…what were you?

Nothing.

The answer was nothing.

A faint moan was like music to my ears, and I rushed to Olivia’s side as she finally stirred awake. Relief flooding me as I saw her beautiful eyes flutter open.

I gently laid my head on her chest, listening to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.

“Please don’t ever leave me,” I murmured into her skin, an ache in my voice that I couldn’t hide.

“I’m okay,” she said in a groggy voice as she touched my hair, softly stroking it. I closed my eyes, trying to reassure myself…she was okay. She was here.

I’d never allow her to go somewhere I couldn’t follow.

Never.

The door opened and a doctor popped her head in. “Oh good, you’re awake,” she said warmly, stepping inside. The woman had a kind smile with silver streaked hair that was pulled back into a neat bun, and I didn’t immediately want to throw her out for getting near Olivia.

So I guess that was a good sign.

“My name is Dr. Rochelle. How are you feeling?” she asked as I held a cup of water up to Olivia’s lips for her to sip.

‘Tired,” Olivia answered before she glanced at me. “How long was I out?”

“Two hours,” I responded shakily, not wanting to think about that fact, or else I might go crazy.

Or at least crazier than I already was.

‘Well, your vitals look great. I’m not worried at all,” the doctor reassured. “Would you like to see your baby before we get you out of here?’ Her eyes twinkled with excitement.

I blinked, my mind trying to wrap around what she’d just asked.

“Yes!” Olivia said, anticipation threaded through her voice as she shifted in the bed.

“I’ll help you!” I insisted quickly, jumping up to pick her up.

“I’m fine,” she murmured. “I’m just tired, remember?”

I forced myself to sit back down even though all I really wanted to do was grab her and pull her into my lap.

Calm down, Walker. The doctor is looking at you like she’s concerned.

‘So, Olivia,’ Dr. Rachelle started, her tone gentle yet probing, ‘How long has it been since your last period?’

Olivia bit her lip, a furrow forming between her brows as she thought back. ‘I think at least two months…maybe more,’ she finally replied, her voice slightly strained. ‘It’s been a busy fall. I guess I got distracted.”

Olivia was right. She’d missed two periods. I would know…I’d been tracking her cycle religiously for months. If she wasn’t pregnant, her period would have been about to start.

The doctor nodded sympathetically, jotting down notes on her clipboard. ‘Understandable,’ she murmured, clearing her throat. “Your records say Olivia Jones…but you’re Olivia Darling, aren’t you?” Olivia stiffened before finally nodding. “Yes, that’s my stage name,” she finally answered.

The doctor nodded again, looking kind of like one of those bobble head dolls since she’d been doing it so much. ‘And were you using any form of birth control during this time?’

Olivia frowned. ‘Yes, and I took it religiously…but I guess it didn’t work.’

“Strong swimmers,” I joked, but neither Olivia nor the doctor laughed.

Tough crowd.

“Well, birth control methods aren’t always 100% effective, but it’s still unusual. Can you tell me which one you were using, so we try another one next time?’

“They are still in my purse actually. Did you bring it in by chance?” Olivia asked, turning towards me. “I had put it in the car before…everything.”

I froze, pure panic hitting me with a jolt. Her pills were in her purse.

The doctor was going to take one look and know.

I slowly reached for her bag, feeling like there was a ticking time bomb attached to every move I made. “Here you go, baby,” I said lightly, proud of myself for keeping my voice so controlled.

She rummaged through it, eventually finding the little birth control packet.

My hand slipped into my pocket. I’d started doing a slightly weird thing when I’d begun working towards her pregnancy…I’d taken to carrying…handcuffs.

Although there were only three people in the world who knew what I’d done, Lincoln had drilled into my head that you never knew when things could fall apart.

For example…this was not a situation I’d ever envisioned—our baby doctor about to blow my whole scheme.

I was fully prepared if it came down to it, to handcuff Olivia to me…until eventually she just gave up and decided to love me despite what I’d done.

Not an ideal situation, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. There was no scenario where she and that baby weren’t mine.

I rubbed the metal of the cuffs, my nerves practically vibrating with tension as the doctor took the packet from Olivia. “This is usually a very dependable brand,” she murmured. Popping one of the pills out of the package, she examined it closely. ‘Hmmm. These are all placebo pills,’ she remarked, her surprise evident in her voice.

The place I’d bought them from was very good. Everything was sealed, in the same packaging as the regular pills. So there would be no evidence it had been tampered with.

They just happened to be the sugar pills you were supposed to take the last seven days of the month.

Blank. I was a blank slate, I told myself.

“What?” Olivia whispered. She turned to me, her gaze wide. “Can you believe this?!”

A bead of sweat rolled down my back.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I opened my mouth, and then closed it, swallowing the bitter taste flooding my taste buds as I feigned surprise. “I can’t believe it!”

There, that sounded shocked…right?

I watched Olivia’s body language closely, trying to read into what she was thinking.

The doctor leaned in close, like she was telling her a secret, and I wondered for a second if I was going to have to knock her out and then kidnap Olivia.

What was a traumatic brain injury in the name of true love?

“Mistakes happen,” Dr Rochelle said in a low tone, “but between you and me, you probably have a very good chance at winning in a lawsuit against whatever pharmacy filled this. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Olivia nodded, staying quiet.

What the fuck was she thinking? Should I just get the cuffs out now?

She glanced at me again…and then winced. “I swear I had no idea. I’ve never paid attention to what my birth control pills have looked like before. I’m an idiot.”

I immediately relaxed, loosening my grip on the cuffs as I used my other hand to softly stroke her cheek.

“It was meant to be. All that manifesting worked like a charm,” I said with a wink.

Her grin was blinding and perfect and…she didn’t suspect a thing.

“I don’t think we need to sue the pharmacy though, Doc. I’m not sure they award damages for being blissfully happy about something,” I drawled.

The doctor’s cheeks blushed and Olivia rolled her eyes at me because evidently…Dr. Rochelle had a little crush.

Which was honestly great because that meant she didn’t suspect a thing either.

I finally let go of the cuffs in my pocket, feeling like I might have aged ten years in the process.

The doctor finally turned her attention to the ultrasound machine, and my heart started racing again. This was it—the moment I’d been waiting for, the chance to catch a glimpse of our baby for the first time.

She applied the gel to Olivia’s stomach and began to move the wand. I held my breath, anticipation humming through my insides.

And then, there it was—the unmistakable sound of a heartbeat, strong and steady, filling the room with its rhythmic cadence.

Olivia’s eyes widened in wonder, her hand flying to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. ‘Oh my God,’ she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. ‘That’s our baby.’

“It looks like you’re around thirteen weeks along,” Dr. Rochelle said as she moved the wand across Olivia’s skin.

I squeezed her hand, my own eyes shimmering with tears as I gazed at the monitor, drinking in the sight of our tiny miracle.

It was the second time I’d been reborn in my life.

The first being when I saw Olivia, of course.

The emotions I was feeling were complicated, life-changing. I loved this baby. I loved it so much.

“Our little Shmoopy,” I sighed happily.

Olivia groaned. “It’s not a little shmoopy!” she said indignantly.

“It’s not an “it” at all,” the doctor said with a smile. “You’re having a girl.”

Word to the wise…passing out onto a hard, tile floor when you’re 6’4 and you weigh 220 pounds…it hurts like fuck when you wake up.