The Billionaire Op - Lori Ryan Page 0,54

be sharing this moment with him.

The doctor’s voice cut in. “There’s your baby,” she smiled at them.

“Is the heartbeat too fast? That sounds really fast,” he said.

“No, not at all. That’s exactly what we want to hear.”

All too soon, the doctor pulled away the machine and wiped Jennie’s stomach, then helped her sit up on the table.

“All right. I’m going to give you a prescription for some anti-nausea meds. You still might not feel very hungry for a lot of foods. Dad,” said Dr. Breckman, turning to Chad, “try foods that are similar in texture to what she’s been keeping down. See if she can handle scrambled eggs, yogurt, maybe something like banana bread or pumpkin bread instead of pastries. Some pregnant women find they can stomach those little pouches of pureed baby food. They have mixtures of fruits and veggies and a pregnant woman can suck down one of those every few hours instead of eating a big meal. That can be one of the best ways for an expecting mom to get nutrients right now.”

Chad was typing the list on his phone. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he’d just crossed the line into crazed-father mode instead of his typical calm but he didn’t give a rat’s ass. He’d get more food into Jen if it killed him.

After they left the doctor’s office, he pulled into the grocery store lot and left Jennie waiting in the truck. She looked worn out even from their short trip to the doctor. He dropped the prescription at the pharmacy desk and went to collect the list of foods the doctor had suggested. When he got back to the truck, he got one of those are-you-freaking-kidding-me looks from Jennie as she surveyed the six bags of groceries he piled on the back seat.

“Wow,” Jennie said. “Just, wow.”

He grinned at her. So, he might have overdone the groceries a bit. They probably wouldn’t go through three cartons of eggs and six flavors of yogurt and forty little single-serve packets of baby food very quickly.

She laughed at him and shook her head but he didn’t care. He’d heard his baby’s heartbeat today. It was the most incredible feeling in the world and he damn well wasn’t going to let his baby be underfed.

Chapter 29

The baby food packets ended up being the saving grace for Jennie. She could stomach those more easily than anything else. Chad had to eat all three-dozen eggs by himself, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was much happier since the doctor’s visit.

And that happiness grounded her in some way.

Jennie sat on one of the rockers on the front porch watching the sun glitter on the lake. Over the past week, she’d regained a lot of her strength. The prescription the doctor had written was a godsend.

She could eat baby food and pudding and yogurt with no issues. As long as she didn’t get too close to any of the food Chad was eating, she was fine. Sometimes, if she smelled his food, she’d still turn green, but even so, the worst of it seemed to be over.

As she entered her eleventh week of pregnancy, she was finally excited about the idea of a baby growing inside her. The idea that she would have this little tiny infant to hold in her arms soon.

Now if only all of the other stuff would go away. The threat from Rick Bandon. The stress of having to get up on a stand and testify against dangerous men who might hurt her or her child. The never-ending desire that thrummed through her body whenever she looked at Chad. Whenever he spoke. Whenever he was close enough for her to smell or to reach out and touch.

Which of course, she couldn’t ever do again. Jennie fell asleep in the chair thinking about the feel of Chad’s taut muscles under her fingers. The memory of his body above hers. The pleasure he’d brought that chased away her memories of Kyle—if only temporarily.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed when her eyes fluttered open. In front of her, down by the edge of the water, she could see Chad. He stripped off his shirt as he did after every morning run. She was instantly warm all over, and a small buzz of electricity raced through her veins at the sight of his defined and tanned muscles.

Jennie felt her breath hitch, then come in short pants. Her chest rose and lowered quickly as she watched