Hostile Ground (The Arsenal #7) - Cara Carnes Page 0,143

cried. They say everything—way too much for a sane person to take on.

“I was coming to pick up Olaf’s prescription and saw Ellie here. Crying.” The woman’s voice broke. “Now you’re crying.”

“Can you give us a moment?”

“I’m not leaving this room. I’m not leaving her alone for whatever this is. You should’ve called Jesse.” Addy squeezed her hand. Hardness mottled her voice. Strength. Ellie sucked in that strength like it was a milkshake from Whataburger.

“She didn’t want him here. She’s the patient.”

“We don’t always get what we want. We do what’s needed.” Addy wrapped her arm around Ellie. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing.” Logan swiped at his face and cleared his throat. “Sorry, I don’t usually get emotional about this stuff, but…”

“So help me God I’m going to kick your ass,” Addy growled. “Spit it out.”

“Ellie, honey. You’re pregnant.” Logan blinked his watery eyes and smiled, the kind of smile that lit up his entire face. She’d only seen it a couple of times.

“What?” Ellie’s voice rose. “How? I can’t be pregnant!”

Addy laughed. Tears streamed down her face. She hugged Ellie tight.

“I don’t understand,” Ellie whispered.

Pregnant. She touched her belly and recalled the symptoms. Okay, so maybe a normal person her age with a husband would’ve jumped to the pregnancy train first, but she had a genetic predisposition to cancer. That’s what one of her previous doctors said.

And Jesse….

Oh. My. God. I’m pregnant!

“Thinking you know how this happened,” Logan whispered. “If not, I’ll let Jesse explain.”

Ellie laughed and leaped off the table. She jumped into Logan’s arms. “Are you sure?”

The man took a step backward and wrapped his arms around her. Gently, as though she was precious cargo he was taking care of because she, like a crazy woman, had come to him alone and terrified.

“Positive. We’ll run a few more tests if you want, but all we need right now is for you to take a deep breath and go share the news with the daddy.”

“He’s busy.”

“I’ve got this,” Addy said. She took Ellie’s hand and pulled. “Come on, Momma. Let’s go give your man the good news.”

She smiled as Ellie picked up Ariana’s carrier. Addy shouldered the diaper bag and navigated her friend out of the examination room.

“Shouldn’t I wait? Don’t people wait to tell anyone? What if it’s a false positive?” Ellie froze. “What if he’s angry?”

“Why would he be angry?” Logan asked, his voice gentle as he followed them out of the room. “You’ve had sex.”

“I-we…” Ellie forced another breath. “I don’t talk about our sex life. That’s private.”

Sexual gratification wasn’t a focal point with their marriage. Their love went far deeper than the baser needs. Jesse wouldn’t ever want people to know what they did and didn’t do because it was private.

He’d gone through so much and suffered horrors no one should ever experience. Too many people knew about that. Jesse wanted nothing more than move past that part of his life and live for her and Ariana.

But she was pregnant.

Everyone would know.

They’d ask questions. Really private ones they shouldn’t expect answers to. They didn’t need to know that she and Jesse had worked their way up to having sex once a week. It’d been an emotional uphill challenge for them both because he wasn’t the only one with intimacy issues. She’d brought a truckload of her own to their marriage.

“Addy, wait. I’ll talk to him later. I can’t blurt this out while he’s working.”

“Ellie, I love you like a sister. Everyone here at The Arsenal does because we watched you wage war for Jesse in a way no one else could have.” Addy touched her shoulder. “I get why you’re scared. Maybe. All I know is he’d want to know—just like he would’ve wanted to be here for you.”

“She’s right.”

“But—”

“But nothing. Love isn’t a one-way road where you can navigate around the scares and the pains. You’re supposed to do that together and you and Jesse are the living, breathing example of that. Every. Single. Day.” Admiration filled Addy’s voice.

God. She was right.

“You were scared and wanted to protect him from that,” Addy whispered. “That’s exactly why you need to give him this news. Now. We’ve got so much shit flying around us at every turn that we can’t hit pause on celebrating the good, especially not when it’s this huge.”

“She’s not telling you to scream it to the entire compound, Ellie,” Logan said. “Go. You need him. I can tell you’re worried.”

“Of course I am. He hates when people ask him about…” She looked