One Baby Daddy (Dating by Numbers #3)(113)

I’m about to text him back when something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention. Looking up, I watch Adalyn intently, wondering if my eyes are playing tricks on me, and when I think maybe they are, I see it again. Her finger twitches.

My heart stutters, a sharp chill running up my spine when I see it again. Setting my phone to the side, I slip my hand into hers and the smallest of squeezes comes from her hand.

“Baby,” I cry. “Can you hear me? Adalyn, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand again.” I pause, waiting and waiting until . . .

Her finger presses against me, and I split apart. Wake up, beautiful. She twitches again, and I smile.

She’s going to be okay. My girl is going to be okay. At least I try to convince myself of that.

Resting my head on the bed, I dream. I dream of the day Adalyn and I welcome our baby boy into the world. I see it so clearly, her sweat-soaked hair in a ponytail, our little guy wrapped up in a blanket, pressed lovingly against Adalyn’s chest. My arm is wrapped around her shoulders, and we’re both looking at the human we created. It’s beautiful. The smells, the clarity of the image, the feel of Adalyn stroking the thin strands of my hair . . . it feels so goddamn real.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I reply. Her voice soft but clear.

“Are you awake?”

“Of course,” I answer, wondering why she’s asking me . . .

I jolt my head up, knocking away a hand from the short strands of my hair. Blinking rapidly, I make eye contact with those big, beautiful eyes once again. And in that second, I can feel it. My heart re-starting, beating for an entire different reason. It’s beating for the woman in front of me.

Sitting up on her bed, I cup her cheeks gently and stroke her skin, almost in complete shock that she’s awake.

“Adalyn.” I search her eyes, back and forth, studying the heaviness of her lids. “Baby, you’re awake.”

“Mmm,” she groans, placing her IV-covered hand on my arm. “You’re here.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Of course I’m here.”

“But the game.” Her breaths are short. “I wasn’t—”

“Stop. That doesn’t matter; none of that matters. All I care about right now is that you’re talking to me. Fuck . . .” Emotion takes over as I lean forward and press the softest kiss across her lips. “Adalyn, I thought . . . I thought I lost you . . . before I could fully have you.”

Her eyes shut briefly and when they reopen, they are welling up in tears.

“Don’t cry, please don’t cry.” I wipe away the droplets of water that fall. I press my forehead against hers. “I don’t ever want to lose you again, Adalyn. Right here, this is what I want forever. You, the baby, and me. I love you, more than you will ever know.”

Taking a second, she catches her breath and says, “I love you, Hayden.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, a type of euphoria I’ve never experienced takes over my body, the type of euphoria I know a human can only experience once in a lifetime. Now is my time. For others, it might be when they meet their baby for the first time, or when they meet the love of their life for the first time. Not me, my time is right now.

“Goddamn it, I love you. I want you forever. No matter how hard it is, how difficult our lives might end up being with my profession, I want you to know, I will do everything in my power to make you happy, to make sure you’re loved, and never have to worry about being lonely again. Till my dying day, I promise you this, Adalyn.”

“Being with you will be all I need,” she answers, her lips brushing a whisper of a kiss across my mouth.

What I wouldn’t give to deepen that kiss, to let her know how serious I am, but I resist, not wanting to hurt her.

Sighing, I speak softly when I say, “The minute you’re better, I’m claiming your mouth, because from this day forward, Adalyn, you’re mine.”

Leaning her head back on the bed, her eyes flutter shut, sleep taking over as she whispers, “I’m yours, Hayden, forever.”

Forgetting all hospital protocol, I stretch my body across the small hospital bed and wrap my arm around her, bringing her against my chest, needing to be as close to her as possible. It’s not going to be an easy road for us, but I know, from here on out, as long as we’re together, we can get through anything.

Epilogue

HAYDEN

“I don’t know. The blue is really speaking to me.”

Giving Logan a very unhappy glare, he shrugs his shoulders and pats me on the back. “Sorry, man. We might get along now but my loyalty will always lie with Addie.”

“So much for dicks before chicks,” I mutter, causing Logan to laugh.

“Told you blue is the winner,” Adalyn gloats while doing a very pregnant version of the running man, her large pregnant belly hanging over her grey sweatpants. She’s in month nine and not giving a fuck about how much her belly is out in the open.

“Settle down there.” I motion her to slow her dancing. “We don’t need any water breaking when we don’t have the nursery ready yet.”

“Whose fault is that?” Adalyn taps her foot and eyes the two paint swatches on the wall. Red and blue.

“All of the baby books say babies can’t see any colors but black, white, and red. Why not give him a room he can enjoy?”