Forged in Steele (KGI #7)(110)

CHAPTER 42

MAREN lay in the hospital bed, Steele standing at her side, his fingers laced tightly with hers as the sonogram tech pressed the wand to her belly.

“Want to find out what you’re having while I’m poking around?” the younger man asked.

Maren automatically looked up to Steele, a silent question in her eyes.

“Yeah,” Steele said, eagerness in his expression. “I’d love to know. Unless you’d rather not?”

“No, I want to know too,” she whispered.

Anticipation gripped her. She squeezed Steele’s hand even tighter and he added a second hand to hers, sandwiching her hand between his.

The tech smeared gel on her belly and slid the wand around, pressing in at certain spots as he watched the monitor. Maren’s gaze was glued to the screen, holding her breath as she waited for confirmation of that tiny life inside her.

“There’s the heartbeat,” the tech said, pointing at the blip at the bottom.

Tears filled her eyes and the screen went blurry. The tech poked and prodded, positioning the wand as he took a series of shots.

“I’d say the little tyke is doing just fine,” the tech said. “Now let’s see if I can get him or her to cooperate and show us if it’s a boy or a girl.”

The next seconds seemed a lifetime as the tech angled and pressed. The images didn’t seem real. The tech pointed out features. The beating heart. The head, legs and arms. It was pure magic. This was their child, alive and well, safely ensconced in her womb.

“Ah, here we go,” the tech said, a smile broadening his features. “Looks like we have a little girl. See? No penis. And she’s not modest at all. No mistaking here. She’s definitely showing us all she has.”

Maren heard Steele’s sudden intake of breath and her heart lurched. Had he wanted a boy? Was he disappointed? But when she looked up, she was floored by the glitter of tears that shone brightly in Steele’s eyes. He looked enraptured. His gaze was riveted to the monitor and he looked so shaken, so in love, that her own throat knotted as she watched his reaction to the news he was having a daughter.

“A daughter,” he whispered, the words choked and broken.

Then he lowered his gaze to Maren and she was struck by the depth of emotion in his eyes. Not just for the image of their daughter. But for her. His love for her shone like a beacon, so unmistakable that she was overcome.

He leaned down and kissed her, sweet and infinitely tender. As soon as the tech wiped the gel from her belly and began putting away the equipment, Steele slid his hand over her belly, cupping it possessively. Then he broke away from her and bent to press a kiss to her abdomen.

“A daughter,” he said again, so much awe in his voice that she smiled.

“What in the world are you going to do with a daughter?” she teased.

Steele straightened, a panicked look entering his eyes. “Oh shit. Boys. Oh hell no. She’s not dating until she’s thirty.”

Maren laughed. “Don’t you think you’re being a little overzealous?”

He was utterly serious when he shook his head.

Neither noticed when the tech rolled the sonogram out of the room and shut the door, leaving the two alone.

Steele pulled the chair back to the side of her bed, positioning it as close as he could manage, and then he leaned over the bed, grasping her hand in his.

“I love you, Maren. You scared the hell out of me. I love you more than I ever thought it possible to love another person. I care deeply for my team. I care about KGI. I respect them and they have my loyalty. But nothing compares to what I feel for you. You have my love, Maren. You’ll always have it.”

She breathed in deep, savoring the heartfelt words. He said them in an almost awed tone, as if he didn’t quite understand it himself and marveled at the idea of feeling so deeply for another person.

“I love you too,” she said softly. “So very much, Steele.”

“This isn’t the way I wanted to do this,” he said in a gruff, uncertain tone.

She cocked her head, studying his expression, the sudden unease and the uncertainty that crept into his gaze.

“I’m not good at romance stuff. I don’t have a lot of experience with it. I’m not in touch with what women want or expect when it comes to this stuff. I can only tell you what it is I want more than I want my next breath.”

Her pulse bounded and her heart leapt. “And what do you want, Steele?”

“You,” he said bluntly. “Forever. Mine. With me. Wherever life takes us. I want my life to be with you. Marry me, Maren. Let’s make a family together. Let’s make it official and have a wedding that will make me want to crawl out of my skin and invite your family and my team and all of KGI. The details don’t matter. I want you to have whatever it is you want. All I want out of the deal is you. And our daughter.”

She sucked in her breath, staring in awe at the sincerity blazing in those intense blue eyes. He wanted forever. He wanted her. He wanted to get married.

The longer she took to answer, the more agitated he looked. She swallowed back the huge knot growing in her throat and nodded and then finally found her voice. “Yes. Oh yes, Steele. I want that more than anything.”

“Thank f**k,” he muttered. “I was scared to death you wouldn’t want the same thing I wanted. I was scared to death of losing you. Of me not being what you wanted. Or you not needing me as desperately as I need you.”