A River Bend Wedding Page 4

  “Take a few deep breaths.” The young doctor pulled a breath in through his nose and let it out through his mouth, as an example. “Your system is in shock.”

  Maybe, but also… “I’m pregnant,” Carissa confessed, resting back against the pile of pillows on the gurney. Closing her eyes only helped the spinning minimally, but it was better than nothing at all. “I just found out.”

  “I see,” the doctor said. “When was your last period?”

  “November, I think.”

  “You think?”

  She nodded carefully, as not to joggle her woozy head. “It’s been a stressful few months.”

  “Hmm.” The stool squeaked as Dr. McElroy pushed away from the bed and stood. “Kallie, let’s get a blood test and sonogram ordered. Start an IV, too, please. The fluids should help with her blood pressure.”

  “Blood pressure?” Carissa cracked one eye open just in time to see the attractive doctor angle his stubbled chin toward the monitor.

  “It’s running higher than it should at your age or your gestation, for that matter. I’m guessing you’re dehydrated from the vomiting.”

  “I’ve only been sick since this morning.”

  “Doesn’t take much to throw your body out of whack.” He gave a gentle smile, complete with a wink. “Rest assured, Ms. Brandt—we’ll have you feeling better in no time.” He turned toward the door just as it opened and Josh rushed in.

  “Babe,” he panted, like he’d just run five miles. “Thank Christ, you’re okay.” He hurried over, dropped onto the stool the doctor had just vacated, and slid close, immediately leaning in to nuzzle his lips against her temple. “I was so fucking worried.”

  Unnecessarily, since she’d overheard Mark tell him she was fine, but Josh never had been the type to believe much without seeing the proof himself.

  She let herself lean into him, though, because she’d been worried, as well. Still was. But having him by her side made everything better.

  “I’m just a little nauseous,” she explained. “No big deal.”

  The nurse cleared her throat and took the pan out of Carissa’s hands.

  “Okay, maybe a lot nauseas.” Heat spread to her cheeks. “But it’s just the baby, not the accident.”

  “Is the baby okay?” Josh’s attention darted to the doctor, who still stood by the door, watching. “Baz?”

  Dr. McElroy rubbed a hand across the stubble on his jaw. “I don’t think the accident would have caused an issues with the pregnancy, but we’re going to run some tests to be sure things look good. You’re welcome to accompany her down to Radiology for the sonogram. Assuming you’re the father, of course.” The man tossed his hair back with a smarmy grin.

  Josh grunted. “Don’t think I won’t knock you on your ass just because you’ve got a few letters after your name these days.” Carissa frowned and Josh explained before she could ask. “Baz and I went to high school together.”

  “Oh.” Well, that was fabulous. Josh’s old buddy had watched her puke her guts out. And there was at least a small likelihood that he might have to do a pelvic exam, too.

  “You’re not the one doing the sonogram, are you?” Josh must’ve read her mind. “No offense, but I don’t think I’m comfortable with you touching my wife, knowing the shit I know about you.”

  Wife?

  “Wife?” Dr. McElroy smirked again. “I didn’t realize you two were already married.”

  Josh met Carissa’s surprised eyes with wide ones of his own. “Sorry. I guess I’ve been thinking about the wedding too much. Got a little ahead of myself.”

  Clearly. But it was a sweet slip-up. And, if they did this his way, she’d be his wife sooner than they’d planned.

  “It’s fine.” She squeezed his hand and leaned back in the bed again, the hurricane in her belly starting all over again. “Oh, no, here we go again.”

  Kallie tucked another small basin into her hands and Dr. McElroy made a quick exit.

  Josh, however, didn’t move. He stuck close to her, undeterred by the prospect of her upheaval. “We’ve done this two times too many, babe. Meeting in the hospital like this.”

  Mmm-hmm. But at least this time, she was conscious. “This was just a little accident. I barely went in the ditch, and Mark was right there. I’m fine. I swear.”

  He nodded, but the intensity in his gaze remained. “You’re carrying precious cargo, babe. There’s no such thing as a little accident right now.”

  Warmth bloomed in her chest. “Josh, I’m not hurt. The car, however—”

  “I don’t fucking care about the car, Carissa.” He laid a tender hand across her belly. “I care about you and this baby. About us. Our family.”

  Crap. She was too exhausted to keep it together right now and if he kept talking like that…

  “I know it’s silly,” she said quietly. “But I thought that giving you the perfect wedding would be a match for all you’ve done with the new house. Something I could offer you return.”

  His shoulders dropped as he shook his head. “That’s not how this works, babe. Our relationship isn’t a barter system.”

  She knew that, of course, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to do something special for him, too.

  “Your love is the only thing I really need. You know that, don’t you?” His thumb stroked gently along her lower lip and the tears she’d held at bay let loose, slipping down her cheeks.

  “I do love you,” she whispered. “So much more than I’ll ever be able to tell you.”

  The hand on her stomach began to rub in gentle circles. “But you are telling me, Carissa. You’re growing our baby.”

  Oh, this man.

  She blinked up at him. “I don’t want to wait to get married, either. I’m not sure how we’re going to pull it off, but I want to do it. Soon.”

  A slow grin broke out across his face and he dropped his forehead to hers. “We’ll make it happen, babe. I promise.”

  Chapter Seven

  They were twelve weeks and four days pregnant. Due August 4th.

  Holy shit.

  Josh still couldn’t wrap his head around the images he’d seen on the screen during the sonogram two days ago. A little bean that already resembled a baby. Albeit a baby with an oversized head and freakishly short limbs, but a baby nonetheless.

  His baby.

  A proud grin slid across his face as he unlocked the front door to the new house and plucked the silver bow from frosted glass. Carissa hadn’t been happy about his insistence she stay home tonight, but despite an overnight stay in the hospital with continuous fluids, her blood pressure hadn’t budged. The OB practitioner, Dr. Neal, confirmed stress as the culprit and put his bride-to-be on a two-week trial of bed rest. He hated it as much as she did, but tonight, her doctor-ordered Netflix binge came in handy.

  Hell, she was going to kill him for what he had in mind, but he didn’t care. The end result—her health and the health of their baby—would be well worth it.

  Josh stepped into their new foyer, then the big living room to the right. The spacious room was bare aside from the custom blinds on the windows and the fireplace in the corner, but, with any luck, that would change soon. Like, two-weeks soon.

  He pulled a ragged piece of paper from his back pocket and ran his fingertip along the penciled drawing. A nursery, complete with a hand-crafted crib, a changing table, even a rocking chair... His baby and his woman would want for nothing.

  The only question was whether or not he—and the cavalry—could pull this off in time. .

  On cue, a knock sounded on the front door, and Mark and Ally stepped in without waiting for acknowledgement. Typical River Bend, so Josh just smiled and raised his hand in greeting.

  “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming on such short notice. I hope I didn’t interrupt your dinner.”

  “Nope. All done.” Ally looked around at the emptiness, a confused frown on her face. “Though I’m not sure why we’re here. Where’s Carissa?”

  Mark cleare
d his throat over the top of their son Evan’s head. The dark haired little boy was strapped into one of those over-the-shoulder carrying things and nestled against Mark's chest. Definitely not his buddy’s usual Kevlar, but the outfit seemed to suit him pretty damn well. “Yeah, man, where’s Car?”

  Josh rubbed a hand around the back of his neck. “If you could hold that thought for just a few minutes, I’d appreciate it. The others will be here soon and I'll explain then.”

  “Hmm, secrets.” Ally smiled suspiciously. “I like where this is going.”

  “Where are we going?” Tony walked in without knocking at all, his fiancée Nicole in tow. Both were bundled up with beanies and clunky boots. Funny how far they'd come in a year. They'd even started to look like one another.

  "Not going anywhere, man,” Josh chuckled. "We're just waiting for the rest of the crew.”

  Mark lifted an eyebrow. "What in the hell do you have up your sleeve, Hudson?"

  Something that would blow Carissa's mind, that's what. She couldn’t be mad at all of them, could she?

  “You should've mentioned that this was a BYOC party.” Nicole stretched from side to side and Tony immediately shifted behind her, his hands going attentively to her lower back. The guy had turned into such a softy, it was ridiculous.

  “BYOC?” Josh asked, wondering if the guys looked at him the same way he looked at them. Just a bunch of lovesick pansies. Every last one of them.

  “Bring your own chair.” Ally paced toward the bank of windows at the far side of the room. In the distance, the river rolled along, caps of white and icy gray water lazily moving about. “This is a spectacular view. You can bet I'll be here to visit often, just so I can enjoy this.”

  And maybe offer Carissa some pointers on being a new mom, though he kept that part to himself. At least for a few more minutes.

  “What is heck is going on here?” Jenny came through the door next, followed by her fiancé, Brody. Dan and Maddie were only seconds behind them.

  Josh couldn't be sure, but he suspected that Maddie was already onto him. When he’d called earlier, she hadn’t so much as questioned what was going on. Just told him that she and his brother would come as asked. What Josh didn't know was how she'd react to his request.

  Might as well as bite the bullet and find out.

  “You’re probably all wondering why I called you over to an empty house.” He folded the piece of paper in his hands and tapped his finger against it anxiously. He'd had his speech all planned out, but actually asking such a favor from his friends was a lot harder when one stood in front of them, vulnerable.

  He glanced over to Maddie, hoping she'd been sincere about her offer to help Carissa and not secretly harboring some silenced resentment that might rear its ugly head when he shared his plan.

  “First of all, I'd just like to say that the only reason Reed isn't here is because he's in Omaha this weekend. That doesn't mean he's off the hook.”

  Tony groaned. “Shit, you're putting me to work again, aren't you?”

  Brody slapped him on the back of the head. “Like you ever work.”

  Nicole giggled and Jenny rolled her eyes.

  Josh shook his head at them all. “Listen, I’ve got something to tell all of you. It'll explain why Carissa isn't here and why she can’t know we met like this.“ He looked to each of them, despite the heat that seeped into his face. Thirty-two years old and blushing like a teenager. Jesus. “Carissa's spent most of the weekend in the hospital.”

  Nicole, a pediatric nurse, gasped. “What? Why?”

  “She had a little run-in with a snow bank and went in to get checked out. Turns out she was dehydrated. Hasn’t been able to keep anything down. Her blood pressure is also high.”

  Jenny frowned. “She's too young for that.”

  Josh knuckled his nose with a sniff. “Apparently planning a wedding while pregnant took a toll on her.”

  Silence. Dead friggin' silence.

  Finally Brody spoke up. “Are you shitting me, man? You two are having a kid?”

  Josh nodded and the quiet gathering erupted with whoops of excitement and laughter.

  Tony stepped forward to shake his hand and Mark followed. Jenny and Ally gave him hugs, and Maddie and Dan smiled quietly from behind them all. Of course, Carissa hadn’t been able to go without telling someone what was going on and that someone for her was always Maddie.

  "She's going to be on bed rest for at least a couple weeks until things settle down. That puts a big damper on our plans to move in here and, frankly, the wedding, too.”

  “I’m more than happy to help with the wedding.” Nicole raised her hand. “I’ve told Carissa that over and over again, but she's too bullheaded to accept help.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Maddie agreed. “Tell me about it.”

  “That's why I asked you all to come here today.” Josh looked to each of them again. “I need your help.”

  Brody lifted his chin. “What'd you have in mind?”

  Josh exhaled a careful breath. Do or die. “I’m hoping all of you can help me turn this place into a home, complete with a nursery.”

  The women all smiled simultaneously.

  “That's more for the guys, ladies,” he explained and they all wilted like flowers in the too-hot sun. “I’m hoping the four of you can help with the wedding.”

  Ally's eyes lit up again. “Absolutely.”

  "But here's the thing..." he began, his gaze shifting to Maddie. “We’re getting married in two weeks.”

  “You talked her into it?” Maddie gasped.

  He shook his head. “She doesn’t know yet.”

  “What?” Dan was the one to erupt this time. “How can she not know?”

  Because he hadn’t told her, and didn’t intend to. Not until the plans were well underway. And maybe not even then, because he didn’t want her worrying a single hair on her pretty head about any of this.

  “If she knows,” he explained, “she’ll work herself into a frenzy again, wanting everything to be just right. I can’t let her do that. Hell, I never should’ve let her try to do it in the first place.”

  “So let me get this straight…” Ally held up a hand. “You want us to scrap all of her hard work and plan a surprise wedding, completely behind her back…in two weeks?”

  “I don’t think we need to toss everything, but yes, that’s more or less what I’m asking.” A wedding for the ladies…and a house furnished top to bottom for the guys. He wasn’t asking much. Not at all.

  His sister-in-law laughed. “You realize that’s Valentine’s Day weekend, don’t you?”

  A slow grin spread across his face. “I do.”

  Maddie pressed her lips into a conniving smirk of her own. “In that case, how could we possibly say no?”

  Chapter Eight

  “One cup of coffee from Cedar Street won’t kill me.” Carissa gave Josh her best pouty face. The one with the fat bottom lip that always tugged at his defenses and usually resulted in him giving in. “Please? I promise we can come right back home and I’ll resume my position right here.” She even patted the couch for good measure, though truth be told, her ass hurt from sitting on it all day. Again.

  “You’re not supposed to have caffeine, babe.” He slung an arm around her shoulder and her cute face turned to a glower. Come on. It wasn’t like she wanted a whole pot. “Don’t look at me like that. You know the rules as well as I do.”

  “It’s coffee, not whiskey.”

  “In a couple weeks, if your blood pressure is down, Dr. Neal will probably let you have a little bit. But not until then. I’m sorry, beautiful.”

  Ppfftt! Easy for him to say. Not only could he eat and drink what he wanted, but he could come and go as he pleased, too. Last night, he’d been gone to the new house for three hours. Three hours she’d hope to spend with him, not that Outlander wasn’t entertaining enough by itself.

  “Can I please have the wedding binder?”

  He stuck his tongue in his cheek. “W
edding plans stress you out and that raises your blood pressure. So, no, you can’t have that either.”

  Jerkface impregnator.

  “This bed rest thing wouldn’t be so bad if people would just answer their texts.” She picked dup her phone, reaffirming that neither Ally, Nicole, nor Jenny had replied to any of her messages today. Maddie had at least called to check in this morning, but even then, she hadn’t had time to chat. “Have you said anything to the guys?”

  “Yeah. I let it slip with Tony, so I’m sure he’s already told Nicole. You know she’ll tell Ally, and the rest will hear in no time.”

  Which meant they should be calling. Right?

  A thought struck and she shot a narrow-eyed glance toward Josh. “Did you tell them to leave me alone?”

  The flutter of his eyelashes gave him away before he tried to lie.

  “Oh, my God, Josh. Come on. I can’t do this for twelve more days. Being alone is stressful, too, you know!”

  “Just a few more days, okay? We can have Tony and Nicole over this weekend, I promise.”

  “You’re taking this too far. There’s nothing in the pregnancy book about not having contact with friends, Josh. Seriously.”

  A crooked grin split through his stubble. “Of course there isn’t, which is why I’m fine with them coming over Saturday. Okay?”

  “Not okay.” She pushed off the couch and padded into the kitchen. She was hungry, damn it. Bored and hungry.

  “You ready for dinner?” he called after her. “I can make something.”

  “Nope. I’m fine.” She grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry and reached up to grab a bowl from a cupboard. “Oh, my God.”

  “What?” Josh jumped to his feet.

  “My stomach.” She glanced down to where her belly—her suddenly hard belly—pressed against the countertop. “Come here and feel it.”

  He hurried over and set both hands on her tummy. “Whoa. When the hell did that happen?”