He cleared his throat and Jade turned. “Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” She stepped closer. “Did you see Maggie? Did she offer you a drink or can I get you one?”
Obviously, she’d calmed down. “She’s bringing me a beer. Thanks.” He glanced at her empty hand and noticed there was no glass for her in the room. “You didn’t want anything?”
She shook her head. “My stomach hasn’t been great.”
He narrowed his gaze. “You still have that same stomach virus?” He hadn’t been sure Lauren was telling him the truth.
“I’m not sick.” Her wary gaze met his and she folded her arms across her chest. “I’m pregnant.”
The blood rushed through Knox’s ears, making him doubt he’d heard Jade correctly. “You’re what?”
“I’m pregnant. Do you need me to spell it out? Explain what it means?” Jade visibly curled in on herself, shoulders hunched and her fear tangible.
Though Knox knew he had to say something, shock rendered him mute. He’d been married and thought he’d have kids with Celia, but their relationship had imploded long before she’d slept with Theo. After his divorce, he believed his time for marriage and children had passed. Not that thirty-three was old but he’d been feeling jaded. Which was ironic because that sense had faded upon meeting… Jade.
“Silence. Okay, got it.” She brushed past him, and only his reflexes had him nabbing her arm and stopping her.
“Wait.”
She stilled.
“Give me a minute to process it, okay?” He waited for her to answer.
“Okay,” she whispered.
He released her arm, and she walked over to the sofa and settled herself in the corner.
Jade was pregnant. He was going to be a father. And she’d obviously freaked the fuck out and escaped to her brother’s island. The last thing she needed was Knox panicking, too.
He strode over and sat down beside her, close enough for his thigh to touch hers and to block her in. Nobody was running from this conversation.
“It’s going to be okay.” He placed his hand on her thigh.
She looked up at him with those dark blue eyes. “Is it? You don’t seem thrilled, and that’s before you learn more about me.”
He already knew she had anxiety and migraines. He was aware of her mother’s mental health issues, and he was certain they scared her. But he was missing a link. “I didn’t say I wasn’t happy. I’m in shock. Why don’t you talk to me and let me in? We have to start somewhere.”
She nodded and grasped his hands. “I don’t know where to begin.”
Then he’d start for her. “You’re pregnant and it’s not what you planned. How do you feel?” he asked.
“Other than nauseous?”
Her lips lifted in a smile, but he wasn’t letting her get away with dodging him, and he pulled one hand free and tapped her nose. “How do you feel about being pregnant?”
She drew a deep breath and let it out. “At first, I panicked. Now that I’ve had a couple of days to accept the reality, I’m still scared, but I want the baby.”
He released a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding, and his shoulders eased down. “Okay, good. That’s good.” He’d barely processed the news, but he couldn’t imagine any other outcome. He’d have let her decide. After all, it was her body. But he was relieved.
“You’re okay with that?” Her hand gripped his.
He nodded. “I am. But we have a lot more to talk about, yes?”
“Yes.”
And he’d lead her through it until he knew everything.