Six Of The Best Of Desire 2016. Maisey Yates

himself that fainting wasn’t a big deal. But he wasn’t having much luck calming down his worries.

      The possibilities of what could be wrong played over and over again in his head. He hated this feeling. Helplessness. It did not sit well with him.

      A creak from the door called his attention back to the present moment. Snapping his focus back to the ER. And to the two men heading for him. His brothers Henri and Dempsey. Henri’s sweat-stained face was grave as he caught Gervais’s eye. Hell, he knew time had passed. But that much? And he hadn’t even watched the rest of the game on the waiting room television.

      He charged over to his brothers.

      Henri hauled him in hard and fast for a hug, slapping him on the back. Smelled of Gatorade. Heavily. The leftover jug must have been poured over his head, signifying victory. “What’s the news?”

      “I’m still waiting to hear from the docs.” He guided both of his brothers over to the privacy of a corner by a fat fake topiary tree. “We won?”

      Dempsey didn’t haul him in for a brotherly hug, but he thumped him on the back. They were brothers. Not as close as Henri and Gervais, but the bond was there. Solid. “Yes, by three points. Even though we sidelined most of our starters to test depth at various positions. Henri’s backup did a credible job marching the offense downfield for one more TD in the closing minutes. But that’s not what matters right now. We’re here for you. Is everything okay?”

      Gervais shrugged. “We don’t know yet. Nobody’s talking to me. I’m not tied to her in any legal way.”

      Dempsey’s voice lowered till it was something barely audible. He looked squarely into his brother’s eyes. “Do you plan to be there for your child?”

      “Yes.” Gervais didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.”

      Henri shifted his weight from foot to foot. The three Reynaud men stared at each other, no one daring to utter so much as a syllable for a few moments.

      Dempsey nodded. “Good. You know what? I’m going to get coffee for us. Who knows how long we will be here. ER visits are never short.”

      “Great. Thanks,” Henri said as Dempsey walked back toward the doors. “Is she considering giving the baby up for adoption?”

      “I didn’t bring that up.” Truth be told, he hadn’t even thought of that as a real option. It was his child. He wanted to provide for his child.

      “Did she?” Henri crossed his arms, voice lowered so only they could hear each other.

      “No. I’m not even sure how the royalty part plays into this.” God, what if his power, prestige, money, wasn’t worth jack and she took his child away altogether? “She discussed shared parenting.”

      Henri shrugged. An attempt at nonchalance that fell flat. “I just want you to know that if things change, Fiona and I are willing to raise the baby as our own.”

      Gervais looked over at his brother quickly, thinking of all the miscarriages his brother and sister-in-law had been through, the strain that had put on their marriage. This baby news had to be hitting his normally happy-go-lucky brother hard. “Thank you, my brother. That means a lot to me. But this is my child. Not some mistake. Not just a responsibility. My child.”

      Henri nodded and hooked an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “I look forward to meeting my niece or nephew. Congratulations.”

      “Thank you.” Gervais noticed how Henri’s face became blank. Distant. “Are you and Fiona okay?”

      “Sure, we’re fine,” Henri replied a bit too quickly.

      “We need your total commitment to the season. If you’re having any problems, you can come to me.” And he meant it. He wanted to be there for his brother. For his whole family. They meant everything to him.

      Henri shook his head, looking his brother in the eyes. Offering a smile that refused to light his cheeks or touch his eyes. “No problem.”

      Gervais shook his head, raising an eyebrow at him. “You never were a good liar.”

      Wasn’t that the truth? When they were kids, Henri always cracked under pressure. His eyes would widen when he fibbed.

      “No problems that will distract me from the game. Now stop being the owner of the team and let’s be brothers.”

      Gervais was about to protest, but suddenly the ER waiting room was alive with movement. Dempsey strode back over to them, cups of coffee on a tray. A damn fine balancing act going on.

      And following closely on his heels was a doctor. The same old, frazzle-haired doctor that had been treating Erika. His gut knotted.

      The doctor cleared his throat. “Mr. Reynaud—Gervais Reynaud,” he clarified. The whole town knew the Reynauds, so no doubt the doctor recognized them. “Ms. Mitras is asking for you.”

      All he could do was nod. Deep in his chest, his heart thudded. Afraid. He was afraid of what was wrong with Erika and his child.

      The doctor opened a thick pinewood door to a small exam room and gestured for Gervais to enter.

      In the center of the room, Erika was hooked up to a smattering of machines. Lights flashed from various pieces of equipment. Her blond hair was tied back into a topknot, exposing the angles of her face. Somehow making her seem impossibly beautiful despite the presence of the machines.

      Within moments he was at her side. He wanted to show her he was here. He was committed to their child and would not abandon her. Stroking her hand, he knelt beside her. “You’re okay? The baby’s okay?”

      Her face was pale, but she smiled, her eyes serene. “We are fine. Absolutely fine.”

      “This child is important to me. You are important to me.” She was damn important. He had to make her see that.

      “Because I am the baby’s mother.” The words spilled from her mouth matter-of-factly. As if there was no other reason he’d be here right now.

      “We had a connection before that.”

      A dramatic sigh loosed from her pink lips. “We had an affair.”

      “I called you afterward.” She’d been imprinted on his brain. A woman he could not—would not—forget.

      “You are a gentleman. I appreciate that. In fact, that was part of what drew me to do something so uncharacteristic. But it was only a weekend.”

      “A weekend with lasting consequences.” A weekend that had turned him inside out. Given time, he could make her see that, too.

      “More than we realized,” she said with a shaky laugh.

      “What do you mean?” Head cocking to the side, he tried to discern the cause of the uneasy laughter.

      She gestured to the ultrasound machine next to her. “I am pregnant with twins.”

      Gervais tore his gaze from Erika, focusing on the screen. Sure enough, there were two little beans on the ultrasound. He and Erika were going to have twins.

       Six

      Exhausted, Erika relaxed back into the passenger seat of Gervais’s luxury SUV. The leather seat had the smell of a woodsy cologne, a smell she distinctively recognized as Gervais. It was oddly comforting, a steadying moment in a day that had been anything but stable.

      As the car pulled away from the hospital, she glanced out the window, craning to see the collection of Reynaud brothers who stood at the entrance. Her sisters would swoon over the attractive picture they presented, those powerful, broad-shouldered men. They had all come rushing to the hospital, filled with concerns. And likely, with questions.

      But they had been polite in the lobby after her release. They didn’t press