shoulders and easing her back against his chest.
“They’re going to find out, Lily. What you need to do is make sure you always stay in control.” Sliding his arms down, he covered her flat stomach with his hands, still in awe that a life grew inside there. “Don’t let them start the gossip. I’m sure you have TV interviews scheduled. Make a big bombshell announcement then. You’ll take the wind right out of the press’s sails.”
Lily turned in his arms. Her eyes met his as she blinked back tears. “That may be the best plan of action. But, I need to tell my mother first.”
Her mother. They’d never discussed their parents. That topic usually meant a relationship was building. He and Lily hadn’t planned on building on anything. They were enjoying their time together, not thinking of tomorrow.
Tomorrow, however, had caught up with them and smacked them in the face with a good dose of reality.
The fact they were bound forever now sent a bit of uncontrollable fear sliding through him. Whether either of them liked it or not, they were about to delve into personal territory.
Lily could talk about her mother all she wanted. That was most definitely an area in his life he wasn’t ready to reveal.
“Does your mother live in LA, too?”
“No, she lives in Arizona in a small, private community that’s run by an assisted living facility. She has her own home on the grounds and she’s very independent, but if her health gets bad or as she gets older and needs care, she’s already set.”
Lily stepped back and crossed her arms. “I don’t tell people where she is because I want her to have a normal life and not be hassled by the media.”
Nash didn’t want another reason to be drawn to Lily, but damn it she was protective of her mother. How could he not relate to that? Nash would do anything for his mother...which was why he was still harboring his secret instead of bursting through Damon’s front doors and laying it all out on the line.
Part of Nash wished he’d never kept this secret about his life, wished he’d just confronted his past immediately and moved on. But he’d wanted to protect his mother and wanted to move cautiously without making rash decisions. Lily was a different story. He’d seen her, he’d wanted her. Now, here they were, pregnant and discussing parents.
Irony shot at him from so many angles he could hardly keep up. He had been a secret baby, and Lily was expecting a baby that had to remain a secret for now. The best course of action for him would be to complete his original plans and confront Damon.
“Are you going to see your mom as soon as you’re done filming here?” he asked.
He needed her gone. He needed her away so he could have a face-to-face with Damon and not have Lily right there witnessing his confession of every single lie he’d told since meeting her. There was no way he could avoid the outcome, but he could at least soften the blow if she weren’t present for the bomb he would drop.
He wanted so much, from Damon, from himself...from Lily. In the end, he would have it all. He hadn’t gotten this far in his life by sitting idly by and watching opportunities pass. He reached with both hands and took what he wanted.
“I just need to think.” She rubbed her head and sighed. “I need to find a doctor. I have no idea where to go. Obviously I should look in LA, but I won’t be back there for a while.”
“I’ll find you one.” When she quirked a brow, he added, “I know people in the area. You need a checkup and then you can see a doctor when you get home.”
Assuming she went back home after filming wrapped up. Hell, he had no idea what her plans were. Honestly, all they’d managed to work out was how well they fit together intimately. Any discussion beyond that would be a vast change of pace.
“Just get me a name,” she told him. “It’s going to be nearly impossible to get in and out of a doctor’s office here without word getting out about my condition.”
Nash’s mind was working overtime. He couldn’t say too much or she’d know something was off about him and who she believed he was. She had to keep thinking he was just a groom until he could tell her otherwise. The last thing he needed at this point was her, or anyone for that matter, getting suspicious. Still, money talked and he’d use any means necessary to get her the proper care she needed while she was here.
“I bet we could get a doctor to come here, secretly,” he offered. “People can be silenced for a price.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “You’re not paying someone to keep quiet. I know how this works, Nash. We just need to find someone who can be discreet.”
From her tone and the worry filling her eyes, Nash knew she didn’t like the idea of him spending his money on her health care. Little did she know how heavily padded his accounts were. Even if they weren’t, even if he did only make groom’s wages, he’d spend every last cent if that meant proper care for his baby.
“I’ll take care of it,” he assured her. “You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
Lily leaned her shoulder against the narrow kitchenette cabinet and stared at him. “There are so many layers to you,” she muttered. “You’re all casual and laid-back, yet sometimes you’re all business and take-charge. Makes me wonder who the real Nash is.”
She’d barely scratched the surface. All too soon those layers would be peeled back one at a time, revealing things that would change lives forever.
Forcing himself to relax, he hooked his thumbs through his belt loops, intending to keep playing the part of groom. “Which Nash do you think I am?”
With a shrug, Lily continued to stare. “I’m not sure. You just seem more, I don’t know, powerful and composed than I thought you’d be about the baby.”
In one stride he’d closed the space between them, snaked his arms around her waist and leaned over her so her back arched. “You saying I wasn’t powerful when we were in the loft?”
Lily’s hands slid up his chest. “Oh, you were powerful, but you didn’t have that serious tone you just used.”
Nash eyed her mouth, then traveled back up to her eyes. “Trust me, when it comes to someone I care about, I’m very serious.”
Lily’s tremble vibrated his entire body. He couldn’t let her know anything about his real life, but at the same time he had to use his influences to keep her near, keep her and the baby safe. Everything in his life was at stake—things he hadn’t even considered a possibility were now major markers on his journey. He’d started down this path with one vision, now suddenly there were forks in the road. Still, he had to stay on track because no matter which way he went, hearts would be ripped apart. Two life-altering secrets would shatter the trust he’d built with everyone around him over the past couple of months.
Even with the odds drastically stacked against him, with the devil in the corner mocking him, Nash had no intention of failing. He’d have it all: the horses, a family, his baby.
“What do you mean he’s still not accepting our offer?”
Nash
