The Boss Project by Vi Keeland

“How’s your mom doing?”

“She’s okay. They moved her out of the ICU last night into a surgical unit. So that’s good.”

I nodded. “Glad to hear it.”

She stared down at Amelia. “I just can’t believe this happened, Merrick. It’s like a bad dream. Any news today?”

I shook my head. “No change. If nothing improves in a few days, they want me to consider approving a treatment that might stimulate her nervous system and bring her out of the coma.”

“Oh great. Are there any risks to her? Like could it make her worse?”

I hadn’t yet told Colette about the baby, or about the man I’d met when I walked in. She’d had her mother to deal with, and the news about the accident had been bad enough to tell her on the phone. But I was curious whether she knew about Aaron. If there was one person Amelia would tell, it would be her.

I took a deep breath. “The risks to her are minimal. But there are some risks to consider…for the baby.”

Colette’s head whipped up. “Baby?”

I nodded. “Apparently, she’s more than four months along.”

Colette’s forehead wrinkled. “Apparently? So you didn’t know?”

I shook my head.

Colette looked perplexed, but then understanding came across her face. She looked away, and I knew in that moment that she knew about Amelia’s affair.

“You know about Aaron?”

Colette’s eyes widened. “Did she know you knew?”

“No.”

“How long have you known?”

“Since they brought her in wearing another man’s engagement ring, and I found him in the waiting room.”

She put her hand over her heart. “Oh, Jesus. I’m so sorry you found out that way, Merrick. I really am.”

“Me, too.”

I wanted to ask her so many questions, but I was fucking exhausted. Sleeping on the chair next to Amelia and all the noise of an ICU didn’t lend itself to more than a half hour of rest at a time. “Are you going to stay for a while?” I asked.

“If you don’t mind. I don’t have anything else I need to do. Will has me covered this week since I was supposed to be down with my mom.”

“Would you mind if I went home for a few hours?”

She looked me over. “Have you not gone home since everything happened?”

I shook my head.

“Oh, God. Definitely go home. I can stay all day, overnight even. If anything changes, I’ll call you.”

“I’ll come back after I get a few hours of sleep.”

She nodded. “Whatever you want. But I’ll be here, so take as long as you need.”

“Thanks, Colette.”

I walked over and held Amelia’s hand for a moment before squeezing. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

Colette nodded. “You look like shit, boss. Get some sleep.”

I took the elevator down to the lobby and was halfway to the door when I noticed someone sitting alone in the large waiting area. Aaron met my eyes. He swallowed and stood. For a few seconds, I debated going over and punching his lights out, but I didn’t have the fucking energy. Plus, there was something I needed to know. So I walked toward the seating area. The guy was still dressed in the clothes he’d been wearing the day they brought Amelia in. And his face still had dirt and bruises. Guess I wasn’t the only one who’d been here three days.

“How is she?”

“I’ll answer that if you answer one question for me first.”

He nodded his head. “Anything.”

“Did you use protection?”

“What?”

I raised my voice. “When you were fucking my fiancée, did you use a condom?”

“Yes, always. Why?”

I felt as relieved as I could. “She’s still in a coma. There are brainwaves, and my daughter is holding on.”

The guy blinked. He hadn’t known either. “Amelia’s…pregnant?”

My lip curled. “I answered your question. You might as well go home because you’re never getting in that room to see her. I’ll kill you before that happens.”



• • •



Later that night, I was back at the hospital alone. I sat in the chair beside Amelia as the night nurse came to examine her. After a quick check of her vitals, she put the stethoscope on her belly and held it there listening. “Oh wow…” She removed the listening part from her ears. “I just felt the baby move.”

I sat up. “You did?”

She nodded. “Come here. Put your hand right where the stethoscope is now.”

I hesitated, but eventually set my hand on Amelia’s belly. Her skin was so warm and soft. At first, there was nothing, but after a minute, I felt a roll in her stomach. My eyes widened. It was the first time I’d smiled in almost four days. “I felt it.”

She nodded. “That’s an active little bugger.”

“Figures. She’s probably just like her mother.”

The woman smiled. “It’s a girl?”

I nodded. I felt the movement again, this time it was more like a poke than a roll. “I think she just kicked me.”

She laughed. “Well, her heartbeat sounds good, and it’s a good sign that she’s kicking at this age. Some people can’t feel the baby for a few more weeks.”