Page 91 of Expecting an Argument
“Forget about the leather,” he said quickly, his eyes straining at the corners. “Hey, remember how you used to annoy everyone with your little fun facts?”
I frowned. “My facts weren’t annoying.”
He grabbed my hand and held it between both of his. “Start talking. Tell me all your little facts about the Art Deco era. Or serial killers. Or lawyer stuff. Anything—just don’t stop.”
I took in a breath, but another big contraction stole the air from me. I gritted my teeth as I toughed out the pain, trying to search my brain for any information to play along with his little game. I could have lectured for hours on the progression of Art Nouveau into Art Deco, or rattled off my favorite storiesfrom cases I had worked, or even done a deep dive on some of the most depraved murders from my books and true crime documentaries, but I didn’t have the energy to talk like I wanted.
So, I stuck with simple animal facts that I had learned when I was a kid.
I took in a short breath once the contraction waned. “Did…did you know the opossum is the only marsupial in North America?”
“I did know that, actually.” Beau squeezed my hand. “Tell me more.”
“Did you know elephants are pregnant for eighteen months?”
“See? It could be worse.”
“Beau.”
“Sorry. You’re doing great, sugar. Keep going.”
I moaned low in my throat as another contraction ramped up. Fuck me sideways with a rake, were the contractions ever going to stop? Beau’s thumb ran over my knuckles as I rode through the next few minutes of torture.
“Sh-sharks don’t have bones!” I nearly shouted as I fought through the lingering pain in my abdomen. “Female praying mantises bite the male’s heads off while mating!”
“Fascinating,” Beau said. “You nearly bit my head off while mating too.”
Sweat beaded on my temples. “Di-did you know an echidna’s penis has five heads?”
“Shit, really?” Chuck said from the cockpit.
Beau looked past the back of my seat into the cockpit. “How much longer until we land at the hospital?”
“Ten minutes, max,” Chuck answered.
Beau’s throat dipped and his eyes glanced to my hips again. His mental calculator whirred behind his glassy eyes, betraying his calm face. His grip on my hands tightened—whatever mathhe had done using my bleeding and the time we had left until I could get medical care didnotyield an assuring result.
The man who wanted nothing more than to keep me might actually lose me.
Dying in childbirth was not something I ever considered, but I couldn’t ignore the gravity of the situation. If the worst were to happen, I couldn’t be a selfish coward again.
If he couldn’t have me, he could at least have my truth.
“Beau, I’m sorry,” I rasped. “You-you’re a much better man than I ever thought you could be. I’m sorry I can’t be the woman you need. I’m weak, and terrified of commitment, and I love the shoes your mother hates—”
“The fuck are you doing?” Beau demanded. “We have less than ten minutes. Don’t you start acting like you’re—”
“Listen,I’m trying to—”
“Fun facts,” he ordered. “Don’t you dare exhaust yourself when we’re almost at the finish line. You broke up with me, I get it. Or we never broke up because we were never together, whatever. None of that matters now. I just need you to stay awake.”
“But—”
“Goddamnit, Olivia!” he said through gritted teeth. “The next words out of your mouth better be ‘Did you know?’ or I swear I will never speak to you again!”
I clamped my teeth down and glared at him. Another contraction was coming, but I wasn’t going to just let him win. I let out a quiet, shaking breath and looked into his pretty blue eyes.
“Did you know that I love you?” I whispered.
