“You were watching us?”
“I was worried about how you two would get along. Seems I was right to be.”
“I merely told her that I thought you believed yourself i
n love with her.”
Nic closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. “What would possess you to tell her that?”
“I needed her to understand that what was between you wasn’t real.”
“How would you know? You barely know her and I haven’t been around for ten years so you scarcely know me, either.”
His mother looked shocked. “You are my son. I raised you.”
With effort, Nic reeled in his temper. “None of this is helping Brooke. She hasn’t awakened yet. I think she needs a doctor.”
He was texting Gabriel when a single word from his mother stopped him.
“Wait.”
“Why?”
She pointed at a package of crackers on the nightstand. “How long has she been eating these?”
“I have no idea.” And what did it matter? “Do you think there’s something wrong with them?”
“No, but when I was pregnant I used to eat crackers to fight nausea.” His mother looked thoughtful. “She barely ate any of her dinner last night and she was picking at breakfast today. Pregnancy could explain her fainting spell.”
“Pregnant?” Nic shook his head to clear the sudden rushing in his ears. “Impossible.”
“Impossible because you haven’t been intimate or because you thought you were being careful.”
The blunt question shocked him for a moment before comprehension struck. Of course his mother knew he’d been involved with Brooke. They hadn’t kept their relationship secret and no doubt Ariana had mentioned that he was seeing someone in California.
“We’ve been very careful.”
“Then perhaps she has someone else in her life.”
Nic glared at his mother. “There’s no one else.”
The queen pressed her lips together and didn’t argue further. “I suggest we wait for her to come around and ask her. If there’s something more serious going on, we can call the doctor then.” His mother stood and smoothed her skirt. “I’ll give you some privacy. Please let me know how she’s doing when she wakes.”
And with that, the queen left and Nic was alone with Brooke.
Pregnant.
With his child. The thought of it filled him with warmth. But all too quickly questions formed. Had she realized it yet? She wasn’t showing and he guessed that she was between five and eight weeks along. Was that too early for her to suspect? Yet she’d obviously been queasy and had to wonder why.
Brooke began to stir and Nic went to sit beside her. She blinked and slowly focused on him.
“What happened?”
“You passed out.”
“Damn.” She rubbed her eyes. “I yelled at your mother. She must hate me.”
“She doesn’t.” He skimmed his knuckles against her cheek. “What’s going on with you? I’ve never known you to be sick.”