Free The Russian's Secret Baby (The Tonov Triplets Series Book 3) by Ivy Iverson

but you had collapsed. I’ve shut down all of my operations. My house is already on the market. I’m begging you to let me back into your life.”
    Carmine swallowed. “You…. you did what?” she whispered. “That was your life.”
    “You and James are my life now that is, if you let me be part of yours.”
    Carmine blinked, trying to make sense of everything that was going on. “I… can I think about it?”
    “Of course,” Dimitri replied. “But please know that I’ll do whatever you want me to.”
    She swallowed. She couldn’t match up this desperate, tired, and incredibly sweet man with the cold but charming person she had slept with all those years ago, or the conflicted one she had been spending the last few days with.
    “I don’t know what to think,” she said. She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “This is all so much at once. How long was I out? How long have you been here?” She looked at his disheveled appearance. “Have you even slept?”
    “You’ve been heavily sedated for the last two days while they’ve been monitoring any damage to your heart,” Dimitri replied. “The stress you’ve been under hasn’t been good for your congenital heart disease.”
    “Two days…” and then the rest of what he said registered. “Dimitri”
    “I understand why you didn’t tell anyone and it really wasn’t any of my business.”
    “I don’t talk about it. Not ever.”
    “You have a disease, Carmine. It’s not something to be ashamed of, it’s a part of you, after all. And now you’ll be able to pay for treatment.”
    “I can’t take that money from you, Dimitri. Getting it for James is one thing, but for me… it just isn’t right.”
    “You can and you will,” Dimitri stated. “I want to do this, Carmine. I want to be there for you in any way I can.”
    Her mouth went dry. She knew he was telling the truth and she had no idea what to think. She wasn’t comfortable with the thought of taking money from him. It felt like taking advantage of him, even though he didn’t seem to mind. 
    A few moments passed without either of them saying anything until Carmine said, “I’m a little hungry.”
    “I’ll call a nurse,” he replied, reaching for a button. “I’m sure they can get you something to eat.”
    “I also need to see James and get the discharge papers.”
    “We’ll see what the doctor says first,” Dimitri answered. “They haven’t told me anything yet, but I got the feeling that they won’t want to discharge you yet.”
     
    ***
     
    The hospital had kept James in the children’s wing even though he didn’t need more care while Carmine was in the hospital as there wasn’t anyone else they could contact. Other than the one nurse in the elevator, Dimitri had kept the fact that he was the father under wraps.
    Now that Carmine was lucid and to remain in the hospital under observation, they wanted to see if they could continue both hers and James’ treatment. “You haven’t been under a doctor’s care in years,” Doctor Collins scolded, “And you should have. At least allow us to do a full cardiac work up on you to determine if there’s been any damage to your heart. It won’t take more than a few days to run all the tests.”
    “I can’t,” Carmine stated. “I can’t afford it at the moment. I’ll take better care of myself but it’s just not an option at the moment.”
    “Carmine, you need this,” the doctor said. “If you don’t take care of yourself, how will you take care of your son? You could die.”
    Carmine shook her head. “I know the risks but I just can’t.”
    “I’ll pay for it,” Dimitri said. 
    Carmine glared at him. “No, you won’t.”
    “You need it, Carmine, and I want to do it.”
    The doctor turned to him. “I’m sorry, but are you her husband, or boyfriend or…”
    “I’m her… friend,” Dimitri replied, avoiding Carmine’s eyes. “And I have the means to cover the cost.”
    “He’s not my