Free Wrestling Desire 2 (A Contemporary Romance) by Michelle Cary

your hometown that I can be in contact with.  That way when you go out on maternity leave he’ll be caught up and ready to deliver your baby.”
    Knowing she wouldn’t have to leave work right away made the situation a bit easier to swallow.   Of course deciding where to have the baby would be an issue.  Would she go back to her hometown to be with Derek or head to Holt’s hometown and his family? 
    She barely finished that thought when the door swung open.

Chapter 8
     
    The moment Holt set sight on Emma relief swamped him.  She still looked ill, but she was sitting up and awake. “Baby, what happened? Are you okay?”
    She gave a nod. “I’m fine.”
    The need to protect her overwhelmed him and he stroked a hand through her hair as he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. “Jill said you collapsed.”
    “Technically she had a sinkable episode, but I think fainted would be a more accurate layman’s term,” Doctor Andrews corrected. 
    “That’s twice in less than a week,” Holt glanced between them.  “Obviously something more is wrong than just the flu.”  The idea of not knowing what that something was tore him up inside.
    “Well, yes, we’ve determined that it’s not the flu,” Doctor Andrew’s replied.
    “So why is she still here?” Holt’s anger began to rise.  Doctor Andrews was excellent so why was he screwing around when it came to Emma?  “Why haven’t you sent her to the hospital for more tests?”
    “At this point more tests are not necessary.  Well, at least not immediately necessary.”
    He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  “What do you mean not necessary, Doc.  People don’t just pass out for no reason.”
    “You’re right they don’t.”
    “Doctor Andrews figured out what’s been causing me all the problems.”  Emma said and handed him a white stick. 
    Holt stared down at the narrow piece of plastic in his hand and his brow knit in confusion.  “What’s this?”
    “It’s a pregnancy test,” Garrett said from where he stood in the doorway.
    Holt glanced over his shoulder at his friend. “How do you know that?”
    Garrett shrugged. “Marissa took one a couple of weeks ago because she thought she might be pregnant.  Turns out she wasn’t.”
    “Well it turns out I am,” Emma added.
    For several seconds Emma’s words hung in the air until Holt’s brain finally caught up.  His attention darted from the test stick to her face.  “You’re pregnant?”
    She nibbled on her lip and gave him a nod.  “It’s the changes from the pregnancy that’s causing my sickness.”
    “You’re pregnant,” he repeated as he struggled to wrap his brain around those two little words.  She was going to have his baby.
    She nodded again and raised a shaky hand to touch his face.  “How do you feel about that?”
    In the matter of a heartbeat joy replaced anger and he broke into a huge smile.  “How do I feel about t hat?”  He cupped her face in his palms as he planted a soft kiss on her lips.   “You’re having my baby.  How do you think I feel?”
    “But our life is already so chaotic and this just complicates things.”
    He couldn’t stop grinning as he stared down at her.  “Who cares?  We’ll adjust as necessary.  What’s important is we’re having a baby.”
    * * *
    Two hours later Holt crawled into bed and placed a kiss over Emma’s still flat belly and tried to picture his baby growing inside.  It amazed him how much could change in a year and how deeply in love he could fall.  “Hey mommy, how you feeling?”
    She smiled.  “Much better now.”
    He pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss and stroked a hand through her hair.  “You have no idea how worried I’ve been about you.”  His gaze was intense as he stared down at her.  “You’re my world, Emma. Seeing you so sick and not knowing what was wrong scared the hell out of me.  This is such a relief.”
    She stared up at him her gaze searching his. “I was