Italian Billionaire's Black Love (BWWM Interracial Romance) by Mya Black, Nicki J.

raised an eyebrow to Carla. “He’s the father,” she clarified.
    He nodded. “It is a complication of pregnancy resulting in extreme vomiting, nausea, and dehydration. She’s lost more weight than she should at this point in her pregnancy and her blood pressure is slightly elevated.”
    “Shit,” Alessandro spat out, worry written all over her face. “Is she going to be alright?”
    The doctor smiled at him. First time fathers were always overprotective. “She should be, yes. We need to feed her, hydrated her, and reduce her stress.”
    “Can we see her?”
    The doctor’s smile dimmed and he readjusted his glasses several times before looking at each of them. “She has requested to see Ms. Macklin. I’m not sure she knows you’re here, sir.”
    “Let me go see her first, Alessandro, and talk to her, please.”
    Between the pleading in her voice and all he’d just learned of her complications, Alessandro did the only thing he could. He sat and he waited. And waited.
    And waited.
    ***
    “No I don’t want to see him, not yet. I can’t, Carla.”
    Carla released a long patient breath. “Eve, he’s been out there this whole time and he’s worried sick about you. You can’t do this to him.”
    “To him? I’m doing something to him? Because I could’ve sworn that I was the unwitting mistress.” She looked away. “Fine, tell him everything, but I don’t want to see him.”
    “Eve,” she pleaded.
    Dr. Baker breezed into the room. “Are we feeling better now, Eve?” She didn’t look up for an answer, just kept her eyes on the chart.
    “If I say yes, can I get out of here?”
    Her smile was sweet and placating. “You know you can’t. Are you still feeling nauseous?”
    “No.”
    “That’s good.”
    She heard it in her voice. “But…”
    “But this is a serious condition and you’re going to be out of commission for awhile.”
    “What’s awhile?”
    “Six weeks to start.” She jotted a few things down and turned her gaze on Eve. “If you want you and this baby to make it to the end of this pregnancy, you need to take it easy.”
    “But six weeks? Come on, doctor, there has to be some compromise, right?” She heard the hope and pleading in her voice and she hated it. This was her life, dammit. She made the rules and she decided when she had enough. No one else made decisions for her. Except it’s not just you anymore , she thought.
    “The compromise is this: you do as I say for six weeks and you and your baby will stay healthy and then maybe you’ll be able to go back to work. You don’t listen to my advice, well, you put you both at risk.”
    She let out a low whistle. “You play dirty, doc.”
    Dr. Baker smiled. “I play to win, Eve. When you’re holding a happy healthy baby, you’ll be happy I do.”
    Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, but she had to concede that yes, she did want her baby born happy and healthy. “When can I blow this joint?”
    “We’ll check you again in the morning, but if I’m satisfied, then you can go home. That is, if you have someone to watch over you.”
    “I’m perfectly capable of watching over myself.”
    Carla tried to hold in a giggle at the impudence of her friend, but she failed miserably. “What does ‘watching over her’ entail, exactly?”
    “It means she’s on total bed rest. No cooking, no cleaning or climbing stairs, and no working. You stay in bed unless you’re in the bathroom.” She turned to Carla. “Can you make sure she does that?”
    Eve could see Carla wanted to say yes, but they both knew she couldn’t. “She can’t, but don’t worry. I’ll hire a nurse to stay with me.”
    “I’ll go outside and try to round up a few agencies for you.” She slipped out the door before her friend could say anything and she missed the glare at her back.
    ***
    Alessandro snuck into Eve’s room in the middle of the night and drank in the sight of her. Everything felt right the moment his eyes landed on her face, her