Bodyguard's Baby Surprise by LISA CHILDS

hadn’t expected Penny to invite herself along. But since she had silenced the others, he appreciated her input.
    Then she added, “We also need to make sure Nick stays safe.”
    He swallowed a groan and assured her, “I’m fine.”
    â€œYou lost a lot of blood,” she reminded him of what the doctor had said when he’d argued against Nick leaving the hospital. She stepped closer and gently patted the side of his face as she always did her sons’. “I was afraid that we were going to lose you.”
    They had never really had him. But he didn’t point that out—because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She had done nothing to deserve the pain his mere existence had already caused her.
    â€œIt’s going to take a lot more than a bullet to bring down Nick,” Parker Payne said. He should have known. He’d survived being blown up.
    She ignored Logan’s twin, leaned forward and kissed Nick’s cheek. “Promise me you’ll be careful,” she implored him.
    Her sons groaned in sympathy. They knew what she was asking. For Nick—with Annalise in danger—it was the impossible. He shook his head.
    â€œNicholas,” she murmured.
    Logan came to his rescue. “Mom, we need to strategize.”
    She arched a reddish-brown brow and asked, “Are you throwing me out?”
    Logan probably wouldn’t dare. But he gently guided her toward the door of the Payne Protection Agency conference room. Their heads close, they whispered together, shooting glances back at him.
    Uneasiness lifted the short hairs on the nape of Nick’s neck. They were obviously talking about him. He knew it wasn’t the first time he’d been the topic of Payne family conversations. But he suspected he wasn’t the only one about whom they talked. He didn’t want them talking about Annalise, speculating about what their relationship was.
    Nikki had already figured it out, though. She knew he’d gotten Annalise pregnant—just like his dad had gotten his mother pregnant. He had never met the man, but Nikki was right: he was the most like him.
    Everyone else talked about Nick Payne like he’d been a hero. But he hadn’t been any hero to Nick. He’d abandoned him to the care of a drug addict.
    Nick wanted to be a hero for his kid. But mostly he wanted to be a hero for Annalise. When they’d been growing up, she had always acted like he was one—always looked at him like he was one. He’d let her down once already. He didn’t want to let her down again.
    * * *
    Logan swallowed the sigh burning in his lungs. He’d made the promise to their mother that Nick had refused to make. After she walked out, he closed the door of the conference room and turned back toward the others.
    He would make sure Nick was careful—that he didn’t get hurt again. A twinge of panic struck his chest as he remembered the fear that Nick had been the one lying on that gurney, a sheet covering his face. Even when Nick had appeared next to him, holding up a faint Annalise, Logan hadn’t been sure the guy would survive. Blood had been dripping from him, running down his arm from his blood-soaked shirt and coat.
    He wore a scrub shirt now. Blood had seeped through the bandage and the shirt, though. The damn fool should have stayed in the hospital. But he was stubborn—more stubborn than Logan had ever realized.
    â€œWe’ve got this. We’ll make sure Annalise and Nikki stay safe,” he assured Nick.
    Nick snorted. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to sit back and do nothing.”
    Logan had to acknowledge that he probably was crazy if he thought he could keep Nick away from the action. But he’d made a promise to their mother, so he had to try. He pointed out, “You have your hands full with the River City PD.”
    â€œI’m done,” Nick said.
    After he’d brought down the