Zayden hadn't stopped pacing since they'd left the doctor's clinic.
Elena sat on the couch, hands folded over her growing bump, eyes tracking her husband as he stormed from one end of the living room to the other. His jaw was locked, his phone was already filled with five bookmarked articles on premature birth care, and his voice had gone quiet. Too quiet.
That meant he was panicking.
"Zayden—"
"We need to elevate your legs more. Maybe the couch isn't good enough. Should we move you to the bed?" he asked without looking at her, grabbing a notepad and scribbling something.
"Zay—"
"We should also switch your diet. Maybe more iron-rich food. Maybe spinach—do you like spinach? Never mind. I'll blend it into a smoothie. Also, we need a nurse on call. Should we hire one? Yes. I'm going to hire one. And I'm calling Dr. Harrow again. Why didn't she tell us earlier that there was a risk—"
"ZAYDEN."
He stopped dead in his tracks.
Elena raised an eyebrow. "Come sit."
He hesitated, then dropped onto the couch next to her like a scolded child.
She reached for his hand. "The doctor didn't say anything was wrong. She just said there's a chance. That's normal with twins."
Zayden looked at her—really looked—and she saw it in his eyes. Fear. Raw, consuming fear. The kind that didn't just whisper at the edges of your mind but screamed in your chest like thunder.
"I can't risk losing you. Or them." His voice cracked. "I've already imagined the worst-case scenario a hundred times since she said those words. 'It could be premature.' What if... Elena, what if—"
"Hey." She cupped his jaw, turning his face to hers. "We're okay."
He took a breath, long and unsteady. "I'm supposed to protect you. But I can't control this. I can't fight it. I can't throw money at it or take it apart with logic. I just have to wait... and that's torture."
She leaned her head on his shoulder, her fingers wrapping around his.
"I know," she whispered. "But you're here. You're doing everything you can. And our babies feel it."
Zayden pulled her into his lap carefully, one hand protectively around her back, the other gently resting on her stomach.
"They're not coming early," he whispered fiercely, as if he could will it into existence. "I won't let them."
Elena let out a soft laugh. "Zayden Wolfe, you're trying to negotiate with biology now?"
"If I could build them a safer womb with bulletproof glass and guards outside, I would."
"I believe you."
He buried his face in her neck. "From now on, you're not lifting anything heavier than a fork. No stairs. No going outside unless I'm with you. And I'm canceling the nursery paint job. The fumes might be dangerous."
"You already bought non-toxic paint."
"I don't care. I'll do a background check on the paint company."
Elena smiled against his chest, feeling the rapid thump of his heart.
"You're scared."
"I'm terrified," he admitted quietly. "But I'll be damned if I let anything happen to you."
There was a long pause before he added, "I'll talk to the doctor tomorrow about getting you checked more frequently. Twice a week. Maybe even three times."
She rolled her eyes affectionately. "You mean you'll bully her into it?"
Zayden kissed her forehead. "She'll understand. I'm just a husband in love. And losing my mind."
Elena melted into his arms.
Two heartbeats echoed within her. And just one outside—Zayden's—pounding louder than all the rest. Steady. Fierce. Unrelenting.
The heart of a man ready to protect everything he loves.