Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 374(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Oh, how my heart squeezes and twirls in my chest. “Wanna tone it down?”
“Nope.”
Okay, then. “I won’t bring you to any more of these appointments if you keep this up.”
His eyes glitter with defiance. In Spanish, he tells me, “Then you’ll be showing up with my come on your thighs.”
I can’t. I cover my face and groan at his antics just as the door opens. I feel Alex tense up, so I know it’s Dr. Riley. I put on a smile, not a real one since I’m sure Alex will have an opinion, and uncover my face.
“Hi.”
“Hey,” the doctor says, more stoic than ever. We usually joke, and he always smiles at me. But now I know that he had a thing for me, and Alex has smothered his dreams of riding off into the sunset with me and my baby.
Poor guy. I should have sent an email.
Or a warning.
He opens my file, glances over it, and then shakes his head. “Your weight is still a bit low. I’d like you to gain some before our next appointment. Enjoy that extra slice of cake, okay?”
“I really do eat all the time,” I say and then look at Alex. “Don’t I?”
“All the time,” he agrees. “I’ve gained weight, actually.”
I smile at that, and he gives me a goofy grin.
“Okay, you’ll need to eat more.” Dr. Riley usually has fun with this issue, but I guess not today. “Any other concerns?”
“Nope, not really,” I say as he comes over with his measuring tape. He lifts my shirt, and I can feel Alex puffing up like a peacock. I take his hand in mine, giving him a reassuring smile. When his eyes meet mine, I mouth, “You’re so hot.”
That has him chuckling as he kisses my nose. When I look back at Dr. Riley, he’s lowering my shirt. “The baby is still measuring small, but you may just have a small baby. You said you were small?”
I nod. “All of us were around five pounds.”
Mostly because we were born out in the back forty with no real medical attention.
“And you?” he asks Alex, and I don’t miss the animosity in his usually kind voice.
“I was a big nine pounds, but my brothers were around seven or eight.”
Dr. Riley looks back at me. “And you’re sure he is the father?”
“Hey, you can go f—”
I slap my hand over Alex’s mouth, but even I glare at Dr. Riley. “I am very sure, thank you.”
He nods, marking something. “I’d like to do another ultrasound, make sure the baby is growing and its organs are developing correctly.”
“Thank you.”
He reaches for the gloves as he continues, “I’m going to check on your cervix, and then we’ll be done here.”
I look over at Alex and smile. His eyes are trained on Dr. Riley, so I grab his jaw to make him look at me. “What do you think it is?”
“A girl,” he says softly, his eyes melting into mine. “A girl as gorgeous as you.”
I grin. “I think so too.” I grimace a bit at the pressure, and alarm fills Alex’s face. I shake my head at him. “I’m fine. Really.”
Dr. Riley pats my knee. “All good and all done. Anything else?” he asks with annoyance in his voice, and wow, I might look for another doctor.
“I have a question.” My spine goes ramrod straight as I look at Alex. I beg him not to ask anything stupid or threatening. “Her anxiety has been a bit much for her, and I am worried it’s getting worse. If she chooses, can she go back on her meds?”
Why does my heart melt at his words? And why is he just the sweetest pain in my ass? Dr. Riley looks at me and then down at my chart. He brings his lip between his teeth and hisses a bit. “There have been a lot of changes apparently, with you returning to her life, so maybe we should wait for two weeks to see if her anxiety evens out.”
“It’s not because of me,” he says confidently. “Not saying I don’t drive her nuts—I do—but it’s mainly the intrusive thoughts.”
Dr. Riley cuts his gaze to me. “Thoughts?”
I shrug. “They have been a bit much.”
“Since when?”
“Since I stopped taking my meds, I’ve only been feeling like half myself, but I thought that was because of not having contact with Alex and all the life changes. However, I’ve accepted them, and I’m still having issues.”
He nods, glancing back at the chart. “I don’t want you on what you were on before your pregnancy, but I can prescribe you something else if you’d like.”
I surprise myself when I look to Alex for guidance. His eyes are so kind, so supportive, as he nods. “No one says you have to take them, but they’ll be there if you want them.”