That appointment didn’t go well. Nick’s lawyer wanted to put a needle into my belly to prove my baby is Nick’s. I sternly told her my baby wasn’t anyone else’s. I had never slept in another man’s bed, so I knew it was Nick’s baby. I tried to explain that to Nick, but every time I turned up to Mavericks, he was too busy working to talk to me.
I went to the doctor’s as requested by his lawyer. The cold gel made me giggle when the doctor placed it on my belly. I was so excited to see the baby I had created with Nick, and when the doctor waved the gray wand over my belly, I stared eagerly at the screen. I saw a flicker, and from what I read in the maternity books, that was the baby’s heart.
That was the only good thing that came from that appointment.
I left feeling dirty and violated. After the doctor ran his wand over my belly, he made me lie down on a bed, and he looked at medown there.That wasn’t the worst thing, though. He also touched medown there.
Nick was so disappointed in me, he sent his lawyer to my hotel room with two men in white coats. The hotel they took me to was much nicer than the one I was staying at. The staff was super talkative, asking me a million questions about Nick and my dad, but I didn’t like the prenatal vitamins they were giving me. They made me tired and woozy, but I couldn’t complain. I had my own room; my meals were cooked for me every day, and I didn’t have to use any of the money I had saved for Nick and our baby.
They were so desperate for customers at my hotel, they wouldn’t let me leave when I asked. I had to be extra sneaky when I wanted to visit Nick, sneaking out in the darkness of night. Most of the time Nick was alone, except one night, he was kissing a whore on the back of his truck.
The hotel staff wasn’t happy when they caught me sneaking back in. They started locking my bedroom door as well as the ones around the hotel. I was so sick and tired of talking about Nick and our baby all the time. That was all the hotel staff ever asked about. I soon realized if I kept the thoughts in my head quiet, they stopped asking the same questions over and over again.
Over time, the hotel staff let me go out during the day again. Then, as the weeks went on, I was allowed to go out on weekends. The very first place I went was Nick’s house. I knew where he lived because I followed him there one night a few months ago.
My goodness—Nick looks so peaceful when he’s sleeping. I didn’t realize how long his eyelashes were until I watched him sleep for eight hours straight.I really hope our baby inherits his eyelashes.You should be warned, Nick isnota morning person. He was so angry when he woke up one morning, even with me cooking him a hearty breakfast, he rudely removed me from his house. It was only after I left in tears did I realize my mistake. He was upset about his dad seeing my bare legs peeking out of his shirt. Next time I’ll be sure to wear pants.
I followed Nick again later that morning. He went straight to his whore—again!I hate her!
I didn’t understand why he kept running back to her. It was only when I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror did I realize my error. Nick likes blondes. I could fix that.
First thing Monday morning, I had a hairdresser dye my hair. I made sure the silly whore perfectly matched it to the whore Nick kept running to. It's safe to say, Nick liked my hair. His kiss that morning was so passionate, he let me put my tongue in his mouth. It was only a quick visit because he had to get back to work. He’s always so busy.
I was shocked when a police officer arrived at my hotel later that day to give me a piece of paper. The staff at the hotel were not happy about his visit, and it caused their questions about Nick and the baby to start up all over again.
My throat was so raw when I had to remove the pills they keep feeding me from my stomach. I probably shouldn’t have hit the hotel staff member so hard with the steel chair, but no matter how many times I told him I wanted to check out, he never listened.
It took a few weeks for Nick to show up again. I didn’t know where he had been, but seeing him again made my love for him grow even stronger. He was excitedly telling the wicked witch about our baby when I sneakily approached him. I was confused when she said Nick was having a baby with beer girl. I don’t drink beer. I don’t drink any alcohol.
I didn’t mean to attack Nick. Truly, I didn’t. I was just so hurt when he told me to leave him alone, I couldn’t help but lash out.
I love him, and he loves me. It's justherkeeping us apart.
I can fix that.
Chapter Forty-Six
Jenni
“Oh my god, Nick, what happened to your face?”
As I rush toward him, I take in three large scratches down his right cheek. Someone has clawed him so brutally, they’ve drawn blood. He doesn’t need to speak for me to know who did this to him. He told me about Megan a few months ago. I won’t lie; it hurt hearing the details, but as the story went on, it soon dawned on me that something wasn’t quite right with Megan.
We all have a bit of stalker in us. Heck, I dabbled in it when I stalked Nick’s Facebook page after his first trip to New York, but Megan’s level of craziness has pushed this way beyond a standard stalker case.
She’s out for blood—literally.
Grasping Nick’s hand in mine, I walk him into the bathroom. Once I have him sitting on the edge of the tub, I gather the antiseptic liquid and cotton balls from the cupboard. I soak the cotton in the liquid before carefully dabbing them on his scratches. I blow air on his cheek like my dad did any time I skinned my knee, lessening the burn of the antiseptic.
Nick watches me with hooded eyes, but my thirty-three-week pregnant belly keeps a decent gap between us. Once I have the scratches dressed, I toss the blood-stained cotton into the bin. “There you go. Good as new.”
It’s not, but it makes me feel better pretending it is. Megan attacked him so aggressively, her scratch marks are so deeply embedded in his skin, they’ll take weeks to heal.
Nick’s eyes lift from my swollen belly to me. “Thanks.”
The air between us shifts.
“You’re welcome.”
