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I was about to become a single mother whose baby daddy was from my family’s most hated rival. I had been selfish, and the worst part was I’d done it with unbridledjoy. Consequences be damned.
High-five. Solid choice, Syl.
Sighing, I looked down at my phone. The text exchanges between us were the only bright spots in my gloomy, nausea-filled day. When my morning shift finally ended, I pulled into the driveway of my aunt’s house. The sound of a vehicle turning in behind me caught my attention. My heart hammered against my ribs after I saw Duke’s truck pulling down the long driveway.
Once he parked, Duke got out and stood by the driver’s door. “Thought maybe I could drive you.”
I brushed a stray piece of hair from my face. “Oh... okay, thanks.” I glanced down at my Sugar Bowl shirt and flour-dusted shorts. “I just need to change and I’ll be ready.”
Duke stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded. I hurried up the steps and through the front door, leaving him standing by his truck.
I came up short when I found my aunt pulling her purse onto her shoulder. “Better hurry up. Don’t want to be late.”
I paused, glancing only a second over my shoulder. “Um, actually, Duke is here. He’s planning to take me to the appointment.”
Aunt Bug’s eyebrows crept up her forehead. “Oh, I didn’t realize.” She set her purse onto the counter. She looked at the clock. “It’s getting late.”
I set aside my worried feelings and ran up the stairs to my bedroom. I tossed my work clothes in the hamper before pulling out a fresh shirt and shorts. Even now, my button-up pants were starting to feel tight. The pregnancy forums I’d been scrolling through said it was likely bloating, and as I looked at my belly in the mirror, it was hard to deny. My stomach hadn’t really changed, but I did look like I was about two burritos deep into Chula’s all-you-can-eat burrito bar. The linen shorts I chose had just enough stretch to accommodate my growing burrito baby.
When I walked back downstairs, Bug was nowhere to be found, and my stomach rolled. Back in the afternoon sunlight, Bug was standing in front of Duke, hands planted on her wide hips. His hands hung at his sides, and he looked down at my aunt. His face was unreadable as she wagged a finger at him. He only nodded.
I quickened my steps. When I approached, all I heard was Duke’s low grumble of, “I understand.”
“Ready!” I said brightly, attempting to mask the flutter of worry in my stomach.
Without another word, Duke walked to my side of his truck and opened the door for me.
Bug lifted an eyebrow. “Good luck, and call me later.”
“I will!” I tracked his movements as Duke closed my door and walked to the driver’s side before sliding into the truck. He shifted to reverse. “Survive the Inquisition?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Something like that.”
The drive to the obstetrician’s office was only about fifteen minutes toward a larger town in the area. I hadn’t been this close to Duke since I had told him I was pregnant, and I was filled with the buzz of nerves. My heel tapped a jerky rhythm as he drove toward the doctor’s office.
“Nervous?”
I ran my hands down my legs. “A little.”
“Me too.”
I pressed my hand into my stomach as it rolled. Duke glanced at me, and I chuckled softly. “I’ve been a little nauseous.”
Duke leaned across the cab of the truck and opened the glove box. He fished something out and held his fist in front of me. “Here.”
I held out my hand, and when he opened his, a small peppermint plopped down onto my palm. I stared down at it.
“Peppermint is supposed to help with nausea. Ginger is better, I guess, but it’s something.”
I blinked at him before staring down at the peppermint candy.How the hell did he know that?
Once we arrived at the doctor’s office, the receptionist checked me in. The office was quiet, and within minutes we were called back to the room. Before entering, the nurse handed me a small plastic cup to leave a urine sample and instructions onwhere to place it when I was finished. I blushed and excused myself to the bathroom while Duke stood outside of it.
Once I finished, she led us to the room. A boxy ultrasound machine was tucked in the corner, and a long table with stirrups at the end stared back at me. The reality of our situation slammed into me.
“Here’s your robe. The opening should be in front. Dr. Hokum likes to perform all first baby appointments, so she’ll be here in a few minutes. You can sit at the end of the table while you wait.”
I thanked the nurse and looked at Duke as I held my robe. His huge frame took up half the space in the small room. He shifted on his feet. “I’ll give you a minute.”
