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“I just don’t want news to spread, you know?”
“Oh, I meant trying to figure out if you’ve knocked them up too.”
“Mom!” Adeline screeches.
I laugh. I can’t help it. There aren’t a lot of people ballsy enough to say something like that to someone’s face. Other than myself, of course. “Someone’s been reading up on me, I see?”
Marge turns to me, her back to Adeline. “It didn’t take but a few keystrokes. You like your women, from what I’ve read.”
So I was right, this is where her disdain is coming from. My reputation for being a playboy. I’d hate to inform Marge that her daughter was a willing participant the night we were together, and she knew the score.
“Mom, we’ve been over this.” Adeline glances at the receptionist. “We weren’t in a relationship. It was a one-night stand,” she whispers.
Marge holds her hand up to her daughter and faces me directly. “I understand the benefits you have, being in the profession you’re in, but now there are responsibilities for you to step up for, and I’m sorry if I worry that when this little one comes, I’ll be the only one holding my daughter’s hand.”
I take off my hat, running my hands through my hair. The gasp from the receptionist confirms I’ve given myself away. All of our eyes land on her, and she quickly turns her attention to her computer. Fuck, I should have listened to my dad’s voice in my head. ND fucking As.
I clear my throat. “I understand you’re worried. I’m well aware of my reputation, but as I informed Adeline last week, I don’t walk away from my responsibilities. I’m here today, and I plan on being at every appointment from this moment forward, including the birth. I understand you might not take my word for it, but just like my high school coach who said I wasn’t fast enough to play wide receiver, I’ll prove you wrong.”
“Um, the birth thing…” Adeline’s expression suggests we might have to talk about that.
I lean forward past her mom so I can meet her gaze. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay by your head.”
“Adeline,” the nurse calls, and our conversation ends.
Adeline stands, grabs her purse from the floor, and walks to the nurse at the open door. I wait for Marge, but she stops and smiles at me, squeezing my hand. I’m assuming that’s a good sign, although I don’t have a lot of experience with parents. Other than Greta’s, but I’d known them my entire life.
The nurse takes us into an exam room, then leaves with Adeline.
“Where are they going?” I ask, rising from my chair next to Marge.
“Just to weigh her. Make sure she isn’t gaining too much weight.” She laughs at my confused expression and pats my knee. “Relax, she’s been great.”
“Aren’t pregnant women allowed to eat whatever they want? It’s like open season for them to eat all the food they want?”
“That’s not Adeline. She’d never do that. I don’t say this badly, but you really don’t know one another, so I’ll clue you in. My daughter follows the rules. She’s not going to gain more than the thirty pounds she’s supposed to. She’s going to continue walking until the day she delivers, get all the sleep she needs, and she’s religious about taking her prenatal vitamins. I know you didn’t choose this, but you couldn’t have picked a better woman to carry your baby.”
I can’t respond because Adeline returns with the nurse. She slides up on the exam table with the paper sheet, and the nurse goes behind the computer, scanning her card to access her files.
“Adeline, your weight is still great. I’m going to take your blood pressure now.”
The nurse does everything she needs to, praising Adeline with everything she checks.
“Thanks,” Adeline says, and the nurse tells us that the doctor will be in soon.
I stand, unable to sit any longer, and I take off my hat because I find them uncomfortable. Posters on the walls show the different stages of pregnancy and how big the baby is.
“The baby is the size of an ear of corn,” I say out loud, though it’s really meant more for myself.
“Crazy, right?” Adeline runs her hands over her stomach. She’s wearing jeans and a sweater today, her dark hair curled into waves, and her makeup is natural, with cheeks so rosy I don’t know if it’s from the cold air outside or makeup.
A knock lands on the door, and we all say, “Come in” at once and laugh.
The doctor walks in and stops when she sees me. “I heard a rumor that we had someone new joining us.” She smiles at me, then nods to Adeline’s mom. “How are you, Marge?”
“I think I’m about to be replaced,” she says, but her lips turn up in a smile.
“I’m Doctor Griffin.” She holds her hand out in front of me.
