“Fuck,” I mutter to myself as I hop up into my truck. I know what that test is going to show, and I’m not happy about it. No. Saying I’m not happy isn’t enough. I’m fucking pissed. At myself. Ineverwanted to be a fucking father.
Not again.
9
Maggy
“You sure about this?”
Those words—that question is from Robin. We’re sitting outside of the lab that’s going to draw my, no,ourblood today. My doctor’s office set it up. All I, we, have to do is show up today, get a needle stuck into our arms, and voilà, he’ll know in three to five working days what I already know—Nate Black is the father of my baby.
The good part? We don’t actually have to be here at the same time. I told Nate to show up anytime between eight and four thirty today, so that’s why I’m here before they even open their doors. I want to get in and get out without seeing him.
“Shit.” That expletive is from Robin. “He’s here.”
I turn my head to the left, past Robin’s side of the van, and see a huge black pickup truck pull into the spot next to us. The passenger side door of the pickup has a sign on it. It says Black & Son Construction Co.
Okay. If I wasn’t a complete nervous wreck right now, I’d get my phone out and google the name of that company. But Iama nervous wreck, and that’s all thanks to the fact he showed up early, like me. “Damn,” I mutter. “I was really hoping…”
“To avoid him. I know. That’s why we’ve been sitting here for forty-five minutes.”
I pull my eyes away from the shiny truck and glare at my best friend. “You have a problem with getting here early?” I frown at her. “This was your stupid idea.”
Yeah. I’ve been a raging bitch lately, and it’s been mainly directed at Robin. I feel terrible, because she doesn’t deserve it. No, my ire belongs entirely to the guy who’s now knocking on the glass on my side of the van. Reaching for the window button, I press it down until the window opens about two inches. “Yes?” My voice sounds scratchy, sort of shaky too.
Stupid nerves.
Bending down, he peers into the opening, his eyes taking up the two-inch gap between the open window and the car. “Hey.”
That’s all he says? “Hey”?I mean, we’re at a freaking medical lab for a freaking paternity test.I want to roll my eyes so badly, but I keep it all inside. I don’t have a reply for him either.
“You ready for this?” he asks, sounding a little less confident than he normally does.
What I’d like to say in response to this question is, “No. I’m not fucking ready for this.” Then I’d add, “By the way, this issounnecessary.” But that would be wrong. I need to do this for him, so he knows the truth.
So, with a chirp in my voice that is completely forced, I say, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Nate’s eyes disappear from my open window, replaced by his broad chest clad in dark denim. I remember that part of him, which makes me suddenly hot. Holy shit, this man is so gorgeous. It’s ridiculously unfair.
“They’re opening the doors,” he announces from above me.
Turning to Robin, I smile at her, attempting to relay my apologies for being such a hag a few moments before. She pats my leg like she knows that’s what I’m trying to say. “Be right back.”
“I’ll wait right here.”
Grasping the door handle, I pull it until the door unlatches. Then I push on the door, but it doesn’t budge, because the jerk, also known as my baby daddy, is in the way. “Move it,” I snarl loud enough for him to hear. God, I’m in a bad mood.
“Oh, sorry.” Nate jumps back so I can open the door and exit the Bloom’s Flowers delivery van.
Yeah. We travel in style.
Once I’m on my feet, I adjust my Bloom’s T-shirt over my stomach. I still haven’t popped out like the doctor said, but I can tell things are tighter than they were. Nate’s eyes are on my belly, but I ignore him. Instead, I take several steps toward the door until I’m three feet in front of the man. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Right.” He’s beside me before I know it. By the time I get to the door, he’s there holding it open.
“Thanks,” I grumble as I enter the large open waiting area of this independent lab. I step up to the reception desk, give the young woman my name, and point my thumb backward. “And that’s Nate Black.”
“Great. If you two will have a seat, one of our laboratory technicians will be right with you.”
I nod and turn and walk in the opposite direction of Nate. I don’t want to be near him. He smells too good. It makes me remember things I don’t want to remember. Things like…
