“Right. That definitely cleared that up. Not vague at all,” he says, his voice tinged with amusement.
I fold my hands on top of the desk and look up at him. “What’s on the schedule for today?”
He glances at his clipboard. “Nothing crazy. Just some puppy vaccinations and a follow-up on Max. The Barlows should be here in thirty.”
“Good. Let me know when you’ve got them set up in the exam room.”
“Will do.”
He leaves my office, and I sink into my chair, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. It’s supposed to help with nausea, but I’m not convinced. When that doesn’t work, I riffle through the top drawer for a peppermint.
My hands land on a brown folder—the annulment papers.
I set them on top of the desk and pull open the flap. The wordsJoint Petition For Summary Annulmentstand out in bold font at the top of the page. My stomach clenches, but it’s not the nausea this time.
Griffin has been nothing but kind and attentive since he found out about the pregnancy, and somehow even more so when he found out it wasn’t his baby. Not once has he wavered on his decision to stand by my side.
My thoughts stray back to the phone call with Tyler. Griffin’s mouth and hands on my body, inside of me, and all over me. The way he took charge and bent me to his will, and yet somehow I’d known I was still in control the whole time.
There’s no way I can go through with this now.
I toss the papers into the trash can beside my desk. I’d light them on fire if it weren’t a safety code violation.
Minutes pass, maybe longer, and the vision of Griffin between my thighs replays over and over in my mind, until Micah materializes at the door and I’m forced to be Doctor Angelina Rossi again—stoic and professional—at least on the outside.
Just before noon, I pull up to the beautiful A-frame house out at Whispering Oaks Ranch that belongs to Jaxon and Callie.They got married on the front porch steps a few months back in a simple, but gorgeous ceremony.
The door swings open, and Callie ushers me inside. “Thanks for coming. I really didn’t want to be a bother, but Atty’s acting really weird lately.”
As if she summoned him by name, the grey tabby Maine coon saunters into the foyer like an unbothered king. He does a big stretch, which Callie announces—as is customary when you own a cat. I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to let it pass without acknowledgment.
Callie shows me into the den, and we take a seat on a large sofa. Atticus hops up and climbs onto Callie’s lap.
“What has you so concerned?” I ask.
“It’s going to sound stupid.”
I snort. “Trust me. I’ve heard it all.”
“Ok. Well. He’s been super clingy lately. He never leaves my side. I have to stand near his food bowl, so he’ll eat. He meows at the door if we don’t let him into our bedroom. I can hardly get any alone time with Jax.”
I give her a knowing smile. “I can look him over, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I think you have a very attentive big brother on your hands. Cats can sometimes sense hormonal changes in humans. It’s likely that your scent has changed since becoming pregnant, and this is just his way of caring for you.”
Callie presses a hand to her chest, and her eyes turn glassy. “Really?”
“Yep.”
She sniffles. “Sorry, I’m a hormonal mess. I watched a video of a cat making friends with a duck earlier, and I lost it.”
“Those videos get me every time. Have you seen the bunny and the chihuahua?”
“No! Send it to me. Better yet, send it to the group chat. Olivia would love it.”
We spend the next hour watching silly animal videos and swapping pregnancy stories. Callie’s had an easy road thus far, and she seems to truly love being pregnant.
