Page 74 of Unbreakable Thread

I hesitate, weighing my options, then give in with a half-hearted shrug. “He said a lot. He wasn’t wrong about a lot of it. I guess I expected him to…I don’t know, I guess be more of a father figure, supportive. Hell, I thought he liked me. Apparently not.”

“I don’t follow.”

I huff about to tell him what Carlos had said when the medical assistant peeks her head out, calling my name. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Leo.

“It’s okay, Daddy can come in.” She waves at Leo.

“Oh, he’s not the d⁠—”

“Thank you.” Leo stands, grinning.

I roll my eyes at him.

The medical assistant dashes away, and we follow behind. “I don’t want them to think you got knocked up and the dude left you.”

“First of all, that did not happen, and second, many women come alone because their significant other probably works, and also, there are so many single mothers out there, and there is nothing wrong with that,” I whisper-shout.

Leo lifts a shoulder. “They don’t know that.”

I roll my eyes, set my purse down to jump on the scale, then I’m handed a cup to pee in. When I get back to the patient’s room, Leo is leaning in a chair, scrolling on his phone.

“What names are you thinking of?” he asks, while I struggle to sit on the bed.

“Umm, I haven’t really thought about it yet. I wanted to talk to Max first.”

“When do you plan on telling him?”

I stretch my legs out and fluff the pillow. “I wish I could reach him somehow. He never picks up my calls. What if I printed the ultrasound photo on a tiny baby onesie and left it at his office for his birthday? Do you think he’d understand what it meant?” I’m still confused about why, when I bump into him, he’s all chatty and flirty, and, of course, someone always calls him. Then, when I call, he never picks up. The only thing I can do is drop it off at his door. And now I have to figure out how to get Max to the rehab place to get Hector. I’m nervous.

“I think that’s a great idea.”

The doctor knocks on the door and then enters the room. Her hair is up in a bun, and her smile is bright and kind. “Hello, you two.” She looks to Leo. “Must be dad.”

“No, he’s a good friend of mine. My baby’s dad couldn’t make it today,” I say, cutting in before he says something dumb.

“Wonderful.” She turns the faucet, scrubs her hands pink, and snaps on latex gloves. The cool gel on my belly makes me flinch. She presses the wand against my skin, moving it in small circles. The room fills with a rapid thump-thump-thump, like a tiny drum inside me. My eyes burn, and my throat tightens. On the grainy screen, a small form twists and kicks, one tiny hand opening and closing. The image shifts, and there’s a rounded curve—the baby’s backside, positioned perfectly to keep its secret for another day.

Twenty minutes later, I drop Leo off. “Maybe you should name the baby, if it’s a boy, Leo,” he suggests jokingly.

“I’ll think about it,” I tell him. He waves goodbye and shuts the door. I pull away from his apartment, heading to my therapy session, and drive two blocks before I glance at my purse. The ultrasound photo is folded inside, and I think about that hand—the way it opened and closed on the screen like it was reaching for something. Something slides off the passenger seat when I make a left turn. Shit, Leo left his phone. He’ll need it. Making a U-turn, I pull up to his apartment.

A familiar car is parked in the driveway. Leaving the car door open, I walk up. “Is it true?” Carlos’s voice thunders. “Annette said she’s pregnant.” From where I’m standing, I can see Carlos pacing the living room. The door is slightly open.

“She is,” Leo says flatly.

“Is the child his?”

Leo shoves his hands in his pockets. “Who else would it be, and why do you care?”

Carlos’s lip curls into a sneer. “Max doesn’t know?”

“Not yet.”

Carlos runs his hand through his brittle hair. “How far along?”

“Look, Carlos, I don’t know anything. Just leave it.”

“Leave it?!” he roars. “I can’t just leave it. I knew from the beginning that Max had heart. He would get me to where I need to be. She ruins everything. Rainey is just like her.”