The Key West Anthology (39 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Avery

I had planned on going to my gynecologist alone, but Quinn had taken my car keys out of my hand and climbed behind the wheel of my reliable Chevy Malibu. She then pointed toward the passenger seat and cocked her eyebrow at me, daring me to argue and showing no indication of giving in. Jett and his demanding personality had definitely influenced her. My best friend now knew how to stand her ground with force. Fearful of being late for my first appointment, I let her have her way.

We had been sitting in the waiting area for about twenty minutes when the frumpy, short nurse called, “Avery Nolan.” Nervous energy and excitement rushed through me as I stood up. I reached down to grab my bag from the floor, only to be stopped by a big, strong hand as it wrapped around mine.

“Let me.” A deep voice vibrated through me.

I quickly looked up and gasped as I found myself staring into Kade’s hopeful green eyes.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered. I hadn’t told him where my appointment was. I hadn’t even talked to him since I left his apartment three days ago after telling him I was pregnant.

He hesitated for just a moment before offering me a gentle smile. “Today’s my baby’s first doctor appointment. I couldn’t miss that.”

I twisted around and eyed Quinn knowingly. She quickly averted her eyes, looking off into the distance as if she had nothing to do with Kade showing up here. It didn’t take a genius to see that this entire situation had her and Jett written all over it.

“I hope it’s okay that I’m here,” Kade said hesitantly. I instantly felt guilty for thinking of ways to keep him from going back there with me. This day was something he should be able to be a part of.

“Um.” I cleared my throat. “It’s okay, really. But are you sure you’re up for it? The last thing I want is for you to feel forced into all this.”

“I’m not gonna lie, Avery,” he began. “I’m still a little blown away by the whole thing, but I’m not walking away from you or our baby. I’m here for both of you. That’s a promise,” he assured me with another kind smile.

I had no idea where this new obstacle would lead us, but I had to admit having him here to share it with me felt nice. Even if I still wanted to thump my best friend for throwing me into this situation without warning.

The nurse called my name once more, sounding a little impatient. She held open the door to the back of the clinic, staring at Kade and me as she twisted my file from side to side.

“Well, I guess we better go, then,” I said as I stepped around him.

“I’ll just wait right here,” Quinn announced as she thumbed through the magazine she now held in her hands. She was pretending she was engrossed in whatever was on the page, yet I knew damn well she had her eyes locked on Kade and me not even ten seconds ago. I could only shake my head at her. I would figure out what to do with her later. The sneaky little shit knew when we left that Kade was planning to be here.

As we stepped through the door the nurse held open, Kade rested his palm against the small of my back. It was the gentlest of touches, but it made my heart race in anticipation of more.

I had to clear my head and remind myself this meant nothing. He came for the baby. I couldn’t allow myself to think anything else.

Once we were inside the exam room, the nurse, Linda, passed me a paper gown.

“I need you to undress from the waist down and sit up on the bed. Dr. Miles will be in to see you in a few moments.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as I scanned the room, looking for some shelter from Kade’s curious eyes. When I saw the dark mahogany divider in the corner, a sense of relief washed over me.

The room was silent as I stepped behind the shield and began to undress. My hands were shaking uncontrollably the entire time, and I felt as if my stomach was one large knot. Once I had my bottoms off, I securely wrapped the paper gown around my front and let out a frustrated sigh when I realized my ass would still be exposed.

“Is everything okay?” Kade asked. “Do you need help?”

“Um, no,” I said in a rush. “I’m good.” Silence set in once again, only making my stomach knot even more intensely. “Can you actually turn around?” When he said nothing, I grew more uneasy. “Please,” I whispered.

“I’m not looking, Avery.”

I nodded as if he could see me.

Slowly, I peeked around the side of the divider, and when I confirmed he was, in fact, looking out the window with his back to me, I jumped up onto the table and shimmied back until I was fully seated. Once in place, I tucked the paper gown around my hips the best I could. It was useless to attempt to cover my ass. Realizing how ridiculous I was being, I rolled my eyes at myself.

“You can look now,” I said.

Kade turned from the window and took a few steps toward the chair placed at the side of the bed. Once he sat down, he leaned back and crossed his legs, resting his ankle over his knee. Our gazes locked and he smirked. “You do realize I have seen you naked, right?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What I remember is you looking at the ceiling or holding your eyes shut tightly while I was unclothed before you. Envisioning someone else while you got yourself off, I’m sure.”

A stunned look replaced his once-cocky smile. “Avery, that’s not what I was—”

Someone knocked on the door, and I was secretly happy the doctor had chosen that specific moment to enter. I didn’t want to rehash the night Kade and I had shared. The only good thing about that mistake was the little miracle I now carried.

“Hello, Ms. Nolan,” the doctor said as he gave me a kind smile.

Today was the first time I’d ever seen Dr. Miles, who had replaced my original doctor when he retired a few months ago. Dr. Miles appeared to be in his mid to late thirties and was tall and fit. His smile was gentle, and the idea of what I was about to have him do, with Kade in the room, suddenly made me feel nauseous. Talk about most embarrassing moments.

I was seriously going to kill Quinn and Jett, because I knew he was her accomplice. They were a team.

Chapter Fifteen

Kade

Fate had to be playing some cruel fucking joke on me right now. All I wanted to do was explain to Avery that she couldn’t be more wrong about our night together, but now it had to wait. The situation had just grown a whole lot more tense. Not only did she want to hide herself from me, covering her body as much as the paper gown would allow, I now had to sit back while some young doctor sat between her thighs and fiddled with her pussy. Why couldn’t the doctor be a woman?

“My name is Dr. Paxton Miles.” He held out his hand to Avery, and she offered hers in return. “It’s nice to meet you, Avery.”

She smiled politely, offering a “me too” in return.

A nurse we hadn’t yet met wheeled in a machine of some kind behind the doctor. Once she had it positioned next to the bed, she excused herself from the room.

Miles then turned to me and held out his hand. “Don’t worry, this is just the machine that will allow us to see your child today. You must be the father?”

I bit my tongue because I really wanted to say, “Hell fucking yes, I’m the father.” The need to stake a claim I had no right to stake was strong. Instead, I offered a firm handshake and a quick nod.

“Great.” He turned back to Avery as he pulled up a chair and took a seat directly in front of her. “Your chart says you found out by taking a home pregnancy test, and we confirmed the results here at the office.”

“Yes. I was late, so…” Her gaze wandered over to mine. I could sense how nervous she was, and I didn’t like the idea of her feeling uneasy around me.

“All right, first I’m going to examine you and we’ll perform an internal sonogram,” the doctor explained. “You’re still early on in your pregnancy, so I believe the sonogram will be our best chance to get a good look at your little one. We’ll take some measurements and attempt to make the best determination of your projected due date. If you could slide forward and place your feet in the stirrups,” he directed as he put on a pair of latex gloves and slid closer to the edge of the bed.

“A little farther until you feel the edge of the bed against your bottom,” he said as she wiggled down.

I cringed every time he spoke, and I could feel my jaw tensing with irritation. True, she wasn’t mine, but she was carrying my child, and the idea of him—or any man, for that matter—touching Avery pissed me off.

“Okay, spread your knees apart just a little more,” Dr. Fucking Miles said.

I gripped the arm of the chair so tightly my fingers began to cramp. I zoned out then, because the stale silence while he examined Avery was driving me out of my mind.

“Okay, you are going to feel the wand,” he said. “Just a little pressure. Here it comes.”

The wand? What the fuck? I was just about to open my mouth and tell him how much I didn’t like what he was doing to Avery but stopped immediately when a swooshing
filled the room. My stare instantly connected with Avery’s, and her eyes widened in surprise.

I had seen enough movies to know the sound was the heartbeat of our child. In that moment, everything became so clear. Though we hadn’t set out to conceive that baby, right now I couldn’t be happier it existed. The rhythm of our baby’s heart was almost hypnotizing, and we both remained silent, just taking it in. I think I could have sat in that room all day, listening to the sound of our baby.

“The heartbeat sounds strong,” the doctor said. I hadn’t even realized I’d glared at him for interrupting that beautiful sound until I looked at Avery. She narrowed her eyes in a silent warning that I’d better rein in my attitude.

“Do you see this little dark spot right here?” Dr. Miles asked as he pointed to the screen.

“Yes,” Avery whispered, and I leaned in toward the screen next to the machine to get a better view.

“That is your baby,” he explained. “You’re measuring at around six weeks.”

I don’t know what the hell was happening within me, but I felt a burning in my chest when I attempted to take in a breath. A shudder ran through me as I continued to stare at the screen, still concentrating solely on the sweet swooshing sound. When the noise abruptly stopped, I jumped up out of my chair. “What happened?”

Avery laughed lightly at my reaction, and the doctor offered me a reassuring smile. “The sonogram is over.”

My heart ached at his words. I wasn’t ready for it to be over. That beautiful heartbeat let me know my child was healthy and strong. Without it, how was I supposed to remain calm?

“I did take a couple photos for the both of you, though—something you can show your friends and family.” The doctor held out a strip of paper with two pictures on it.
Baby Nolan
was written on the top.

The words ignited a need to claim my child. I grabbed the pen off the countertop, hunched over, and added a hyphen and the name
Thomas
before dropping the pen back on the clipboard. When I looked over at Avery, she was watching me with an eyebrow arched in question.

“What?” I asked.

Dr. Miles got it. I could see it in his eyes. No sensible man wanted to have their child bear a different last name than their own. Giving the baby my name would be a hurdle Avery and I would have to jump, but I had now officially acknowledged I was taking responsibility for the life growing inside her. It was one of those life-changing moments, the kind that basically smack you on the back of your head while screaming it’s time to wake the fuck up. I had a child on the way, and it was time to lay to rest all the bullshit I had been pulling over the last couple months.

After the doctor excused himself, I stepped up to the side of the bed as Avery sat up. She looked at me in confusion as I locked eyes with her.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked.

“I’m sorry I’ve been an idiot. I’m sorry about that night at the garage.”

She winced and turned away as she began to slide off the edge of the table, clutching the paper gown over her lower half. She was trying to get away, but I couldn’t allow that. I hooked her hips with my arm and held her in place.

“I didn’t look at you that night because I knew if I did, you’d be able to read how I truly feel about you,” I said. “I wasn’t ready for that. There was no way I could have hidden it from you. Instead, I forced myself to remain detached, and I know it was a dick move, a dumbass move I’ll regret every day.”

“Just let it go, Kade,” she insisted as she tried to pull away from me.

“No,” I growled. “I’m not letting it go. I’m gonna fix this. I’m gonna do right by you and our baby.”

“The only thing you need to do is take care of you,” she said. “When the baby comes, I just want him or her to have their father in their life. I don’t expect anything more than that.”

Her gazed locked on mine. She was hurt, and I expected that. She had every right to be. But if it took forever, I would prove to her that our night together wasn’t just some random hookup but a night where a stubborn-ass man had made a huge mistake. I should have held her close and allowed her to see the emotion in my eyes and the overwhelming connection I felt as our bodies joined—a connection that hit me harder than I had expected it to.

“I will correct my mistakes, Avery. That’s a promise.” I leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead. I meant what I said. I would make this up to her or die trying.