“Luc, I don’t care where we are. I always want you to feel free to share your pain with me. Of course, things bring back memories. You don’t have to hide that from me.”
We’re wrapped up in each other, oblivious to the world, when a throat clears behind us. A woman in a white coat stands smiling at us. She looks to be in her late forties or early fifties. She has long, dark hair with some silver threaded through. “I’m Dr. Sitton, and you must be Lia and Lucian.” Lucian releases his hold on me to take her hand. She tells us that Dr. Kay has sent her a copy of my chart and she’s reviewed it. Lucian takes a seat beside me, clasping my hand lightly. “Everything looks good on the ultrasound. The baby measures perfectly and I don’t see any cause for concern.” The visit is rather anticlimactic after the ultrasound. She instructs us to make an appointment for next month and then points to the front desk to checkout.
From the swift intake of breath and tensing of his arm around my waist, it seems my alpha male is again preparing to rear his head when the receptionist gives me the payment schedule. “This is an estimate of the cost of the medical care for your pregnancy. This includes your monthly visits as well as a standard delivery. The hospital will bill you separately for costs incurred in their facility.” She gives me a sympathetic look as she circles a number on the paper. “Since you don’t have insurance, this will be your monthly payment amount.”
Lucian abruptly pulls out his wallet and hands her his black American Express card. “Charge the full amount to this, please. We don’t need a payment plan.” She picks up the card gingerly, as if expecting it to bite. From the look on her face, apparently this is an unusual occurrence. “Just let us know if there are additional charges and they’ll be taken care of in full,” he adds as she returns his card to him.
Clearing her throat, she stammers out, “Of course, sir.” I can’t help but roll my eyes as she recovers from her shock and begins gushing over him like some groupie. The sex appeal of Lucian Quinn appears to be far-reaching and all consuming. Without even bothering to look at me, she gives him a dazzling smile and says, “If I can help you with anything else at all, please let me know.” To his credit, he doesn’t even bother to give her one of his panty-melting smiles in return. Dear God, if he had, she’d probably have taken her clothes off right there.
“Oh, brother,” I grumble as he leads me out the door with a hand on the small of my back.
“What’s that, babe?” he asks as he opens my door and helps me inside.
“All of those women in there were thinking nothing but dirty thoughts about you,” I say crossly. Even though I’m barely even showing now, I still feel like his fat, pregnant girlfriend. He’s so unbelievably hot and I’m going to be a whale in another few months. Brittany probably only eats lettuce leaves…the bitch.
“What women?” he asks, looking genuinely confused.
“Oh, come on,” I huff. “Like you didn’t notice them staring at you?” I do a perfect imitation of twirling my hair just like the receptionist before batting my eyelashes at him as Brittany had done.
If I thought my words would bother him, he proves me wrong as he begins full-blown laughing. He can barely buckle his own seat belt as he shakes. “You’re jealous,” he wheezes. “Ah, baby, I fucking love that!”
“You’re such an ass,” I snap, ready to hit him over the head with my purse. Could he be any more insensitive to my feelings?
As if suddenly clueing into the fact I wasn’t joking, he sobers immediately. “Lia, honey, you’re really upset, aren’t you? Shit, baby, I’m sorry. I thought I’d made it clear that I don’t notice other women anymore. You’re all I see. You and our baby are my sole focus. I couldn’t care less if another woman looks at me or flirts because I’m not interested. I have everything I want; there is nothing they could offer that would change that.”
Once again, I start crying like the basket of hormones I am. He just holds me until I’ve stopped then cleans me up as best he can. “I love you,” I blubber out, which comes out more as “I wuv you,” but he appears to understand. Before he can start the car, I get up the nerve to ask, “Do you have some time this morning to have breakfast with me before you go to the office?”
I know he has a million things to do, but he answers immediately. “Of course, baby. Where would you like to go?”
I pull my phone from my purse and scroll down my old text messages until I come to the one with a name of a restaurant on it. “Seraphina’s on Main Street. Do you know it?”