“It’ll be fine,” he said.
“I’m not sure what the definition of fine should be anymore,” I said as we walked into the entrance, the tropical breeze lifting my hair and heating my neck. “Like, should it be hey, we’re alive, so we’re fine. Or hey, we can live out the rest of our lives under fake IDs, so we’re fine. Or hey, we can still—oh! Do you have the postcard I meant to mail? I can’t believe I forgot it—”
“I have it,” Theo said, rubbing my back. “I dropped it into the post box half a mile back. You must not have noticed. Your parents should get it in a few days.”
“Good.” I added, as we strode into air conditioning.
“And Verily’s. I got that one, too.”
I deflated, grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”
He kissed the top of my head in answer.
We got to the waiting room, gave my—new—name, and much to my chagrin, were seen immediately.
When I was shown into an examination room, Theo came with me. It was painted pale green with a pot of local flowers on a shelf below a nondescript abstract painting of different colored brush strokes. It was a room meant to be as calming as a doctor could make it, considering why most people came to a doctor in the first place. I focused on the white roses peppered throughout the vase, taking it as further motivation to calm down. Those were Cassie’s favorite blooms. If she was here, then I’d be okay.
I was asked to get into a hospital gown, which Theo had to help me do since my fingers were shaking too much.
“I hate hospitals,” I muttered pointlessly.
Theo lifted my chin as I bent down to pull off my shoes and kissed me. “It’ll be over soon.”
“Yeah.”
I slid onto the table, legs dangling. In moments, the doctor came through.
“Hello,” he said while flipping through a clipboard. “I’m Dr. Gonzales. I’m told you’d like an IUD inserted today?”
I nodded. When he didn’t look up, I cleared my throat and said, “Yes.”
He set the clipboard near the sink and went to wash his hands. “We have to do a urine sample first. To rule out pregnancy.”
“Yes, I gave it to the nurse already,” I said. “It’s just been difficult being on time with my birth control pills, you know? I’d rather have a better solution. Th—my husband and I, Darren, move around a lot, so this seems the best thing to do for ourselves.”
Theo squeezed my thigh. I told myself to shut up. Stupid nerves.
“We’re on our honeymoon,” Theo added. “As you can imagine…”
Dr. Gonzales laughed. “Yes, yes. All right, let me see if the nurse has your results. The IUD will start working immediately upon insertion, so you won’t have to worry about that. I’ll be just a minute.”
When Dr. Gonzales disappeared, I loosed a breath.
“You’re doing great,” Theo said in the chair beside me.
“How hilarious would it be if I’m pregnant,” I guffawed. Theo cut a look at me saying, don’t you dare put that out into the universe.
“I’m kidding,” I said, taking my turn and rubbing his shoulder.
Dr. Gonzales returned, and the nurse who did my admittance tests was with him, pushing some contraption on wheels into the room with us.
“Mind if we do a quick ultrasound?” he asked. It was in the same tone he greeted us with, which meant normal people wouldn’t take issue with it. I, however, went on high alert.
“Why? Is there something wrong?”
“Not exactly.” Dr. Gonzales continued his chipperness. The nurse smiled kindly. “We may not be able to do the procedure. The urine analysis says you might be pregnant.”
My jaw dropped.
Theo popped off his chair like he’d popped off a gun. “Excuse me?”
“Indeed.” Dr. Gonzales clapped his hands. “Let’s take a look and confirm, shall we?”
I turned to Theo like he could somehow snap his fingers and poof us out of there, but he returned my stare with just as useless a look. For two people who got themselves into and out of sticky situations with the flair of the lucky, in this moment we were buffoons.
Before I knew it, my legs were splayed, a white sheet draping over my thighs. What looked like a dildo with warm goo smeared over it was gently inserted into my hoo-ha. The nurse dimmed the lights and I automatically went in search for Theo. He spotted my flailing hand and grabbed it, keeping close to my side and squinting at the small monitor in front of us.
“Mmk,” Dr. Gonzales muttered. “Here we … this won’t take a minute. My silence doesn’t mean anything’s wrong, it just means I’m taking a look and assessing.”
“Okay,” I said, but it was more of a question. Was I meant to be worried at his silence? Which was more anxiety-inducing, finding a fetus or finding something else?
“Uh-huh, there we go. See?” Dr. Gonzales pointed to the screen, his glasses flashing against the light as he looked from it to us. “A heartbeat.”
“Holy motherfucking Jesus Christ,” Theo said.
Both the doctor and nurse jolted, and I didn’t bother to smooth out the situation. I was just as gobsmacked as him.
“Yep and let me see … oh yes.” The doctor moved his hand to show another part of my womb. “Both of their heartbeats are going strong.”
I froze. “I’m sorry. Both?”
“Sure as sugar, dear,” the nurse chimed in. “You’re having twins.”
“They’re about seven weeks along,” the doctor added. Two tiny lima beans were showcased in black and white on the screen, what seemed like lights inside them flickering in-and-out in a rapid-fire rhythm. Heartbeats.
I looked at Theo. It was unclear if I still had the capacity to blink. Theo looked like a hornet had stung him between his eyes.
“Darren…” I said.
He closed his mouth. Then opened it. Then closed it. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “We’re having twins,” he repeated. Much slower.
“We’re having twins,” I seconded. “Identical?”
“I’m seeing only one placenta, so yes. Identical twins. We can’t discern the gender via ultrasound until about twenty weeks, however, unless you want to do a blood test in a few weeks to find that out. Congratulations!” Dr. Gonzales smiled broadly, made more garish when the nurse switched the lights back on.
The spotlight was on me, but instead of flinching back, I found myself tracing my stomach, picturing a rounded curve and the tiny fireflies fluttering around inside.
Theo bent and laid his lips on my forehead, murmuring, “we’re fine.”
“Fine,” I echoed and met his eyes. “As in, our family will be fine.”
There were no windows in the examination room, no natural wind or puffs of air. Yet, a single rose petal fell from the bouquet and landed on the spot on top of my heart.
Start your life fresh, Letty. I’ll love you forever.
* * *
Scarlet and Theo had a wild ride. But if you want more wild, untouchable men, try Ketley’s Players to Lovers series, where each man has a different story to tell…begin by clicking here to read Trusting You!
Already read Trusting You? Click here to continue the romantic suspense with Emme and Spence in To Have and To Hold. What would you do if your ex was kidnapped?
Also by Ketley Allison
Players to Lovers Series
Trusting You
Daring You
Craving You - Coming January 2019
Playing You - Coming February 2019
Falling Paper Duet
Play the Man
Win the Game
Vows Duet
To Have and to Hold
From This Day Forward
Snapped Trilogy
Snapped
Sin
Surrender
About the Author
Ketley Allison has always been a romantic at heart. That passion ignited when she realized she could put her dreams into words and her heart into characters. Ketley was born in Canada, moved to Aust
ralia, then to California, and finally to New York City to attend law school, but most of that time was spent in coffee shops thinking about her next book.
Her other passions include wine, coffee, Big Macs, her cat, and her husband, possibly in that order.
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Contents
1. Pot Shot
2. Cocky Jade
3. The Royal Saxon Flush
4. Clueless Mansion
5. Trapped Like A Canary
6. A Luxurious Grave
7. A Warrior Of Cain
8. Ace Of Spades
9. Welcome Back
10. Low Blow Fly-By
11. No Coffee For You
12. Discarded Hearts
13. Precious Nicknames
14. Caramel Coated Words
15. A Duchess’s Estate
16. Tabloid Princess
17. Rainbow Strands
18. Fingering Cucumbers
19. Twinless Twins
20. Cracked Lightning
21. Stick Shift Emergency
22. Upperclass to Underground
23. G.S
24. How To Deal With Subway Rats
25. Crime Scene Clean-Up
26. We Don’t Procrastinate
27. Boom
28. Wayward Bullets
29. Miranda Rights
30. A Good Ol’ Switcharoo
31. Paradise
Also by Ketley Allison
About the Author
WIN THE GAME Page 27
