Page 107 of Tempted To Be Mine

You’d think they would have comfy recliners for the pregnant women. Or some of those seats that were on the Blackwell plane. Those had been nice.

I twisted my hands in my lap. It felt like I was waiting to be called into the principal’s office. My knee bounced. My palms were sweaty. I had filled out the paperwork and now there was nothing to do. Except think.

I’d always wanted a baby someday. Children were always a vague part of the life plan I’d carried around in my head since I was old enough to think about the future. Career first, then love, then marriage, then kids. A nice, orderly progression that made sense.

I had missed a couple of steps but the end result was the same.

This was chaos. My entire life had been turned upside down by two pink lines. Well, the pink lines weren’t what flipped everything on its head. The problem was a man who didn’t want children. Now, I was trying not to cry in front of strangers, wondering how the hell I was going to do any of this by myself.

I’d never expected to be doing it alone.

A woman across from me caught my eye and smiled. She was maybe eight months pregnant, her belly round. She had on a pretty dress that looked very comfy. She looked happy. Glowing, even. The way pregnant women were supposed to look.

I probably looked like I was about to throw up. Which, to be fair, was a distinct possibility. I hadn’t puked this morning, which meant it was coming. It was about the only thing I could count on in my new crazy world.

“Lucy Hawthorne?”

I looked up. A nurse in pink scrubs stood in the doorway leading to the back, tablet in hand.

“That’s me.”

I gathered my purse and stood on shaky legs. This was it. The first step toward whatever came next. I took a deep breath and started walking toward the nurse and my uncertain future.

The waiting room door banged open.

I spun around, heart leaping into my throat, to find Jeremy Blackwell standing in the doorway. He wore jeans and a wrinkled shirt that looked like he’d slept in it. Or hadn’t slept at all.

Our eyes met across the room.

“Lucy.”

Every eye in the room was on him. I saw one woman grab her little boy and pull him to her. To be fair, Jeremy did look a little frantic.

“What the hell?” The words escaped before I could stop them. “How did you—what are you doing here?”

“I had to find you.” He crossed the room, those long legs making short work of the small room. He didn’t seem to care that everyone in the waiting room was staring at us. “I had to talk to you.”

“Ma’am?” The nurse looked between us, uncertain. “Are you ready to come back?”

I held up a hand. “Can I have a minute?”

She hesitated.

I looked at the waiting room. “Can I trade with the next person in line? I’ll take a later appointment.”

She looked at Jeremy and then back at me. “Sure. We can do that.”

I grabbed Jeremy’s arm and pulled him toward the hallway. Away from the audience. I could already imagine the gossip. Did you see that guy? He looked like that model. He looked desperate.

“How did you find me?” I demanded once we were alone. “How did you even know I was here?”

“Gladys.”

Of course. My grandmother. The woman who could never resist a romantic gesture.

“I’m going to kill her.”

“Don’t be mad at her. I begged. I literally begged her to tell me where you were.”