Page 52 of More Than Words

Leilani’s words had been echoing in my head for the past several days. Maybe I could still have a baby. But I’d never know unless I did something about it. I still wasn’t convinced Adrian would be a good fit for someone to solicit for insemination services, but I could address that later.

Deciding to put on my big girl panties, I pulled up the contact I’d saved for the fertility clinic a few blocks away from my office building.

As the phone rang, my palms began to sweat. I knew this decision would ultimately change the course of my entire life. Not only could I potentially be responsible for another human being, but I would also have to consider how it would affect my career. I knew there was a daycare on the second floor where we received a corporate discount, but what about the rest of it? I worked insane hours when I was on a deadline. I couldn’t do that anymore with a child.

Book tours would also be something I wasn’t sure I could navigate in the future. Short of hiring a traveling nanny, I wasn’t sure that kind of travel was possible being a single parent.

“Hello, this is Vitality Women’s Health and Hormone. Can I ask what you’re calling to schedule today?”

My mouth suddenly went dry as I swallowed hard and tried to find the words to talk.

“Um, hi. My name is Isobel, and I’d like to schedule an appointment to get some fertility testing done.”

“Great,” she chirped, much too chipper for my frazzled nerves. “Let me get some basic information from you. Do you have your insurance card handy?”

My mind went on autopilot as I answered her questions and read the policy number off my insurance card. I should have done this years ago, just so I would know once and for all, but it was better late than never. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see if this was possible.

Sticking my head in the sand and pretending I didn’t want this wasn’t healthy for me any longer. I’d be forty in a few years, and once that happened, my chances of having a successful pregnancy were slim.

“Alright, we’ve got you down for an appointment two weeks from now. I’ll send you a link to access our registration forms, so if you could submit those before your appointment, that would be great. Aside from that, you’re good to go until we see you.”

“Thanks,” I said before ending the call, dropping my phone to the desk, and cradling my head in my hands.

That was how Adrian found me minutes later, but the look on his face was cheerful and excited, so I doubted he overheard my phone call. Thankfully, Kristine had decided to work elsewhere this afternoon. While she was an excellent employee, the lines of professionalism were clearly drawn between us. And she already had a very negative reaction to Adrian without adding in the way our relationship was changing.

“Hey,” he greeted, taking a seat across from my desk and crossing one leg over the other in that typical masculine way men did. Lei liked to call it manspreading, but the look of it on Adrian was quite attractive. “You ready?”

Glancing at my abandoned phone on the desk, when I answered, I wasn’t sure if it was his question, or my unanswered one. “Yeah. Just let me grab my bag and lock up.”

Adrian watched as I logged off my computer and pulled my purse out of my filing cabinet. He sat there smirking, but not saying a word.

“What are you in the mood for?” he asked, settling his hand on my back as we walked toward the elevator a few moments later. If Andrea noticed how close we were to each other as we passed her desk, she was great at pretending, because her head remained down as she studied the papers on her desk.

“Lasagna is always good, but I’m not sure if I want something that filling.” I typically ate salads for lunch, preferring to eat at my desk while I had at least one document open on my computer. “What?”

“I’m gonna refrain from commenting on that one.”

“Why?” I wasn’t sure how he could spin eating Italian food into something that’d irritate me.

“Because you usually roll your eyes at my inappropriate commentary.”

“What’s inappropriate about lasagna?”

He leaned in close to my ear, his lips grazing my earlobe. “Not the lasagna part, the filling part. I’d be happy to fill you with more than cheese and carbs. My own special white sauce should do the trick.”

“Wow,” I laughed, shaking my head at him, but secretly charmed by his candid comments. “You just can’t help yourself.”

“Not with you wearing that skirt.” He seemed to be fixated on this skirt, but now that I knew his recollection of our first introduction to each other, it didn’t seem filled with quite as much animosity. “But don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking me out.”

Of course, his inflated ego couldn’t resist. He knew he was an attractive man. Despite his personality flaws, he was the object of several young employee’s office ogling sessions. I knew what the gossip was about him—and certain appendages included in his nickname. And he surprisingly didn’t have a tiny one, despite the ongoing debate. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“Again, not what I’d like to fill. And I’m worn out from taking care of myself. The taste of something lingering on my taste buds kept me distracted all weekend.”

My cheeks warmed at his blatantly sexual comment, but knowing the memory of straddling his face kept him excited all weekend was flattering. “You really should practice better oral hygiene if it lingered that long.”

“You’re just setting yourself up for all kinds of inappropriate jokes today. My oral skills are just fine.”

“I’m regretting my decision to join you for lunch,” I sighed, but we both knew I would likely agree to it.

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