Page 49 of Hidden By His Side

His lips tightened, but she didn’t wait for him to say anything. There wasn’t really anything to say.

Her hand curled into a fist, not moving toward her belly at all as she collected what she would need for a shower. There was no way she was going to a pregnancy appointment while still feeling the way he’d made her fall apart the night before between her legs.

Ramiro sat in the too small chairs in the waiting room and fidgeted. He didn’t normally fidget, but all around him were women at different stages of pregnancy.

When he’d told the nurse he wanted to go in with her, Summer had told him he didn’t have to, but she was wrong. He hadto hear every part of what to expect. That would make it seem more real.

He hadn’t forgotten, even before her words in the kitchen. He’d been there for her while she struggled with her morning sickness just hours before. Still, there was a difference between taking care of Summer and thinking about a baby growing inside of her belly.

His mind couldn’t quite wrap around that.

The nurse who had taken Summer back poked her head out of a door. “We’re ready for you.”

Ramiro felt out of place following her. He was too big and overdressed compared to most of the women in maternity clothing or nurses in scrubs. The hallways barely fit him. The room wasn’t much better, but the way Summer relaxed when she saw him made it all worth it.

He dragged the chair near the platform she sat on.

“The doctor should be in again shortly,” the nurse said, slipping back out.

Ramiro stroked the back of Summer’s hand where it clutched the edge of the platform wrapped in paper. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He wasn’t reassured. She’d tell him the same thing, whether she was or not.

The doctor didn’t make them wait long. It was a woman with a messy ponytail who looked like she never slept by the bags under her eyes. Her smile was warm, if small.

“I’m Dr. Balanky,” she greeted Ramiro, but her eyes were on Summer. “Hello again.”

Summer gave a tight nod.

The doctor’s small smile faded. “As I was telling Summer, the tests confirmed the pregnancy.”

“Oh,” Summer said, her eyes dropping to stare at her knees.

Dr. Balanky studied her. At least she didn’t say congratulations. “You mentioned you weren’t sure whether you wanted to keep the baby,” the doctor said.

Ramiro could feel the doctor’s eyes shift to him, but he stared at Summer’s bowed head. He should have been relieved. He wasn’t. “You told her that?” he murmured.

“I—” Summer swallowed, continuing to stare at her knees. “It’s the truth,” she mumbled.

Ramiro’s chest squeezed.

“You weren’t sure about the date of your last period and mentioned it could have been more than a month ago?”

Summer still didn’t raise her eyes. “I’m not very regular. I didn’t notice at first.”

“That’s fine,” the doctor said, her tone reassuring. “There are ways to estimate how far along you are. I’d like to recommend a dating ultrasound.”

“Ultrasound?” Ramiro asked. “I read that those happen during the second visit.” He’d researched on his phone while Summer slept in that morning. The vast number of sites that popped up when researching pregnancy was ridiculous, but most had similar information.

He expected Hayes to rag him about his search history later.

Dr. Balanky smiled at him this time. “I see the future dad has been studying.”

“He’s not the father,” Summer said, the words swift and brutal.

Brutal? She was only telling the doctor the truth.

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