Page 9 of Dubious Secrets

“Wild, right? That it stretches like that and you push out a whole ass baby.”

He shakes his head, watching me as I climb up on the chair-bed thingy. I actually wonder what they’re called, that’s a question to google later.

“What?” I ask after a few moments of him just looking at me.

Ryker’s eyebrows raise. “I can’t look at you?”

My fingers twist in my lap. “It’s just weird. Why are you looking at me? What are you thinking about?”

He sits back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “I was looking at you, wondering what features our kid will get from you. Then I started thinking about… other things.”

“Other things?”

His lips quirk. “Things not appropriate for this office. Things I shouldn’t be thinking about.”

My breath catches slightly. “Like the kiss?”

He nods, his jaw tightening. “Yeah, Stassie. Like the kiss, like the reason we’re here.”

A knock interrupts us from continuing the conversation and the OBGYN introduces herself before asking us what we’re in for. When I explain it all, she goes through her list of questions about my and my family’s medical history before asking Ryker for his.

“So your urine sample did confirm your pregnancy. Do you have an estimated conception date? It may be too soon for an ultrasound.” The OBGYN smiles at us.

Ryker squeezes my hand and I look up at him. Will he think I’m a freak if I say it’s been exactly 5 weeks and 4 days since he fucked me?

“Almost 6 weeks. There was…uh a slip-up,” he says, his cheeks turning pink.

She laughs gently. “No worries. We can reschedule for a couple weeks out and we’ll do an ultrasound to get a more accurate estimate of the gestation age.”

Ryker clears his throat. “What, uhm. What are our other options?”

Her mouth opens in a slight O, and then she nods. “Of course. You’re early enough that you have a few options…”

I listen as she explains what we can do if I decide I don’t want to become a mother so young, but I think in my heart I already know my decision. I can feel Ryker’s eyes on me, so when I look up, he gives me a soft smile as if telling me he understands and it’s my choice.

The OBGYN pats my knee. “You have time to think about it, okay? It’s a difficult decision, but I’m here for any questions. We can always schedule a virtual visit if you feel more comfortable that way.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, squeezing Ryker’s hand harder.

Chapter 6

Ryker

“Why are there somany different kinds?” Stassie asks, staring at the two shelves of prenatals in the pharmacy we stopped at after we ate.

I grimace, wondering the same thing myself. “I assume they have different things in them. Just google the best prenatals and see if any of the brands pop.”

She bites her lip while nodding and pulling out her phone. Seconds later, her eyes are squinting in concentration while she deliberates between options. I scratch the back of my neck, watching her discreetly while trying to think of how to approach the subject in the gentlest of manners. “If you’re keeping it, we should probably tell Mary sooner rather than later.”

Stassie’s fingers pause their scrolling, and she looks up at me. “Like tonight?”

“No,” I say a little too quickly, but then I shrug. “I mean, if you want. I’m here for you if you’re sure you’re keeping the baby.”

“I was browsing one of the pamphlets and it says miscarriage is more common before the twelfth week, and that’s why people usually hold off on telling others until then.”

“You want to wait until you’re twelve weeks pregnant to tell your sister?”

She shrugs slowly. “I-I don’t know, maybe? I know I’m not ready to tell her just yet. I’m not ready for my life to blow up and my sister to hate me.”

---