Page 63 of Little Nightmare

“Tell me about it. I almost asked if he wanted to do my taxes, I’m surprised Walt hasn’t jumped in and offered a calculator to the kid.” Ace pulled off the mask and dropped it onto his knee. “We should get back; you have an early day tomorrow.”

“You sure about going with me?”

He frowned. “Where else would I be?”

“Anywhere but a doctor’s office surrounded by screaming kids?” I offered.

“Again, I’m used to the loudness. It’s the quiet I can’t stand.” He stood. “I’ll go get the car.”

“Don’t forget to take off your costume!” I yelled.

He started peeling it off while he walked. I almost joked that he should take it home with him and then stopped myself. I mean what would we do with it? Stare at it? I wasn’t thinking those sorts of thoughts, right? I loved or had loved Louis; it was wrong to even think of Ace like that, and yet as his body flexed with each step, I couldn’t deny he looked damn good in black.

“Damn.”Ace swung his gaze around the doctor’s office. “That’s a shit ton of brochures that woman’s stuffing into her bag.”

Panic hit me instantly, and I grabbed his biceps. “Do we need that many? Should I have bought a book? Do you think there’s going to be a test?”

His blue eyes narrowed. “You’re an aunt and cousin to so many kids we could have our own school—legally—if there’s a test you’d pass it by simply existing. Why are you so stressed?”

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant even as tsunami waves of fear rolled through me. “I don’t know. I guess I just, Idon’t know, I mean the test was inconclusive today, and I have been feeling better, so maybe I’m not pregnant after all or I lost the baby. What if I did something wrong?”

He reached for my hands. “Worrying about it isn’t going to change anything. No matter what, you walk in there with your head held high and me by your side. It’s why we have doctors. And you’ve been doing all the right things, Raven.”

“Thanks to you,” I grumbled. “I wasn’t even taking prenatal vitamins.”

“Easy mistake, and I live to make you feel inferior,” he teased. “Stop overthinking it.”

“Fine.”

“Good.” He leaned in then stopped himself.

Wait, was he going to kiss me? On the head? “Hey, Ace were you?—”

“Raven Alfero?” The nurse called me back.

“That’s us,” Ace announced standing.

I swore I could feel every single person in that small waiting room crane their necks in our direction to get a good look at him, then me, then back at him. Yes, I was aware, he was a god walking among men, gorgeous, tall, muscular, a stunning smile, perfect hair.

Which was why I almost tripped him when we followed the nurse.

He elbowed me. “Seriously?”

“They’re staring!”

“They always stare!” he snapped back. “They’re scared. I’m tall, and I look like a killer.”

I nearly ran into the nurse’s back as she cleared her throat. “Now we’ll just take your height and weight.”

I kicked off my shoes. “You do not look like a killer.” I faced the wall. “Right? He doesn’t look like a killer!”

The nurse forced a brittle smile. “No you look like a very nice young man.”

“See?” I threw my hands up while she wrote down my height and weight. “You just give off hot dad vibes along with a phobia of complex carbs.”

Ace scowled. “Hot dad vibes? Please, I know I’m terrifying.”

“Meh, more like terrifying to think about how you’d just take them against the wall instead of the bed.” I winked at the nurse. “Right?”

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