Page 86 of Rough Ride with the Grumpy Cowboy
Nothing they can say will make me go easier on them, so I don’t bother removing their gags. I also want to keep the noises they’ll make to a minimum.
True to my word, I start with Estevan, burning off his eyebrows, eyelashes, and patches of his hair. His father is next, and I leave Ava’s mother for last.
By the time I’m done with all three, they have pissed, shit, and thrown up all over themselves, but I don’t care. I leave them without a single hair on their bodies, and I’m surprised that they’re still alive at this point.
“What do we do with them?” Beck asks after taking a turn on them as well.
“Have Duncan drop them off with the police. I’d love to end them right here, but they’re not worth going down for murder. Call the family lawyer as well—make sure they’re charged with Ava’s harassment and attempted murder,” I reply before exiting the gym.
It feels good, having exacted revenge on them like that. They’ll try pinning their assault on us, but our lawyer will take care of that.
As for Ava, I hope she’ll come back once she gets the news that her family is no longer an issue.
33
AVA
The doctor hands me a box of tissues to clean my stomach with just as Lou comes back into the room, having concluded her call.
“How is she?” she asks the doctor.
I finish up and lower my shirt before sitting up.
“Everything looks good—the baby is healthy and so is mom,” Dr. Swan replies with a kind smile.
I landed in LA yesterday, and the first thing I wanted to do was check on my baby. Lou nearly had a coronary when I told her I was pregnant, but after she recovered, she was quick to help me find a good OB-GYN to help me on this motherhood journey.
“So, what’s next?” Lou inquires.
“I’ll prescribe some prenatal vitamins for her. Are you having any morning sickness?”
“No,” I answer.
“You’re lucky, but I’ll prescribe some anti-nausea meds as well, just in case. Don’t take them if you don’t have to.”
“Okay,” I nod in understanding.
She writes the prescription, gives me a few pamphlets to answer some questions, recommends a few pregnancy and parenting books, and we set up our next appointment.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Swan,” Lou thanks her as she walks us out of her office.
“And thank you for choosing me to be your doctor. I’m a huge fan, so rest assured that you are safe with me,” she replies.
We shake hands and leave her office, Lou being sure to slap a cap and sunglasses on me even though this is a private hospital that only caters to the elite, so nobody really cares about me.
After filling our prescription at the pharmacy, she leads me out of the hospital and into the waiting car.
On the drive back home, I cannot take my eyes off the sonogram. My little pebble. It’s so small, and to think it’ll keep growing bigger until it’s a whole baby. Zane and I created a life together.I got to hear my baby’s heartbeat, and it made me sad that Zane wasn’t there to experience it with me.
Zane... oh, how I miss him. It has been less than forty-eight hours since we’ve been apart, and I miss him like crazy. Leaving him was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do—I almost changed my mind dozens of times—but I knew it was necessary to keep him alive.
“Are you really not going to tell him?” Lou questions.
I smile sadly and shake my head. “For now, no, but I will soon, once all of this is sorted,” I assure her.
“You know I always support you in all you do, but if you ask me, this was a dumb move,” she scolds.
“I know, but it was the only thing I could think of,” I sigh dejectedly.
