Page 62 of Toxic Salvation
This is why I’m having a baby with a criminal. Despite my medical degrees, I’m an idiot when it comes to Kovan Krayev.
Objectivity is impossible.
“You’re quiet,” he says.
“Am I?” I keep my tone neutral, watching raindrops streak down the windshield.
“Yes. And you’ve been staring at me for the last ten minutes.”
My cheeks warm. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
His gaze flicks to me, curious, but he doesn’t push. A few minutes later, we pull up outside the private clinic where mynew OBGYN practices. According to Kovan, Dr. Alison Mann is the best in the state.
“Wait there.” Kovan stops me from opening my door. “I’ll get the umbrella.”
“It’s just a little rain?—”
But he’s already jogging around the SUV, umbrella in hand, as if the drizzle might dissolve me on contact. By the time we reach the clinic entrance, he’s soaked through and I’m perfectly dry.
“Are you cold?” He shrugs out of his jacket. “Here.”
“Then you’ll be freezing.” I try to back away, but it’s hard not to notice how the wet shirt clings to his chest and shoulders.
“I don’t feel cold. Put it on.”
He drapes the jacket over my shoulders before I can protest further. The warmth is immediate, but it’s the scent that undoes me. If he weren’t watching, I’d bury my face in the fabric and breathe him in.
“Mr. and Mrs. Krayev?”
The nurse’s choice of words startle me. I wait for Kovan to correct her, but he simply gestures for me to follow.
Mrs. Krayev.That’s not right. I’m not his wife. I’m barely his anything. Just the woman carrying his child. And yet…
It feels strangely fitting.
When he glances at me, I look away and pretend to check my phone.
In the examining room, he helps me onto the table with careful hands. “You sure you’re okay?”
This is my opening. I could ask for the truth right now. But the moment I do, that concerned expression will disappear. The gentle touch at my back will vanish. He’ll retreat behind his walls, and the doors will seal shut, and any hope of a future will disappear.
I look at him, open my mouth, and say, “… I’m fine.”
Dr. Mann enters with a smile. She runs through the routine checks, making polite conversation while she prepares the ultrasound equipment.
“I do want to mention that your blood pressure is elevated, Vesper,” she notes. “We need to bring that number down.”
“How?” Kovan asks before I can respond.
“Usually, it’s stress-related. Try to enjoy this pregnancy instead of worrying about it. And Dad—” Kovan actually flinches at the title. “Your job is to make sure she gets plenty of rest and relaxation. She’s doing all the heavy lifting right now.”
“Understood,” he grits out.
“Perfect. Now, let’s see how your little one is doing.”
She sets to work with the ultrasound wand. It doesn’t take long for the image to blink to life on the screen. This time, our son actually looks human. Small and oddly proportioned, but recognizably a person.
“Oh my God.” My hand finds Kovan’s without conscious thought. “Look at him.”
