Page 54 of Fall for You (Flirting with Forever 4)

I look behind me at the seats. A few are already full, including one occupied by a hugely pregnant woman. My eyes widen as they lock on her protruding stomach. I rub my hand over my cheek. Am I sweating? I think I’m sweating. The woman gives me an odd look, and I realize I should probably explain myself. “I’m sorry. My girlfriend is back there. Pregnant. I haven’t seen her since she told me over the weekend. I’m nervous.” Fuck. Nervous doesn’t even cover it. I’m a goddamn lunatic.

When the door opens around the corner, I lean forward expecting to see a nurse, but it’s Sophia, and she’s motioning to me to follow her.

My legs move even though my brain is trying to wrap my head around all of this. “Is she okay? She was sick.”

Sophia stops next to an exam room. She murmurs, “She’s okay. It’s just all new to her still. The sick was your standard morning sickness, although she’s been pretty stressed out lately with everything going on.” She turns to grab the handle to let us into the room when I reach out and touch her elbow.

“Is she going to be okay with me being here?” I pause, trying to get a grip on myself. “I mean, did she seem like she wanted me to be in there with her?” The gnawing reality that we aren’t together eats away at me again.

“I think it’ll be fine. Come on. They are getting ready to look for the heartbeat on an ultrasound, since there’s a bit of confusion as to the conception date.” Sophia’s eyes twinkle at me. “I don’t know if anyone’s said it yet …”

“What?”

“Congrats, Daddy.” She stifles a giggle, gives me a quick wink, and turns the handle.

Daddy. Right. I haven’t been called Daddy in years. I follow, not sure what to expect. After all, it’s been seventeen years since the last time I did this. When I walk into the exam room, every other concern falls away. All I see is Quinn. I’m at her side in no more than the time it takes my heart to rocket around inside of my chest three times.

I barely hear the doctor when she suggests to Sophia that they give us a minute. My whole focus is on this beautiful, strong woman in front of me. I pull her body to mine, and she buries her head against my chest. And then this woman, who I’d assumed had all of this under control, trembles in my arms. Behind my rib cage, a vise clamps down on my heart. Hard.

Quinn finally lifts her head and gives me a tentative smile. “Hi. I wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”

“I’m sorry I’m here late. I had some stuff I had to get covered before I could get away.”

She nods, sucking her lips into her mouth, her eyes casting down.

I don’t want her to think for even a second that this isn’t right where I want to be. I lift her face to mine, my fingers gentle under her chin. “I wouldn’t miss this. Not for the world, sweetheart. Not for the world.” I lower my mouth to hers, kissing her softly before I press my forehead to hers. I don’t give a flying fuck if she assumes our relationship is over. This baby has other plans. “At the same time, I can’t believe this is happening.”

She rakes her teeth over her lower lip, then scrunches her nose. “I know. It’s so crazy. But—”

“It feels right, Quinn. It really does.” I cup her cheek and slide my thumb back and forth over her cheekbone. “I’m just not sure how we handle this with Olivia.”

She nods. “I know. And now that I’ve tossed my cookies in front of a classroom full of students, there are more rumors churning. I don’t think there’s any stopping it. I spoke with our assistant principal. He was glad I’d brought it up, but he’s not sure what to do since social media these days is such a wild, untamed animal.” She looks into my eyes. “Your sweet girl brought me crackers after I got sick.”

My brows go up. “Really.” I huff out a breath.

“Yep. I think she suspects.”

I nod, swallowing past the hard lump in my throat.

“You know we can’t keep this from her.”

“I know.” Damn small-town living. If I don’t tell her, someone else will.

My heart had been so damn full at Quinn’s appointment. When we heard that fluttering heartbeat, so fast and so strong, my own heart had skipped a beat and then melted right inside my chest. Like I’d told Quinn, this feels right.

The problem? Quinn is stubborn. She insists that our relationship is still squarely on hold. On one hand, I understand. She’s concerned for Olivia. And don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the hell out of that. In fact, it just makes me want her more, makes me know that she’s the one. But on the other, she’s having my baby, dammit. I don’t want to be apart from her. I want to take her home with me. I want her to be with me. She wasn’t having any of that, though. It’d been like a switch flipped once I brought up the idea of us. She’d been fine during the whole appointment talking about the baby … but the minute our relationship came up, she’d put an end to the conversation.

To make matters worse, Olivia’s been seriously moody ever since I got home. I grunt, pissed off, but trying to hide it as we sit down to eat dinner. I side-eye her from where we are seated at the kitchen island. “Do you have homework to do tonight?”

Olivia gives me an indifferent shrug. “Always.” She picks up her bottle of water and takes a quick sip.

“And how’s the biology grade coming along?” I cringe as soon as I say it.

She smirks at me, seeing I’ve made myself uncomfortable. “Well, now that Mom took away my tutor because you were busy getting her pregnant, I’ll probably fail the next test.”

My brows shoot to my hairline. “How did you—Who …?” I blink a few times, caught completely off guard and unprepared for this conversation. I heave out a deep breath. “I guess I should tell you that’s where I was today.”

“Where?”

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