Page 105 of Enticing the Fixer

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Kinsley

“I can’t believe it.” Excitement and overwhelm warm me as we walk through the main area of the ER. The positive pregnancy test results, all three of them, are tucked inside my pocket with my hand clasped over the outside so they don’t fall out. I’m not letting anything happen to them.

The few occupied exam rooms are enclosed with curtains, so no one is in listening range. Or at least if anyone overhears us, they don’t see who we are, and they have bigger issues than my pregnancy.

Holy cow. My pregnancy. I’m having a baby.

What started out as a horrible day is now the best day of my life. I hold my hand tighter on the outside of my pocket.

“It’s crazy.” Ann shakes her head and waves to the receptionist. “I’m so excited for you.” As we wait for the door to slide open, she sighs. “Our babies are going to be the best of friends.”

I jerk my head around. “Are you pregnant?”

“Yes.” She bites her bottom lip, but the smile on her face can’t be contained.

“Oh, my God!” I shriek, and the receptionist glares at us. Oops. “Sorry,” I cringe. But I’m not sorry. This is the best news ever.

Ann leans into my space as the doors slide open. “And Emma is also pregnant.”

“This is insane.” This will be Ann’s second child and Emma’s first.

The lobby is quiet. An elderly couple sits beside each other as they wait for news from the ER. The only other individual in the room is a tall, dark, and handsome man who was at Carla’s house when the rescue happened.

Where is Leo? I glance around the room. Why is this guy here? Where’s Sean?

The man nods. “Hey, I’m Hunter, one of Leo’s friends. It’s good to see you up and around.” He grabs his cell phone out of his back pocket. “Leo and Sean went outside to get some fresh air.”

“Don’t call them.” I grab his forearm as the outside doors slide open behind me. “I need to talk to him in private, and outside would be better.”

His face goes slack, which can only mean one thing.Leo.I twist on my heel, and my heart skips a beat. His hair is standing on end, and his eyes are bloodshot like he’s been chain smoking. Except I’ve never seen him smoke.

“Hi.” I take a step toward him, but the tension in his shoulders forces me to stop.Please don’t let this go bad. I can’t handle any more bad today. Damn it. I won’t take any more bad.My eyes narrow into slits. “We need to talk. Meaning I need to talk, and you need to keep your mouth shut.”

I stomp to the stairwell, shove the door open, and tap the toe of my shoe on the floor as I wait. It’s empty. Thank God no one else is here because waiting another second to be alone with him is out of the question.

Once we’re alone, I spin to face him.

“Listen.” He raises his hands with open palms toward me. “I was wrong, and there’s no way I can make up for it. I should have told you from the beginning who I was and about the bet I’d made with my friends.”

The pain in his eyes makes my heart flip over in my chest. I could stop him, but why? I’ve had a shitty 24 hours.

“Even the first night at the bar, I should have been upfront. And the next Monday at the office, I should have told you why I was there.” He shrugs. “At every turn, there was an opportunity, yet I made a choice to continue lying.”

“Yes, you did.” The scent of his cologne mixed with the antiseptic smell is not as pleasant as one would want. “And you shouldn’t have.”

“Yeah.” He rakes his hand through his already standing hair. The strands stay in place as if he’s made the same move countless times over the last few hours. “And the fact I waited to tell you everything until after I was caught, ended up getting you kidnapped. That was the worst moment in my life. Knowing you were in danger, and it was my fault.”

I cross my arms over my chest and tip my head to the side. He’s wrong. No one but Marge is responsible for kidnapping me. And Carla. That cow. I should make him beg, but he rescued me, I’m tired, and I need a hug. And more importantly, we’re having a baby. He can make it up to me later. “Did I show you my checkbook?”

“No.”

“Did I show you my sex videos?”

The muscles in his jaw flex, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “No. You didn’t show me your sex videos.”

I arch both eyebrows. “Do you want me to?”

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