Page 54 of King of Hearts

“Taylor Beck,here to see Dr. Kline,” the pregnant woman at my side said shyly to the woman behind the glass.

The woman at the reception desk clicked a few screens before smiling at Taylor.

“Go ahead and leave your sample, then come back and he’ll be right out for you.”

Taylor turned toward me and gave me an awkward smile. “I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

If this had all been done prior to her father showing up, I’d have let her walk away from me, but instead I grabbed her hand and smiled at the receptionist.

“We’ll be right back.”

Taylor led the way down the hall to a small alcove, whisper-yelling at me the whole time.

“Do you really need to come with me?”

She opened the door to a single-person restroom, and I followed her in.

“Are you really that worried about peeing in front of me?”

She scoffed. “Yeah…I’m still in that stage of wanting you to think I wake up looking like a princess and don’t fart or burp.”

I cracked a smile. “Why do you care if I think those things about you?”

I wanted to know. I needed to. I had to have something to hold on to, proving that she was in this, falling into it as much as I was.

“Because I’m a girl. Now wait outside.” She pushed my shoulder blades until I was moving.

I waited for the outside her door, pulling my cell free to answer a few texts and check my bank account. My parents had me on payroll at their restaurant, and if I was there for a few hours a week, they generally paid me under the table. With my payout from the Hornets, I had enough to float on for a while, enough to see Taylor through this. We had class in a couple of days, and I hoped that was enough time to sort shit out because there was no way I was leaving her alone on campus.

I heard the toilet flush on the other side of the door but punched in my banking password for a quick glance. Right as the door opened, I saw my balance was over nine hundred thousand dollars.

“What’s wrong?” Taylor asked while drying her hands with a paper towel.

I looked up, giving her a smile. “Nothing…just some banking stuff I need to clear up.”

I knew it was my uncle, but fuck, I wasn’t ready to accept it. I wasn’t ready to accept El Peligro, or any extension of them.

“Taylor, there you are.” One of the doctors came up, smiling at Taylor. Dude was older than us by at least ten years, but he wasn’t half bad-looking. He looked like he worked out, and I knew from the way Taylor blushed that she found him at least semi-attractive. Fuck, the more I looked at him, the more I realized he resembled that soccer player she’d chosen her namesake from.

His eyes narrowed briefly, taking me in before putting his hand at the small of Taylor’s back.

I followed after them, thinking through how much trouble I’d get in if I broke his wrist.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked, helping her sit down on the elevated table.

“Okay…just a little achy and tired. Same as usual.” She pulled up her shirt, leaving her in a small tank top, and slipped off her sandals.

“How are the hormones?” he asked, his eyes bouncing to me nervously then back to Taylor.

“Not as bad since the last time…” Taylor brushed her hair behind her ear while a new patch of red invaded her neck.

What the fuck was going on here? I watched as Taylor stood, grabbing hold of the waistband of her shorts, ready to drag them down her thighs. The doctor’s eyes moved from the computer screen to her in a sleazy-as-fuck way, then went back to his screen like he was trying not to notice that she was about to get undressed.

The doctor flicked his gaze once more toward Taylor before typing on his computer. “I was surprised when I saw that you had moved your appointment to a Saturday. Usually I see you much later in the afternoon, and usually you’re alone. It’s nice that your friend could come with you.”

“I have my ultrasound appointment today,” Taylor said, moving right past the comment about me being a friend. She was about to unclasp her bra when my eyes swung back to the doctor.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I eyed the doctor even though my question was directed at Taylor.

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