Page 61 of Scarlet Sins

I nod, and she takes it from me, handing it to the receptionist.

“Nervous?” she asks as she takes her seat again.

My hands clenched in my skirt. “A little.”

That’s the understatement of the century.

And the world’s swankiest waiting room, a place that probably gives first-class airline lounges a run for their money, makes me feel a little out of my depths. Like I don’t belong.

Alina’s a Yegorov, but I’m not. And this is miles away from the basic waiting room of the hospital appointed OB I used when pregnant with Sasha.

Not to mention a whole lot more expensive. My insurance won’t cover this. I know that Alina offered to pay, but I have enough in my bank. And I don’t feel right having Max’s widow, Demyan’s sister, my friend, paying.

Shit. Demyan. A twinge of guilt passes through me, making my stomach turn. He should be here, not Alina.

I have to tell him. Soon. Bite the bullet, suck it up, and deal. It doesn’t matter if he has to marry Stefina and we don’t work out—and we won’t if that happens—he has the right to know.

And he’s proved himself to be a great and loving father to Sasha, which means he’ll be a great and loving father to this new baby, too. If I give him the chance.

I have to.

Even if, by some miracle, I’m able to hide the parentage from him if the marriage with Stefina goes ahead, I need to share with him the truth. I need to give him the chance to be a father right from the start.

“Erin Banks?”

I look up as my name’s called, and Alina squeezes my hand. “Go, I’ll be right here. Unless…?”

“No, I’ll be fine,” I say to Alina and rise.

The doctor’s a friendly-looking woman and her smile andeasy ways puts me at ease. She takes her time, chatting with me as she does her examination and manages to slide in all the right questions that, thinking back, made me nervous as hell the first time around, like diet and morning sickness and everything else.

“Please take a seat,” the doctor says. When I do, she takes hers and smiles, pulling up information on her computer. “Everything looks fine. It’s still early and things are progressing nicely. You’re in good health.”

Her gaze hits me. “You have a son? Two?”

“Yes.”

“If you don’t have a pediatrician, I can recommend one here at the clinic. Kids love her. If you want to schedule in an appointment for him next time you come in, we can. Just for a checkup and to get him on our system.”

“That would be perfect. We’re between regular doctors right now.”

Her gaze flips to the computer as she types something, then she says, “Your blood results came back from our pathologist. Obviously, they confirm the pregnancy. As I said, it’s early days. Your HCG levels are doubling nicely and your bloodwork tells me everything’s looking good. Some mothers want an ultrasound even this early. We can do one?”

“No.”

“It won’t look like a baby, which is perfectly normal, just a little embryo, which is what it is.” Again, the doctor smiles.

“I know,” I say. “Just… Demyan should be here for that.”

“The father? Bring him to your next appointment and we’ll do one.”

I nod and thank her and head out to set up the follow-up appointment and one for Sasha.

While I know presenting Demyan with aguess what, we’re pregnantultrasound photo is a cute way of announcing thepregnancy, given our circumstances and how much he missed with Sasha, he should be present for the first ultrasound.

As we leave, Alina bumps shoulders with me. “How are you feeling?”

“Excited,” I say with a smile, hooking a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m sure Demyan will be, too.”

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