Page 37 of Merciless Promise
I gave no fucks. As she went upstairs to shower and get dressed, I walked into the kitchen, then began to brew some coffee. I had just gotten done making the two of us both a cup and had placed the lids on them when she came back downstairs. She had brushed her hair into a high ponytail, and she had put on a pair of yoga pants and a long tee. I waited for her to sit to put on her socks and sneakers, then I handed her a cup, and she looked suspiciously down at it.
“You wouldn’t feel so damn bad this morning if you had been half as discerning last night when picking up drinks at will. I didn’t poison you. I simply thought you might need some coffee after the night we had, just like I did.”
Her eyes narrowed at the mention of last night. At first, I had thought she might’ve been roofied, but her symptoms were more in line with ecstasy. Bringing her to the edge, then leaving her hovering there for hours, had been punishment enough, and quite the buzz killer as she’d found out.
I smirked as I remembered the way she had begged me to finish her off. As if she knew where my thoughts had gone, she rolled her eyes at me, then took a sip of her coffee. I grabbed my cell phone, wallet, and keys while she grabbed her own things, then we headed out the door.
About twenty minutes later, we pulled into the parking garage of the hospital. Her doctor had an office in the facility, and I truly hoped we’d hear good news. This was likely something we should’ve done before the wedding, but I had believed that by hastily marrying her, it would’ve called mygrandfather’s bluff. It hadn’t succeeded, and now I was tied down to my brother’s killer and growing more annoyed about that with each day I found myself with her.
“You look more annoyed than I do to be here. It’s not too late to back out,” she said.
“You’re keeping this appointment. Now, get out of the damn car,” I told her once I pulled the keys from the ignition.
“You have no patience,” she murmured before slipping out of the car.
I waited to speak until I got out of the car myself. Once I had, I whirled on her. “When it comes to you, I sure as fuck do not.”
This time, she was the one to grin while I rolled my eyes. To her credit, she didn’t try to annoy me more or even to push her luck. Instead, she walked quietly out of the garage and into the hospital with me. It wasn’t long before we reached the OBGYN’s office. I had even allowed her to choose her own, and I suspected she might have been even more adverse to this had I not. As she checked in, I sat down and pulled out my cell phone.
I had a few business texts to take care of, including confirming my flight for tomorrow. When my grandfather had asked me to go to Boston to shake down a few associates, I hadn’t wanted to do it but agreed anyway. I’d thought about making Ekaterina go with me, but then decided that Nolan could handle her. This meant that my trip would not include my right-hand man for the first time ever. I had others I could, and would, take, but I didn’t have the same faith and trust in them that I had in him.
Ekaterina had proven time and time again that she couldn’t stay out of trouble. If what I heard about her father was true, the Russian princess didn’t fall far from the tree. She liked to party. She had become an escort, and that was after she had a lifetime of partying under her garter belt. If only Princeton hadn’t gone to the one she had, he might’ve still been here. If he had, thismight’ve been his ass in this seat waiting to find out if his wife would have trouble conceiving and not me.
“...can go back now.”
“Huh?” I said as I looked up at Ekaterina.
“Dr. Kane is ready for us,” she said to me.
I got up and followed her and the nurse into the back. After the standard stop for the patient to get weighed and her height measured, she was then given a pee cup and disappeared into the nearby bathroom while I went inside the patient’s room. Ekaterina joined me a few minutes later, and the nurse asked her several questions, which she answered. Soon, we were alone once more.
Ireally did have a headache, so being here was the last place I wanted to be, but I would never hear the end of it if I hadn’t shown up. I mean, Kingston was right about us having made a deal, but I was the only one so far who’d had their entire life upended. Yes, I was in his bachelor pad and likely cramping his lifestyle, but I had to take his name, move to New York City into his place, and now I had to have his child.
The only solace I could find in this place was seeing how disgusted Kingston was to be here himself. As his eyes moved around the room, he couldn’t have held back his distaste for the various female reproductive charts and posters that were strategically placed on the walls. Eventually, I watched his head drop down as he stared at his shoes and the floor instead.
“You should’ve let me come here on my own. I’m fully capable of?—”
“I’d already asked you to make this appointment, and when you didn’t, I did. You’re obviously not reliable when it comes to things such as this.”
“You act as if I need to have a baby tomorrow. What is the rush?” I asked him.
He looked up at me, dumbfounded, before shaking his head. “The very fact that you have to ask is confirmation enough that I need to be present to ensure that you’re able to produce the heir I need, or else?—”
“Or else, what? You’ll divorce me? Pawn me off on my father and/or Aram?”
Something unrecognizable flashed in his eyes, but whatever caused that particular expression, he wiped it clean. “We had an arrangement, and I expect you to hold up your end of the bargain.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said dismissively. “You hate me and I hate you, so the sooner we can get this over and done with, the sooner?—”
My words were cut short the moment the door opened. An older woman in a white coat stepped inside and smiled at the both of us. “Hello, Mr. Brannington. My name’s Delilah Kane, and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She then turned toward me. “And it is always a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Kot?—”
“Brannington,” Kingston interjected.
She flashed him an apologetic smile. “Yes, Mrs. Brannington. My apologies. I often lose my head with newlyweds.”
“It’s fine,” I assured her.
“Now what brings the two of you in here today?”
