Page 79 of Rival
“Well, my dear Miss Edith, we’ve got some news for you. I’ll just rip off the bandaid because I’m assuming you weren’t expecting this, but you’re pregnant. Now, Kathy here has…”
I stop listening, my ears plugging up with only a high-pitched ringing noise. His mouth is moving, but panic is overtaking me. Every inhale of air feels as if shards of glass are tearing through my lungs.
Oh God…
New visions of the future swirl in my head when my father discovers that I’m carrying a child. I shrink back at visions of his fists flying toward me, screaming curse words and insults that I’m a whore, no better than my mother, trying to trap some unsuspecting man into fatherhood.
“Edith?”
Curling over myself, I gasp and suck in a sharp breath, picturing telling my baby’s father.
Oh my God. Who’s the father of my baby?Griffin and I didn’t use a condom, but we only had sex the one time. People don’t get pregnant during their first time of having sex, right? Mason and I used a condom that first time, but all the times after that? How could I be so stupid? We used a condom when Jaxon and I were in his truck together. So, it can’t be Jaxon’s baby, right?
Visions of his cum running from my body slam through my head, and I remember the condom being yanked off when Ithrew myself off him, almost being caught by a random driver. A hand rests on my back, pushing my head between my legs as I attempt to draw more air in, but there’s nothing.I can’t breathe.
My father is going to kill me.
My father is going to hurt my baby.
My baby…Oh God, I’m going to have a baby.
“Edith, honey, I need you to calm down.” I’m so far gone I don’t even know if it’s the doctor or nurse murmuring comforting words. Words I don’t want to hear right now.
What am I going to do? How will I know who the father is?
Choking out a cry, I peer up through swollen eyes. “What do Ido?”
“Oh, honey,” the nurse sighs sympathetically, rubbing a hand down my back once more. It must have been her touching me the first time. “This isn’t the end of the world. We’ve got a ton of information for you, but first and foremost, we need to make sureyou’reokay. Obviously, this has come as a shock, but I hope you can see it as a blessing moving forward. And if you don’t, thereareother options you can pursue.”
“Would you like us to call anyone for you?” the doctor asks, and I quickly shake my head.
“No. I’ll be okay,” I tell them, wiping my eyes. It’s as if my body’s decided to tell me there is something going on because I feel a heavy throb through my breasts. Rubbing my hand over my sternum, I do my best to pull myself together. “I’ll be okay. I just wasn’t expecting the news. So, umm… What do I do now?”
Both of them are sympathetic when they pat my back and leg, then take a step back. “For now, we need to schedule your next appointment. At that time, we’ll do a vaginal ultrasound to determine how far along you are. We’ve got a folder here with information you’ll need to read through. Mainly about what to expect over the course of your pregnancy along with foods you should avoid, as well as activities and changes your body willexperience. It’ll feel like a lot, but just take a gander through it and we can take this one step at a time.”
“If you’d like, the father can accompany you to your next appointment,” the nurse adds, but her smile slips away from whatever she’s reading on my face. Clearing her throat, she nods once. “Whatever you’d like to do. This is your show, Edith. For now, let’s get your appointment scheduled. We’ve got a sample of some prenatal vitamins we’d like you to start taking, and we’ll get a prescription put in to your preferred pharmacy. Just let us know if your body tolerates them. Some nausea and tiredness are expected, but if you feel as if it’s more extreme, give us a call and we can try something different.”
The rest of the appointment feels as if I’m in a tunnel as they shove a folder full of papers and pamphlets into my hands, and before I know it, I’ve got an appointment card tucked inside for next week.
Next thing I know, I’m standing outside the clinic, staring at the sun, my eyes watering, but I don’t care. I force myself to take one step at a time toward my father’s house, dread building the closer I get.
He doesn’t need to know now, but I do need to let the guys know I’m pregnant and there’s a possibility they’ll be a father within the next nine months. Well,oneof them will.
How do I tell three different men that not only could they be the father of my unborn child, but I’ve also been spreading my legs for two more outside of them?
I really am a whore.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Edith
After knocking, I glance over my shoulder toward Jennice who gives me a happy smile with a little wave. I wish I could return it, but I’m so incredibly nervous that I can only stare longingly at the office door, wishing for an escape.
“Come in!”
My eyes dart around and I swallow against my dry throat before pushing my way in. Jaxon is sitting behind his desk and when he glances up, his face erupts into a huge smile before standing and coming toward me.
“What the hell, sweetheart? I didn’t know you were coming by. You should have texted. I could have picked you up.” Leaning down, he presses a hard kiss to my lips, then cups my cheek to study me. The smile he had before falls away. “What’s wrong, baby? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
