“Okay.”
She opens the door and pokes her head into the hallway. “Hmm. I think he might have returned to the waiting room. Do you want me to send him back?” she asks.
“Would you, please?” I gather my pile of clothes. A few seconds later, the door opens and Gray gives me a warm smile.
“Everything all right, buttercup?”
“Yes. Sorry about that.”
“No problem.” He shrugs and closes the door. “I felt like a bear blocking the hallway, so I just went back to the waiting room.”
I hurry into my jeans and yank my sweatshirt over my head. “Sorry this wasn’t more exciting.”
“Please stop apologizing.” His face is full of nothing but concern when I emerge from the dark confines of my sweatshirt.
“Sorry.”
His lips twist and he steps close, wrapping an arm around my waist and dragging me closer. “What am I going to do with you, hmm?” He presses a quick kiss to my forehead. “Come on. The doctor said you need to go next door for the blood draw.”
“I hate needles,” I grumble as I slip the strap of my purse over my shoulder.
“No one likes ’em. Let’s get it over with, then I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Anywhere, huh?” I follow him into the hallway and to the reception desk where they hand me a slip to have my blood drawn.
The clinic is empty and they take me in right away. Gray waits in the doorway, watching from a distance.
“This will be quick, I promise,” the tech assures me.
I stick my arm out and focus my gaze on Gray. Before I know it, I’m done.
“You’re good to go.” The tech slaps a cotton ball and piece of surgical tape over the small puncture. “Someone will call you in a couple of days.”
“Great. Thank you.” I jump out of the chair and hurry outside.
“Slow down,” Gray calls after me, catching my hand in his. “You all right?”
“I just want to get out of here.”
He opens the truck door and helps me into the cab.
“Where do you want to go?” he asks after settling behind on the wheel.
“You said you’d help me pack some things at my apartment.” I shrug.
“I was thinking more like going somewhere to celebrate. Or buying you something to celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
“The doc confirmed you’re pregnant. We should celebrate.” He starts the truck and smoothly backs out of our parking spot. “Besides, I want you to relax. We can pack tomorrow.”
“I’m too anxious to relax.”
“Another reason you need to. You heard what the doctor said.”
“I’m going to have a lot of doctor’s appointments. Are you planning to buy me something to celebrate after each one?”
“Yes,” he answers in his firmest, no-bullshit tone.
“That’s ridiculous. I’m pregnant, not curing cancer.”
His jaw tightens but he keeps staring straight ahead. “You’re growing a whole human being inside you. Creating life, Serena. I can’t do that.” His voice picks up in speed and intensity. “I’m not the one who has to make all the extra doctor appointments. Or get poked, prodded, and invaded every couple weeks. So can you please let me do the one thing I can do, which is take care of you?”
I sniffle and dab my finger under my eyes. “That’s what I told the doctor when you stepped out. That you were trying to make things easier on me.”
“That’s all I want to do, honey.” He tilts his head, side-eying me. “What else did you talk about?”
“Nothing bad. I think a lot of doctors like to probe a little to make sure domestic violence isn’t an issue.” I swipe my tongue over my bottom lip. “With my history…and having you there, she was probably concerned.”
“Good.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Mad? No. I don’t have anything to hide.” He glances over. “I spent time locked up with men who murdered their wives, girlfriends, and children. Some of the absolute scum of the Earth. So, if someone out here is trying to stop that in whatever way, I’m all for it.”
“That’s…a lot of men would be mad and get defensive.”
He shrugs. “Like I said. Got nothing to hide.” He slows to a stop at a red light. “Now, where would you like to go?”
The anxiety from the appointment is wearing off, leaving me fatigued. But there is something I’ve been meaning to get. “It’s silly. There’s something I wanted to grab but I can do it another time.” Now that I think about it, I have more than one thing on my list.
“Why are you so difficult?”
“I’m not trying to be. But it’s a beauty store. I can go there with Emily or on my own this weekend. No biggie.”
He slides another impatient side-eye my way.
“Okay, okay. I want to go to Ulta. I think there’s a store in Johnson City. Otherwise we have to go to Slater County.” I peer at the road signs and mentally get my bearings. “You know what, we’re closer to the one in Slater. It’s right off Central Ave.”