She did have one more choice to make; reach out to David once more or let him go, let him forget about her and his child. No. It wasn’t a choice. Now that he knew, it would be wrong to not give him a chance to do what was right. She would reach out, she could do her duty as the mother, and if he didn’t take the opportunity, it was his loss.
Sucking in a breath, she checked her calendar and sent a quick text to David, though she didn’t expect a response.
OB APPOINTMENT. May 15th. 2PM. DR. MONROE. WORTHINGTON RD. EDISON. COME IF YOU CAN.
She didn’t bother signing it. He’d know who it was from, and he could choose to ignore it or not. That didn’t stop the surge of fear that choked her when she considered that this was the make or break of her “relationship” with David. They’d had sex but they hadn’t spoken a word about anything beyond the bedroom. He knew about the baby, it was up to him to do what he felt was right. She refused to be that woman, the one who used a baby to get money. It was bad enough that Rinna had been making headlines again, this time she was seeking damages from some PI that had been digging into her doings.
Poor Rinna. She was desperate.
And you’re not?
Grunting, Diana rolled her eyes. No. She was not like Rinna, and she was proving that every day she didn’t call David, asking for money.
Single parents raised their kids every day without the benefit of billionaire baby daddies.
As Diana’s first official OB appointment approached, she spent too much time wondering if David would be there. He was the father. But that didn’t necessarily mean he wanted to take part in all the stuff before the baby was born.
If he came, he came. She wouldn’t worry about it. But…she would worry about it. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and she knew her body well enough to know that she’d react to him. She wanted to be happy that she might not ever have to see him again, but she just couldn’t. It wasn’t just the baby that David had planted in her, it was also a desire, a need for him she couldn’t shake. A woman would have to be dead not to react to David; he was sex and power on two legs. Besides—she forced her mind back to practical matters—he hadn’t seemed upset about her pregnancy, more clinical than anything, but then he’d ghosted her. If he actually took the effort to attend the appointment, maybe sitting in on the appointment with the obstetrician would alleviate some of his doubts; he’d have the opportunity to ask the doctor whatever he wanted, including the documented conception date.
Refusing to dwell on what ifs, Diana threw herself back into job hunting, and as the days ticked by without anything progressing past an interview, she was more defeated than ever. There was one bright spot though…she knew she’d get to see her baby for the first time at the OB appointment that afternoon.
Arriving at the small OB office situated in the strip mall two miles from her house, Diana was wholly unprepared to see a familiar Escalade parked right in front of the building.
She let out a squeak of surprise when David climbed out of the car and made his way toward her. He opened the door to her car and she stood, her legs wobbly, and met his gaze—or she would have if he weren’t wearing large, reflective aviator sunglasses.
“David,” she breathed. “I hadn’t expected you to come.”
A perfectly black eyebrow arched up over the top of the sunglasses.
“I was invited, was I not supposed to come?” His accent, his deep voice…they did something to her. She hadn’t heard from him in so long, it was as though parts of her were coming back to life after being dead.
What the hell is wrong with me?
She shook herself inwardly. Get it together!
“Yes, yes. I just didn’t know if you’d want to,” she replied, ducking her head and moving to step away from her car so she could shut the door.
David stepped away, but barely, and she closed the door, clutching her purse to her chest like a shield against the battering she was taking from David’s nearness.
“Lead the way,” David drawled, turning toward the building.
Diana nodded and walked, her legs still wobbly. David—ever the gentleman (snort)—opened the door for her, holding it for her as she walked into the small waiting room that boasted five chairs, a coffee table covered in Parent magazines, and a reception desk in the corner. The single flat screen TV was turned to The View, but it was muted. Thankfully.
There were two other people in the waiting room, both pregnant, and both were staring at David with open appreciation on their faces. Diana wanted to roll her eyes—obviously he was there with her. She refused to glare at them, to give David the pleasure of her jealousy because why would he care if she were jealous? They weren’t a couple.
Hurrying to the desk, Diana checked in, filling out the paperwork and signing the release forms.
Once she was done at the desk, she turned around to face the room. She found David sitting in one of the chairs facing away from the large window emblazoned with the doctor’s name and specialty. David was texting someone.
Probably his flavor of the week.
Again, the jealousy made bitter work of her tongue. She swallowed it down and moved to sit beside him. Well…two seats over. She couldn’t trust herself to sit right beside him and not want to lean into him, absorbing his warmth, drawing his masculine scent into her body, staring at the beautiful ridges and angles of his face.
“How have you been?” A deep voice asked, snapping her from her own personal mind-fuck.
She blinked, realizing that David was talking to her.
“F-fine,” she blurted, heat rising
