how to open it.”

He wasn’t hiding it anymore. There was a difference to her husband that had come in the last few days, some odd meshing of his two personalities. He was still Henry, but sometimes she was almost sure she could see John Bishop beneath that grim expression he wore. He was here now, staring at her friends like she needed protection from them.

They were likely the ones who needed protection.

“Caleb is running late,” she said, trying to tamp down the emotion that flared the moment he walked into any room she happened to be in. Anger always rushed to the surface, but there was something even more dangerous beneath the rage. Curiosity.

She kind of wanted to know this Henry.

He nodded and started to move toward her.

Her friends stood and stared him down.

“Nell, do you want Henry here?” Laura asked.

“I can go in with you if you don’t want to go alone,” Holly offered.

Something dark sparked in Henry’s eyes.

She wished she didn’t have such a visceral reaction to that look. A pretty sexual reaction.

She knew how to tame this particular beast. She held out her hand. “Of course I want him with me. This is his baby, too. Come here, Henry. You can wait with me.”

The dark look fled and he practically tripped over his own feet trying to get to her. He ignored Laura and Holly, his eyes never leaving hers.

He wore his usual uniform of khakis and a T-shirt, Birkenstocks on his stupid big sexy feet. He didn’t look like a man who’d held up the patriarchy and the oligarchy and all the archies with his spy work.

What had he called himself? A spy master? Or did he mean spy Master? Because that could be a book title.

It was the first time she’d even thought about writing in a week.

“Did the drive go all right? I’m sorry I couldn’t take you myself.” He reached for her hand as he sat down beside her, taking Holly’s place.

“It was fine. I can still drive.” She almost wanted the predator back. At least the predator didn’t look at her like she was fragile and might fall apart at any moment.

Even if that was exactly how she felt.

“Did the talk with Nate go all right?” Nell asked. “Did you find anyone else you need to kill?”

“Nell,” Laura started, sounding completely surprised, but then she rarely heard Nell be so sarcastic.

“No, dear.” Henry ignored Laura entirely. “I haven’t found anyone else I need to kill. Yet. There’s a situation brewing out in California that I might have to deal with. I don’t know how to though. I have to think about it.”

She wasn’t sure what that meant, but there wasn’t time to deal with it because the door to the exam room opened and Rachel stepped out, followed by both of her husbands.

“You’re up, Nell.” Rachel had her baby bag slung over her shoulder. “Doc is going to warm up the lube this time. Or else he’s going to answer to me.”

Naomi Turner walked out of the exam room, shaking her head. “I told him you would care.”

“Holly, I’m going to need you to shove an ice cube up the slit of your husband’s dick so he knows what it feels like,” Rachel ordered.

“Will do,” Holly promised, though Nell knew she’d learned long ago to simply agree that Caleb deserved every punishment possible for his fairly wretched bedside manner.

“Why the hell does he need lube?” Henry stood up, his hands fists on his hips and an outraged look in his eyes.

Max nodded Henry’s way, holding Paige in his arms. The toddler girl seemed fascinated with her father’s ear. “Good for you, brother. I told you not to read those books. You might be the first person to ever take my advice. And the Internet is the worst. Ignorance is the only way to go.”

“He’s doing a check on my cervix,” Nell explained. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’s not half as bad as a pap smear, but I hope his hands aren’t cold.”

Henry actually blushed as he obviously figured out what she was talking about. “Oh.”

Nell stood because Caleb walked out. “Big bad spy can’t handle his wife’s cervical exam? If you can’t, feel free to stay here in the lobby.”

Wife. She caught on the word. She’d married Henry Flanders. It was right there on the marriage license. He’d signed his name. Henry Flanders.

Henry Flanders didn’t exist.

She felt tears spring to her eyes, and she turned and walked out. She couldn’t do this right now. She couldn’t hold his hand and pretend like they were a happy couple waiting on their baby.

What would her baby’s name be? Would she go back to Finn since it was a legal name?

She pushed through the door to the clinic and was blasted with late-summer air. It filled her lungs and she could barely breathe.

She needed to go home. She could take a nap and when she woke up there would be dinner to make, and she had a virtual meeting with a group of young activists who needed a mentor. She would make her way through the day and deal with whatever happened tomorrow then.

She had to get home and away from all the eyes on her.

“Nell.” Henry jogged up behind her. “Sweetheart, are you all right?”

She was so sick of that question. “Am I all right?”

They’d all stepped out of the clinic, Caleb joining his wife. They were all staring her way.

“Yeah.” Henry sounded breathless. “You just walked out. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to talk about…”

“My cervix? You can say it, Henry. God knows your dick has bumped against it enough,” she shot back.

Henry’s eyes went super wide, and he stared at her like he’d never seen her before.

She’d practically screamed at him.

“Come on back inside,” Henry said, his tone so reasonable it made her want to punch his stupid perfect face. “I think Caleb’s ready for us.”

“Us? There’s no us here. You’re not the one who’s pregnant. Oh, I know I’ve said

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