Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

Elliot

I know he's pissed before I even feel Alex's glare on me.

I feel his body tense; he squeezes my hand, and his breathing has picked up.

I was so worried that people would judge me, but I forgot that I have a male doctor and my baby daddy is a bit possessive.

After signing in and checking the normal boxes about my insurance and my phone number not changing, I set down the pen and look up at Alex. His brows are drawn in, his jaw is tight, and I'm pretty sure I can hear him grinding his molars.

Okay, maybe more than a bit possessive.

I raise a brow at him. "You good?"

"Who's that?" he demands.

I don't think Dr. Riley can see Alex, and I'm thankful since he looks more like a raging bull than a doting soon-to-be father. One of the windows in front of the reception desk is covered by different pieces of paper containing information, while the other is open in front of where I stand.

I shrug. "My doctor."

His glare deepens. "He has a lot of cock between his legs, which seems to be attracted to you."

"Alex!" I complain, my eyes widening. "What the hell?"

"I thought your doctor was a woman."

"I never told you that."

"Well, why isn't he a woman?" he sputters.

I can't help but laugh. "Why does it matter? I picked the best doctor, and he is that."

He doesn't seem convinced. "I'm sure we can find a better woman doctor who I won't mind having her hands up in my woman."

I snort even though a shiver runs down my spine at his words. He is a mess. A hot mess, but a mess all the same. "Your woman?"

He doesn't even hesitate; he yanks me to him, capturing my face in his hands. His fingers bite into my jaw as he holds my gaze. "My woman," he demands. "My woman to love, my woman to protect, my woman to provide for, and my woman to make scream." He kisses my nose. "Don't forget it."

"I didn't," I mutter, pushing him away. "Jesus Christ."

Alex snorts. "Yeah, you might want to call him down to protect that fucker with the wandering eyes."

I can't help it. I laugh. "Alex, stop."

"No. He was eye-fucking you, and if he does it again, I'm going to break his nose."

"Alex, come on." I shake his arm, still laughing. "He is not."

"Yes, he is, and you giggled for him."

I'm full-on cackling at this point. "Trust and believe, my true giggles are for only you."

His eyes are still wild, but his breathing slows down a bit. He leans in, pressing his lips to my ear. In Spanish, he whispers, "I should have fucked you all morning and made sure my come was rolling down those sweet thighs, just so he'd know who you belong to."

I want to be disgusted. I even want to be annoyed. But I'm neither. I am wholly turned on in two seconds flat. Heat rushes through me and goes straight between my legs. I respond back in his language. "You get me all hot and bothered so he knows I'm wet and thinks it's because of him?"

Oh, that was a bad choice of words. Alex's eyes flare with anger, and he takes ahold of my ass. "Bathroom, now. I need to lick all the desire I caused off you."

I smack his chest, and I can't help but giggle. "Alejandro Benito Cruz, behave." He doesn't even dignify me with a response, and my name is called. "Please?" I ask sweetly, but still, he doesn't answer.

Stubborn man.

We walk together toward the nurse waiting for me, and I don't miss the way her eyes cut to Alex before settling on me. She raises a brow, and I smile. "Hey, Brenda."

"Hey there, Elliot. How are you feeling?"

"Good," I say as I walk through the doorway with my 6'6" shadow.

I feel Dr. Riley's eyes on me, and when I meet his gaze, his brow is furrowed, confusion on his face. Huh, I never noticed that before. Maybe Alex is onto something, but that's crazy. He's just a nice doctor. He couldn't be interested in me. I'm knocked up by another dude.

Dr. Riley's mouth opens, but before he can say anything, Brenda asks, "And who is this?"

I smile up at Alex and then back to Brenda as the words get caught in my throat. "He's my…um…my?—"

Alex spreads out his hands wide, cocky as ever. "Her everything."

Wow. Okay.

My jaw goes slack as I shake my head. I don't miss Dr. Riley's brows pulling in farther. I meet Alex's gaze. "Subtle."

"Where is the lie?"

I just roll my eyes at this fool of a man. A man I'm a fool for, because wow do those words make me warm inside. "My boyfriend."

I see Dr. Riley's eyes widen.

"More than that," Alex insists, and I gawk at him.

"Father of my child."

"More than that, too."

"Are you done?" I ask incredulously, but I can't even keep my giggles at bay. He is insane! My sisters are going to eat this up.

Lord knows I am.

"I didn't know you were involved with anyone."

I move my gaze to Dr. Riley, where he's holding his clipboard like it can protect him from the truth.

"You have no ring, so I assumed you were single."

Shit. Yeah, Alex was right.

"Come now, Doctor," Alex says, his voice low. "Women don't need to be married to have kids. But I agree she does need a ring to keep the wandering eyes at bay."

I look around at everyone, and I'm sure they're thinking the same thing I am.

Is he going to piss on me next?

Thankfully, no one says anything else as Alex follows behind me, daring anyone to look at me in a way he doesn't like.

I pray they don't.

Once we're settled in the room and I'm asked the normal "Any concerns?" questions, the door closes behind the nurse, and I set Alex with a look. "Alex?"

He tears his gaze from where he is glaring at the door. When his eyes land on mine, a slow smile moves over his lips. I love how bright his eyes are, the caramel glowing, and how I can tell he's been gnawing on his bottom lip. He's just damn gorgeous. "Yes, mami ?"

I smile back, even though I want to smack the hell out of him. "When did this possessive streak start?"

"The moment you eye-fucked me on the treadmill," he says with absolutely no damn hesitation. As if he knew I was going to ask that! How? It makes no sense, but that saccharine grin stays on his face. "But it got exponentially worse the moment you said you'd try with me."

Oh, how my heart squeezes and twirls in my chest. "Wanna tone it down?"

"Nope."

Okay, then. "I won't bring you to any more of these appointments if you keep this up."

His eyes glitter with defiance. In Spanish, he tells me, "Then you'll be showing up with my come on your thighs."

I can't. I cover my face and groan at his antics just as the door opens. I feel Alex tense up, so I know it's Dr. Riley. I put on a smile, not a real one since I'm sure Alex will have an opinion, and uncover my face.

"Hi."

"Hey," the doctor says, more stoic than ever. We usually joke, and he always smiles at me. But now I know that he had a thing for me, and Alex has smothered his dreams of riding off into the sunset with me and my baby.

Poor guy. I should have sent an email.

Or a warning.

He opens my file, glances over it, and then shakes his head. "Your weight is still a bit low. I'd like you to gain some before our next appointment. Enjoy that extra slice of cake, okay?"

"I really do eat all the time," I say and then look at Alex. "Don't I?"

"All the time," he agrees. "I've gained weight, actually."

I smile at that, and he gives me a goofy grin.

"Okay, you'll need to eat more." Dr. Riley usually has fun with this issue, but I guess not today. "Any other concerns?"

"Nope, not really," I say as he comes over with his measuring tape. He lifts my shirt, and I can feel Alex puffing up like a peacock. I take his hand in mine, giving him a reassuring smile. When his eyes meet mine, I mouth, "You're so hot."

That has him chuckling as he kisses my nose. When I look back at Dr. Riley, he's lowering my shirt. "The baby is still measuring small, but you may just have a small baby. You said you were small?"

I nod. "All of us were around five pounds."

Mostly because we were born out in the back forty with no real medical attention.

"And you?" he asks Alex, and I don't miss the animosity in his usually kind voice.

"I was a big nine pounds, but my brothers were around seven or eight."

Dr. Riley looks back at me. "And you're sure he is the father?"

"Hey, you can go f?—"

I slap my hand over Alex's mouth, but even I glare at Dr. Riley. "I am very sure, thank you."

He nods, marking something. "I'd like to do another ultrasound, make sure the baby is growing and its organs are developing correctly."

"Thank you."

He reaches for the gloves as he continues, "I'm going to check on your cervix, and then we'll be done here."

I look over at Alex and smile. His eyes are trained on Dr. Riley, so I grab his jaw to make him look at me. "What do you think it is?"

"A girl," he says softly, his eyes melting into mine. "A girl as gorgeous as you."

I grin. "I think so too." I grimace a bit at the pressure, and alarm fills Alex's face. I shake my head at him. "I'm fine. Really."

Dr. Riley pats my knee. "All good and all done. Anything else?" he asks with annoyance in his voice, and wow, I might look for another doctor.

"I have a question." My spine goes ramrod straight as I look at Alex. I beg him not to ask anything stupid or threatening. "Her anxiety has been a bit much for her, and I am worried it's getting worse. If she chooses, can she go back on her meds?"

Why does my heart melt at his words? And why is he just the sweetest pain in my ass? Dr. Riley looks at me and then down at my chart. He brings his lip between his teeth and hisses a bit. "There have been a lot of changes apparently, with you returning to her life, so maybe we should wait for two weeks to see if her anxiety evens out."

"It's not because of me," he says confidently. "Not saying I don't drive her nuts—I do—but it's mainly the intrusive thoughts."

Dr. Riley cuts his gaze to me. "Thoughts?"

I shrug. "They have been a bit much."

"Since when?"

"Since I stopped taking my meds, I've only been feeling like half myself, but I thought that was because of not having contact with Alex and all the life changes. However, I've accepted them, and I'm still having issues."

He nods, glancing back at the chart. "I don't want you on what you were on before your pregnancy, but I can prescribe you something else if you'd like."

I surprise myself when I look to Alex for guidance. His eyes are so kind, so supportive, as he nods. "No one says you have to take them, but they'll be there if you want them."

I swallow hard and I wait for the panic to suffocate me, but it doesn't. Not when I'm lost in Alex's eyes. "Okay."

"Okay. I'll send the prescription over to your pharmacy. Anything else?"

If this dude says "anything else" one more time like I'm a damn burden, I'm gonna let Alex at him.

Alex helps me sit up and stands beside me as I ask, "We'd like to know the sex of our baby, please."

Alex threads his fingers with mine, and I grin up at him before we both look back at Dr. Riley, who is flipping through the file. He finds what he's looking for and nods. "A boy."

Emotion clogs my throat, and when I look up at Alex, he's just as shocked as I am. I grin like a fool, but then I see a single tear roll down his face.

My heart stops.

But before I can react, Alex has me in his arms, kissing me fully on the mouth. The kiss is deep, wanton, and so very hot. My heart soars as I get lost in his kiss, and when we part, we're both breathless and have tears in our eyes.

"We're going to have a son."

"A boy."

The emotion is bright in his eyes, and it does something to me to know that I'm the reason for it.

That our son is the reason for it.

Yep, not allowing myself to fall for this man is getting harder by the second.