He shakes my hand warmly, and when he turns to Thomas, a grin creases his face. “Clarkson,” he says and walks around his desk to man-hug Thomas.
“It’s been too long,” Thomas says.
They exchange pleasantries and ask after each other’s families. I should have known that they would know each other. All doctors seem to know each other.
Dr. Phillips looks at me and then back at Thomas. “Congratulations! Why wasn’t I invited to the wedding?”
An awkward moment follows as Thomas explains that we’re not married.
“It doesn’t matter,” he says. “What matters is that both of you will participate in raising the baby.”
After that awkward moment, it gets easier. He asks me questions about my general health and then shows me to the examination room next door. I change into a paper gown and then lie on the bed. Dr. Phillips returns and proceeds to carry out a physical examination. It’s a thorough process, and he explains it’s only because it’s the first visit. It takes close to half an hour, and when I’m done, I find Thomas waiting in the reception area.
After booking my next appointment, Thomas and I leave, and I drive him back to his clinic.
“Are you okay?” he says when we get there.
“I’m good. My legs feel numb from lying down in one position for so long. But I’m good now.”
A look of concern comes on his handsome features. “You should have asked me to drive.”
“It wasn’t too bad.”
“I have an idea. There’s a park near here, let’s go for a walk. Get the blood flowing in those gorgeous legs.”
“What about your work?”
“I’m done with my appointments. I’ll go back later to finish up my paperwork,” Thomas says.
Chapter 10
Thomas
It’s cheesy and weird because we’re not dating, but I take Cora’s hand as we walk through the park, and she doesn’t pull away. I’m going to be a dad! The idea has settled in, and I’m growing more excited by the day.
“Any ideas on names?” I ask Cora.
She laughs loudly. I love her laugh. It’s loud and uninhibited. A laugh I could listen to over and over again.
“How can you think about names when we don’t even know the gender yet?”
I choose to ignore what she says. “How about Angel if it’s a girl?”
She laughs again. “That’s too cheesy.”
“Okay, what’s your idea then?”
We spend the next couple of minutes throwing back and forth ideas for a girl’s name. Our ideas grow ridiculous by the minute, and soon Cora is laughing so hard that we have to sit down.
“You seem to be getting used to the idea of a baby,” Cora says when her laughter has abated.
“I have. I’m planning on telling my family tonight. Do you want to come and hold my hand while I tell them?”
Cora turns to me with an amused expression on her face. “I very much doubt that you need me to hold your hand, but I’ll come.”
We arrange that I’ll pick her up at six in the evening. We walk around the park for another ten minutes, and then Cora drives me back to the office.
I’m impatient for the evening to arrive and at five, I leave for home. I take a quick shower and change into casual khaki pants and a T-shirt. When I check the time, it’s still too early to pick Cora up, but I’m too impatient to stay in the house, and I decide to go to her house anyway.
I turn my mind to the evening ahead as I drive to Cora’s place. I’m surprised that Martin didn’t tell my sister about Cora’s pregnancy. There’s no way Fran would not know something like that and not call me.
My arrival coincides with a guy in a rush exiting Cora’s building. He says a quick hello and holds the door for me. Unease settles over me as I enter the building, and the door shuts behind me. It gets me wondering just how safe Cora and my son or daughter will be. I own my home, and it has a small front and backyard, plus the security is good. Maybe Cora would not be averse to moving in with me.
I freeze outside her door. What the fuck is wrong with me? I made a vow to steer clear of relationships, and here I am contemplating asking Cora to move in with me. It’s nuts. Besides being crazy thinking, Cora would not give up her apartment above her workplace.
I knock on the door, and when it swings open seconds later, all rational thought leaves my brain. Her hair is wet and matted to her skin, and as my gaze takes a leisurely stroll downward, all the blood in my body drops to my cock. My eyes are glued to the swell of her breasts above the towel. I am caught between wanting to scold her for answering the door like that and burying my head between her breasts.