Pregnant by the Rival CEO

Remarks like that made her wonder if she’d made a mistake by telling him. The baby was not supposed to be a way back in for him, at least not into her heart. She had to protect herself from him as much as she could, however much they were already tied for a lifetime now. Even if the baby never arrived, it would be impossible to escape the fact that they had once shared this. And it would make it unthinkable to ever forget him.

She caught sight of the examination gown. “I need to change. So you need to step out into the hall.”

“Anna. I’ve seen every inch of you. I could probably tell the doctor a few things. Don’t worry. I won’t stare.” He sat down, pulling his phone out of his pocket, quickly reading something, and turning it facedown on his leg. “Too much.”

“Uh, no. Close your eyes right now.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“Fine.” He twisted his lips and did as he was asked.

She shucked her clothes and put on the gown in record time, then climbed up on to the exam table, covering her bare legs with the paper drape they had provided. “You can open your eyes now.”

He crossed his legs and gave her a look that was far too familiar. “Next time, I’m looking.”

“Next time you’re standing in the hall. And you’d better be on the other side of the room during the exam.”

A knock came at the door and a trim woman with long, curly red hair entered the room wearing a white lab coat. “Ms. Langford.” She shook Anna’s hand. “I’m Dr. Wright. It’s nice to meet you.” She turned to Jacob. “I take it this is Dad.”

Jacob cleared his throat, seeming uncomfortable. “Jacob. Lin.”

Dr. Wright wheeled over a rolling stool and scanned Anna’s chart, nodding and humming. Lord only knew what she was thinking. She didn’t show a reaction of any kind. Was that a good thing? A bad thing? After a few minutes, she closed the folder and stood. “All right, Ms. Langford. Let’s have a look at you.”

Anna lay back as the doctor took out the stirrups. Luckily, Jacob was following orders and had retreated to the far corner of the room. In all actuality, he’d created as much distance between them as possible. This was likely not a comfortable scenario for him, and she did have to admire him for not complaining or excusing himself.

Dr. Wright completed the exam and helped Anna to sit up. “Well, I’ll be honest with you both. This is a tricky situation you’ve gotten yourselves into. I’ve seen the ultrasound images from your appointment with the fertility doctor. As to how you two got pregnant, I’m mystified. You must’ve been trying very hard.”

Anna’s face flushed with heat. Jacob snickered.

“Now, our hope is that this is a big, strong baby like Dad and that as he or she grows, the scar tissue has no choice but to give way. The worst case is that the baby gets stuck in a bad spot and the umbilical cord is squeezed or the baby simply can’t grow.”

Anna sat frozen. Dr. Wright dealt with dire situations every day, so it all came out of her mouth as if it wasn’t a big deal. For Anna, this was a very big deal, and she was trying so hard to keep it together.

“Either way,” Dr. Wright continued, “we’ll have to watch you very, very carefully. You’re most likely to lose the pregnancy early on. I’m guessing from your chart that you’re almost eight weeks along, which is great. I need you to watch for spotting. Call us right away if that happens.”

Anna sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”

Jacob stepped closer. “Dr. Wright, I’d like to know how many cases you’ve handled like Anna’s and what the outcomes were. I want to make sure that Anna and the baby have the best of the best.”

The doctor looked down her nose at Jacob. “I don’t know the exact numbers, Mr. Lin. I assure you that I’ve handled many cases like yours, and I know what I’m doing. If you’d like to seek a second opinion, my nurse can provide you with some referrals.”

Embarrassment flooded Anna. How could he do this? “No. Jacob, Dr. Wright has exceptional credentials.”

“And I’d be a bad dad if I didn’t ask about them.”

“If you have concerns, Mr. Lin, you and I can talk about them some other time.” Dr. Wright’s voice was calm—almost soothing, but there was no mistaking the firm hand she was using with him. “We don’t want Anna upset or experiencing any undue stress. It’s not good for her or the baby.”