Baby Daddies: A Me, Myself & I Collection

By the time I was done, dried off, and dressed, Melody was waiting with a white, plastic bag swinging from her fingers. She handed it to me and made a shooing gesture before shutting the door in my face. I took a deep breath and pulled out the pink box. While I’d been in the shower, I did some math and, sure enough, I was over a month late. I was pretty regular, but I just never paid attention to my periods, so I didn’t notice when it didn’t come.

I peed on the stick and placed it on the sink, then washed my hands and opened the bathroom door to find both women hovering right outside. “Three minutes,” I sighed. I kept an eye on the clock sitting on my dresser, but my mind was running through various scenarios of how Nash might react if it turned out I was pregnant. They ranged from excitement to disgust, pretty much every possible option which meant I wasn’t freaking out any less.

Finally, time was up. “I can’t look,” I moaned pathetically. Madison practically bounced past me. I had a feeling she was rooting for the knocked-up option.

“Pregnant!” she squealed, throwing her arms around me in a big bear hug.

“Holy crap,” I breathed.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Melody giving me a smile but there was something cryptic in her expression. “Congratulations, girl.” She took her turn hugging me and then squeezed my hand as she stepped back.

I opened my mouth to respond when everything shifted sideways and went black.

“Aubrey!” I froze at the sound of Nash’s bellow. He came barreling into the hospital room, his face a mask of worry and anger. “What the fuck?” he barked. Once he reached me, he felt my forehead, then he scowled at me while he checked my pulse, after which he grabbed my chart and started to skim over it.

I glared at both girls accusingly but each one shook their head in denial. I’d only been unconscious for less than a minute after I fainted at my apartment. When I came to, Melody and Madison were hovering anxiously over me. “I think we need to take you to the hospital,” said Madison. I started to shake my head and say no but the movement made me dizzy and a wave of nausea washed over me. I’d agreed, and Melody drove us to the ER. It turned out, I was dangerously dehydrated, so they immediately hooked me up to an IV to try and replace some of my fluids. When I mentioned that I thought I was pregnant, the dehydration became an even more significant concern and they decided to admit me until they’d confirmed it one way or the other.

I’d had every intention of telling Nash eventually. But, I figured they wouldn’t keep me very long and there was no reason to interrupt his workday for something so insignificant as a little dehydration. Clearly, I’d made the wrong choice.

Suddenly, Madison halted mid-shake and started to look extremely guilty. “I didn’t tell him, I swear,” she mouthed earnestly. I raised a brow in silent question and she shifted uncomfortably.

Seemingly satisfied that I wasn’t at death’s door, Nash relaxed a little. He brushed his fingers over my cheek, his green eyes still worried. “I’m going to talk to your doctor, baby.” On his way out the door, he frowned fiercely at the other women in the room. “You have some explaining to do,” he growled before striding down the hall.

Madison grimaced and her tone was full of apology when she whispered, “I may have said something to Ethan.” I groaned and fell sideways, face-planting in a pillow.

“They’re best friends, Madison,” I groaned in a muffled voice.

“I didn’t realize Ethan would tell him,” she confessed.

“He shouldn’t have had to tell me,” Nash interrupted as he strode back into the room. I turned my head and peeked at him as he made a bee-line for the bed, tossing a disgruntled glower at Madison as he sat down beside me. “You should have told me.” Then he turned his displeasure on me and I shrunk back into myself, knowing he had every right to be upset. “But she shouldn’t have been put in that position, isn’t that right, Aubrey?”

I considered telling him that I had every right to decide if I told him anything but, then I thought about how I’d feel if the situation had been reversed. “I’m sorry,” I sighed sincerely.

“Well, I think it’s time for us to go,” Melody piped up. They each hugged me, then she and Madison beat a hasty retreat, leaving me alone with Nash.

The man I just realized I loved.

The father of my baby.

Holy crap.

How exactly are you supposed to tell a guy that he’s going to be a dad?

Chapter Ten

Nash

Madison hadn’t given Ethan any details when she mentioned that she was going to the ER with Aubrey, so I didn’t know how serious it was and worst-case scenarios ran on a continuous loop in my head as I walked across the street to the hospital. The fact that I didn’t know because Aubrey hadn’t bothered to tell me festered all the way to her room. To make matters worse, I had to use my position as an attending to get Aubrey’s information since I wasn’t a relative. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I waited until the hospital room door shut behind the girls before turning back to face Aubrey. She looked perplexed and a little lost. I didn’t know what was going through her twisted little mind but decided we’d come back to that later.

“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through in the last two hours?” I snarled. “First, I had to find out that my girlfriend was in the hospital from my best friend. Then, when I got here, I had to jump through hoops to find out where you were because we aren’t married.”

“I’m so sorry,” Aubrey lamented softly. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No,” I agreed stonily. “You weren’t. So, let me tell you how things are going to go moving forward.” Aubrey watched me warily, but wisely refrained from comment.

“I’m tired of waiting. I’m not pussy-footing around our situation anymore.” I stood and leaned over, grabbing a rail with each hand, caging her between my arms. “You are mine.” I brought my face so close to hers our noses were almost touching. “Mine,” I reiterated in a tone that brooked no argument.

She nodded, her expression guarded.

“Moving in isn’t enough for me, Aubrey,” I announced. “We are getting married. You are going to wear my ring and have my last name.” Her eyes grew large and her mouth was working as though she was trying to form a response. I didn’t give her a chance to before dropping my next bomb. “And, I’m going to knock you the fuck up as soon as possible.”

Aubrey squeaked, then her face turned red as she bit her lip. It was an odd reaction, but I felt encouraged because she hadn’t immediately protested.

“Are we clear or do you need me to convince you?” I asked in a heated tone. She wouldn’t be discharged until tomorrow, which meant I would have to wait to do any “convincing.” But, it didn’t hurt to make her anticipate; to get her hot and bothered so we’d have to suffer through the night together.

“You want a baby?”

I could only imagine the sappy expression on my face when I said, “I can’t wait to see you swollen and round with our baby.” Maybe you should get a doctor to remove that pussy you’ve grown, Dr. Mason.

She narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips. “Fat. You mean fat.”

I grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “You’ll be gorgeous, Aubrey.

She looked unconvinced but didn’t press the issue.

“We both want a big family, cherry,”—I winked—“We should get started early.”

“Early,” Aubrey snorted, then rolled her eyes. “If early is your goal, then you are clearly an overachiever.”

I tilted my head, confused by her comment. “Pardon?”

“I hope you meant what you said about wanting to get pregnant right away.”

Understanding b

egan to dawn and I couldn’t stop the enormous smile that grew on my face. “Are you saying…?” I trailed off, waiting for her to finish the thought and confirm my suspicion.

“Ms. Tucker?” The doctor entered at that moment and I stifled the urge to shove him out the door, so Aubrey and I could continue our conversation. I stood and turned so I could sit on the bed next to Aubrey, facing the doctor.

Dr. Greg Hunter was a friend of mine, but I was seriously reconsidering our friendship and I scowled at him. When he caught my dark expression, he ignored me and focused on Aubrey. “How are you feeling?”

She spread her hands and shrugged. “Fine. I doubt it’s necessary to keep me overnight.”

Greg glanced at me, then back at Aubrey. “Can I speak freely?”

Aubrey sighed. “You might as well. Nash will just badger anyone and everyone until he finds out whatever you have to say.” I didn’t feel that her conclusion needed confirmation, so I just folded my arms across my chest and continued to glare at Greg.

“You are definitely pregnant.”

Fuck yeah! My smile was so big I was surprised it didn’t break my face.

“Based on your symptoms and the timing, I suspect you have hyperemesis gravidarum. With your state of dehydration and frequency of vomiting, I want to keep you here until your levels are normal. Then we’ll work on a plan to keep you healthy throughout your pregnancy. Hopefully, it won’t get worse and we’ll be able to keep it under control with diet and antacids.”

I hadn’t known about the vomiting, nor the pregnancy, so it made sense that I hadn’t suspected HG. Logically, I knew that Aubrey hadn’t known either since she’d only just realized she was pregnant. Still, frustration filled me knowing she’d kept the extent of her sickness from me.

Greg discussed her health with her for another minute or two, then left us alone. I turned my accusing glare on Aubrey. To her credit, she looked remorseful and quickly attempted to soothe my ire. “I’m sorry, Nash. I promise not to keep anything from you again.”