Chapter 36
Penny
Since I told Miles I wanted to keep the baby, that man has been absolutely over the moon.
He’s already making plans to add another room to the house, even though I reminded him we already have three unused bedrooms we could turn into a nursery.
Today, he took the day off to come with me to my first doctor’s appointment to officially confirm the pregnancy.
He’s been bouncing off the walls since the moment he woke up.
“Ready, boss?” he asks as he appears in the bathroom doorway, holding a to-go cup of coffee. “I got your caffeine fix.”
“Ready.” I finish applying mascara before spritzing perfume onto my pulse points. “Let’s go.”
“Are you okay to drive?” I ask as he helps me into his truck.
He looks personally offended.
“What do you mean? I was born to drive you around, sugar.” He leans in to kiss me before buckling my seat belt.
“That might be true,” I tease, “but you’re so excited I’m worried we might crash.”
Miles gives me the most betrayed look imaginable.
“That’s rude as hell, Penélope.” He clutches his chest like I personally attacked him. “Why do you wound me like that? If I’m excited, it’s because I can’t wait to see our little baby, but I’d never put you or them in danger.”
“I know.” I lean across the console and kiss him softly. “I’m sorry. I should’ve phrased it better.”
“If you’re going to apologize with kisses,” he murmurs against my lips, “please make all the mistakes that you want.”
I laugh as he starts driving.
We’re almost at the clinic when my phone buzzes. I frown because we didn’t tell anyone about today’s appointment.
I glance at the screen, and my entire body goes still.
Easton: Pen, I hope you’re doing well. Can we please talk?
“What?” Miles asks. “Who is it?”
I keep staring at the message.
I’ve ignored every text Easton has sent since turning my phone back on, but apparently, he finally got tired of being ignored.
“It’s Easton,” I finally say after a long pause.
Miles’s entire body tenses. “What? You need to block that asshole. Hell, I thought you already had.”
I know Miles means well. But between the hormones and my already frayed nerves, irritation spikes in a flash.
“Can you please try keeping your opinions to yourself for one second?” My voice cracks despite my efforts. “I didn’t block him because I didn’t think he’d have the balls to contact me again. But evidently, I was wrong.”
“Shit.” His expression softens. “I’m sorry, sugar. I just hate that he still thinks he has the right to contact you.”
I rub at my forehead tiredly.
“I know.” I exhale slowly. “But if I’m being honest, I want to hear what he has to say.”
I see the exact moment Miles’s jaw tenses. But to his credit, he doesn’t argue.
“If I ask him to meet at the club, would you come with me?”
His answer is immediate. “You can bet your sweet ass I’ll be right next to you the entire time.”
I burst out laughing.
“Really, Penélope?” He presses a hand against his chest. “You can laugh all you want, but I have zero shame admitting I plan to stand there reminding that asshole who you belong with.”
“That’s hot, baby,” I murmur. “Make sure to remind me when we’re home alone.”
I blow him a kiss, and he catches it midair, pressing it to his lips with a grin.
“I’ll text him after the appointment.”
Miles nods tightly and releases a slow breath.
After parking, we walk hand in hand into the clinic. My palms are sweaty enough that I try to pull away, but Miles only tightens his grip.
“We’re both hot, sweaty messes,” he says as he kisses my knuckles one by one. “But we’re in this together.”
“Ms. Levine,” a nurse calls shortly after we check in.
“Can he come in with me?” I ask as I walk toward her.
The nurse glances toward Miles, then lowers her voice. “The redheaded one?”
I nod.
“I’ll make sure to come get him once you’re done with your urine sample.”
I wave at Miles over his shoulder.
He winks back, rubbing his palms nervously against his jean-clad thighs.
After doing my business in a cup, the nurse leads me into a cold, dim exam room.
But knowing Miles is about to walk through that door makes it feel a whole lot less intimidating.
Right on cue, the door opens. Miles sticks his head inside first before stepping into the exam room.
He flashes me a reassuring smile, presses a kiss to my lips, then takes a seat in a chair in the corner.
“Penny, it’s so good to see you,” Dr. Moran says warmly as she walks in.
“Hi, Dr. Moran,” I reply, swinging my feet lightly from my seat on the exam table.
“I see we have a visitor today,” the doctor says with a smile as she looks toward Miles.
He nods, suddenly looking almost shy.
“Oh, here we go. I just got your pregnancy test results back.” She clicks around on her computer while my anxiety steadily climbs higher and higher.
Miles stands and moves closer to me. Then he rubs his thumb across my knee.
I hadn’t realized it was bouncing.
“Well,” the doctor says a moment later, smiling at us. “Congratulations. You are indeed pregnant.” She looks back at the screen. “When was the first day of your last period?”
I answer while she keeps typing.
“According to your dates, you’re around eight weeks along. Let’s take a peek and see if the baby’s measurements match.”
My stomach flips.
She motions for me to lie down on the exam bed, and Miles gently helps me get comfortable.
“Alright,” the doctor says gently. “Lift your shirt a little and lower your pants enough so I can get to your belly.”
Miles suddenly exhales hard beside me, one hand covering his mouth.
The doctor glances at him with amusement. “Are you doing okay over there, Dad?”
The moment the word Dad leaves her mouth, my eyes fill with tears.
And when I look at Miles, he’s already wiping at his own face.
“Yeah, doc.” He laughs shakily. “I’m alright. It’s just… it’s not every day you get to meet the other love of your life.”
His eyes fly to mine.
I try to smile back, but it comes out watery and uneven.
“Aww, how cute,” the doctor says softly. “You did good, Penny. You got one of the good ones.”
A tear spills down my cheek. “I know.”
Miles intertwines our fingers tightly.
“Okay. Here we go,” the doctor says as she squirts warm gel onto my belly before pressing the wand against my skin.
The room falls completely silent.
A few painfully long seconds pass before she smiles at the screen. “There we go.”
My eyes snap toward the monitor.
And somewhere beside me, Miles lets out a broken little sob.
The doctor takes some measurements, while I look at the small blurb of cells on the
screen.
“I love you, Penélope,” Miles whispers as he leans close enough that only I can hear him. Thank you for sharing this moment with me.”
I turn my head toward him, completely overwhelmed.
“I love you too.”
And I’ve never meant anything more in my life.
“Ready, boss?” Miles asks as he helps me out of his truck.
“Yes.” I release a slow breath. “Let’s get this over with.”
The moment we step into the club, memories slam into me all at once. The dread. The panic. The certainty that my life was over and I had no choice but to marry a weasel to save my family from public humiliation.
Then Helen’s shitty voice echoes in my head, reminding me what was at stake if I didn’t follow through.
I stop walking.
“Hey.” Miles turns toward me. “You don’t have to do this, sugar. You owe him nothing.”
Inhale deeply before nodding.
“It’s okay.” I squeeze his hand tighter. “But I want to do this. I want him to see me—us—happy.”
Miles smiles, then gently squeezes back.
The second we walk into the main restaurant, conversation around us grinds to a halt. Every head turns our way.
It’s obvious people were expecting us.
Instead of shrinking beneath the stares, I lift my chin higher and hook my arm through Miles’s.
“Penny,” Easton calls out.
His demeanor changes the moment he notices Miles, and it immediately puts me on edge.
The welcoming smile he greeted me with vanishes, replaced by an ugly scowl.
“I didn’t realize he was coming with you.”
“Miles and I are together,” I say coolly. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”
To my surprise, Easton nods once.
“You’re right.” His tone turns tight. “I apologize."
He motions for us to take a seat.
Miles pulls my chair out for me before sitting beside me.
“Are you in the mood for lunch?” Easton asks. “I had them make sure they still had the salmon salad you love.”
I offer him a polite but distant smile. “We don’t have much time. We’re heading back home right after this.”
“Right.”
Easton clears his throat, clearly trying to regain control over the situation. His eyes move from Miles to me.
“I don’t know what came over me, Pen.” He lowers his head, muttering something I can’t quite catch. “Actually, I do. I let my mother fill my head with lies and venomous thoughts about you and your family.”
A rough, hollow laugh leaves him.
He looks unhinged.
Miles must sense my discomfort because his hand lands on the table with a hard thud.
“Listen, buddy,” he says calmly, though the warning in his voice can’t be missed.
“I’m sorry that you’re in your thirties and still doing whatever mommy tells you to do.
” He leans back in his chair. “And I’m not really sure what you’re hoping to get out of this conversation, but your rambling is making her uncomfortable. ”
Miles’s arm brushes against mine possessively. “So I suggest you wrap it up, because we have a two-hour drive ahead of us, then I need to make supper, give Penélope a massage, and make sweet love to her to remind her how much I love her.”
“Miles,” I whisper-shout, horrified and amused all at once.
“I get it, I get it.” Easton shrugs, another empty laugh bubbling out of him. “You got the girl.”
Then he looks directly at me.
“At the end of the day, that’s why I agreed to do what I did.” His nostrils flare. “I must really suck, because I’ve been in love with you for years, Pen. And you never even noticed me.”
“Yeah,” I say as I stand from my chair. “I guess you do.”
Miles rises and stands behind me.
“I don’t know why I agreed to meet you when all I really want is that you rot in fucking jail.” I’m so pissed my hands shake. “You slimy bastard. I almost lost the love of my life because of you.”
I lean into his personal space just enough to make my point clear.
“Don’t you dare contact me, my family, or my partner ever again. If you so much as look in our direction, I’ll make hell seem like a walk in the park.”
I hold my hand out toward Miles, and he takes it. We walk out of the club without looking back.
“Is it okay if I carry you to the truck?” Miles asks once we’re outside, his eyes dark with desire.
“Why? Are you in a rush?”
“Fuck, yes, sugar.” He groans. “The way you put that asshole in his place? It’s one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
I laugh as I stop walking and let him scoop me up, bridal-style.
“And here I was thinking about that sweet love-making you mentioned earlier.”
Miles’s smirk says it all. “What about it?”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “How about we stop by my apartment before heading home and get started on that.”
Heat pools low in my core just imagining Miles on top of me again.
“That,” Miles says as he adjusts me higher in his arms, “sounds like an excellent plan, boss.”