His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,22

could delete, along with everything else about Kai.

“All checked in,” the girl at the front desk said with a smile. “Have a seat, and a nurse will call you in soon.”

“Okay.” Diane forced a smile. “Thanks.”

Her heart fluttering, she chose one of the maroon-colored chairs. She tried to flip through several magazines, but nothing held her interest. It was her first ob-gyn visit, two weeks since she’d ended things with Kai, and she was officially a mess.

A hundred times since walking out of that coffee shop she’d almost pulled out her phone and called him up to tell him she had changed her mind. Each time she got close to that point, though, she remembered the emails. She remembered who she was dealing with.

If Kai could so easily swindle other people, what did that mean for his personal relationships? How would she ever be able to trust a man who lied?

Giving up on the magazines, she closed her eyes and sighed. Everything would be okay. She’d move to Florida with her parents and have a great life with them and the baby. She’d start building clientele there, and one day, when the time was right, she’d meet a great man.

Speaking of her parents…

She still hadn’t told her dad about the baby. Part of her knew there was nothing to be ashamed of. She was a grown woman who could have a child when she chose to with whoever she chose to. Even if that person happened to be a criminal billionaire.

But the time to break the news had never arrived. Trevor Johansen had been completely absorbed in making plans for the move. He couldn’t take on any additional stress at the moment.

If all went according to plan, they’d be in Florida within a few months’ time. He had a couple people already interested in acquiring the business, and he had plans to fly down south and look at some homes.

She’d break the news before Florida.

She’d have to. It wouldn’t be long before she started showing.

“Diane?” a woman in scrubs called.

She popped to standing. “That’s me.”

In the exam room, the nurse took her blood pressure and asked her some questions about her cycle and overall health. As she answered them, a knot formed in Diane’s stomach.

Here she was, at her first prenatal doctor’s appointment, and she was all alone. She hadn’t told her friends about the pregnancy. She hadn’t told her family.

And she most certainly hadn’t told the father.

In a way, this was her own doing. She hadn’t pushed Kai away because she wanted to, but she’d chosen to keep the pregnancy to herself for the time being. Right then, life felt scary and too fast. The baby was something she had to hold onto, her own little secret gem she could cherish away from the rest of the world.

That feeling would change soon, so she wanted to hold onto it for a little while longer.

That being said, she hadn’t expected the pain that came along with being at her first doctor’s appointment alone. There should be somewhere there to share the anxiety and joy with.

But there wasn’t. It was only her.

“Are you okay?” The nurse removed the blood pressure cuff from Diane’s arm. “I know that can get a little tight.”

“Oh, yes.” She forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

They moved on to the rest of the exam, and when the nurse pulled Diane’s shirt aside to search for the baby’s heartbeat, it became too much.

What was Kai doing at that very moment? He was probably in his office downtown, but was he thinking about her? Did he miss her?

She knew it didn’t matter, that Kai was no good for her or the baby, but she couldn’t stop her mind from going to those “what if” places.

What if she’d never found the emails? What if Kai had never even sent them? Would he be there with her in the little exam room, holding her hand while they waited to hear their child’s heartbeat for the first time?

It didn’t matter. She needed to keep her focus on reality and not become lost in fantasies.

Abruptly, a steady heartbeat emerged from the device’s speakers and filled the room.

“There it is,” the nurse sang. “Strong and even.”

Diane’s breath caught in her throat. Next thing she knew, tears of happiness were streaming down her face. That was her baby!

They finished up the rest of the exam, and Diane booked her next appointment before heading out into the street. The sun seemed to shine brighter than it had