Page 26 of Angel's Forever
I could see the sudden nervousness in her face. This was it: the moment that she confirmed everything.
“As ready as I will ever be. Come on, let’s get it over with.”
I took her hand in mine and we walked together to the clinic. I opened the door and allowed Gabriella to walk in before quickly following behind her. We walked up to the receptionist and were greeted quickly.
“Good afternoon. How can I help you today?”
“Good afternoon. I’m Gabriella-Rose Quinn and I have an appointment this afternoon.”
“Ah, yes, Miss Quinn. You are here to see Dr. Lawson. Please take a seat in the waiting area around the corner, and you will be called when she is ready to see you.”
I could have guessed that Hudson would have arranged for a female doctor. It was just like him, especially as we suspected Gabriella was pregnant. He wouldn’t have wanted a man to examine her, doctor or otherwise.
She turned to look around at me. I could tell she was trying to find a way to ask me if she could go in by herself, but was too afraid to ask me, so I thought I would give her the ideal opportunity to get out of having me there.
“Do you want me to come in with you?”
“I think I want to go in alone. It’s not that I don’t want you there. It’s just…I don’t really know how to put it.”
“It’s fine. I understand. I’ll be outside by the car. Call me if you need me, okay?”
She smiled and nodded before turning and walking into the waiting room. I stood there for a moment waiting for her to go out of sight just in case she changed her mind. When she disappeared, I walked out of the clinic and headed over to the car. I opened the car and grabbed my packet of cigarettes, shutting the door behind me. I didn’t want to smoke around Gabriella, especially if she was pregnant, and I never smoked in any car, including my own. I lit the cigarette and grabbed my phone from my pocket, dialing Nico’s number.
“Hey, Gino. How’s it going?”
“All good. Gabriella is waiting to see the doctor. Shrewd move on Hudson’s part to have a female doc.”
I heard laughter in the background, which meant they were in the car or Nico had me on speakerphone.
“We are just on our way back to the office, hence why you can hear Hud in the background. Didn’t Rosa want you to go in with her?”
I chuckled at this point as I thought about our conversation a few moments ago.
“I allowed her to go on her own, without her having to ask me. She looked a little worried when she thought I would go in with her. I think she just wants to know before she embarks on any of us going with her to appointments. Although how we are going to explain that one, I have no idea.”
There was silence for a moment as all of us suddenly realized that we probably wouldn’t know who the father was until after the baby was born, if we even bothered to find out. So how were the three of us supposed to go to her appointments? I heard Hudson’s voice after our pause.
“I guess we can cross that bridge when we come to it. We don’t even know for certain yet, so we can’t make any plans. Thanks for taking her today. I know she probably feels most comfortable with you there because, unlike me and Nico, you don’t act like a ferocious alpha male around her. I guess we need to take some lessons from you.”
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. I was most certainly protective of Gabriella, but I guessed I didn’t take it to the extreme that Nico and Hudson did. Not that I blamed them. However, having three members of our team following them around everywhere when they went shopping was a little much. I did the same thing, but you would never have known it. I just asked them to be more discreet.
“Hudson, you really don’t need lessons. Just don’t make it so obvious. You walking down the street with three men around you is a bit much. Just have them blend into the crowd. That’s all I do. Gabriella only likes me around because I don’t make it obvious that I am doing the same as you. She doesn’t see them, that’s all.”
I heard Nico and Hudson mutter something to each other under their breaths that I couldn’t quite make out. I was sure though it would be some form of insult toward me – in a jesting way, of course.
“Anyway, I will let the two of you go. I’ll message you as soon as I have any news, and once we get home. I’m sure you have cleared the rest of your schedules for the afternoon to get back to see her.”
I heard a chuckle from Nico, which meant that Hudson had done exactly that, and I was sure I would find them already back at the apartment after I texted them that we were on our way back.
“You know it, Gino. We’ll see you later.”
With that, Nico ended the call, and I stood there scrolling through some of the pictures I had taken of Gabriella and me together. I felt a warmth inside as I looked through them and noticed how alive and beautiful she looked when we were together. She certainly confirmed the term blooming. She looked healthier than I had ever seen her and had a radiant glow about her that I had never seen on her before.
I couldn’t help but smile as I went through each one again. Part of me hoped I would be the father, although I knew it would be remote. The chances of her suffering morning sickness after our first time together were nearly nonexistent, as it was only a couple of weeks ago. One day, though, I would have a child to call my own with my beautiful tesoro. I wanted a little girl, one as clever and beautiful as her mother. I wasn’t one of these guys who needed a boy to continue the family name. I didn’t care, and anyway, they said it took a man to make a girl. How true that was, I didn’t know, but I knew she would be one spoiled girl who would never bring a boy home. Not with three protective men in the household, anyway.
I put my phone back in my pocket and stubbed out my cigarette, then went to open the door of the car and felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, as though someone was watching me.
I turned around slowly so as not to make it obvious. There was no one out of the ordinary around. In fact, it was quiet. I could see cars passing on the road. I casually looked around and couldn’t see any danger lurking in the shadows.