Page 38 of Irreplaceable
CHAPTERNINE
“Hey.” Juliana was breathless as she sank down into the chair next to mine. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No worries,” I said, flipping the page of the magazine. I’d opted for the home design one over the parenting one. No use getting my hopes up. “Dr. Fulton’s running a little behind.”
She nodded, setting her tote next to her on the floor and pulling out a bottle of water.
“Busy day?” I asked.
She shook her head with a laugh. “Like you wouldn’t believe. Ooh.” She leaned forward, swiping a bridal magazine from the table. “Score! Your doctor has the good magazines. Good magazines but crappy schedule. I don’t know how on earth you waited two weeks for this appointment.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t really have a choice. Dr. Fulton’s pretty booked, and I don’t have much leeway in my schedule at the moment either.”
I’d been so swamped and exhausted, I hadn’t even had time to do any digging on Enzo. That wasn’t entirely true. I’d been scared to discover the truth, so I’d continued living in denial. Until Dr. Fulton confirmed the pregnancy—if she even did—there was no point wasting any more time on that man. Even in the name of research.
“Yeah, but girl, the suspense is killing me.” She butted my shoulder with hers.
“I thought you knew I was pregnant.” I repeated the motion to her.
“I do. I’m waiting for you to realize it’s true.” She seemed so convinced, but my mind kept going back to the condoms. I mean, what were the odds?
I rolled my eyes and flipped the page. “Mm-hmm. Okay.”
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do about Enzo?”
I shook my head, my stomach roiling. “No. No use thinking about it unless Dr. Fulton confirms the pregnancy.”
And then, I had absolutely no clue. I didn’t even know who Enzo really was or how to get in touch with him. Or if his first name even was Enzo. And if I’d had a way to contact him…I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Not after the way he’d treated me.
Painful as it was, I’d replayed our argument dozens of times, searching for clues. Hints as to why he’d reacted the way he had. As to who he really was.
“Harper, are you okay?” Juliana’s tone was gentle.
I nodded. “Yeah. Just anxious about this appointment.”
Perhaps sensing I was desperate for a change of subject, she asked, “What about Crew? Are you still planning to go to the event with him this weekend?”
I nodded. “Yeah. He knows we’re just friends.” Though he’d been hinting at more lately. I’d just come from lunch with him, and he’d dropped me off at the hospital, buying my story that it was a routine appointment. He was such a nice guy, and I felt awful for lying to him.
“Want to go shopping for a new dress?”
I shook my head. “I’m just going to wear something I already have.”
“You know what you need?”
Oh, there were so many things I needed. Where to start…
“Some pampering. Let’s have a spa day before the event.”
While that sounded tempting, I didn’t have the time or the money for a spa day. I’d had to replace the camera Enzo had broken. Fortunately, I’d had just enough time to go back with my phone and retake all my photos of the film locations I’d scouted. It wasn’t ideal, but luckily my boss had been understanding when I’d told her my camera was stolen.
Because of Enzo, I’d nearly lost my job at the studio in addition to all those stock photos. Even now, the reminder made me sick to my stomach.
I’d been slowly chipping away at the medical bills from the IUI, but I didn’t want to spend recklessly, especially not if I was, in fact, pregnant. Despite Juliana’s conviction, I still had my doubts. The absence of my period should’ve been enough to convince me, but I’d been disappointed too many times in the past to get my hopes up.
“My treat,” Juliana added, continuing to type on her phone. “Alexis and Lauren say they’re in. They’ll meet us at the house later.”
Before I could respond, Dr. Fulton’s nurse, Sylvia, peeked her head out from the back. “Harper. You ready?”