parents.”
Dr. Peterson turned to me. “And with your income and celebrity, you’d get on an adoption list immediately. Potential parents can wait years before they are picked. That wouldn’t happen with the two of you.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said. I squeezed Scarlet’s hand again.
Scarlet fell quiet.
Dr. Peterson closed his folder and stood up. “We’ll make a decision once the results are in. I’ll let you know immediately.”
“Thank you, Dr. Peterson.” I shook his hand.
He returned it then turned to Scarlet, grasping her hand in a firm shake. “You have a very supportive husband, Mrs. Preston. I’m glad to see that.”
She nodded. “Sometimes he’s too supportive.” A slight smile formed on her lips.
“I see couples come in here all the time, but rarely do I see the natural maternal and paternal instincts shine through. The two of you will be great parents.”
Scarlet’s mouth stretched into a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
I opened the door and let Scarlet walk out. I turned to him and lowered my voice. “Call me first when the results are in. If they are bad…I want to prepare her for it.”
“I understand, Mr. Preston.”
We stopped at an ice cream parlor on the way home. Scarlet ordered a three scoop cone and devoured it like she hadn’t eaten in years. I got a single scoop because I watched my weight. Unlike Scarlet, I couldn’t eat whatever the hell I wanted and still look like hot shit.
All that remained of her meal was the napkin, which was covered in chocolate and caramel sauce from the mess she made on her mouth. She breathed a deep sigh then looked at me. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting…”
Huh? What the hell was she talking about? “Sorry?”
“I’m making this into an emotional ordeal.”
There she goes again, being selfless to the point of insanity. “Scar, it’s perfectly okay to be upset. It’s a big deal. I know how much you want to have kids. It’s enough to make anyone depressed. You’ve been through a lot.”
“But I know I’m hurting you.”
“I would be hurting anyway, baby. Please don’t feel bad. It would be odd if you didn’t feel hurt in some way.”
“I hear my brother’s voice in my head. He would say it’s stupid to be upset over something you can’t change. Deal with the deck of cards you have and play the game.”
She knew her brother better than I did, but that didn’t sound like something he would say. “That doesn’t apply to this situation, Scarlet. And we don’t know the results. There’s a possibility that we’re both perfectly fine but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
“But I doubt it.” Her voice carried the weight of her grief.
“Let’s just wait until the results get back. Then we’ll go from there.”
“God, I don’t think I can wait that long.”
The anxiety was killing me too. Our lives would be forever changed by the results. When I married Scarlet, I dreamt of having her as a housewife. She was pregnant and bulging, about to pop with my kids. Together, we would raise a family, children that looked exactly like us. If I couldn’t have that dream, I’d be okay with it. As long as I had Scarlet, I could get through anything else. Because she was everything to me. “No matter what happens, we’ll be fine, Scarlet. Just remember that.”
She looked into the distance, seeing something only she could distinguish. “I’ll try.”
10
Scarlet
“Where the fuck are you?” Ryan’s voice blared over the phone.
I had to hold the receiver away because it was so loud. “Damn, lower your voice!”
“Where the fuck are you?” he repeated.
Something pissed him off. I hadn’t heard him sound this mad in a while. “We just left the clinic. Why?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Did I do something?”
“No,” he snapped. “Meet me at the shop.” He hung up.
I put the phone down, my ears still ringing.
Sean eyed me. “Damn, he’s
Dr. Peterson turned to me. “And with your income and celebrity, you’d get on an adoption list immediately. Potential parents can wait years before they are picked. That wouldn’t happen with the two of you.”
“Well, that’s good,” I said. I squeezed Scarlet’s hand again.
Scarlet fell quiet.
Dr. Peterson closed his folder and stood up. “We’ll make a decision once the results are in. I’ll let you know immediately.”
“Thank you, Dr. Peterson.” I shook his hand.
He returned it then turned to Scarlet, grasping her hand in a firm shake. “You have a very supportive husband, Mrs. Preston. I’m glad to see that.”
She nodded. “Sometimes he’s too supportive.” A slight smile formed on her lips.
“I see couples come in here all the time, but rarely do I see the natural maternal and paternal instincts shine through. The two of you will be great parents.”
Scarlet’s mouth stretched into a smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
I opened the door and let Scarlet walk out. I turned to him and lowered my voice. “Call me first when the results are in. If they are bad…I want to prepare her for it.”
“I understand, Mr. Preston.”
We stopped at an ice cream parlor on the way home. Scarlet ordered a three scoop cone and devoured it like she hadn’t eaten in years. I got a single scoop because I watched my weight. Unlike Scarlet, I couldn’t eat whatever the hell I wanted and still look like hot shit.
All that remained of her meal was the napkin, which was covered in chocolate and caramel sauce from the mess she made on her mouth. She breathed a deep sigh then looked at me. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting…”
Huh? What the hell was she talking about? “Sorry?”
“I’m making this into an emotional ordeal.”
There she goes again, being selfless to the point of insanity. “Scar, it’s perfectly okay to be upset. It’s a big deal. I know how much you want to have kids. It’s enough to make anyone depressed. You’ve been through a lot.”
“But I know I’m hurting you.”
“I would be hurting anyway, baby. Please don’t feel bad. It would be odd if you didn’t feel hurt in some way.”
“I hear my brother’s voice in my head. He would say it’s stupid to be upset over something you can’t change. Deal with the deck of cards you have and play the game.”
She knew her brother better than I did, but that didn’t sound like something he would say. “That doesn’t apply to this situation, Scarlet. And we don’t know the results. There’s a possibility that we’re both perfectly fine but it just wasn’t meant to be.”
“But I doubt it.” Her voice carried the weight of her grief.
“Let’s just wait until the results get back. Then we’ll go from there.”
“God, I don’t think I can wait that long.”
The anxiety was killing me too. Our lives would be forever changed by the results. When I married Scarlet, I dreamt of having her as a housewife. She was pregnant and bulging, about to pop with my kids. Together, we would raise a family, children that looked exactly like us. If I couldn’t have that dream, I’d be okay with it. As long as I had Scarlet, I could get through anything else. Because she was everything to me. “No matter what happens, we’ll be fine, Scarlet. Just remember that.”
She looked into the distance, seeing something only she could distinguish. “I’ll try.”
10
Scarlet
“Where the fuck are you?” Ryan’s voice blared over the phone.
I had to hold the receiver away because it was so loud. “Damn, lower your voice!”
“Where the fuck are you?” he repeated.
Something pissed him off. I hadn’t heard him sound this mad in a while. “We just left the clinic. Why?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Did I do something?”
“No,” he snapped. “Meet me at the shop.” He hung up.
I put the phone down, my ears still ringing.
Sean eyed me. “Damn, he’s
Similar Books
