Ample & Alluring

by Mary E Thompson

“Right place, right time. She was putting out feelers and we met for dinner one night. It was very casual and comfortable. I think she’ll fit in well around here.”

  “Did I tell you I had my interview yesterday?”

  I shot upright. “No. I forgot all about it. How did it go?”

  “You were right, as usual.”

  “About?”

  “They offered me the job. On the call.”

  “Holy shit! Seriously? Congratulations! We should go out to celebrate.”

  “Not until you take a test.”

  “Dammit. I thought you forgot about that.”

  She shook her head and pursed her lips.

  “What am I going to do if it’s positive?”

  Laura’s chest heaved with her breath. She was as anxious as I was. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

  I sighed. “I can’t have an abortion, but I don’t think I could give the baby up either.”

  “Then I think you have your answer.”

  “Wyatt’s going to kill me. His ex said she was pregnant when she wasn’t.”

  “Yeah, but you really are pregnant.”

  “I might be,” I corrected her.

  “Okay, you might be. It’s not the same thing.”

  “He’s still going to be mad.”

  “Give him a chance,” Laura said. “But first, you need to find out if you’re actually pregnant.”

  She handed me one of the tests we used for patients. I’d never peed on one before. Never had the need to. They were supplies. Something we kept on hand just in case. I’d never bought one in the box from the store before. I bought them in bulk.

  And I finally needed to use one.

  I took the test from Laura and marched out of the office. Everyone else had left for the day so I didn’t have to worry about seeing anyone. Wyatt was finishing up the last of the details for the winter festival, so whatever the test said, I had time before I would see him again.

  I closed and locked the bathroom door. My hands shook as I tore the package open. I read the directions on the back even though I knew how to do the test. I decided to just pee on the stick instead of using a sample cup.

  I quickly did the deed then set the test on the side of the sink. I wiped and flushed and washed my hands and carefully avoided looking at the test. I didn’t want to know.

  I was staring at myself in the mirror, from the other side of the bathroom, when Laura knocked on the door. I opened it to let her in.

  “You’re white. Is it positive?”

  I shrugged. “I can’t look.”

  She took my hand. “We’ll look together.”

  I nodded and let her pull me back to the sink. I squeezed my eyes shut. Laura stood with me, not saying anything. She let me have my panic attack.

  I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I glanced at Laura. She was watching me. I tried to give her a grin, then we both turned to look at the test.

  Chapter 26

  The weather was gorgeous for the winter festival. There was snow everywhere, but it was sunny and really, incredibly nice for a January day in Winterville. Wyatt was there early, of course, but told me to find him when I got there.

  I wandered around the festival for a few minutes watching all the people. No, the families. Especially the moms who were there alone. I was going to be one of them. There was no way Wyatt would want to have anything to do with me once he found out I was pregnant. I knew he’d take care of his kid, but he wouldn’t want me.

  I’d had my last moments of happiness with Wyatt, and I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy it.

  The only good thing was he was busy all week so I managed to avoid him. Even though it had only been about sixteen hours since I took the test, I knew as soon as Carrie said something that I was pregnant.

  “There’s my favorite doctor,” I heard from the crowd. I froze, not knowing how to react. I hated running into patients, especially now that I had a secret and I knew it would hurt every single one of them.

  I finally found the smiling face and breathed a sigh of relief. “Sawyer. Hey.”

  “Hey doc. You look like you could use a breather. Everything okay?”

  I nodded and forced a smile. “Of course. How are the moving plans going?”

  “Good,” he said with a nod. “I’m ready to get out of this cold shit.”

  He tugged his collar up higher, but it was still far below his red-tipped ears.

  “Why didn’t you wear a hat?”

  “And mess up my hair? Not gonna happen, doc.”

  “Won’t the ocean mess up your hair, too?”

  Sawyer nodded. “Yep, but that’s a sexy kind of messed up. The kind that makes a woman want to run her hands through my hair as she rides me.”

  I laughed. “That’s assuming you can convince any woman to give you a chance when she has all those Hawaiian gods to drool over.”

  “Hey! I’m a good-looking guy!”

  I laughed. “Sure you are. I’m sure your pasty white thighs will be a huge turn-on next to all the dark-skinned Hawaiians.”

  “Damn, doc. You’re killing me.”

  “Just giving you a reality check.”

  “Reality check? I think you need one. Your boy’s headed this way. You should tell him you’re in love with him.”

  I shook my head as my eyes landed on Wyatt. His charcoal jacket was buttoned up to his neck where a red scarf peeked out. His dark hair had flakes of snow in it, giving him a childish look. That sexy beard curled up with his lips when our eyes met.

  I hated that I’d never be with him again.

  “Hey,” Wyatt said, giving me a long kiss that drew the attention of everyone around us.

  “Hey,” I said when he finally let me up. “That was a heck of a greeting.”

  “I’ve missed you. My bed, and my cock, were very lonely without you all week.”

  I chuckled and stepped back, putting space between us. “Yeah. Um, I missed you, too.”

  His eyebrows pulled together in a question, but he didn’t say anything. “I need to take care of a few things, but I’ll come find you in a little bit. My mom’s here and wants to meet you.”

  “You told your mom about me?” I blurted.

  “Yeah, of course,” he said. “Is that not okay?”

  I shook my head, trying to clear it. I needed to get my shit together. “Yeah, no, sorry. It’s fine. Of course. I’d love to meet her.”

  “Good. My brother and his wife and my sister and her family are all here, too. I told them we’d sit with them for lunch.”

  I nodded, wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into.

  Wyatt was gone in a second, vanishing into the crowd again. I pulled in a deep breath of the icy air, needing the burn of the cold to help me think.

  “What the hell is going on?” Sawyer said from right behind me, scaring the hell out of me.

  “Dammit, Sawyer!”

  “What?”

  I sucked in another breath. “I didn’t know you were still there.”

  “Yeah, that’s obvious. Why were you blowing off the mayor?”

  “I wasn’t,” I sputtered, walking toward the ice rink set up across from Town Hall.

  Sawyer eyed me as we walked. “Something’s wrong. Did he say he loves you? Did you? Shit, and he didn’t say it back. No, no. That’s not it. You both love the other. He wants things to move faster than you do. He’s ready for more, and you’re not?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” I insisted. “I promise.”

  “Something’s wrong, Peyton. You can talk to me.”

  I shook my head, tears filling my eyes. Stupid hormones.

  “Shit, don’t cry. I can’t deal with that.”

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t help it.”

  “Oh, fuck. You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

  “Shh!” I hissed, dragging Sawyer out of the line of people trying to get a closer look at the rink. “Don’t say that so loud.”

  “You are, aren’t you? An
d he doesn’t know.”

  “You can’t tell him, Sawyer. Or anyone else.”

  “Why? You can’t have an abortion, Peyton. He has a right to know before you make that kind of decision.”

  “I’m not having an abortion, Sawyer. I have too many patients who want kids. I couldn’t get rid of one. I’m going to keep it, but Wyatt doesn’t want kids.”

  “Everyone wants kids.”

  “You want kids?”

  “Shit, no! Not for a while, at least. And definitely not with a random chick I fucked.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re not making me feel any better, Sawyer.”

  “Listen, you’re not random to Wyatt. He loves you. It’ll be fine. Now pull your shit together because he’s coming back over here.”

  “Dammit.” I swiped under my eyes and pinched my cheeks. I took a few deep breaths and thought I was ready to face him when he finally reached us.

  “Mind if I steal my woman?” Wyatt asked Sawyer.

  Sawyer shook his head. “Of course not. Just remember, she’s a hell of a woman.”

  I shot Sawyer a glare, for which I got a wide grin. Wyatt looked between us and nodded, then pulled me away.

  He rushed across the street toward Town Hall, practically dragging me.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Hurry,” he whispered, picking up his pace even more.

  We ducked around the back of the building, where it was quiet and the wind was calmer. He pressed me to the side of the building and covered me with his body. His fingers went into my long hair, his tongue diving into my mouth.

  I gasped, but I couldn’t refuse. I didn’t want to refuse. I loved him. I loved him more than he’d probably ever know. I wanted to push him away, to run from him. To move with Laura and never come back so I’d never have to see him hurt.

  But I knew I couldn’t do any of that.

  So I kissed him back. I kissed him with all the love I felt for him, pouring myself into the kiss and hoping he understood what I was trying to tell him.

  His hands went to my thighs and lifted me. My back slammed into the side of the building and his cock nestled just right between my thighs.

  “Wyatt,” I cried out.

  Damn. There was a good side-effect of pregnancy. Heightened nerves.

  “Oh, God,” I cried, already close. So close.

  “Peyton?”

  “Don’t stop,” I begged. “Close.”

  He thrust against me again, his lips blazing a trail from my ear down my neck. His icy fingers went up under my jacket, but I didn’t care. He was touching me. I needed him.

  His fingers climbed until my jacket restricted his movements. He groaned and tugged the zipper down, exposing my overheated flesh to the cold. The hot and cold blended and increased my arousal.

  “Wyatt,” I whimpered.

  “I'm trying, Peyton. Fuck, I’m trying. I wish I could be inside you right now.”

  His hands finally found my breasts. He pulled my cups to the side and rasped his thumbs over the sensitive peaks. He thrust against me, suckling my neck and teasing my nipples, and I couldn’t stop the wave of orgasm as it rushed me.

  “Wyatt,” I cried, trying to keep my voice down. “Oh, yes!”

  He growled and kissed me hard. Another orgasm broke free, leaving me whimpering and useless as I collapsed onto his chest.

  Wyatt held me, his hands up the front of my shirt, my legs wrapped around him. He kissed my neck and my face until I could breathe normally again.

  “I wasn’t expecting that,” he said with a wide grin.

  “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

  “Don’t apologize. It was perfect. Just like you are, Peyton.”

  I would have teased him for being so sappy if I was in my right mind. As it was, it made me want to cry. Because I knew he’d regret those words when he found out what I was hiding from him.

  I scrambled off him, more or less pushing him away.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Sorry,” I said, hiding my face from him. “I just realized we’re basically in the middle of town and anyone could find us here. I don’t need to ruin your reputation.”

  I looked up at him with a grin I hoped he bought. He opened his mouth to say something, but a loud chirp stopped him.

  He pulled out his phone and read something. “I'm sorry. I need to take care of something.”

  “It’s fine. I understand.”

  “Thanks. Meet me over at the food tent in ten minutes. My mom’s really looking forward to meeting you.”

  “Can’t wait,” I lied.

  Wyatt kissed me then jogged off, leaving me to zip my coat back up and act like I wasn’t just ravaged behind a building in the middle of a town event.

  I made my way to the food tent and grabbed a plate. I knew Wyatt would find me eventually, and I was starving. Another side effect. I was hungry all the time, but I could only eat a little at once. I got a piece of chicken and some vegetables, telling myself I’d go back for dessert later. And a salad. A big salad.

  I looked around for a table but didn’t see any empty ones. I also didn’t see Wyatt. Or any of my friends. I knew everyone was planning to be there, but so far, I hadn’t run into anyone except Sawyer.

  I wiggled my phone out of my pocket and unlocked it. I saw a few texts from people saying they were running late. Dammit.

  “You looking for me?” Wyatt asked, his lips on my neck. Tingles raced up and down my spine, making me want more from him.

  It was going to be a long nine months.

  “Hey,” I said, moving out of his reach again. “I didn’t see you.”

  “Yeah, I just walked in. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing. What do you mean?”

  Wyatt shook his head. “Something’s going on. I can tell. You keep moving away from me, except when you were having an orgasm. Are you done?”

  I shook my head, tears spilling onto my cheeks.

  “Shit, Peyton, what’s wrong?” he asked, pulling me to the side of the tent and wrapping his arms around me. “Talk to me, babe. What’s going on?”

  “We can talk later. I thought you wanted me to meet your family.”

  “We’ll find them later. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “It’s okay. Let’s just go see your family.”

  “No. I-”

  “Wyatt!” a deep voice said from a few tables away. “Come on! We have seats.”

  Wyatt and I turned to see a man that looked strikingly similar to him waving. “That’s your brother?”

  Wyatt sighed. “Yeah. I guess you get your wish.”

  I could tell he was pissed off, and I didn’t really blame him. I hated when people said they needed to talk to me, then put it off. I stressed over whatever it could be forever.

  Wyatt introduced me to his family with his mom insisting I sit next to her. She told me to call her Liz when Wyatt and I both balked at me calling her ‘mom.’

  “We’re all just so excited to meet you, Peyton. Wyatt said you’re a doctor?”

  I nodded. “I am. A fertility specialist actually.”

  “Aw, that’s such an amazing job. I’m sure you’re very good at it, too.”

  “I hope so. It’s not easy when I can’t get a patient pregnant.”

  “Well, let’s just hope you can get pregnant.”

  I choked on my coffee. Wyatt yelled, “Mom!” Wyatt’s sister, Sharon, and sister-in-law, Blake both chuckled. His brother and brother-in-law rolled their eyes.

  I wanted to die.

  “We’re just dating, Mom,” Wyatt said. “And neither of us want kids.”

  “I know you keep saying that, but I’m hoping you’ll mess up and get someone pregnant. Peyton would be a good one.”

  I couldn’t take it. I had to get out of there. I mumbled something about needing to go and ran off. I heard Wyatt calling me, but I couldn’t stop. When I finally got to the edge of the crowd, near where I parked, I stopped.

  Wyatt caug
ht up to me in a second. “I’m sorry about my mom,” he started, then he saw my face. “Peyton, what’s wrong?”

  I shook my head.

  He pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheeks. He kissed my eyelids. Then kissed my hair. “Talk to me, babe. What happened? I know my mom’s intense, but it feels like there’s more going on than that.”

  I nodded.

  “Tell me, Pey. It can’t be that bad.”

  I huffed a laugh and Wyatt leaned back to look at me.

  “Talk to me,” he begged again. I wanted to dive into him and hide. To never let any of it out. To ignore the outside world, and my entire world growing inside me, and just be with Wyatt. But it wasn’t fair to him to hide any longer. He had to know the truth.

  “All that stuff about getting pregnant and you accidentally getting me pregnant.”

  He sighed. “I know. She’s crazy. I always use protection. And you don’t want kids so it’s not like we’re going to mess up. She just really wants grandkids. More grandkids. I know she’s a lot. I’ll talk to her though.”

  “I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

  Wyatt stilled. I could feel the tension and distrust rolling off him. I looked up and held his eyes. “What did you say?”

  “I’m pregnant. I found out yesterday.”

  He turned and walked away.

  Chapter 27

  My morning sickness got worse, except I knew it wasn’t really morning sickness. It was Wyatt sickness. He didn’t answer any of my calls or texts, and I was absolutely sick about it.

  But I had a job to do, and I needed to get the hell over Wyatt. He was gone. Our relationship was over. I was going to be a single mom in about eight months. I needed to start figuring out how to do that.

  “Anything?” Laura asked when she caught me staring at the dark screen of my phone for the hundredth time.

  I shook my head and tucked my phone away.

  “Are you sure you can handle this?”

  I nodded. “I owe it to her.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  I knocked and walked into the outpatient room. It was cold, as always, but the cold was bothering me more than usual the last few days.

  Like my body was reminding me that the cold had been a part of my last time with Wyatt.