Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
I swear to myself I’m going to take good care of Poppy and the baby—I’ll get her the best care and be with her every step of the way. I’m still angry at my brother. How could Dirk do this to her? Why would he go out of his way to get her pregnant when he was clearly planning on leaving her? I’m ashamed to be related to him and I swear if I could get my hands on him, I’d make him sorry he was ever born!
So far, however, my search for my brother is going nowhere. I’ve tried tracking him every way I know how—I even hired a private investigator, which isn’t cheap. But it’s like he dropped off the face of the Earth—he’s just gone. If I had to guess, I’d say he’s probably in another country by now, spending Poppy’s money on liquor and whores. He must have been planning this for months—probably as soon as he found out how much her grandmother’s house was worth. The little shit.
But as angry as I am with Dirk, I can’t help feeling a tiny bit grateful in a weird way. Having Poppy in my house and in my life has been a game changer. I don’t think I realized how lonely I was until she came. She’s a bright, sunny little thing—or she is when she’s not feeling frightened or threatened. I’ve been working hard to make her feel safe—to let her know she can be herself around me. I want to see her happy and glowing, like she was on the day of her wedding. Before Dirk pulled the rug out from under her.
I realize it’s going to be a while before she can feel that way again, but in the meantime, I just really like her company. She’s beautiful and sweet and kind. She’s also fiercely intelligent. She told me that she wanted to go to nursing school and that she was actually accepted to the school of her choice…only Dirk, that asshole, convinced her to move up here with him instead. He really ruined her whole future—or tried to. I’m determined not to let him.
As soon as we get home, I make sure she’s comfortable in her bedroom, though honestly, I wish I could put her in mine. I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on her tonight. Only, how do I ask her if she’d sleep in the same bed as me? It would sound creepy and weird. I don’t want her to feel like I’m coming on to her—I want her to feel perfectly safe with me.
Anyway, even though I find Poppy extremely beautiful, she’s off limits. By Were law, her being my sister-in-law is the same as being my sister. Meaning any kind of intimacy between us would be considered incest, even though we’re not blood related. I’m a Lone Wolf so I don’t participate much in my local pack, but that doesn’t mean I want to break one of the Unbreakable Laws. I can’t do that.
No matter how protective and possessive I feel, Poppy is forbidden fruit.
Not that I should be thinking this way. I push the wrong ideas out of my mind as I dial the number for the local Were clinic. They provide prenatal care for pregnant Were females and pups. I’m going to get Poppy an appointment and be sure she and the baby she’s carrying are healthy.
I’m responsible for them now—both of them. And I’m going to make sure they’re safe and cared for.
7
POPPY
“Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Hayes,” the doctor says, smiling as she enters the room. “I’m Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins but you can just call me Dr. Elizabeth.”
“Hi, Dr. Elizabeth.” I nod and smile back and Logan does too. It feels a little strange to keep pretending we’re a married couple, but we agreed it would be less awkward than trying to explain that he’s actually my brother-in-law. So for these doctor visits—which Logan has promised to attend with me—we’re just going to pretend he’s my husband and I’m his wife.
“So, I understand you’re expecting.” Doctor Elizabeth smiles widely. “Congratulations!”
“Thanks,” I say, smiling. Now that Logan has promised to be by my side, I have a lot less fear and anxiety about having a baby. He makes me feel safe and when I feel safe, I can let myself feel happy. I’ve always wanted to be a mom—I guess this is my chance.
“So, first things first. I know they already drew your blood—let’s get an ultrasound and see how far along the pup is,” she remarked.
Uh…the pup? I must have heard her wrong.
She turns down the lights and rolls an ultrasound machine over.
“Um, doesn’t a tech usually do that?” I ask her.
She shrugs.
“Yes, but I’m certified as well and I don’t like to bother the tech when I can do it myself. Now, this early in the pregnancy, we need to do what we call a ‘transvaginal ultrasound.’ That means I’m going to be inserting this wand into your vagina.” She holds out a plastic wand for me to inspect. “We get much better pictures that way during the first trimester,” she explains.