“How are you feeling?” she asks.
“Much better, thanks,” I reply as she begins her initial examination.
“I know this is overwhelming, but it’s going to be important for you and the baby’s health that you manage your stress. Has the sleep aid I prescribed you been helping?”
Sucking air through my nose, I take a deep breath as she listens to my lungs before responding, “Yes. I’ve been sleeping so soundly that someone could creep in my window and sleep next to me, and I wouldn’t notice.”
A choking sound turns our gazes in my father’s direction, and he’s five shades redder than he was when we first arrived.
“Are you alright?” Dr. Jaffri inquires, stepping in his direction.
He holds his hands up, halting her. “I’ll be okay. I just choked on spit,” Dad wheezes.
Dr. Jaffri guides me down on the table, instructing me to lift my shirt before she turns on the ultrasound machine and washes her hands.
I watch with interest as she applies gel to the probe and then places it against my abdomen. She points to the monitor, and at the same time, a whooshing sound fills the room, followed by what can only be described as the galloping of hoofs. “This is Baby Bradford,” she announces.
My eyes lock on my baby. Perfection. Even at this stage, utter perfection. Did I want to be a teenage mother? Fuck no! But this is
??/p>
–
A gasp interrupts my thoughts. “Well, this is unexpected,” Dr. Jaffri mumbles loud enough for me to hear.
“Is everything okay, Janan?” My dad jumps from his spot in the corner, reaching my side before Dr. Jaffri can respond. If I weren’t so concerned with what she’s seeing, I’d have questions about their familiarity.
“There are two heartbeats,” Dr. Jaffri says almost inaudibly.
Did this bitch just say two?
“As in, the baby’s heart is beating twice, or are two total?” I screech out. My earlier panic returns a hundredfold.
Clearing her throat, she replies, “Twins.”
Once the oxygen returns to my brain, I shout, “Which super sperm motherfucker did this to me?”
As the last of my memory from that day fades, something Samantha said in the cafe sparks into awareness.
‘You stupid bitch. How the fuck did you get pregnant? It was supposed to be me.’
She wanted to get pregnant. So, how did it end up being me instead? Did that cunt plan something, and the doctor screwed up?
Picking my phone up, I dial Dad.
“Hey, Ry. Everything good?” he greets.
Too focused on this new information, and I get directly to the point. “We need to find the doctor that put in the implants. She either made a mistake or didn’t implant me on purpose.”
LIAM
“She’s pregnant?” Sebastian questions. His blue eyes grow three times their original size as shock sets in from Rowan’s words.
We’re seated around the Council’s table in their private chambers at the Fraternitas as Rowan informs Sebastian and the Council of the shocking news.
“How’s that possible?” Sebastian mutters, more to himself, but it’s still loud enough for us to hear.
Never missing a moment to be a wiseass, August explains, “Well, you see when a man and woman have sex, the man’s sperm fight each other to fertilize??”
“You know what I fucking mean,” Sebastian spits. His jaw tenses as he grits his teeth. “Emma, like all the other Selected girls, was given a birth control implant, and she was adamant about using condoms.” He turns to face August. “So, again. How is that possible?
Pulling out my phone, I do a quick search before responding, “It’s possible, just highly unlikely. The combination of the implant and a condom reduces the likelihood of conceiving to less than one percent.”
“Thank you, Captain Brainiac,” Karl chimes, his sarcasm evident. “The more important question here is, what are we going to do? We can’t leave her to go through this pregnancy alone or think we don’t want her.”
A throat clears. “Nothing changes,” Mr. Calloway states. “It’s even more important we continue to play along. We can’t risk any harm to Emma. She’s carrying the future of the Fraternitas.”
“I don’t give a shit about the future of this organization,” Karl snaps.
Before his father can respond, Rowan asks, “Did you have something to do with this?”
Donald Calloway’s face scrunches in outrage. “Absolutely not. We wanted you to choose Emma, but we wouldn’t go this far.”
“I distinctly remember you urging me to sleep with her,” Rowan retorts.
Karl’s nostrils flare. “Is that true?”
“I merely suggested that if you all were going to sleep with any of the Selected, Miss Bradford would be the best choice,” Rowan’s father replies dryly.
August is out of his seat and grabs Rowan by the collar of his navy blue polo before we can react. “Is that why you were on a mission to get her to forgive you? Because Daddy said so?”
“We don’t have time for this,” Sebastian shouts.
“Let him go, August,” I order.
August’s wild eyes snap in my direction. “Not until he answers.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.