"Thanks. Every woman loves hearing that."
"That's not what I—" He stops, runs a hand through his hair, dislodging the beanie slightly like he forgot it was there. "Sorry. I meant... are you feeling okay?"
The genuine concern in his voice catches me off guard. "I'm fine. Just exhausted all the time. Apparently, growing a human sucks the energy out of you."
"Is that normal? The exhaustion?"
"According to the internet and Dr. Walker, yes." I pick at a loose thread on my sleeve. "Morning sickness is tapering off, but I can barely keep my eyes open past dinner time. And yesterday I cried because Kieran brought me a decaf instead of regular coffee—which I'm not supposed to have anyway."
Kasen's lips quirk up at the corners. "You cried over coffee?"
"I also cried during a truck commercial about a father and son fixing up an old Chevy." Even talking about it now makes my eyes prickle. I glare at the smirk on his face. "If you laugh, I will end you."
"Not laughing," he says, but his eyes are definitely laughing. "Hormones, huh?"
"Among other things."
"Like what?"
I hadn't meant to bring it up here, but the genuine interest in his expression breaks down a barrier I didn't realize I'd constructed. "My apartment building was sold to developers. I have thirty days to find a new place."
Kasen's expression shifts to concern. "Shit. Really?"
"Really." I stare down at my hands. "And the rental market is a nightmare right now. Everything decent has a waiting list, and everything available is either outrageously expensive or practically uninhabitable."
"That's—"
"Wren Callan?" a nurse calls, interrupting whatever Kasen was about to say.
We follow her back to an exam room, and I hop up on the table while Kasen sits in the single chair. He’s stiff and has a look on his face I can’t read, but whatever he’s feeling, he’s radiatingtension and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the whole baby thing, but maybe it’s the fact that one of his best friends is my doctor and doesn’t know about the baby.
Yeah, it’s probably that.
Dr. Walker—Reed—walks in a few minutes later, looking down at the tablet in his hand. "Alright Wren, let's just review these initial—" He looks up, stops dead, and then a slow grin spreads across his face, replacing the absolute shock. "Kase? What thehellare you doing here?"
I can’t help it. I get all sorts of enjoyment out of watching my doctor try to compute one of his best friends sitting awkwardly inhisOB-GYN exam room. Withme.
"Hey, Reed." Kasen shifts, looking so uncomfortable. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He tugs the edge of his beanie looking like he wishes he was anywhere but here. He gestures vaguely towards me. "Uh, yeah. I'm here with Wren." He sounds like he just got caught doing something he shouldn’t.
This time I can’t hold in the snort, but I catch myself and try to turn it into a cough instead of cracking up like I want to.
Reed's gaze darts between Kasen and me, then down to the tablet. His eyes widen as his head snaps back up to me and then his friend as he laughs. "Wait. You're the— Wren,he'sthe...?" Reed fumbles, a faint flush creeping up his neck before he visibly clamps down, forcing the doctor mask back into place. He clears his throat, adjusting his perfectly knotted tie. "Right. The father."
"Took you long enough," I say, unable to resist. What can I say? Watching Kasen squirm is fun. "Yep. He's my baby daddy."
Reed blinks, his brain clearly still processing the shock. "Okay. Wow. Okay." He takes a slow, deep breath. "This is... definitely not what I expected walking in here." He shoots Kasen a look that clearly promises an interrogation later. "Does Banks know about this?"
"No," Kasen mutters quickly, suddenly finding the pattern on the linoleum floor intensely interesting. "We haven't told anyone."
"Uh-huh," Reed says again, and I can practically see him writing the mental note to get all the details out of Kasen later. He turns back to me, forcing a professional tone, though he still looks like he’d rather sit down and talk about what’s happening here. He glances down and taps something on his tablet. "So, Wren, puttingthataside... how have you been feeling since our last appointment?"
"Less like I'm actively trying to redecorate your office with my stomach contents," I tell him. "More like I could pass out cold at any second. And apparently, I now cry at literally everything. This morning, I teared up because I was almost out of shampoo. It's humiliating."
"Exhaustion and emotional lability are normal for ten weeks," Reed assures me, making notes on his tablet. He glances at Kasen, whose bouncing leg is practically vibrating the chair, with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Ready to see the baby,Dad?"
"Uh, yeah," Kasen says, his voice tight as he glares at his friend, but then he glances over at me, and his expression softens. It’s still weird that he’s not glaring at me, too. "Ready." Hearing him referred to as dad, accepting it so easily sends a weird burst of… something through me. Our eyes lock for a second, and I swear I feel that look all the way down to my toes before I force myself to look away.
Reed nods. "Okay, Wren, let's get you situated."
