Seducing Simon - Maya Banks Page 0,3

forever. I was just…scared.” Once again she found herself in his embrace. “We’ve looked out for you since you were a little kid, Toni. We all care a lot about you. You don’t have to be afraid.”

“He’s right,” A.J. said with a nod.

“So what’s next?” Simon asked, stroking her hair comfortingly.

She sighed and pulled slightly away. “I suppose I need to make an appointment to see the doctor. Get a blood test. I mean there is a small possibility the first test is wrong.”

“Do you want one of us to go with you?” A.J. asked.

She smiled. “No, I think I can handle it. Besides you guys start a twenty-four tomorrow.”

“But you’ll come by the station and let us know,” Simon prompted.

“Yes, if you want me to, that is.”

They all gave her a look that suggested she was crazy.

“Okay, okay. I’ll come by as soon as I get out of the doctor’s office.

That is if I can even get an appointment that soon.”

“Are you staying?” A.J. asked. His question hung in the air and Simon and Matt looked intently at her.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I hadn’t thought beyond my initial panic.”

“You don’t need to worry about it now,” Simon said firmly. Besides, if anyone moves, it will be me and A.J.. This is your house.”

“No!” she exclaimed. “I wouldn’t hear of it. I mean you guys have been here forever.”

“We feel the same way about you moving,” A.J. said softly.

“Thanks,” she said warmly. “I love you guys.” Simon squeezed her to him. She got up awkwardly and headed back to the kitchen. “You guys are missing the second half. Go ahead and watch. I think I am going to go lie down for awhile.”

“You okay?” Simon asked in concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a lot of thinking to do.” She ignored the worry in their eyes and walked to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

She leaned heavily on the door, her knees sagging underneath her.

What a complete mess. She had the urge to dive under her covers and stay there for a week. Yeah, sure, she couldn’t hide her pregnancy forever, but she’d hoped to buy some time to get her life in order before she told them about the baby.

Baby. She smoothed her hands over her still flat stomach. Tears welled in her eyes. She loved it already. Almost as much as she loved its father. But telling Simon she loved him, much less that he was the father of her baby, was out of the question.

Chapter Two

She slept in the next morning, knowing the guys had to be at the station by six forty-five for their shift. Usually, she’d get up and shoot the breeze with them before they left, but this morning she stayed in bed to avoid them.

When she heard them leave, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and tensed for the wave of nausea she’d come to expect. She reached into her nightstand drawer for the small package of crackers she’d put there the previous day. Taking small bites, she got up and headed for the bathroom.

At seven thirty, she got into her yellow Jeep Wrangler and headed for the veterinary practice across town. She’d worked as Doc Johnson’s assistant for the last six years, since she’d come home after one year of college.

He was a kindly older man, very much a father figure after the death of her parents. She loved her job and loved living in her small town even more. It was where she’d lived all her life, and she couldn’t envision that changing.

Things could get a little difficult when her stomach started bulging, though. The only problem with living in a town where everyone knew you was, well, everyone knew you.

She climbed out of her Jeep and threw on her lab coat before heading inside.

“Mornin’, Toni,” Marnie called as she opened the door.

“Mornin,” she returned.

“Doc’s waiting on you in back. We just got in a dog with a broken hip, and he’s prepping it for surgery.”

Toni nodded and walked through the door past the exam rooms and on to the surgery area. She scrubbed then entered the surgery where Doc Johnson was waiting.

“Mornin, Toni. Just in time. Come on over so I can get started.” An hour later, Toni washed up and walked back out to the reception desk. Thankful Marnie was on the other phone, she hastily looked up the number for the local obstetrician’s office and dialed. After making an appointment to have blood