“HEY, I’M COLE Mackenzie,” I announce, winking at the cute blonde receptionist through the small opening of the glass window. “I’m here to see Dr. Graham.”
I don’t miss the way her eyes widen at the mention of my last name. Being a Mackenzie in Heritage Bay is like being a local celebrity. My grandfather, Dr. Max “Mac” Mackenzie, founded the Heritage Bay Medical Center over twenty-five years ago.
My grandmother, Ella Mackenzie, everyone calls her “Mimi,” is a socialite and comes from old money. Her father owned quite a bit of land in Heritage Bay. Mimi recently retired from her occupation as an interior designer and turned over her business to my mom. Now all her free time is wrapped up in charity.
“Oh yes, Cole, I spoke with your grandfather this morning. Go ahead and sign in.” She points to the sign-in sheet fastened to a clipboard.
When I finish signing my name, she passes me another clipboard through the window. “Please fill these out and have a parent sign.”
“Okay, thanks.” I shoot her another wink before heading over to the waiting room. Dropping down in the chair beside my mom, I pass her the clipboard.
Mom fills out the paperwork, and we both sign on the necessary lines before I take the clipboard back up to the window.
A few minutes later, a nurse appears in the doorway and calls my name.
My mom looks up from the magazine she’s reading and asks, “Want me to come back with you?”
As I stand up, I chuckle at the thought of my mom being in the room while the doctor cups my balls and tells me to cough. That would be a big fat hell no.
“Nope.” I press a kiss to her cheek before following the nurse through the door.
While the nurse records my height and weight into my patient file, the door to my left opens and a young woman with dark hair, pulled back into a ponytail, steps out. Her top is covered in colorful cartoon characters, but it does little to hide her very pregnant belly. My eyes move from her belly back up to her face. Damn. She’s beautiful.
“Congratulations,” I say, gesturing to her belly.
Her bright green gaze jerks up to meet mine and widens. “Oh.” She presses her hand over her heart. “You scared me.”
“Sorry.” My lips instantly curl up on one side into my signature smirk before I mentally chastise myself. Apparently, my flirting knows no bounds. What the hell am I doing flirting with a pregnant chick?
“It’s okay.” She smiles and waddles off toward the front office.
“WHAT TIME ARE you picking me up?” Zach’s voice booms through the speakers of my new Chevy Silverado, a gift from Uncle Marcus and Aunt Emerson for my sixteenth birthday.
“Give me an hour,” I reply as I pull into my driveway.
“All right. Later,” he clips out before hanging up.
Zach Easton is Heritage Bay’s resident ‘Golden Boy’ and has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I consider him more like family since our grandmothers are longtime childhood friends.
Climbing out of my truck, I reach across the cab and grab my bag from the passenger seat. The sound of a car door shutting in the distance prompts me to look over my shoulder to the small silver car parked at the curb and the pregnant chick from Dr. Graham’s office making her way up the driveway. She’s wearing scrubs again, and the top has little yellow Minions all over it.
What is she doing here?
“Uh….” is all I can say as I close my door because, if I’m being honest, I’m a little weirded out. Did I give her the wrong idea by flirting with her?
“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asks as she stops in front of me and crosses her arms over her chest, resting them on top of her stomach.
My brows draw inward, confused. “Of course I do. From Dr. Graham’s office.”
“We’ve met before, Cole Mackenzie.” She spits out my last name like it’s a bad taste in her mouth. I’ll admit, that’s a first. “At a party back in November.” She shakes her head. “I can’t believe you’re only sixteen.”
I frown. “I’m sorry, but what party are you talking about? I’ve been to a lot of parties, and I’ve met a lot of girls.” I gesture to her stomach. “I don’t remember any of them being pregnant.”
“I wasn’t pregnant then.” She rolls her eyes and drops her hands on her hips. “Let me refresh your memory. It was a fraternity party.” She gestures to her car. “We hooked up.”
Oh. Oooh. “I remember,” I say with a wince. Dylan had taken Zach and me to one of his college parties over Thanksgiving break. I don’t remember her name, but I do remember she straddled me in the back seat of her car. That was fun. A little cliché, losing my virginity in the back seat of a car, but I don’t think she knew I was a virgin. “So what are you doing here?”
“I don’t know.” She sighs and rubs her temples. “I shouldn’t have come here. I could get in a lot of trouble. It’s just… I didn’t know you were only sixteen.” Actually, I was only fifteen then. But I won’t tell her that, since she seems pretty hell-bent on me being sixteen. “Dammit!” She turns and waddles back down the driveway toward her car.
“So what!” I call out to her retreating back. “I’m sixteen. What’s the big deal?”
She spins on her heels and looks at me like I’ve got three heads. “I’m twenty!” she yells. “You told me you were eighteen and that you were a freshman. You lied.”
“I was a freshman.” In high school.
She narrows her eyes and growls under her breath.
“I’m sorry.” I can’t help but chuckle. She’s feisty, this girl. It’s kind of hot. “It’s not like I’m gonna turn you into the sex police or anything.”
“That’s not the point,” she scoffs, tilting her head back to look up at the sky. “This is just great.” She throws her hands out to her sides, and I can’t tell if she’s talking to herself, to me or to God. She returns her deep green gaze to me.
Damn, she really is beautiful.
“I never expected to see you again,” she continues, making her way back to me. I want to tell her the feeling is mutual, but I don’t want to hurt her pregnant feelings. “Then you came in to Dr. Graham’s office, where I work, and not only are you Dr. Mackenzie’s grandson, but you’re only sixteen. I feel like somehow it was the universe’s way of forcing me to do the right thing. To tell you the truth.”
I smirk. “Tell me what?”
“This baby”—she points to her stomach—“is yours.”
My smile slips and my heart plummets to the pit of my stomach. I instantly feel nauseous as a cold sheen of sweat coats my body. No fucking way. Deny. Deny. Deny. “Bullshit.” I choke out a disbelieving laugh. “I used a condom.”
“Well, condoms aren’t 100 percent effective. Didn’t you learn that in your high school sex-ed class?” she says sarcastically, a sure jab at my age. “And do you really think I would come here and confront a sixteen-year-old kid if I was lying? I haven’t been with anyone else.”
“But I’m sixteen,” I plead. My parents are going to kill me. “What do you expect me to do? Do you want money or something?”
“No.” She grimaces, offended. “I don’t want your money.” She holds out her hand. “Give me your phone.”
Reaching inside my gym bag, I pull out my phone and, after unlocking the screen, pass it to her. She enters her phone number and then hands it back to me. “My name is Jade, by the way.” She rubs her stomach. “This is Willow. She’s due in eight weeks.”
My eyebrows skyrocket to my hairline. “You’re having a girl?”
“Yeah.” She smiles proudly. “I have your number now, so I’ll be in touch. We can do a paternity test if you want. I’m not asking you for anything. I don’t need you or your money. I was planning on doing this without you, so it’s up to you if you want to be in her life. If you don’t, I’ll understand. You’re young and it’s a big responsibility.” She shrugs. “In the meantime, talk to your family, and contact me if you have any questions.” She turns and waddles back to her car. “I mean it. Talk to your parents, Cole. Tell them the truth.” She narrows her eyes before she eases back into her little silver car and drives off, leaving me standing in my driveway staring after her.
I can already picture how the conversation with my parents will go down.
“Hey, Mom and Dad, seven months ago I lost my virginity to a random college girl in the back seat of her car, and oh, by the way, I got her pregnant. Good talk.”