Love Me, Lucas Eaton

Chapter Five

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞       ~

𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐬

The last time I sat in this exact waiting room, Piper was giving birth to my nephew in another room.

I remember rapidly tapping my foot against the floor; not understanding how my dad was so calm in that moment. Evie came home from school for a few days for the birth, so she constantly held my hand until we got information that Piper and the baby were safe. 

A few months later, Layla and Griffin were in a hospital room preparing for the birth of my niece, Kennedy, and I remember feeling the same amount of anxiety; because I almost got to the hospital too late. Also, I feel like such a shitty fucking human being, because I missed the birth of my niece, Dylan, last week and because of that, I ended up missing Christmas as well. I was trying to make it home for that, but a freak snowstorm slowed down my travels back home. 

Elena sits next to me in the same waiting room, looking calm and in control of herself. While I'm sitting here freaking out.

She called her doctor for a sudden visit and told her that she and the father of the baby would like to know the sex. I'm trying my best to look calm, but I'm internally freaking out right now.

"Can you at least pretend to not look sick to your stomach?" Elena asks, obviously rhetorically.

She side-eyes me before elegantly rolling her brown doe eyes at me.

Elena Hill is truly the most beautiful woman I've ever set my eyes on. Her dark brown hair is so thick and wavy, it takes up most of the area on her shoulders and back. Before leaving the coffee shop, she put on a dark green beanie with a large pom pom on top. It perfectly matched the dark green winter jacket she wore.

"I'm doing my best," I murmur. 

"Elena!" A woman screams, interrupting everyone around us in the waiting room. "I wasn't expecting your call, but I had a free moment during lunch, so let's get back there and get ready."

This woman looks familiar.

I'm picturing her face about a decade earlier, and I think we went to high school together.

Does being here with Elena mean the entire town is going to know I'm the father of her baby?

Elena's been keeping this a secret for the past six months. She didn't want anyone to know the truth — neither did I — and she never threw me under the bus to become to town parriah.

Everyone in town likes to speculate about the father of Piper's baby. It's her decision to tell people the truth, and I don't blame her for wanting to shut everyone down. A part of me figured that I'd come back to Mount Misery Island and get the cold shoulder from everyone for abandoning my unborn child.

"Can you also not check out my doctor? She's here to check on my baby," she whispers, shoving past me into the exam room.

I jump into action helping Elena up onto the seat so she can lay back to her comfort. She accepts my help without complaint, but I know it's killing her inside to accept my help.

"Give me five minutes, and then we'll get started."

Once the doctor leaves the room, I take a step away from Elena and say, "I wasn't checking her out, by the way. She looked familiar, maybe from high school, but I didn't want to say anything."

"Whatever."

"I know what you think about me, but I'm not some fucking sleaze that tries to have sex with anyone who crosses my path," I say as I pace the length of the examination room.