Farm Girl Has Bad Boy (#3)

Chapter Eight

“I swear if he’s not here in the next five minutes I’m going to go get him and strangle him,” Mary snaps, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.

“Not if I strangle him first,” I mutter, looking across the medical building parking lot for my truck that Emery took earlier. I’m just over three months pregnant and it’s just starting to show so today we’re finding out the gender. As if I’m not nervous and freaked out enough, it just makes it worse that Emery’s late coming from Alana’s.

“Honey,” my mother says, putting her hand on my shoulder. “Why don’t we wait inside for him? It’s really hot out here for you.” I squint my eyes in the early June sun.

“Mom, its fine,” I sigh, again scanning the parking lot. “I’m pregnant, not old.”

My mom gives Mary and knowing look just as I think I hear a familiar rumbling. Then, on the road leading towards us, I see my truck driving full speed towards the parking lot.

“Is that Emery?” My mother gasps, putting her palm against her forehead to see in the sun. “He’s driving like a maniac!”

“He is a maniac,” Mary mutters, just as Emery somehow manages to slide into a parking space, barely missing a minivan by an inch.

“Sorry I’m late!” Emery yells, jogging towards us. Instead of waiting, the three of us start walking up the path to the medical building, giving Emery the cold, annoyed shoulder.

“Nice of you to show up,” I snap, falling a few feet behind my mom and Mary. Emery slows to my pace and grabs my shoulder, turning me to look at him.

“I said I was sorry,” he says defensively as I jerk my shoulder out of his grasp. “Alana just needed help-“

“Of course it was Alana,” I snap, turning my eyes to glare at Emery. “Who made you late to find out whether your pregnant girlfriend is carrying a boy or a girl.”

I start speed walking away from Emery to catch up with my mom and Mary. They hold open the front doors for me and I stomp in, clenching my fists together at my sides. Emery finally catches up when we stand in front of the elevator.

“Do you think Dad is here yet?” I ask my mother, trying to make the silence less awkward. My dad was already in town so he said he would meet us here.

“He’s probably up there already,” she tells me, just as I feel fingers clasped around my wrist. Emery pulls me a few feet back just as the elevator opens and my mom along with Mary walk inside. I glare at Emery, who’s giving me a pleading look. Just as the elevator doors are about to close, my mom reaches out and stops them. “Are you coming or will you two meet us up there?”

I go to open my mouth to say we’re coming however Emery answers for me.

“We’ll meet you two up there,” he nods to my mom, who lets the doors close. Once we’re alone in the foyer, he grabs both my hands. “River, can we please just be civil?”

I laugh and look away. “Yeah, right,” I mutter, not wanting to have this conversation. He squeezes my hands and I move my gaze back to meet his.

“We’re about to go make a huge milestone in our lives and you’d rather do it hating each other?” I watch his begging eyes and sigh. He does have a point as much as I hate to admit it. But I’m not sure how I’ll be able to put my anger and hurt aside right now.

“Well, maybe if you would stop bringing up Alana in the very few conversations we do actually have, I wouldn’t want to strangle you right now.” Emery gives me a strange look and I move my eyes to the floor.