Page 29 of LA Reign

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Alejandro said every girl should get a car for her sixteenth birthday, and as we didn’t know you then, a car for your seventeenth is the next best thing.”

“Well, I love it. I can’t wait to take it for a spin. You’ll come driving with me later, won’t you, Hugo?” she asks.

“I’m afraid I can’t, got to take the boss lady to work this afternoon,” he replies, a kind smile on his face.

“I’m sure Jax said he’d be calling round later. Alejandro told me he loves cars and used to be a drag racer. Maybe he could take you for a quick drive?” I suggest.

She seems satisfied with that response and sits back in her seat, grinning. Lucia was beside herself this morning when I presented her with the new Mercedes that Alejandro chose for her. She refused it at first, telling me that it was too much, but I reminded her that Alejandro has more money than he could spend in twenty lifetimes and that she deserves something nice after her years of struggle. Plus, it will be so much easier for her when the baby arrives if she has a car. After a brief pause, she gratefully accepted, giving me a huge hug and promising me that she would cherish it forever.

“Miss Montoya,” the nurse calls and Lucia blinks at me, confused.

“Alejandro had our name put on your records for now, I hope you don’t mind. He didn’t want to bring any attention to who you really are,” I tell her quietly.

Her face lights up in a smile. “That makes sense. Actually, I kind of like how it sounds. Will you come in with me Alana?”

“Of course,” I tell her, honored she asked me, and excited to see her baby on the screen. I can’t stop thinking about my conversation with Alejandro a couple of weeks ago, where we both agreed we wanted kids. I got my period a few days ago, so it hasn’t happened yet, but hopefully one day soon I’ll be the one waiting for my check-up

“We’ll wait right here,” Hugo assures me before we walk into the doctor’s office.

Dr. Kelly has finished checking Lucia and the baby over and confirmed everything is as it should be. We saw her baby on the screen and Lucia got all teary and squeezed my hand, and that made me tear up too. It was really quite magical being here for it all. A real privilege to be part of this time in her life.

“It’s never too early to think about contraception for the future, Lucia,” the doctor says. “There are plenty of options. I’ll give you some information on them, and you can decide when you’re ready.”

Lucia shudders. “I’m not sure that will be an issue for a while, doc. Maybe not ever. And if it does come up, Alana can help me decide. What contraception do you use?” She looks to me.

“What? Oh, I don’t use any. I never have.”

Dr. Kelly shoots me a glance that I don’t fully understand. I don’t get a judgmental vibe from her at all, but there was definitely something there. Shock, perhaps? “My husband and I would like a baby,” I tell her.

“Oh, I see,” Dr. Kelly smiles. “Have you been trying long?”

While we weren’t exactly trying, we’ve also never used protection. “Uh, a few months. And we’re not really trying, just more not, not trying, if you know what I mean?”

She nods. “Well, when you do get serious about starting a family, you need to make sure you’re having sex in your ovulation window. You can work it out roughly, but there are tests to take to make sure you’re trying on the right days.”

“It’s not something I’ve ever really thought about, to be honest.”

“Well, that might be why you’ve never fallen pregnant yet. Unless you’re having sex every single day, you might be missing your window.”

Lucia bursts out laughing at this point, and despite being a grown woman talking to a medical professional, I blush to the roots of my hair. Dr. Kelly’s eyes dart between the two of us with a look of bewilderment on her face.

Lucia holds up her hands in defense. “Sorry, Doc. All I know is that Alana and Alejandro are doing it way more than once a day.”

“Lucia!” I’m mortified. “You can’t say that.”

She shrugs. “What’s the big deal? You’re in love and you can’t keep your hands off each other. It’s cute. Plus we’re in a doctor’s office, she knows all about how babies are made.”

Dr. Kelly gives her a stern look. “Lucia, you and I are all done. Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes please?”

Lucia stands up with a dramatic roll of her eyes, then she gives me a cheeky wink as she heads out of the door.

“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, Mrs. Montoya,” Dr. Kelly says. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have started that discussion until we were alone.”

I shake my head, absolutely embarrassed, but by Lucia, not her. “It’s fine. I don’t know why she would say that. It’s not like we do anything in front of her.”

We’re very discreet—aren’t we?

She laughs softly. “I’m sure you don’t. But if it’s true that you are having sex every day and not using contraception, but you haven’t fallen pregnant yet, it might be worth us running some basic tests. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”