Page 54 of Haden

Kinsley chuckles as she takes my vitals and then feels around my neck. “Are your periods regular?”

“Yes. On the dot. Twenty-eight days.”

“What are your symptoms?”

“I usually throw up once at the onset, have pretty severe cramping the first day, get emotional, cry a bit, take some drugs, sleep it off, and move on with my life.” I raise my eyebrows at Haden who narrows his gaze in warning. The urge to stick my tongue out is strong, but I refrain.

“How is your flow?”

“Heavy the first day, tapering off after that.” I’ve been through this conversation several times. I have it memorized.

“I assume you must have started your period recently?”

“Yesterday.”

Kinsley comes to my side. “Can you lie back for me?” She helps me extend. “Any breast tenderness?”

“Yes. It’s better today. They usually get sore the day before I start.”

Kinsley guides my closest arm above my head before lifting one side of the paper away from my breast and palpating around in a circle.

I wince slightly.

Haden stands at my other side, one hand on the table behind my head. His brows are furrowed as if I’m about to be told I’ll die later this week. From menstruating.

“Do you do regular self-exams?” Kinsley asks as she covers the first breast, switches my arm placement, and uncovers the other to repeat the process.

“I’m not very good at remembering.”

Haden growls low in his throat. “She’ll remember now.”

Kinsley smiles and looks up at him. “You can do them. It’s often the woman’s partner who finds anything unusual.”

“Kinsley! Don’t encourage him. He’s already so overbearing I’m smothering,” I argue.

She shrugs. “I would expect nothing less from anyone living in that mansion. I’m not the least bit surprised by this development. I could have predicted it weeks ago,” she teases. “Plus, I’m serious. Breast exams are important.”

“What do I need to do?” Haden asks.

“You saw what I did. Just do the same thing. Have her lie on the bed, arms raised, and palpate around in a circle. If you do it once a month, you’ll know her breast tissue so well that you’ll notice any changes.”

“What about when she’s nursing?”

“Same thing. It’s better to check her after fully expressing her milk.”

I sigh dramatically. Great. One more thing my bossy man is going to take on.

“Warning, I’m going to pinch your nipples now.”

I hold my breath while she grips first one and then the other. She does more than pinch. She squeezes hard a few times on each side.

“Have you ever had a discharge?”

“No. Not yet. I will in nine months if Haden has anything to say about it.”

Kinsley chuckles. “Probably before that. If you regularly engage in nipple play, you might start leaking a bit before you give birth.” She turns her attention to Haden and lifts a pointed finger. “Do not express her milk before the baby comes unless she’s past her due date. It can induce labor.”

He nods. “Got it.”