Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97409 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“I’m going to not be offended by that comment,” he deadpans, making me laugh.
“What time do we have to leave for the appointment?”
“It’s at ten-thirty, so we should leave by ten. Are you excited?”
“We get to see our baby again.” The smirk he had turns into a full megawatt smile. “You bet your ass.”
We lounge on the couch until it’s time for me to get up and get dressed. I change into a sundress for today.
“You look beautiful,” he compliments, kissing my shoulder. The white straps of the dress are tied in a bow. The top part is elastic, and then it flows over my belly to my ankles.
“Thank you. It’s easy access in case you want to get frisky with me.” I wink at him, and he throws his head back and laughs. I get on my tippy-toes and kiss his neck.
We walk out of the house into the sunshine without a cloud in the sky. He slips his hand in mine and opens my door for me. I watch him walk around the truck and get in beside me. I take in the scenery as we make our way toward the doctor’s office. My hand is on my stomach, and I have to say I don’t think I’ve ever been this content with my life before.
We check in, and he sits next to me, his hand tapping his pants when he leans over. “I fear you have made a mistake.”
“What are you talking about?” I snatch a magazine off the table beside me and start to flip through it.
“You are wearing a dress,” he whispers, “and she’s going to have to lift it to get to your stomach. Which means you’ll be practically naked on the table.”
I snort. “I hate to break it to you, but she’s going to see a lot more of me than pretty much even you.” I lift my hand to tap his cheek right as they call my name. “It’ll be okay, I think we’ll survive.”
He follows me in, and when it’s time for me to get on the table, Dr. Louis pulls out a tissue exam sheet. “How’s everyone doing?”
“Fine,” I start to say when Theo interrupts me.
“She’s getting heartburn a lot.”
Dr. Louis has come to enjoy our visits, since I’m always the one who tells her I’m fine, and then Theo tells her everything else. It’s a running joke at the nurses’ station when we see each other at the hospital.
“That can happen. As the baby grows, the uterus expands.” I lay down while she tells him that it’s nothing to worry about. “Can you get the lights?”
“It’s my favorite part,” he says, like a kid in a candy store.
She tucks the tissue into my panties and then squeezes the gel on my stomach. Theo comes to stand next to me, holding my hand and placing the other one over my head. The swooshing sounds start right away. I watch him, the way his whole face lights up with a look like, Do you hear that?
He lifts my hand to his lips. “So strong.” His chest puffs up, and then she moves the transducer around, and we see the baby’s face. “I think our baby is the most beautiful baby ever made.” Dr. Louis laughs at him. “Is everything okay with her?”
“Or him,” I add in. “Is everything okay?”
She clicks a couple of buttons. “Baby is measuring a bit big. But things are following the curve of the last exam.” The machine spits out more pictures, and when she wipes me down, she hands them to me.
“I got another frame,” Theo tells me. “For this one.” He has our ultrasound pictures right on display in the living room. He takes the photos from me as I sit up. “I’ll hold these.”
“I’ll see you guys next month,” Dr. Louis says while we walk out.
“Look at how big she got.” He is still looking at the pictures.
“I know, I feel it every single time I sit down.” I rub my belly. “I’m hungry.”
“Perfect, let’s go for lunch.” He opens the truck door for me, giving me a kiss before helping me in.
He parks in front of Thatcher’s, and when I meet him on the sidewalk, he slides his hand in mine and brings it up to his lips to kiss my fingers. “Love you,” he says, and I just smile as we walk. A sign in the front of the bakery says: Closed for a Private Event.
“Oh no!” I exclaim in dismay. But he just tugs the door open and pulls me inside.
“Surprise!” A crowd of people yell in unison. I’m so fucking confused. Samantha is coming toward me.
“What is going on?” I ask. She has tears running down her face as she takes me in her arms.
“It’s your baby shower,” Samantha whispers into my ear. “Surprise.”