VEGAS follows you home (46 page)

"Did you eat good?"

"Num nums."

"Good boy."

"Down now." He pushes at her chest.

"Hold on." She walks to the far end of the kitchen. Placing a kiss to his head, she sets him down in his play area.

The minute he's loose, he runs off to a pile of cars and blocks.

"Was he good?" She turns to me.

"Of course. He's a wonderful boy."

"I can't disagree." She smiles.

"Olivia, I don't want to cause a fight," I watch her body tense, "but I would like you to let me know if Erik sends anything else."

My eyes search hers. I see her defiance flare.

"It's not about you. I just want to be sure I'm aware of his actions. They seem off to me."

Her body relaxes a bit.

"It's nothing, I'm sure," she states. "But I will tell you about any more deliveries."

"Thank you."

I set Alex's bag down next to the baby gate and straighten.

"I have a doctor appointment on Wednesday. There will be an ultrasound."

"Will we learn the sex?"

She fidgets for a moment.

"Do you want to know?" Her brow furrows.

"I…I don't know. I guess I didn't think about it until now. What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to know, so I can prepare the other bedroom accordingly. And so I know if I'll need to purchase girl things in place of the boy items I have stored away."

"You planned on another child?"

"No. I mean, I thought about it." She looks to Alex playing on his mat. "But it's mostly just because I haven't been ready to let go of his baby things yet. My plan was to donate them eventually."

She looks back at me, catching my grin.

"Can I be honest?"

She nods, her brow furrowing a bit.

"I hope it's a girl."

"Really?" She sounds genuinely surprised.

"Yes." I cup her face. "There should be another girl as beautiful as you in the world."

I don't miss the twitch at the side of her mouth. She's pleased by my words.

"Text me the time and address for the appointment."

I pull my hand away, enjoying the way her body sways toward me.

She nods.

"Also, our date."

She stiffens again.

"I'd like to get together Thursday evening for dinner. Is that okay for you?"

"I…I think so."

"Good. Dress casual and comfortable. I want this to be as relaxed and easy going as possible."

"Okay." Another nod.

With this being our most positive interaction, I don't want to leave. I want to cup her face, kiss her lips, and hold her so close that she sways into me. I want to squat on the floor with Alex and play cars.

I can only hope she responds positively to my surprise.

Stepping into the doctor's office, I'm not prepared for a room full of round bellied women. There are eight women, including Olivia. I take a seat beside her and settle into the chair.

"Hello," I greet her.

"Hi." She smiles small.

Her leg bounces and she fidgets in her seat.

"Are you okay?" I place my hand on hers.

She nods, leg still bouncing.

"Are you sure? You seem nervous." I nod to her shaking limb.

"Oh, no. I have to pee," she whispers.

"They don't have a ladies room?" My brow furrows.

She smiles wide.

"I can't go until after the ultrasound. I started drinking water too early and now I have to go every twenty minutes."

"Oh." Settling back into my chair, I think about this information. "Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Can we not talk about it? I'm trying not to think about it. Distraction is key."

She winks and I swallow hard. I'm not use to this playful side of Olivia.

"Miss Harlow?"

Our attention turns to a woman in bright pink scrubs.

"Yes." Olivia stands, securing her bag over her shoulder.

I follow her lead.

"My name is Liz," she introduces herself to both of us, then turns to Olivia. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good, just overhydrated," Olivia jokes and Liz laughs.

"Let's see if we can get you taken care of quickly."

We enter a light blue and white room.

"Hop on up." Liz pats a beige padded table.

Olivia lays her bag and coat on a chair and slips onto the table.

"Can you unbutton or roll down the top of your pants?"

Liz clicks away on a keyboard and looks at a screen. Olivia pulls her shirt up under her breasts and pushes the stretchy pants low on her hips.

My eyes are riveted on the small bump — our child. Another child is growing in there. Before I can stop myself, I lay my hand on her.

Olivia's eyes widen and she bites at her lip. I want to lean down and take her mouth with mine. Instead, I smile wide.

"Excuse me." Liz smiles at me. "I need to put this gel there."

"Of course."

I remove my hand and stand closer to Olivia's side.

"This should be warm." Liz squeezes the light greenish gel onto Olivia's skin.

Seeing Olivia's hand lying next to her, I take it in between both of mine. Her eyes meet mine. She smiles and I can feel tension leave her.

"Do you want to know the sex?" Olivia asks.

"Yes," I answer on an exhale.

She gives one nod.

"So, that's a yes?" Liz holds a wide T-shape wand in her hand and presses it against Olivia's stomach.

"Yes," Olivia answers.

"Let me get my measurements done and then I'll turn the screen toward you."

Liz clicks some keys, rolls a ball-like object on the keyboard, and presses a few buttons with one hand while moving the wand around with the other. The longer she stays silent, the more tense I feel Olivia become.

"Everything is looking good, Olivia." Liz keeps her eyes on the monitor as she assures her.

Olivia audibly exhales.

"I was a bit worried for a minute."

"Sorry," Liz apologizes. "Everything is measuring on track for eighteen weeks."

A couple more clicks and then the monitor is turned toward us.

"Okay, you ready to meet your baby?"

Her eyes move from Olivia to me and back.

We both nod.

"Here's a hand."

She uses a finger to circle the screen before clicking some buttons.

"A leg and the little foot is here." Liz grins while pointing.

My heart constricts. It's suddenly hard to breathe.

"Okay, let's see if we can get a good angle."

The…
my
baby's leg kicks out.

"Do you feel that?" I ask Olivia.

"Not yet." Her eyes stay on the monitor.

"Ah ha!" Liz exclaims. "Say hello to your baby girl."

"A girl?" I whisper.

"A girl," Liz confirms.

I squeeze Olivia's hand, bringing it to my mouth and kissing her knuckles.

"Thank you," I speak against her skin.

Her eyes meet mine, but she stays silent. I don't need her to say a word.

In this moment, every crack in my heart heals, the darkest parts of my soul fill with light, and my chest swells. This little girl hasn't arrived yet, but I already love her the way I love Alex and Olivia.

During the remainder of her appointment, her doctor is happy with everything except her blood pressure, which is a bit high. She instructs Olivia to take it easy and avoid stress, but, for now, it looks good.

While I originally wanted a house, there wasn't anything on the market aside from a house still under construction. This leaves me in this three bedroom apartment for the next few months.

I thought this temporary apartment would be the location for our date night, but decide a neutral location will be best. To ensure we have privacy to talk to each other, I request a private dining room from the downtown steakhouse.

Dressed in dark jeans and a long, cream sweater, Olivia stares out the window of the car.

"Are you okay?" I ask, keeping my eyes on the drivers pushing and swerving before entering the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

"Yes." She nods.

"Please don't be nervous. I want us to relax and talk, that's it."

I break to avoid some idiot crossing into my lane just inside the tunnel. Olivia's hand moves to the dashboard.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault."

From the corner of my eye, I see her shrug.

We arrive at the restaurant after finding a space in the parking garage one block over. The lack of valet parking, and parking in general, is annoying. I should've used my driver, but I want this to be a normal man and woman going to dinner date.

After giving my name, we are immediately shown to a private dining table. It's set for two, but could easily seat four. The waiter takes our drink orders and leaves us to look over the menu.

"So, a girl?" I try to open up conversation.

"Yep." She grins at her menu.

"You wanted a boy," I say, mostly to spark a response from her.

Her head snaps up.

"No. I didn't care if it was a girl or a boy. Why would you think that?"

Her brow furrows.

"You just seem quiet on the subject." I shrug and look at my menu.

"May I take your order?" The waiter appears, taking both our orders and disappearing again.

There is a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Please tell me what's wrong?"

Our eyes meet and lock for a moment before she looks away.

"I don't know what to do," she whines. "I haven't
dated
in forever. I have no idea what we are going to talk about aside from visitations for Alex and the baby."

"None of that tonight," I state and take a drink from my water glass.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me about your family. You know about mine. I think it's only fair you tell me about yours."

"Uh, um, you met my father. He lives in Beaver and works at the power plant. My mother lives in California, she's an acting teacher. They are both only children, I'm an only child, and my grandparents either passed away before I was born, or when I was too young to remember much about them."

"So, no cousins or stepsiblings?"

She shakes her head.

"My father never remarried and my mother would never risk her figure to another pregnancy," she giggles.

"Will I meet your mother?" I ask, curious about her absence.

She shrugs. "She doesn't come back East. She's more of a long distance grandmother, sending cards, gifts, and the occasional phone call. Though, the calls are typically when I'm in bed, since she waits until late in the evening West Coast time to call."