Page 87 of Need You To Choose Me

“No, they’re all part of a regular checkup, so there is nothing to worry about. We’re just making sure everything is going well with you two.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “Ready to see that baby of yours?”

I nod silently as my teeth sink into my lower lip. Dr. Gonzales presses her wand against the goo on my stomach and spreads it around as she shifts her attention to the screen where an image flickers to life.

My heart does a little flip like it always does when I see it.

My baby.

The image is a blurry mix of blacks and whites adorning the screen, but there was no mistaking that the outline seemed more like an actual person with each visit than a speck of cells.

“Holy shit,” Blake mutters softly as he moves closer, his hand clasping around mine. I tilt my head back to look at him, but his gaze is firmly fixed on the screen, his lips slightly parted as he stares in wonder.

While he looks at the screen, I look at him.

It almost seemed like he was seeing it for the very first time, which was impossible. He had not one but two kids of his own.

Maybe this whole thing made it seem more real to him?

Blake’s gaze falls to me, and a smile slowly spreads over his lips. “That’s our baby.”

“That’s our baby,” I echo, my teeth sinking into my lower lip as warmth spreads through my chest at the look of pure love on Blake’s face.

My baby was loved, not just by me, but also by Blake.

Ourbaby.

“The baby seems to be doing well,” Dr. Gonzales comments, her attention still on the screen as she takes some measures. “There you can see it.” She points at the image. “Nice and steady heartbeat. All ten fingers and toes.” The woman turns to us, glancing tentatively between Blake and me. “You still don’t want to know the gender of the baby?”

I open my mouth, but before I can say anything, Blake shakes his head. “We’re good.”

I turn to him, surprised by his easy agreement. “Areyousure? Dr. Gonzales could tell you if you want to know.”

“No, I don’t care about the gender of the baby. I just want you two to be okay. That’s the only thing I care about.” The corner of his mouth tips upward slightly. “I will warn you, Levi is determined to have a brother, so…”

I let out a strangled laugh, tears welling inside my eyes.

“Shit, don’t cry, Blondie. It was a joke. Okay, he really does want a brother, but he’ll love the baby regardless. I don’t remember the last time when he was so excited.”

I brush my cheek with the back of my hand. “That’s not why I’m crying. I just can’t believe that my baby will have a family.An actualfamily.”

He couldn’t know how much it meant to me. Not really. A girl who only ever had a grandmother. She did a good job—an amazing job, really—raising me, and she loved me to pieces, just like I loved her. But there were some things she couldn’t give me, no matter how hard she tried to be both my mother and my father.

“It does,” he promises, his hand sliding to the back of my neck as he pulls me closer, his mouth pressing against my forehead. “Youbothhave a family now, and that’ll never change.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BLAKE

“What do you think?” I tilt my head to the side as I look at Levi. “Do you like it?”

He grabs the loops of his jeans and pulls them up a little. “Yeah, I think they’re okay. The last ones were squeezing me.”

“Okay, then we’ll get this one. You have to try on a few shirts.”

Levi groans. “Do I really have to?”

“Yes. C’mon, it’s a few shirts. Mrs. Maxwell said you’ve outgrown most of your clothes, and we need to get you new ones because you’ll go to school in your boxers soon. You want that?”

“No,” he pouts. “But once I try all of those, I wanna go grab a milkshake.” He points his finger at me. “And fries.”

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