Page 39 of Delayed Penalty

What the fuck?

Peter looks like he wants to murder me and Harris, but he goes calm.

“Does your coach know you still fight, Danielson?” Peter asks, and I watch the muscles in Harris’s back flex. “I mean, between this and that fight at the bar while you were out with my girl, your coach might not be too happy with you if he were to find out.”

“What is he talking about, Harris?” I ask.

“Oh, she doesn’t know about your fighting?” Peter smirks, and I’m so confused.

“Shut the fuck up, Peter,” Harris spits out, but Peter doesn’t stop.

“You can’t still be on probation from before, right? I mean, that was what? Six years ago? I saw your friend Cade is still playing with you, how’s he doing?”

“Leave him the fuck out of this, Peter. As for Coach? I guess we’ll find out what he thinks soon, you never knew how to fight fair and always take the easy way out.”

“Why fight fair when I just fight to win,” Peter says.

“Just another way to call yourself a pussy and feel good about it.”

“Say that when I take everything from you.”

“You’ve already done that once. The difference is now I’m not going to let you. You fight reckless because you have nothing to lose, I have everything to lose, so bring it on, motherfucker.”

With that, Harris shoves him back and grabs my hand, pulling me toward the door where there’s now a nurse waiting with security. We stop, thinking they’re going to want us, but they wave us back and head toward Peter.

Well, at least they paid attention.

“Are you okay?” Harris asks, his hand on my back as he we follow the nurse back to our room where she passes us both a water and me some crackers.

Chapter Fifteen

Harris

The quiet sounds in the small room we’re in start blurring together with the ultrasound machine that our new doctor brought in when she came to meet us. Her name is Dr. Cindy Nelson, and she came in with such a happy and calm presence that it was hard for me to still be worked up over everything that happened with Peter.

I can tell it’s been calming for Avery as well; ever since we’ve been in the room, her hand hasn’t left mine but at least now they’re no longer shaking like they were. I think the initial shock wore off for both of us as soon as we were back in the room and they asked her to pee in a cup to confirm the pregnancy—the reality of why we were here quickly taking precedence over the little incident in the waiting room. Now, all of that has been done and they’ve done a regular exam on her, which I was kind enough to step out for.

I may have seen her from as many different angles as possible, my tongue running along every inch of her body, yet it’s still different when you’re being exposed in a doctor’s office with a bunch of eyes on you. I just wanted to be respectful.

“Are you ready to hear the heartbeat?” Dr. Nelson asks as she finishes up a couple of measurements of the little one.

Avery looks at me and smiles. “Yes, please,” she says cutely, her face lighting up, and I’m so fucking excited I’m going to get to watch this woman become a mom. This is going to be the luckiest baby in the entire world to have Avery as their mom and I’m just so excited I get to come along for the ride, supporting both of them in any and every way I can.

My heart starts racing, a rush of excitement as I watch the technician make a few more clicks on a screen, turning a dial on her device before all of a sudden, I hear it. At first, it just sounds like a thumping noise, like a whooshing, but it’s steady, strong.

It’s the heartbeat.

Looking down at Avery, I feel another wave of emotions hit me all at once and I feel like I’m floating, a combination of anxiety and excitement mixing together as I watch us in the intensely intimate moment. My hand is trembling as I reach over to cover our already intertwined fingers, my eyes blurry as I place a kiss on her forehead. Pulling back, our eyes lock and I see just how vulnerable she is in this moment, wiping a tear away, her adorable smile telling me just how excited she actually is. We’re excited and scared but we’re doing this.

Together.

After the doctor goes over what to expect in these next few weeks since she’s now entering the second trimester, we discuss her morning sickness and how it should be disappearing soon. If not, she wants us to send her a message or talk to her at the next appointment which we won’t have for another month.

Seems like so long, but I guess I should trust the doctors to know how to do their job, it’s just so much more nerve wracking than I thought this would all be. Just knowing something is happening, that we made a life that’s currently growinginsideAvery right now, it’s crazy—but it’s also terrifying in ways I never imagined. What if something happens? How would we know?Thankfully, the doctor tells us everything is looking right on track, which definitely helps to ease my nerves a little bit.

After making our next appointment, we end up back in my car where we both are just sitting staring at the ultrasound photos.

“Can you believe it?” she says, her eyes watering as she stares down at the little blurry blob that somewhat resembles a McDonald’s chicken nugget.

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