Page 47 of Breathtaking

I ignore them both as I push into Lennon’s room and find Dr. Mackenzie Hayes-Sinclair standing next to her with an ultrasound thing in her hand.

“Maddox?” she asks, clearly confused. “What?—”

“I called him,” Lennon whispers, and I get my first look at her.

Fuck... “Len... your face.”

Forgetting Kenzie exists, I move next to Lennon’s bed and gently cup the side of her face not currently bruised and swollen. “What happened?”

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this, don’t we?” she laughs through red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes.

“This isn’t funny, princess. Are you okay?” I wipe her tears with my thumbs, careful of the bruising.

“I’m okay. Dr. Hayes was about to check the baby though,” she whispers, and I look back at Kenzie.

“Would you like him to step out, Lennon?” Kenzie asks as she rests her hand on Lennon’s blanket.

“No,” Lennon murmurs.

Yeah. That’s not fucking happening. “I’m the father, Kenz.”

If I didn’t know Kenzie the way I do, I might not catch the surprise in her eyes, but she’s family, and we grew up close. I know this woman as well as I know my sister, and that shock is right there.

Lennon doesn’t hide hers nearly as well.

She sucks in an audible breath, and I take her hand in mine and squeeze.

Yesterday’s argument forgotten.

Kenzie nods and pulls down the blanket, then pushes up Lennon’s shirt, and I have to hold my fucking breath when I see the familiar purple bruising along her side and ribs.

She didn’t fall. Someone kicked her.

This tiny woman who’s pregnant with my child.

I see red.Fucking murderous. And yet somehow, I manage to keep my shit together for her sake as Kenzie keeps going. “This might be a little cold,” she warns her before squirting jelly on Lennon’s flat stomach.

Her abs may not be as pronounced as they were the last time we were together, but she doesn’t look pregnant. Is that normal?

Lennon squirms as Kenzie runs the ultrasound thing over her belly, and immediately, a thrumming fills the room.

My eyes lock on Lennon’s tear-filled ones, only these aren’t sad tears.

“That’s a strong heartbeat,” Kenzie tells us as she continues to move the thing around.

“Heartbeat?” I ask, silently awed. “That’s the baby’s heartbeat?”

Lennon nods. “That’sourbaby’s heartbeat.”

“Everything looks great, guys,” Kenzie confirms, and Lennon sags against the pillow and cries silent tears. “There aren’t any issues.”

Lennon covers her face. “I’ve felt every emotion over the past week. All of them. Fear and frustration, and anger... And then today...” she sniffs. “When I wasn’t sure...” She wipes her cheeks and looks up at me, her lower lip trembling. “Today, when I thought I might have lost it...”

“Shh...” I whisper and kiss her forehead. “You’re both okay.”

Kenzie stands back and gives us a moment before interrupting, “The baby is measuring on the smaller side for your due date, but considering you mentioned dancing until recently, that could be why. It also happens to be cooperating, if you’d like to know the sex.”

“I want to know.” Lennon smiles up at me, like she’s asking permission, and every wall I’ve put up comes crashing down.

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