Page 50 of Home Run

Tossing the magazine back on the coffee table, he stood and moved next to me. “Okay, but next time I get to choose wherewe sit.” Long fingers drummed against his chin, making me chuckle. “Hmm, where to choose, where to choose.”

He was still deciding when the receptionist called us in.

“Millie? Doctor Humphries is ready for you. Down the corridor, second door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

This time when Tanner’s hand closed around mine I didn’t pull away. It wasn’t so much the nerves I was feeling; it was the near silence of making our way down the plushily carpeted hallway, without the clue of what to expect next, that found comfort in his grip. And the light squeeze of his fingers told me he needed it as much as I did.

Tanner rapped his knuckles against the door and stepped aside to let me go in first.

Not unlike Doctor Scott’s office, the walls were adorned with all the qualifications and certificates Doctor Humphries had earned in her journey through medical school. But where the rest of Doctor Scott’s office walls were blank, these were covered in framed photos of babies I assumed she’d helped bring into the world. A huge bookcase was heaving under the weight of pregnancy books, models of the womb, ovaries, and some antique-looking medical contraptions I hoped she wasn’t planning to use.

Doctor Humphries peered over the huge screen on her desk and pushed a set of thick-rimmed glasses onto her head. “Hi, Millie, you’re here for your twelve-week scan?”

I nodded.

“And this is dad, I presume?” She glanced briefly at Tanner, before focusing back on her screen. “Doctor Scott referred you, and I have your blood tests here. So whatwe’re going to do today is scan to make sure baby is growing properly and check we’re all on track for your due date. Then we can go through any questions.”

“Sure, got it.”

Doctor Humphries nodded over to the bed at the end of the room. “There’s a gown you can change into and hop up on the bed when you’re ready.”

I hadn’t realized we’d jump straight in, I thought she’d talk me through the process. But I guess she was busy. Tanner got up to examine the bookshelf.

“Hey, I’ve read that one.” Tanner ran his fingers along the spines. “And that one.Andthat one. But Parker readthatone.”

He moved onto the photo wall as I ducked behind the curtain to strip off and pull the gown on. I tried not to think about the fact it was the only thing I’d put on today that fit first time.

“Some of these babies are super ugly.”

“Tanner!”

“What? They are. Ours won’t be though, there’s no way that our baby will be anything but super cute. Your big brown eyes and my dimples, it’ll be the best-looking baby anyone has ever seen.”

I’d been attempting to tie the gown around my waist, but my hands stilled. The idea that Tanner had been wondering what our baby would look like was another check in the box for making this all too real. We werehaving a baby. Something I still, quite unbelievably, given how puffy and fat I was becoming, had to remind myself of daily. Our lives would be forever twined. At some point, we were going to have to have a conversation abouthowwewere going to have this baby. How we would raise ittogether.

What we would name it.

Before I fell into a full-on spiral, I pulled the curtain back to find Tanner sitting in the chair by the bed. His gaze dropped to the white socks I’d left on and slowly traveled up the length of the pale blue paper covering. Then he went back to the book he was holding.

“What? You’re not going to say anything?”

He shrugged but didn’t bother looking up from the page. “Told you, you get prettier every time I see you.”

My eyes rolled so hard they almost stuck, and I ignored the tiny flip in my belly as I shuffled onto the bed and pulled the separate paper roll over my legs. I didn’t have a chance to think about it, either, as Doctor Humphries returned.

“Great,” she said, marching over to the faucets to wash her hands. “How’ve you been feeling?”

“Good,” I replied, frowning at Tanner as he scoffed loudly.

“You’ve been like that girl fromThe Exorcist.”

“Your morning sickness was bad?” asked Doctor Humphries, peering over her glasses.

“It wasn’t great,” I conceded, “but I haven’t been sick for a couple of days. I think it’s going. I don’t feel so nauseous when I wake up.”

“That’s good, but come and see me if it continues and we’ll get you something to help.”

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