Page 157 of My Only

Once, I thought about it. Really thought about it after Hassani made mention of it.

“I hope our children have your eyes.”

Hassani’s voice had been low, warm, filled with a kind of certainty I wasn’t expecting.

We were lying in bed, both of us wide awake in the middle of the night. He’d just moved back to New York from D.C., his new apartment only a short walk from mine. It was my first time spending the night there, and we’d been talking about everything and nothing.

I smiled into the dark. “Really?”

He reached over, tracing his fingers along my cheek. “Mm-hmm.”

I scoffed. “You’re the one with the world-famous eyes. Are you kidding me?”

Hassani chuckled, pulling me closer, his arm looping around my waist.

“Your eyes,” he murmured, “are like the rarest crystal balls, though. Every time I look into them, I see my future.”

He paused, pressing his forehead against mine.

“And it’s so bright, A. So damn beautiful.”

Hassani and I had talked about having kids a long time ago, but lately? It hadn’t come up.

And if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be the one to bring it up. Not now. Not with him in the middle of this massive project… even if the project wasn’t set to wrap up for another five years.

Would I be handling pregnancy alone? Would I be raising a baby alone while Hassani was buried in work?

I swallowed hard.

“Ayla.”

The nurse called my name, her gaze locking onto mine. She only had to say my first name—I’d been coming here for years.

“We’re ready for you.”

In the exam room, the nurse took my vitals, ran through the usual intake questions, then handed me the paper gown.

Routine.

Just like every summer.

I changed, then perched on the exam table, drumming my fingers on my thighs as nerves I hadn’t even noticed crept in.

Why was I nervous?

Nothing was different this year… right?

The door pushed open.

“Ayla,” Dr. Lenora Whitfield greeted, stepping in with her warm, knowing smile. “Welcome back.”

I giggled. “Good to feel welcomed in my second home.”

“You look great.”

I exhaled. “Well, at least I look it.”

She laughed. “How are things?”

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