Page 28 of Sunday

A thousand emotions ran through me at once, but only one mattered—my concern for Sunday. If I was experiencing a thousand of them, I could only imagine she experienced a million.

I removed my hand from hers before one teardrop could fall. I wrapped my arms around her, dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and whispered, “We’re having a little one, Sunny.”

She reached up and gripped my forearms and squeezed. Her face was buried against my chest, but I could feel the moisture of her tears.

“Did you want to know the gender of the baby?” Dr. Vance asked as I released Sunday.

Sunday chewed her lip and looked at me.

“You want a gender reveal?”

She bobbed her head slowly.

“That’s fine. When the results come back, the testing center will call you with the results of the chromosome test. At that time, they will ask if you want the results, and you can tell them no. They will provide you with a phone number and a code that you can give to someone else. Have that person call in with the code to get the gender, and they can plan your reveal. In the meantime, we’re going to take a look at the baby to make sure that we can see the gestation sac and fetal pole and to ensure that the baby isn’t growing in your fallopian tubes and is developing properly in your uterus, okay?”

Sunday nodded.

“Angelique, our sonographer, will be in here shortly to perform the ultrasound. I want you to relax, Sunday. Everything is going to be okay, and I’m going to be on this journey with you, ensuring that you and your baby have a healthy journey and a successful delivery, okay?”

“Okay.”

Her voice was tiny, and all of a sudden, she looked like a kid to me. She looked helpless, scared, and unsure of herself. Sunday was twenty-five, and I knew that she wasn’t ready for the drastic life change that was about to occur. At thirty-one, I was better positioned to embrace the life change than she was, but I, too, was rocked. Yet, still, I wanted to protect her.

The doctor explained that she wanted Sunday to change out of her clothing and put on the gown that she handed her. Shesaid she would be back shortly. I took a seat in the chair beside the exam table while she undressed and put on the gown.

She turned her gaze to me and bit her bottom lip.

“What are you scared of, Sunny?”

She blew out a long breath. “So much, Cedar. Will I be a good mommy? Will my baby be healthy? Will he or she love me? What changes will my life undergo, and how do you fit into all this? How do I fit into your life? What will my parents say?”

“First, you’re taking on too much. I know that you’ll be a hell of a mommy. You’re a good person, a good woman, and a good friend. You have so much love to give to this little one. And, of course, this baby will love you—everyone does. You’re a loveable person, Sunny. Your parents, . . . I don’t know. I guess they’ll be surprised, but I’m sure they’ll support you in the end, and if they don’t, then . . . fuck all that. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t, though, because they have showered you with love.”

Her parents lived out of town, so I had never met them. I only hoped they were good people, because she was a great person.

“I know, but it’s got me all nervous right now.”

“That’s to be expected. And as far as where I fit into your life, . . . where do you want me, Sunny?”

“I just want to focus on the baby right now, Cedar. I need time to process all this. It’s a lot, you know?”

“I get it. We’ll take everything one day at a time. But aside from everything else, I’m here for you. You and this baby are my priority right now. Not Taylor or anything that she’s got going on. She’s in my past, and that’s where she’s going to stay. And as far as I’m concerned, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here with you, taking care of, loving, and raising our baby.”

Sunday looked up at me with wide eyes. “Our baby. Wow. That sounds so crazy. We created this life together, Cedar.”

“Yeah, we did,” I replied and stared into her eyes. I placed my hand on her belly, and she placed her hand on top of mine.

“Are we really about to do this?”

I frowned at her, not sure what she meant. “What choice do we have?”

“I didn’t mean like that. It’s just that sometimes, it doesn’t seem real. That you and I are creating and raising a life together.”

“I know.”

“What will they say at work?”

“I need you to stop worrying about everybody else. Right now, for the near future, let’s focus on you being healthy and happy and preparing a world where our child can be welcomed, loved, safe, and healthy.”

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