Page 99 of Shared By my Ex's Best Friends
She’s biting her bottom lip, her other hand fisting the edge of the table. She looks radiant and absolutely terrified at the same time—eyes wide, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.
Ethan stands at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, but his entire focus is on her. He looks like he’s bracing for impact. Like one wrong move will shatter the air between us.
Liam is behind her, tall and still, his fingers lightly brushing her shoulder—silently reassuring her, steadying her in the same way I’m trying to.
The quiet reverence in the room is thick, like we’re all standing in a cathedral rather than a medical office. None of us speak. There’s not much to say.
The technician—a middle-aged woman named Carmen with kind eyes and a voice as smooth as honey—rolls her stool closer to Maya’s side.
“All right,” she says gently, reaching for the ultrasound wand. “This might be a little cold, okay?”
Maya flinches slightly when the gel touches her skin. I see the panic flash in her eyes, and I squeeze her hand tighter.
“You’re okay,” I murmur, leaning in just a little. “We’ve got you.”
She nods but says nothing.
Carmen begins moving the wand, her eyes flicking to the screen mounted on the wall. At first, there’s just static—gray and white fuzz that doesn’t mean a thing to me.
The air is heavy with anticipation, the silence pressing down like a held breath.
And then…
Lub-dub. Lub-dub.
The sound is soft at first, like it’s coming from miles away, but it grows stronger, more distinct, and it hits me square in the chest.
That sound? That steady, rhythmic beat?
It’s our kid.
My throat gets tight. For once in my damn life, I can’t come up with some smartass comment to cover how wrecked I feel.
There’s no sarcasm strong enough to protect me from this.
Instead, I just squeeze Maya’s hand tighter and whisper, “That’s our kid.” My voice cracks halfway through, raw and real. “That’s ourfreakingkid.”
Maya turns her head toward me, eyes wide and wet, but smiling. Her lips tremble like she’s trying to hold herself together, but she looks… radiant. Glowing in a way I’ve never seen before.
Like this moment has lit something inside her, and we’re all just lucky enough to witness it.
Ethan clears his throat, the sound shaky. “I didn’t think I could feel more connected to you than I already did,” he says. “But this? It’s beyond words.”
Liam steps in closer, his hand drifting from her shoulder to her hair, brushing it gently behind her ear. He leans down and kisses her temple, his body curving around hers protectively.
“No matter whose blood runs in its veins,” he says softly, “this baby is part of all of us. We’re in this together.”
Carmen hesitates for a moment, glancing between the three of us like she’s trying to put together a puzzle that doesn’t quite fit. Her brows lift just slightly as she asks, “And who’s the father?”
We don’t even have to look at each other.
“I am,” we say in unison.
Maya lets out a sound—half laugh, half sob—and clutches my hand even tighter, like it’s the only thing tethering her to the ground. Her grip is trembling, fingers digging into mine, but I don’t pull away.
I anchor her. Iwantto be her anchor.
She’s shaking all over, every breath she takes shallow and wavering, like her heart’s trying to catch up to everything she’s feeling.
