Page 104 of Thick as Thieves
“Ahh, there he or she is.”
I step back, my heart beating as quick as the one on the sound system. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
“A baby? My baby?” I breathe out. “Evie?” I step towards her and Tommy moves out of the way, patting me on the back as he goes to stand with Jase in the corner of the room. “Evie, a baby?”
She nods, and I’m transfixed. I keep blinking, not saying a word.
“Let’s check the dates for you. Yes, you’re about eighteen weeks pregnant, so that would put your due date at the twentieth of March.”
Eighteen weeks. Eighteen fucking weeks. I’m rubbing my face and running both hands through my hair. Eighteen weeks. That’s nearly five months. How could we have not noticed. I look at the slight bump that suddenly seems evident, breasts huge, but they’ve been like that all the time.
Jase comes forwards towards me. Clearly my disposition has him worried enough he thinks I might collapse on the floor.
“Eighteen weeks,” I repeat.
Evie is crying again and she holds her hand out for me to take. I take it and give it a squeeze, moving up the bed near to her head. “Eighteen.” I don’t think I’m capable of any other words.
She buries her head into my chest and I stroke her hair. “I love you, Kitten. Eighteen fucking weeks.” I kiss her eyes, wiping her tears, and she smiles at me.
“Are you happy, Xan?”
I just look at her. “Happy?” I shake my head. “No, no. I’m fucking ecstatic. Are you?” She nods. “A baby now. Wow, I can’t.”
“Do you want to know the sex?” Dr. Theodore asks us.
I look at Evie and she smiles at me again. “I know it already,” she says as calmly as you like. “Do you want to know, Xander?”
My mind's blank. “I don’t know.” I look at Tommy and Jase. “Err…” Everyone is smiling at me. Am I expected to make a decision?
There’s a knock at the door. “It’s like a football crowd in here,” says Dr. Theodore primly.
Before she can object, Jonno Greystone pushes his way in. He stops dead, staring intently at Evie on the bed. Then his face changes. It's alight with love.
“Not again, baby sis?” he says to her, shoving us all out of the way. “I’m your baby partner though still, aren’t I? He'll be useless.” He points at me, grinning as she bursts into tears. Gathering her into a huge hug, he promises her, “I’m here, Kitten. For you, always, baby sis, always.”
I’ve never seen Jonno show much emotion, but today they’re all on show, his love for his family evident. He closes his eyes, drinking her in. Kissing her head.
“Xander,” he says, opening his arm to pull me into a hug. I’ve never felt as loved as this. All the years of wandering in the darkness, just Marcus and my dad at my side, now the love I have because of this woman and her family is surreal. My tears start and don’t stop. I feel rather than see Tommy and Jase leave. But Jonno and Evie hold onto me, the whoosh of the heartbeat in the background all around us.
“She will love you as much as we do,” Evie says. “I love you Xander. I know we said later, but she’s here now, and she loves you already.” We all look at the screen.
Dr. Theodore smiles. “Yes, it is a girl,” she says, smiling at Evie, who nodded at her to confirm the sex.
“Four boys, Evie, and now a girl.” Jonno laughs at my face. “You better get ready, Barclay. Girls, a whole other breed.” Grinning at us he leaves the room.
The doctor smiles at us. “I’ll leave you to get ready and get some prints for you both. I know it’s a lot, especially given the circumstances of your visit. Seems to be a habit, Evie.” She laughs and smiles indulgently at me. “At least it’s not twins this time.”
I stand there looking at my wife, my brain just coming back on line.
“Are you happy, Xander?” Clearly my face is not showing what I’m feeling.
“Evie Greystone, I fucking love you. I’m the happiest man on this fucking planet. Well, I will be until I tell Kellen, then there’ll be two of us.” I hold her face in my hands. “I’m just a bit poleaxed. What? How?” She laughs, and her tears start again. “Oh, Kitten, I hope they’re happy tears. I’m so, well, I’m so happy. It’s amazing.”
“It is,” she gets out. “A sister for those boys.”
I grin. “God help them.” Then my smile fades. “Fuck. I had you tied….” My mind goes to our night in the workshop.
But she smiles at me. “No wonder I was as horny as the devil. Pregnancy does that.”
