Page 33 of Dare to Embrace
His answer wasn’t exactly a lie. The club had been plagued with two robberies in the last month. At first, Kade had thought Marcus was the culprit, but Marcus had sworn it wasn’t him. Kade hadn’t believed him and, to this day, still didn’t. Marcus was turning out to be quite the rebellious kid in the family. But that wasn’t my concern.
I swung my legs back and forth. “You’re going to make yourself sick. Any headaches?”
Kade came to an abrupt stop. “No. But if we don’t get this appointment over with, I might just explode.” His voice was even, and his features were pinched tight.
“Come here, big guy.” I held out my hands.
He lowered his shoulders, sighing. “I’m sorry. There’s so much going on, and I’ll be better once I see the fetus and once I can share the news with my parents. My mom is worried, and I hate that I’m the one she’s worried about.”
If I knew his mom, she’d probably figured out that I was pregnant. Women had a way of connecting the dots. Not to mention, I’d hardly eaten when we had dinner with them last week.
I hooked my fingers inside the waist of my husband’s jeans. “You know you’ll be a nervous wreck until I deliver.” Between his excitement and nerves, he probably wouldn’t sleep for the next eight months. Hell, he hadn’t for the last month.
“I just want everything to be okay with the baby.”
“And it will be,” I said with loads of confidence. “Are you afraid there isn’t a baby growing inside me?” He’d shared with me how his mom had had a false positive on one of her pregnancies.
He kissed my forehead. “Not at all.” He cupped my breasts. “These babies tell me you are. They’re getting huge.” He grinned like an ass.
I poked his hard abs. “Easy. The doctor will be in shortly.”
He bent down and kissed each breast.
He was right. My boobs had grown and were painful, as though someone had pumped them with fluid to the point they were about to burst.
“After we have the ultrasound today, I need to tell Tara,” I said. “Then the Sea Dogs.” With the season over, it was a good time to share the news, especially since I wouldn’t be returning for spring training. They needed to know well in advance anyway.
A knock on the door resonated before Dr. Gardner came in wearing his white lab coat over black dress slacks. He was a handsome older man with salt-and-pepper hair. “Are you two ready?”
A blond nurse glided in behind Dr. Gardner and headed straight for the ultrasound machine.
Nodding, Kade stepped away so Dr. Gardner could get started.
After listening to my heart and lungs, Dr. Gardner wrapped his stethoscope around his neck. “Everything sounds fine. Let’s check on the baby.”
The word “baby” sent a shiver up my spine. I still wasn’t used to the idea that I was pregnant. In that moment, I wished my mom and sister were there. I blinked several times so I wouldn’t start bawling. Julie and Mom would’ve been ecstatic if they were alive. Mom would’ve already had a list of names written out. Julie would’ve had the baby shower planned.
Kade came over. “Are you okay?”
I bobbed my head. “I will be. I was just thinking of Julie and Mom.”
He grasped my hand. “They’re here, baby.”
“If it’s a girl, we’re going to name her Julie. Right?” He and I had decided on that at our wedding.
“Of course,” he said.
The nurse, Brenda, turned on the ultrasound machine. A beep sounded when she did.
“Lacey,” Dr. Gardner said. “We’re going to do a transvaginal ultrasound. This will give us a more accurate picture of how far along you are.”
Brenda helped me position my feet in the stirrups. Then she handed Dr. Gardner the wand.
“I got it from here,” Dr. Gardner said to Brenda.
Without a word, she left the room.
My pulse quickened as Dr. Gardner started the procedure. “We won’t be able to determine the sex until your second trimester, and I doubt you’re that far along.”
