Page 163 of For Wrath and Redemption
I whip my head to Claire, and she nods. “It’s up to you. I scheduled this one so you’d be here for it.”
I answer immediately. “Yes. Yes, we do.”
I can’t wait. I’m too excited. I want to know now.
The tech moves the wand around and then smiles. “You’re having a little baby girl.”
“A girl.” Tears fill my eyes and stream down my cheeks. I look at Claire. “We’re having a little girl.”
“Our little girl.”
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it. “A little baby Trouble. My favorite girls.”
After the appointment, we’re given some ultrasound images, andClaire is scheduled for another appointment in a few weeks. The doc discusses some routine tests, then talks about what to expect as Claire gets closer to the third trimester.
That catches my attention, and as soon as we’re in the car, I bring it up.
“When’s that start? The third trimester?”
“Twenty-eight weeks.”
“And pregnancy is forty weeks?”
“Yep. Usually about that.”
I do some mental math and then it hits me. “We’re halfway.”
Claire smiles. “Yeah, we are.” She puts a hand on her stomach. “Baby girl will be here before we know it.”
The excitement that bubbles up inside of me is almost unbearable, and instead of driving home, I call José and ask if he can meet us at the nearest store that sells baby stuff.
“What are we doing?”
I program the GPS, then wink at her. “We’re going shopping for our baby, baby. We’ve got a nursery to fill.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket as I’m folding tiny baby clothes and setting them neatly in a brand-new handcrafted dresser.
I had it custom-made. Little queen and king chess pieces are carved into each drawer, and the knobs are shaped like pawns. Claire got misty-eyed when it was delivered, so I’m pretty proud of it.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and sigh when I see the caller ID.
Conrad Henderson.
Of course.
I knew it’d been too quiet for too long. My father never relinquishes control without a fight, and with both Claire and me disappearing, it was only a matter of time before he reached out.
I silence the call, then peek into our bedroom. Claire is still fast asleep, so I pull the door closed and head down to the pool deck. I don’t want to wake her, especially not for this. She needs her rest. Growing a human is hard work.
Once the glass door is closed behind me, I call my dad back. He answers on the first ring.
“Jonah.”
“Conrad. You called?”
“I’m Conrad now?”
“That’s your name.”
