Page 70 of Flashback
“I read that. That we should wait until you’re into the second trimester before announcing to the world we’re expecting.”
“You read that?” She gave him a smile. “You seem to be doing a lot of reading.”
He rolled his eyes. “You have no idea.”
“Freaking you out a little?”
“Actually, no. But consider me enlightened. More than half of what I’ve learned has blown my mind. Having a baby isn’t simple.”
“No. It isn’t.”
“We’ll need to find you a doctor. There’s no rush, but we should do it in the next few weeks.”
“I’ve done some research on that.”
“Yeah.” He grinned. “I guess I’m not the only one reading.”
“No.” She pushed to her feet, pulling her hand from beneath his. “Wait here.”
She disappeared into the hall, and Rylan got up to clear their plates. He didn’t think either of them would eat any more tonight. He’d get a start on the dishes while he waited for her. Scrapping their plates, he glanced around and noticed Mazey had already cleaned up what she’d used to prepare dinner.
Smiling, he thought about her neatness. She was one of those people who liked everything to have a place and everything to be in it. If she did move in with him, there wouldn’t be too much arguing over that. The army had trained him well. He liked things neat and tidy too.
“Here.”
Rylan turned to find her standing behind him, a book held out toward him. “What’s this?”
“I ordered it the other day. I haven’t read much, but I’ve marked some places with sticky notes. I’m going to compile a list of questions for the doctor.”
“Oh.” He took the book,What to Expect When You’re Expecting, and smiled at the little tabs sticking out of the top. “Jeez, it’s heavy.”
“I got the hardcover because I figured it would be getting a bit of use.”
Rylan nodded as he flicked through some pages. “There’s a lot in here.”
“It’s one of the most recommended books on pregnancy. There’s a journal you can buy too, but I thought we could start with this and see if we want to track everything in a journal.”
“Should I order my own copy? You’ll want it on hand.” He glanced up at her.
“I think we can manage with a single hard copy, but maybe you should get the digital version?”
Nodding, he said, “Yeah, that would work.” He’d grab it later tonight when he went home. He’d order her the journal while he was at it, she might not be sure about recording every detail now, but he thought she’d want to eventually. Knowing her, she’d want it later when their child was older so she could look back and remember all the important milestones. “Do you want to sit down and go over some of this before I head home?”
“It’s getting late. We both have to be up early, so maybe we could have dinner together on Thursday night and go through it?”
He grinned. “It’s a date.” Snapping the book shut, he placed it on the counter and reached for Mazey. “Come here. Give me a hug before I go.”
She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her cheek on his chest. “I’m sorry about today.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.” He held her tight. “There are going to be plenty more times when you feel trapped or overwhelmed or both. I’m not going to get angry about it now or in the future. Everything will be okay. We’re in this together.”
31
She was nervous. Her palms were sweating, and the nausea she thought had settled was back in full force.
“Calm down. Everything will be okay. He’s not going to fire either of us. If he changes our shifts, we’ll work with it.” Rylan rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Take a deep, slow breath, Maz.”
He was right. If she didn’t get control of herself, she’d pass out. Drawing in a long breath, she reminded herself there was nothing in her contract about fraternizing with colleagues. She’d gone over the document again to double-check this morning before Cochran had arrived.
