Page 129 of Duke

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Just three of them. Simple enough.

I’ve said them before, but I’ve never actually meant them.

I open my mouth.Just say it.

“Answer’s yes.” Aw, now I feel like a chickenshit. I just don’t wanna ruin this moment. Everyone’s in a good place. One major milestone at a time, right?

Wheeler wraps me in a tight hug. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her against me, burying my head in her neck so I can inhale the familiar smell of her skin.

Maybe one day, she’ll say yes to me too.

For right now, though, this is enough.

I got my girl, and now I got a plan to pivot my life and my career in a way I’ve always wanted.

I’m bursting.

I’m happy.

CHAPTER 30

What Happens Next

Wheeler

Tha-wunk, tha-wunk, tha-wunk.

The loud, insistent beat of the baby’s heart suddenly fills the room, and I’m filled with a sense of overwhelming gratitude. And joy. And disbelief.

I burst into tears.

“Aw, Blue, you’re doing great.” Duke runs his thumb over the back of my hand and nods at the ultrasound screen. “Look how perfect that little nugget is.”

The ultrasound tech nods, smiling. “He’s right, Mom. Everything is looking great. Heart rate is 155 beats per minute, and we’re measuring a little ahead at nine weeks and six days.”

Mom. First time someone’s called me that.

I cry some more.

“That’s good?” Duke asks, sniffling.

“That’s excellent.” The tech moves the wand over my belly. “Your doctor will likely keep your current due date, but we could be looking at a big, healthy baby.”

“Big, huh?” Duke squeezes my hand. “Runs in the family.”

The tech and I both laugh, even as I roll my eyes. “Think it’s a boy, then?”

“I think girl, all the way.”

“Y’all can find out the sex at your twenty-week anatomy scan,” the tech says. “It’s a really fun ultrasound. You’ll see the brain, the chambers of the heart, the little bones.”

“And not so little—”

“Parts.” I cut him a look. “If it’s a boy.”

“I was going to say not so littleheart. Our daughter’s going to be a lover.”

“Just like her daddy.” I grin at him through a film of tears. “You’d be such a great girl dad.”

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