“See, now I want to punch you.”
He laughed. “Let’s not push things, huh?” He clapped my shoulder. “Just remember what I said about my father.” He started to turn away, then stopped himself. “Oh, and congratulations. I’m looking forward to being an uncle.”
I watched him go, dumbfounded. That had gone way better than I anticipated.
By the time I got back up to Ruby’s suite, she looked exhausted.
“Are you okay?” I glanced around, making sure Ryder wasn’t loitering. “Did you have to kick your father out?”
“Yes, and he wasn’t happy.” She flopped on the couch and held up a plate of cupcakes. “I managed to save some. Claire was mowing through them so fast I had to hide a plate.”
“Those are pretty good,” I acknowledged. “I happen to love red velvet cupcakes.”
“Me too.” She grabbed one of the ornately decorated cupcakes. “Do you want to eat a few with me, watch a movie, and start coming up with lists?”
“Lists?”
“I like lists, Rex. Don’t give me grief about it. My lists are going to save us.”
I didn’t argue with her. Instead, I sat on the couch—making sure I was far enough away not to touch her but not so far away it was weird—and grabbed one of the cupcakes. “What movie are we going to watch?”
“I’m in the mood for bloodshed. How do you feel about the newAlienmovie? I heard it’s supposed to be fairly good.”
I grinned. “I like that you’re not a chick flick girl.”
“Oh, I like chick flicks. After spending time with my father, I need something brimming with carnage. He drives me crazy.”
“I can deal with anAlienmovie.” I slid my gaze to her. “How are you feeling otherwise?”
“I’m a work in progress. How about you?”
“Same.”
“It went okay, though, don’t you think?”
“It honestly went way better than I thought it would.”
“Yeah. Maybe it will be smooth sailing from here on out.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t going to hold my breath, though.
12
TWELVE
SIX WEEKS LATER
“This is like a torture chamber.” Rex looked around the exam room, his eyebrows migrating toward his hairline. This was his second visit to the doctor, although the first hadn’t involved the stirrups. This time, he was getting the whole show.
“What’s this?” He held up the ultrasound wand from the counter. “Is this so you can … you know?” He waggled his eyebrows.
I gave him a dark look. I was in my paper gown—at what point were they going to come up with something more flattering?—and on the examination table. “That’s what they use for the ultrasound sometimes.”
Rex didn’t drop it. Instead, he looked at it with fresh eyes. “I thought the ultrasound thing was rubbed over your stomach.”
“It is, but that’s a transvaginal ultrasound. It can help detect issues if there’s something abnormal about the regular ultrasound.”
“Are we expecting that to happen?”
