I glance up at him, but he has an unusually stoic expression on his face.
Dr. Irving nods. “Pregnancy is very taxing on her body. I’m not surprised she goes to bed early.”
The entire time she examines me, Billy stands there with his hands jammed in his jean pockets, staring straight down at his shoes, which is funny since he’s seen me naked. Not in the last several days, since I can’t seem to stay awake, which is bumming me out. I’ve been looking forward to taking things further with him. But he’s a hell of a snuggler. Every morning, I wake up with him pressed to my back, and it’s heavenly.
When my pelvic exam is over, the doctor tells me everything looks good, and she steps out of the room to get the ultrasound technician. I tug on Billy’s arm. “You okay? You’re awfully interested in your shoes.”
His cheeks go ruddy. “I was afraid if I thought about you naked underneath that paper gown I’d get hard.” I laugh, and he brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes as he grins. “There are probably some things we shouldn’t surprise your doctor with.”
The technician comes in, covers my lower half with a sheet, and squirts gel all over my belly. Then she gets the wand and rubs it on my abdomen. A few minutes later, the sound of the heartbeat fills the room.
“I love this part,” Billy says quietly, almost solemnly. “Is it too early to tell the sex?” He turns to me. “I mean, did you want to find out?”
A huge smile breaks out on my face. “I absolutely want to find out the sex.”
The technician nods. “Hopefully, we’ll get a good look. Sometimes, the baby is too modest to tell.” She’s quiet as she waves the wand over my belly and takes measurements.
I stare at the screen. Tears burn my eyes, and I try to swallow as the technician points out ten little fingers and ten little toes.
“There.” She points between the baby’s legs.
I lean up on one arm to take a closer look.
“Congrats, Mom and Dad. Looks like you’re having a girl.”
I’m having a baby girl.
I don’t care if my dad wants a boy. I’m going to love this little girl like no daughter has ever been loved before.
Tears stream down my face, and I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from full-on sobbing. Billy’s arm comes around my shoulder as he hugs me to his side. “Aww, biscuit. I knew our bean was a girl. Think they make Bronco t-shirts for babies?”
Our bean.
My shoulders shudder with emotion as I try to breathe. Billy might only be pretending to be this child’s father to help me out, but he doesn’t know how much it means to me to have his support right now. I don’t know many men who would offer to go to an OB-GYN appointment to help a friend. I love that Billy never gets squeamish or shies away from things that might make other guys run for the door.
I can’t imagine Ezra sitting in the doctor’s office holding my hand. And frankly, I would never want him here. It’s too personal. I don’t want to share these moments with him. Iwon’tshare these moments with him. Not that he would offer.
But I’m not going to think about that asshole because it’ll ruin my mood. Today is a day to appreciate my little girl.
On our way home, I stare at the ultrasound images.
“You okay?” Billy asks as he drives. He has one hand on the steering wheel and one hand possessively on my thigh.
I pick up that hand and lace my fingers through his. “Yeah.” I smile. “That was amazing, right? Seeing how big she’s getting?”
“It’s wild. Last time, she looked like something that fell out from one of your salads, and now she’s a full-blown person.”
“I haven’t even met her yet, and this will sound crazy, but I’m totally in love with this baby.”
“Pretty sure she’s gonna be crazy about you too, biscuit.” He gives me a crooked smile. “Wanna go home and watch a movie? Maybe order some Thai?”
“Ohh. I love Thai. But don’t you have class later this afternoon?”
He shrugs. “I haven’t missed any classes so far this semester. I think I can play hooky once.”
“That would be really nice because I might actually be able to stay awake for a movie if we watch it early.”
His smile widens. “It’s a date.”
