Parker opened the door, gesturing them back in, and it was all Ty could do not to run the doctor over to get to her. She took his hand and squeezed it, giving him a reassuring smile.
“Alright, Parker, lay down on the exam table there, and show me your belly. Ty, you can sit in that chair next to her. Let’s see and hear that little one, yeah?”
Parker settled on the table, doing as the doctor instructed. Ty sat next to Parker and grabbed her hand again. The doctor turned the light out and squirted goo on her belly before putting an instrument against it. She rolled it around her a moment before sighing in satisfaction.
Ty stilled as a fast, tiny heartbeat filled the room. He snapped his gaze to Parker’s face, knowing his own was full of awe. She smiled softly at him as she squeezed his hand.
“There’s the heartbeat. And… there’s your baby.”
Ty jerked his gaze to the screen, taking in the tiny shape of the baby. He could see the heart beating, could count the little ribs if he wanted to.
That was his pup. His and Parker’s.
He looked at Parker in time to see her looking to him, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears. He could hear the doctor checking the baby out, remarking aloud that everything was fine, but he had a hard time tearing his gaze from Parker’s.
The moment spun out and it was if time stood still. Nothing in his life had ever meant as much as this, and nothing would ever mean as much to him as Parker and the pup whose heartbeat was still filling the room. He’d never thought about being a dad, about having a pup of his own, but he couldn’t imagine his life any different than it was right now, and he never wanted to.
He tore his eyes away from Parker’s and looked back at the screen, full of the image of his child. Parker’s child. He realized that he was clutching Parker’s hand too hard and eased up his hold, staring at the screen in awe.
“Do you want to know the sex of the baby?” The doctor asked.
“It’s not too soon for that?” Parker asked, a tremble in her voice.
“Sometimes we can’t tell, but every now and then we can, if the baby is positioned just right. Your baby is giving me the perfect view,” the doctor explained.
Ty looked at Parker. She was looking at him with a smile and a question in her eyes, and he gave her a slight nod.
Taking a deep breath, Parker said, “Yes. We want to know, please.”
The doctor smiled at them before pointing at the screen. “Look right there. Congratulations, you’re having a boy!”
Ty was vaguely aware of Parker giving a watery laugh and thanking the doctor, but he was in one of those timeless moments again.
Their pup was a boy. He would be a strong little wolf cub, and Ty would be the best father to him. He hadn’t had a good example growing up, but thanks to his father, he knew exactly what not to do.
Ty had been picturing a little girl, but he suddenly couldn’t imagine this pup as anything other than a boy. He looked at Parker, imaging a boy with her coloring. He would be a handsome lad. And if Ty had anything to say about it, he and Parker would have that little girl someday, too. Whether his wolf was ever on board or not.
The rest of the appointment passed in a blur. The doctor gave them images of the ultrasound and Parker made a follow up appointment before they left. They walked out of the office in silence, both of them lost in their own little worlds. They had just reached the truck when Parker suddenly squealed and jumped into his arms.
“A boy, Tyler. We’re having a little boy!”
Ty laughed and hugged her close for a moment. Pulling back slightly, he gave her a tender kiss. “Thank you, Parker. When you came back to town, I never in a million years thought that we would be right here today, but I can’t imagine anything different.” He dropped a hand to her belly. “This little guy… He’s everything. Thank you.”
Parker laughed softly as her eyes filled with tears again. “Lord, I’m a watering pot today. You’re as much to thank for him as I am, Ty. It to
ok both of us. So thank you for giving him to me.”
Ty dropped another kiss on her lips before opening the truck door. “Let’s go to Cheyenne and celebrate. I’ll take you to lunch, and then we can stop by a store on our way back.”
Ty pulled up to the farmhouse and cut the engine. He looked to the passenger seat where Parker was leaned up against the window and smiled. She’d dozed off right before they got back to town, and he hated to wake her up. It had been an eventful day for her. For both of them, really, but she especially needed her rest.
She stirred and blinked her eyes open, staring blankly at the house before she turned to him with a sleepy smile. “Have we been here long?”
“We just got here. You should go on inside and lay down before dinner. Take a nap.”
“I should help you carry some of this stuff inside. I still can’t believe how much baby stuff you bought today.”
“It was all stuff we’re going to need. You can’t deny that,” he replied with a rueful grin.