“Cole, the father.” Cole rubs my belly from behind.
“We’ll meet you in room four, okay?”
After I fill my cup then get my blood pressure and weight taken, I find the door to the room where Dr. Brown is already waiting and deep in conversation with Cole, who is firing questions.
I smirk. He’s so cute.
“Hello again, Savannah,” she says as Cole pulls out a chair for me. “You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”
I shift, remembering how sick I was then. “Yes, the pills are helping a lot.”
“All right, so, let’s get you undressed from the waist down and see how the little one looks.”
Cole nearly doubles over when he sees the probe that’s about a foot long slide inside me. He’s three shades of white until the little pulsing ring appears on the ultrasound machine. He suddenly grabs my hand and holds it tightly, but his eyes stay stuck to the screen.
“Strong heartbeat,” Dr. Brown says, clicking a few buttons, “and I would say you are right around eight weeks, a little farther along than I thought. Which will make your due date about early August. Congratulations, you two. You have a healthy-looking baby. Let’s keep it that way.”
“You gave the doc a run for her degree,” I joke in the car after our appointment, digging in a bag of trail mix to steal the chocolate chips before he notices. He scoops his free hand in, pouring a handful into his mouth while keeping his eyes on the windy road.
“I had questions,” he says with a shrug. “And I don’t wanna see you with a cup of coffee.”
“Cole, she said a small cup is fine.” I roll my eyes. These next seven months are going to be interesting.
“You need to eat more meat too.” He gives me a sideways glance. “She said your iron is low, and that’s one of the reasons you’re so tired.”
“Cole—”
“Speaking of being tired, you should think of cutting back your shifts—”
I snap the lid on the trail mix and toss it down by my feet. “Please don’t start, Cole. I love my job.”
He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, then he reaches for my hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing the back of it. “Sorry. I’m trying really,reallyhard not to let my controlling side take over. But when you toss in our baby, it’s even more of a struggle. I just want you to get as much rest as possible and for this pregnancy to go smoothly.”
“Look, I’ll make you a deal. When I feel work is too much for me, I’ll stop.”
“No offense, baby, but you’re incredibly stubborn.” I see him fight a smile, and he uses my hand to hide it.
I want to be truthful, for him to see I’m taking all this seriously. “I learned my lesson the first time, Cole.” His smile fades. “I promise when it gets too much, I’ll tell you.”
“All right, but if I see you’re fading, Iwillsay something.” He rolls his window down to speak with the guard at the gate.
The baked apple smell hits my nose when we walk in, and my stomach forgets all about the snack on the way up. I grin when I see June’s green scarf hung over her black pea coat, and Abigail’s boots next to one of Scoot’s many beds. Keith’s snow pants and mitts are by the door. Everything is as it should be, just as normal should be. I close my eyes, savoring the comfort that is this house.It’s perfect.
“You coming?” Cole asks. I hold up a finger, asking for one more moment. “You all right?”
I open my eyes, seeing his puzzled expression. “I’m just thinking.”
“About?” he asks, taking my hand in his.
“Things.” I lean up to kiss his cheek. “Happy things.”
“Hi, honey!” Sue beams with delight as we round the corner and see everyone in the living room enjoying some afternoon drinks before dinner. She stops in front of me, studying me for a moment, then leans in and gives me a hug. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am, thanks.” I hug Daniel after he comes up behind her.
“See, nothing to it!” Mark hands me a martini with a wink. “Thought you could use this, just until you’re ready to tell.”
“Does this mean…?” I look at Cole, who grins.