“Of course. I’ve got some of those sparkly Santa hats your girls liked last year.”
“They’ll be all over that! Here we go.” She nods toward the screen.
Trevor’s hand is on my shoulder before the image comes up, squeezing reassuringly when I gasp. The tiny figure lying in the large black oval is wiggling away. It’s surreal that I’m watching something happening inside my body and can’t even feel it.
Dr. Quentin points at the screen. “That’s your little gummy bear. There’s the head and spine. And here is the yolk sac. Let me click in some measurements, but everything looks good.”
I turn to Trevor, whose eyes are sparkling as he stares at the screen, lips slightly parted. When he glances at me and smiles, something inside me shifts. Not the baby, obviously, but something tight grips my heart. This is really happening. We’re having a baby together.Holy shit. My hand has found its way up to his on my shoulder, and I don’t move it once I notice. This feels okay, for now.
“You’re right. Eight weeks,” she confirms. “Would you like some pictures?” My eyes snap to hers, and I nod, still speechless. She prints off three and hands them to me, smiling at my trembling fingers when I take them. “Congratulations, you two! Get started on a prenatal, lots of fruits and veggies, and I’ll see you back in four weeks.”
Dr. Q shakes our hands and heads for the door, leaving me alone with Trevor and pictures of the dancing gummy bear. Glancing over my shoulder, I find Trevor watching me, homed in like he’s stuck in a daydream. I hold the pictures out to him, assuming he’s waiting for his turn to marvel at the ultrasound. He doesn’t take them. Heat fills my cheeks as his eyes rove all over my face, but looking away from him right now feels impossible. Breaking the silence seems wrong too. After an eternity, hereleases a breath. “You’re amazing, Willa. I hope you know that.” His gaze falls to the floor, and he walks to the corner of the room for his bag, then heads toward the door. “I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TREVOR
Willa hands me the ultrasound pictures while we walk through the parking garage. I’m awestruck, studying the black-and-white images. I had a part in creating that little life kicking around inside of her. The most amazing woman is sacrificing herself to bring a part of me into the world. She deserves uncomplicated calm. Softness.Everything. And I’llgiveher everything, but I doubt she even considers me a friend at this point. I’m still her sister’s friend who knocked her up and ruined her life. I need to change that.
“So…I was gonna hit up a bookstore after getting you some food. Do you want to come with me?”
“For what?”
“Books, Willa…” Smirking playfully, I ignore her glare and help her into the car. “I thought it could be a good bonding experience.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t you think it’s a little too early to start bonding with the baby over books?”
“I’m talking about us. There’s science behind reducing stress during pregnancy.” She likes facts and statistics. Maybe appealing to her logic like this will help me wiggle my way into her goodgraces. “If we got to know each other better, it would be good for the baby.”
“For the baby?” she asks slowly, eyeing me. “This sounds like a date.”
“It can be a date, if that’s what you wanna call it.” I wink and close her door before she protests.
I’d love to date Willa. Even before our night in San Diego, I would have taken her out in a heartbeat if I thought she was interested. I love how her brain works. She observes people. Tries to understand them. She’s snappy, sarcastic, and smart as hell, with a deep well of empathy she pretends doesn’t exist. Behind that wall, I’m convinced she has a big heart, surrounded by overgrown wildflowers, waiting to be tended to. I’m stubborn enough to forge a direct path with an arsenal of kindness and dedication—starting with dinner and books.
After satisfying Willa’s Taco Chime craving—and making a quick stop for gummy bears—we walk into Board ’n’ Books. My hand brushes against hers as I reach forward to open the door, sending goosebumps down my arms. Those same warm tingles that coursed through me as she held my hand at the doctor’s office threaten to light up my insides. I don’t even think she did it on purpose, but when she grabbed my hand and squeezed, I had the first spark of hope that she might not completely hate me for all of this.
Her eyes perk up as soon as we hit the first bookshelf, and I grab a hand basket in preparation. After seeing her book collection last night, I had a feeling she’d love this.Another point for Trevor. She heads right to the lifestyle section and pulls her phone out, taking pictures of several of the titles before sliding them back on the shelf. I watch her flip through and return a couple more before I say, “Get whatever you want, Gem. I’m buying.”
She turns to me and shakes her head. “Um, no. You’re not buying me books.”
“Why not?”
“Because books are expensive. I can find all this information online.”
“So you’re not taking those pictures to come back later and buy them on your own?” My eyes narrow, and she sighs as I grab the book she’s trying to slip back on the shelf.
“So what if I am?”
“Willa, you want the books.” I drop it in the basket. “Get the books.”
“No. It’s too much. I have no self-control in this place.”
“Get what you want, or so help me, I’ll buy one of every single book in this section.”
“Yeah, okay.” Her sarcasm puts a smile on my face as I take a step backward and reach for the shelf. “Trevor, you can’t threaten me with paperbacks…”
“Hardcover, then. I don’t care.” Another step back, and I grab a few books off the shelf, throwing in everything from pregnancy nutrition to weekly milestones. Her eyes widen with each thump as I pile them into the basket. A panicked squeak accents her voice each time I ignore her heightened protests.
