Sunday sets her feet in the tiny cradles at the end of the table, and my heart starts on what feels like an audible wallop. Shit. He really is about to have a king’s view of the girl Ilove.
Love?
I loveSunday.
I glance over at her, and it feels as if a weight has lifted from me. I do. I love Sunday Knight. A dull laugh strums from mychest.
She clicks her tongue at me. “Don’t be an imbecile, Seth. Give me your hand.” She flicks her fingers, clearly annoyed with me, and I can’t help but feel like anass.
The doctor glances my way and winks before leaning in between her knees. “All right, girl, openwide.”
I jolt in my seat. “What thef—”
“Shh!” Sunday makes wild eyes at me. “Just sit there,” she hisses, and I tighten my grip on her as if I were the one in the hotseat.
He holds his hand out, and the nurse drops a mean looking tool intoit.
“I’m going to insert the speculum,” he drops his voice to his lower register as if he were trying to seduce her, and Sunday bucks and grunts because I’m pretty sure it hurts like hell. That thing was a foot long at least, and all of it has disappeared underneath that paper gown. Shit. “That’s a good girl. Just relax. I’m going to feel around and make sure everything is where it’s supposed tobe.”
“I bet,” I whisper, and Sunday gives my fingers a hardtug.
“Two hands,” he whispers as his other greasy mitt joins the party. His head disappears underneath her papier-mâché dress, and suddenly I am very fuckingconcerned.
And right about now, I’d like to break both his hands and his face for the hell ofit.
Sunday tugs at me again and curls her head toward my chest. She looks up, and those beautiful eyes, those long lashes gaze up at me with an affection I’ve never seen in her before. Could it be that Sunday shares the same feelings I do? And why in the hell did we have to choose this moment, when some other dude who I’m not even sure is a doctor is having his way with her girlparts?
She lets out a moan and exhales, her lids hooded as if she were in the heat of something serious—but her eyes are still pinned to mine, and I can’t say I don’t appreciate thefact.
“All done. Everything looks good.” He comes up for air, red-faced, his hair looking as if he went through a war. Damn pervert. “Have as much sex as you like.” He looks right at her. “The baby is perfectly safe, so if you happen to get lucky this Valentine’s Day, no point in holding back. It is S-A-F-E. Now for the fun part.” He looks to his nurse. “How about a little mood lighting?” The nurse cuts out the lights, save for the computer monitor, and she slides that over to us as if we were readying to watch amovie.
“Putting a condom on the wand.” The demented doctor continues to talk to himself. “Warm jelly,” he says, dousing it with something that looks like a condiment container. “And inserting gently into thevagina.”
Sunday’s body bucks. “Oh, thatiswarm.” She bites down on a smile as she looks my way. “This is about to get real, isn’t it?” She pulls my hand to her chest and gives it asqueeze.
A loud walloping sound fills the room, the sound of a baseball bat twirling at Mach 1. Dr. Green grins over at Sunday, and I can’t help but note the fact his teeth glow as if they were painted withradium.
“And we’ve got a strong heartbeat,” he says, pointing up at the screen. “You see that tiny babythere?”
“Oh my God,” the words evict from me as I lose the wind in my lungs. “That’s thebaby?”
“That’s the baby.” He moves the screen in close for Sunday and me to see. “It looks as if you’re ten weeksalong.”
And there he or she is, a beautiful head, two delicate arms—legs.
“Look at those fingers!” Sunday’s body trembles as she giggles through the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Is it sucking itsthumb?”
Dr. Green leans in. “That’s what it looks like. It’s not uncommon, but it does appear that your child has already found a way to amuse itself. Lucky you. A sign of good things tocome.”
“Good things,” Sunday whispers, her gaze transfixed upon the screen in what appears to be an unbreakable bond. There’s no doubt she’s already unbreakably bonded to this baby, our baby. I know I am. There’s no way I want strangers raising our child. If Sunday wants to put it up for adoption, I’ll take it. It won’t be easy, but that baby is my flesh and blood, hers too, and I need to be near it just to breathe. I’ve never felt so connected to someone in all my life like I do with Sunday right now, with ourbaby.
The doctor finishes up, and as soon as Sunday dresses we take off. Neither of us says anything until we hit the parking lot, and in an instant she wraps her arms around me tight, burying her face in my chest, and I can feel the wetness from her tears. Sunday looks up with her lips quivering into asmile.
“That was incredible. Thank you, Seth. I’m so glad I had someone to share it with, and I’m glad it wasyou.”
“I’m glad it was me, too.” I press a chaste kiss to her forehead. “You have any plans fortonight?”
“V-Day?” She makes a face. “All my friends are either headed to a frat party or having a private party with their plus ones. I’m pretty sure there aren’t too many guys out there looking for a knocked-up girlfriend. He’d have to be a realpervert.”
