It was worth a try.
Luke fell asleep smiling, thinking of how life would be if he and Bella were a real couple and their child grew up in a real family, like the one he’d had.
CHAPTER 20
LUKE
Luke woke the morning of Bella’s next ultrasound excited and nervous. It had been a few weeks since he’d kissed her on the forehead, and since then, everything had been easy and wonderful and smooth. He’d wanted to talk to her a dozen times, but it had never felt quite right — he’d had to run to work, or they’d been with friends, or the moment had just slipped by. Now, though, Luke had a plan. After Bella’s ultrasound, he would take her out for Thai at her favorite neighborhood restaurant and talk to her. He’d explain that he wanted to be more than a co-parent. And now, he was almost certain that was whatshewanted, too.
Luke got up, dressed, showered, and went downstairs. Bella was already in the kitchen making tea, and she grinned at him when he came in.
“Don’t worry; I started the coffee machine for you.”
“Thanks.”
“And there’s your toast,” she added as the toaster popped. Luke took out the two slices of bread and spread butter on one forhimself and Bella’s favorite cherry jam on the other, which he handed to her as she passed him the tea. It was the weekday breakfast routine they’d developed over the last months.
“Here’s your creamer,” Bella added, handing the jug to him so he could splash a little into his coffee.
“Thanks. And your honey.” He passed her the jar, and she scooped a little into her tea.
“This is almost like being in surgery,” Luke said as they sat down.
“What is?” Bella asked, taking a bite of her toast.
“Our morning routine.” Luke smiled at her. “Except instead of saying ‘scalpel,’ I’m saying ‘toast.’ We work together well, I think.”
Bella chuckled. “If things don’t work out for me as a caterer, maybe I’ll become a surgeon too.”
“Definitely.” Luke took a bite of his toast. “You’d be better at it than some surgeons I work with.”
Bella laughed. “Thanks. I think. Although that makes me a little scared to get surgery.”
“Don’t be.” Luke smiled. “I was only joking. I mean that you and I are able to work together really well, which not every pair of surgeons is. You know I need the creamer before I know it myself.”
“What can I say?” Bella grinned. “We’ve been doing this for a few months now. The real test will be if we’re as coordinated when it comes to diaper changes and tummy time.”
“I think we can do it.” Luke bit into his buttery toast. “Are you looking forward to the appointment today?”
“Kind of.” Bella shrugged. “I love seeing the ultrasound, but I always get a little nervous that something will go wrong. You know?”
“I understand that.” Luke sipped his coffee. He didn’t admit that he probably understood it better than she thought — he was sometimes overtaken by the fear that something had happened to her or the baby, and would immediately reach for his phone to call her and make sure she was all right. “But you’re only two weeks out from your due date. I think they would have caught it by now if something were really wrong.”
“Wow.” Bella sipped her tea. “Two weeks. That’s kind of unbelievable, right?”
“It is,” Luke agreed.
“Two weeks from now, we could be up all night bouncing a baby.” Bella’s eyes took on a faraway look, but then she shook her head. “I’d better not think about that. I need to focus on waddling into the appointment without toppling over.”
Luke shook his head. “You don’t waddle.”
“I do.” Bella sighed. “But it’s fine. It’ll all be worth it when we have a baby. I just miss the glamorous second trimester when I was full of energy and had a cute bump.”
“You look great.” Luke cleared his throat. “By the way, after the ultrasound, would you like to grab lunch?”
“Don’t you have a shift today?” Bella sipped her tea.
“I moved some things around. I thought we could spend the day together.”
