“We’ll get ahead of it, but I think we want to keep this between friends and family for now.”
“Understandable, sweetie, we’re so happy for you,” Willow says again. “Oh, let me go get out your baby albums.”
“Oh yes, please. You know, Max has a ginger great-grandfather. Maybe the gene will pass on,” Lori says, and everyone is quiet for a minute.
Sloane and Ethan look at me, and I smile. “No matter what, the baby will be beautiful.”
Sloane’s eyes well up with tears, and for the first time this season, I seem to get a look of approval from Coach.
The rest of the evening is lighter conversation now that the big secret is off the table. As the night progresses, I swear Coachsmiles more than I’ve seen in my life. Having Sloane in your life will do that.
“You did good,” I whisper to Sloane as her head rests on my shoulder.
“We did good. I’m tired. Can we go home now?”
I smile and nod. This isn’t her home anymore.
Her home is with me.
CHAPTER 46
“Alrighty, so are we finding out what we’re having?” the tech asks as she slides the device over Sloane’s stomach.
“Absolutely,” she says quicker than she can finish the sentence.
“Let’s see,” the tech replies, moving it around and hitting buttons to take images. The tech smiles and looks at Sloane. “It’s a boy,” she says, pointing to something that I guess is supposed to be a penis.
I swallow thickly.
I’m about to have a son.
A defenseless little baby is about to depend on me, and I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.
Sloane grabs my hand. I have no clue how she’s able to decipher each of us through the bond, but she’s incredible at it.
“A boy,” she says with tears in her eyes.
“I’m just going to come out and say that I called it,” Ethan says.
The tech prints off multiple copies of the ultrasound and hands them to us to take home.
“Just make your next appointment with the girls in reception,” she tells Sloane who nods her head.
She hands me a copy of the ultrasound, and I think for the first time, it really feels real.
Of course Sloane is starting to slowly show, and I’ve seen her have an ultrasound before, but the image in front of me looks like a real baby.
This is fucking real. And completely terrifying.
What if I’m a shitty dad and don’t have patience? What if I don’t have enough time to give them? What if they grow up resenting that I travel for work and can’t always show up?
“Max, can we get ice cream?” Sloane asks.
Bram sighs because forcing this woman to eat healthy has been near impossible.
“We’ll meet you back at the house,” Bram says.
I help Sloane clean up her stomach and get off the bench. “Do you really want ice cream?” I ask her.
