She’d better. Passing out during the delivery felt like a very Damien thing to do.
Dr. Triassi approached, and with a kind word of warning, she started the physical exam. It wasn’t any different than it’d been when Matthew was pregnant with Emily. With a firm hand, Dr. Triassi put pressure on several parts of his abdomen, then lubricated her fingers and repeated the process from other, more sensitive places. Matthew stared at the ceiling and let his mind wander.
What kind of a father would Damien be?
Nurturing, of course. There was no question about that. The care he took to enrich Emily’s life and help her feel grown up and capable was inspiring. Patient, certainly. He was understanding when Matthew felt overwhelmed, and he’d handled Emily’s infrequent meltdowns with the grace of a seasoned professional. But what else?
Matthew pictured him still dressed from work, the top button of his shirt undone, Emily’s hand in his and their baby cradled in the crook of his arm. He’d look from Emily, who was telling him about her day, to Matthew, and behind the paternal affection in his eyes, Matthew would catch a glimpse of the man Damien was behind closed doors.
Goosebumps raced up Matthew’s arms and his breath inadvertently quickened. Heat rushed his cheeks. A familiar stirring prickled in his groin. Alarmed, he looked down his body to discover his dick tenting his hospital gown. If it got any stiffer, Dr. Triassi might have grounds to pronounce it legally dead.
Embarrassed as hell, Matthew hooked his arm over his face and hid his eyes in the crook of his elbow. He made a mental note never to think of Damien while having a rectal exam again. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”
“You’re fine. It’s a natural response to stimulation. There’s no need to feel bad.”
The problem wasn’t feeling bad—it was feeling good. Not that clinical fingers were what Matthew wanted. The thought of Damien putting their children to bed, then coming to find Matthew and fucking him behind their closed bedroom door until they were both too exhausted to move was way more appealing.
Matthew’s cock twitched. He winced. Hadn’t he just said he wouldn’t think about Damien anymore? It wasn’t like Dr. Triassi was gearing up for a rectal exam marathon—all he had to do was avoid racy thoughts for a few more minutes.
It wasn’t like Matthew couldn’t think about him later.
His laughing eyes.
His cocky smile.
The way he looked in—and out—of a suit…
Goddammit!
“Alright! We’re done.” Dr. Triassi, who was probably sick of his metaphorical shit, ended the exam. She politely withdrew and threw away her gloves. “Everything’s feeling great. We’ll notify you about the results of your blood test, but I have no reason to believe we’ll find anything unusual. Next up’s the ultrasound. Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll go get the others.”
Dr. Triassi cracked the door, then returned to her station to prepare for the procedure. It wasn’t long before the stomp of feet both tiny and large approached the room. Damien and Emily entered.
“We crusheded a whole city, Daddy,” Emily declared. She took a seat to his left. “Mimi is really good at squishing things.”
“Mimi is really good at all kinds of things, not just city squishing.” Damien waggled his eyebrow at Emily as he sat on Matthew’s right. “Wait until you see how good I am at tripwires, water guns, and beatboxing.”
“Beatboxing?” Matthew furrowed his brow.
Damien shrugged. “I mean, I’m not now, but if Emily wants to throw down, you’d best believe I’m bringing my A-game.”
Matthew laughed so hard he didn’t notice Dr. Triassi coat the ultrasound wand with lubricant. Thankfully he did hear her verbal warning before she introduced it to his body.
Thoughts of Damien and his stupidly handsome face were now officially verboten.
“Is she looking in your stomach, Daddy?” Emily asked.
“Mm, sort of.” Matthew pointed to the screen suspended in the air over the foot of the examination table. “She’s going to use that screen to see. You should watch, too. There’s going to be a big surprise and you won’t want to miss it.”
“It’s all blobby,” Emily despaired. “I don’t see anything.”
Matthew ran his fingers through her hair. “Give it a little time. You’ll see soon enough.”
“Okay, let’s see what surprises we’ve got in here.” Dr. Triassi hummed and adjusted the position of the wand, pressing it against several places until the grainy black and gray imagery on the screen took shape.
