I nod, and a whooshing sound fills the air. A rapid heartbeat. Strong and steady. Foster’s fingers grip mine tighter. His lips are parted, and he’s smiling so brightly it brings tears to my eyes.
After a few seconds, the technician spins her screen, allowing us to watch as the baby moves around. He’s been more active this afternoon. Kicking and rolling. It’s almost like he can feel us watching and is putting on a show. A loud laugh slips throughmy lips when he spins to show us his bottom. He’s so big. So healthy.I think.
“That’s our baby,” Foster whispers, eyes trained on the screen.
I stare up at my Omega and question why I ever thought I could hold myself back from him. How can I stay away from someone who has been all in from the minute he met me? “Yeah, that’s him. Our little bean.”
The technician leaves us with pictures to take home, and the doctor arrives a short while later.
“Mrs. Boyd-”
“Wilson, please.” The request slips out before rational thought can stop it. Warmth spreads up my neck and face, embarrassment washing over me. I dare not look at Foster for fear I might burst into tears.
“Of course, I’ll make a note on your chart. This is your first checkup with me, so we’re going all out. I want the best picture of your pregnancy I can get. Tell me how things have been so far. Is this your first?”
The next half hour is spent answering questions and getting my stomach measured to see how well the baby is growing. It’s oddly relaxing to listen to the doctor’s voice as she goes over what to expect over the next several weeks. Completely opposite of the male doctor I was seeing in Whitlan. He was cold, rude, and made comments about weight gain entirely too often.
Foster asks a few questions, too. Jumping into the conversation with the ease of someone familiar with the field. Or maybe he’s never been scorned by a medical professional the way I have? I wish I felt as comfortable as he does. Trusted the doctor as easily.
“Please call the office with any other questions you have. We have an after-hours line that will direct you to a nurse in our OB unit, so don’t wait until the next day if you have concerns.Otherwise, we will see you again in two weeks!” With a wave, she leaves me to get dressed.
“So,Mrs. Wilson,” Foster coos, a smug smile stretched across his lips, “do you feel better now that you’ve seen a real doctor and not a cult quack?”
Rolling my eyes, I open the door and walk out into the hall. “I do, actually. Am I going to go home and research everything she said to double-check? Probably. That doesn’t mean coming here didn’t help.”
His hand slips into mine as we approach the reception desk to schedule my next appointment. “Being nervous and wanting to make sure our little one is getting the best care is natural. Even moms who weren’t raised in a cult without access to modern medicine do that.”
That makes me feel a little less crazy. I’m behaving like a normal mom, which is a feat given my upbringing.
With my appointment card tucked into Foster’s wallet, he steers us out of the building and across the lot. I look for their car, but it’s not in the lot. When we reach the sidewalk, I ask him where we are going.
“I want to show you something,” he explains as we reach an intersection and wait for the lights to tell us to cross. “Don’t worry, I already okayed the trip with Shepherd and Donovan.”
Curiosity builds as we walk another block and round the corner. There are so many businesses and buildings that it’s difficult to guess which one could be our destination. What surprise does my Omega have in store?
Chapter Fourteen
Watchingtiny limbs move in the ultrasound filled me with wonder.
Hearing Hannah call her baby ours? That had me floating on clouds.
When she asked the doctor to use our pack name instead of her married or maiden surname? I skyrocketed straight into outer space. The air might have ripped from my lungs, but the sight I beheld was immeasurably beautiful. A tiny glimpse of the future I know my angel wants.
Elation makes my steps light as I lead her the two blocks from the hospital to the community center. I want to show her every part of my life. To ingrain her so deeply into it, she can never find her way out. I want an eternity with her and Shepherd by my side. Our children laughing and happy, growing in a home so full of love that they’ll never accept the kind of bullshit relationship Hannah’s parents forced her into.
Today, I’m going to show her what I’m passionate about. Aside from her, of course.
Swinging the front doors open, I move my hand to the small of her back and guide her through. She examines the open main area with interest. A large study area dominates the front-rightcorner. Mismatched couches and chairs scatter around coffee tables, and a wall of bookshelves overflows with resource books for the kids to use. Several teens are already hard at work there, barely sparing us a glance as we walk in.
To our left is a small coffee bar stocked with drinks and snacks. We use a pay-what-you-can system so that no one who walks through our doors goes hungry. I stop by and grab us both a bottle of water, dropping a few dollars into the collection box.
“What is this place?” Hannah asks as we venture to the back. Kids playing foosball and ping-pong stop to wave, several greeting me by name. It’s quiet until we get close to the gym, where the squeak of shoes and jesting camaraderie fill the air.
“The community center. We set it up for local students to have a place to hang out when school isn’t in session. I run a youth program here that the DAU helps fund. They’re meeting soon, and I wanted to stop by to say hello. Show you where I spend my free time outside of the hospital.”
A warm smile spreads across her lips as she gazes up at me. My hand freezes on the door when her teeth sink into her bottom lip. I open my mouth to ask her what’s going through her pretty head, but am left speechless when she pushes to her tiptoes and plants her lips on mine. The kiss is brief and chaste, but it lingers between us like static after a lightning strike.Fuck,I want more, but I don’t want to push too far too fast, either.
Instead of kissing her senseless, I throw open the gym door and let the chaos begin.
