The sonogram tech cleared his throat. “If you’ll all leave the room I’ll do the sonogram and confirm whether or not the baby is still safely in her mother’s womb.”
“I’m not leaving,” Tate growled.
He positioned himself by Chessy’s side and curled his arm underneath her so he supported her upper body.
Joss, Kylie, Jensen and Dash discreetly left the room and the sonogram tech pulled up the gown they’d changed her into and quietly explained the process of an internal sonogram.
The wand would be inserted into her vagina and the images would show up on the screen of the sonogram machine.
“Let’s hope for the best,” the tech said with a smile. “Your spotting was minimal and it’s quite normal in the early stages of pregnancy. Chances are it had nothing to do with your fall at all.”
Silence descended as the tech began the sonogram. Tate had Chessy firmly anchored in his arms and he gripped her right hand, squeezing tightly. He was as afraid as she was. She could see the tension in his features, the fear in his eyes. Fear for her and fear for their child.
“There’s the heartbeat! Everything looks good, little mama. Your baby is still right where it needs to be.”
Chessy burst into tears again. Tate touched his forehead to hers, relief etched in every facet of his face.
“Our baby is just fine,” he whispered. “But now we have to take care of you.”
He tenderly wiped her tears away, kissing the damp trails on her cheeks.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said brokenly. “I wanted you here so bad but I didn’t want to mess up your presentation.”
“I’ll always be here,” he said gently. “You and our baby come first.”
He’d chosen her.
Joy quickly replaced the sorrow and fear over the thought of losing her baby. She reached up with her uninjured arm and caressed Tate’s face.
“You chose me,” she whispered.
Tears brimmed in Tate’s own eyes.
“I know I can’t erase the past, Chessy, but I can affect the future. And from now on, you come first. Always. I need you to believe that.”
“I do,” she whispered.
“I love you,” he said gravely, sincerity brimming in his tear-filled eyes. “And as soon as they release you, I’m taking you home and you’re not going to lift so much as a finger while you recover. I’m taking the rest of the week off and depending on how you’re doing, I may take off next week as well.”
She was stunned, sure that shock registered on her face.
He caressed her cheek, love and tenderness radiating from his eyes.
“I chose you, Chessy. I’ll always choose you.”
She smiled, ignoring the pain in her arm. She had everything in the world that mattered to her right here and now. Her baby was safe and her husband was here. Everything was good. Finally, she was at peace.
And she did believe Tate. All the doubts of the past, all the betrayals and disappointment melted away, leaving love and trust in their wake.
EPILOGUE
KYLIEdecided to wait until after Joss’s and Chessy’s babies were born before she and Jensen married. Joss and Chessy had complained that they could hardly be bridesmaids when they were big as a house. Jensen wasn’t happy with the delay. He wanted Kylie to be legally his as soon as possible and he didn’t care if they had an actual wedding or not. He’d threatened to kidnap Kylie and elope to Vegas but in the end he caved when Kylie told him how important it was that she be surrounded by her “family” on their special day.
Joss gave birth to an eight-pound, nine-ounce baby boy. They named him Carson, in recognition of Joss’s first husband and Dash’s best friend.
Not long after, Chessy delivered a seven-pound, two-ounce baby girl. She smugly told Tate that she’d been right all along and that she knew she was having a daughter. Tate had coddled her the entire time. He’d taken her home from the hospital on that horrible day when she’d feared the worst. Her arm had indeed been broken and she’d worn a cast for two months. Tate hadn’t allowed her to so much as lift a finger, and also true to his word, he’d spent much more time away from work and with her.
When the cast had been removed, and with her having an adorable baby bump, he’d taken her away for an entire week where they’d done nothing more than lounge on a beach and make love in the hotel room. It had been utter perfection.
