Dr. Kong nodded and gestured for Dani to lie back. “I’m going to lift your gown up just a little bit.”
A moment later, the gel hit her skin, and Dani made a small noise of surprise. “Wow, that’s surprisingly warm.”
Dr. Kong laughed. “Warming gel,” she explained. “Best innovation in the past twenty years.”
The doctor moved the wand across her stomach with practiced ease, eyes scanning the monitor. The screen filled with shifting gray static until, slowly, the faint contours of a tinybody emerged. Arms, legs, head—imperfect but undeniable. My breath caught in my throat.
“There’s your baby,” Dr. Kong said warmly. “Heartbeat’s strong—152 beats per minute. That’s perfect.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. For all the conversations, all the plans, all the thinking ahead, nothing had made this feel more real than seeing that tiny body wriggling around in there.
“How cool is that?” Dani asked.
My eyes met hers with wonder. “Amazing.”
“Everything looks great,” Dr. Kong continued. “Now, let’s see if your little one wants to cooperate and give us a peek.”
The wand tilted, the image shifted, and I realized I was holding my breath. Dani’s fingers tightened around mine.
“Well,” Dr. Kong said after a moment, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Your baby isdefinitelynot shy. I can say with complete certainty, you’re having a girl.”
The words hit me like a fastball straight to the heart. My grin was instant, wide enough to make my cheeks ache. “A girl,” I repeated, words tinged with awe. “I love girls.”
Dani let out a shaky laugh, her eyes glassy as she stared at the screen. “She’s so small,” she whispered, voice breaking on the last word.
“She’s perfect,” I corrected softly.
And she was.
I must have pictured a thousand different versions of our baby, but now I could see her—tiny and fierce, just like her mother.
Dr. Kong smiled at the two of us, then glanced at the door. “Congratulations to you both. Want me to make a recording for you?”
“Please,” I answered quickly.
Dani sniffled. “Thank you, doctor.”
She tapped a few buttons, and the machine began recording a short loop of the sonogram. The little figure on the screen kept moving, heart flickering, limbs shifting like she was trying to find the comfiest side of the uterus.
“I’ll step out and give you a moment,” Dr. Kong offered before slipping out, the quiet click of the latch leaving us alone in the small, warm room.
For a long beat, neither of us said anything. We just sat there, fingers still threaded together, our gazes fixed on the little girl flipping and kicking on the screen like she had all the time in the world.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the steady, reassuring thump of our daughter’s heartbeat. Then Dani turned to me, eyes still wet, and something in her expression shifted—like whatever walls she’d been holding up had finally crumbled.
Before I could say a word, she launched herself forward and crashed her mouth to mine.
The kiss deepened fast—too fast—her fingers tangling in my hair and dragging me even closer. And still, it wasn’t enough. She twisted on the table without missing a beat, paper crunching with every move until finally, she could wrap one leg around my waist, locking us together.
We were clumsy and desperate, groaning between kisses, but there was no mistaking the heat sparking under the surface. Her mouth was hungry, demanding, teeth nipping my bottom lip before she soothed the sting with her tongue.
My fingers dug into her hips, sliding under the flimsy paper gown, inching closer to her heat, and then—
The ultrasound cart groaned under the weight of Dani’s other foot. She froze, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. “Whoops.”
We stared at each other, panting.
“Dani, I—”
