“We can fight about it later. After we make sure the baby is unharmed.”
“I suppose that’s my cue,” Dr. Winters said cheerfully as if she hadn’t just listened to them bickering right in front of her. “Aria, just lie back on that table there and we’ll take a peek at the little bean, make sure everything looks good, and then you’ll be free to go.”
Nerves danced up her spine as she settled into position, still holding Killian’s hand. But whereas before she’d simply been allowing him to keep his grip on her to avoid an embarrassing battle, now she was gripping him back. As soon as her hand tightened on his, she felt his thumb move again, caressing her knuckles in a gesture designed to soothe.
Daddy’s right here, princess. I’ve got you.
Clinging to that silent promise, she watched as Dr. Winters set up the ultrasound machine and lifted Aria’s shirt to squirt the cold gel onto her stomach. Dr. Winters smiled, a genuine smile this time. “Ready to meet your baby?”
Swallowing hard, Aria nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”
A moment later, the sound of a heartbeat filled the room and Aria watched in wonder as a little gray blob appeared on the screen in front of her.
“There she is. Or he is, we can’t really tell just yet. But I can tell you that so far it looks like you have a perfect little bean in there. Congrats, Mama.”
Two little words, and they managed to knock the air clean out of her lungs. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “I’m gonna be a mom.”
Leaning in, Killian pressed a kiss to her hair. And when he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “You’re going to be an amazing fucking mom.”
“Hell yeah, I am.” Tears pooled in her eyes as she let out a shaky laugh. “I’m going to raise her to give you absolute hell, I hope you know that.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
They finished up the exam, with Dr. Winters printing out a photo of the ultrasound for them to take home. Killian shook her hand and thanked her for everything, but when he smiled there was a hint of mischief in the gesture. “We should get going. My sister is waiting for us out front and you know how she gets.”
To Aria’s utter shock, twin flags of color appeared on the doctor’s cheeks. “Reagan’s here?”
“She is. Would you like to walk us out and say hello?”
“Ah… Actually, I just remembered, I have… a thing. To do. Somewhere else. I’ll make some notes in Aria’s file for Dr. Byrd. Take care!”
Dr. Winters hurried from the room, leaving Aria staring at the closed door. “What the hell was that all about?”
“Naomi has a bit of a crush on Reagan, though she’s much too proud and committed to her ethics to admit it. And my sister is delightfully oblivious to the good doctor’s feelings, which brings the rest of us no end of joy.”
“Huh.” Well, wasn’t that an interesting twist?
“Indeed.” He held out a hand, clearly expecting her to take it. Part of her wanted to rebel, to remind him she could do something as simple as get off a damn table by herself if she wanted to.
But there was still part of her that was trembling from her brush with death, that wanted his comfort, and it was strong enough to have her placing her hand in his so he could help her down from the exam table.
And if he didn’t release her immediately and she didn’t pull away, it didn’t really mean anything. They were just two people who’d been through an extremely traumatic event together, comforting each other in the wake. Nothing more.
Reagan was, as advertised, waiting for them in the lobby when they exited the exam area. Worry knit her brows as she rose to her feet and reached for Aria, pulling her in for a tight hug. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, Dr. Winters says everything looks good. No shock or anything and the baby looks perfect.”
And then Reagan O’Rourke, the most badass woman Aria had met in her entire life, squealed like a little girl. “Oh, you got to see her? That’s so exciting! What does she look like?”
Reaching into her purse, Aria pulled out the printout they’d been given. “Kinda like this.”
Tears sparkled in Reagan’s eyes, but she seemed completely unashamed by them as she ran her fingertips lovingly over the photo before looking up, her gaze locking on her brothers. “She’s real. And she’s perfect.”
“She is,” Killian agreed, his voice shining with pride.
“This is a good thing.” Grinning, Reagan reached for Aria again, gripping her hand and squeezing. “Today was a hard day, but this is a very, very good thing. We needed this, needed to remember that there are still good things in the world. Things worth fighting for.”
“Aye. It is, and there are.” Killian looked away from his sister to meet Aria’s eyes and the world seemed to go still around her as his eyes filled with an emotion she didn’t want to recognize. An emotion Reagan and Brody had both told her he felt, but she’d never actually seen in him before right that second.
