CHAPTER EIGHT
While we sat side by side in a waiting room full of pregnant women and expectant fathers, I started to feel nervous. My knee started to bounce uncontrollably as I flicked through some chick pregnancy magazine.
“What’s wrong with you? You’re freaking me out,” Mia whispered beside me.
I lowered the magazine so I could see her over the top. “I feel weird.”
She scrunched her nose at me. “I told you to just drop me off, but nooo, you insisted on coming in. So suck it up.” The way she drew out the word no made me sound like a petulant child.
“I don’t mean weird like that. I mean, I feel like this is my kid, and I’m getting this weird feeling in my chest. It’s like I’m nervous about seeing my kid, but it’s not my kid.” I tried to explain but sounded like a jackarse.
Mia started laughing. “There’s no way Trent would come to a baby appointment. So you’re nothing like Nugget’s father. But I’m glad you’re here. It would have felt off being here alone.”
I reached over and took her delicate hand in mine. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me now. I’m going to be around like white on rice. You’ll never be alone again.” I winked and gave her a cheeky smile to cheer her up.
And it worked. She smiled back and squeezed my hand. Then her name was called, and she stood up to follow the nurse. When I didn’t follow, she turned to me and said, “You’re already doing a crap job of that white on rice thing you just promised me.”
The other waiting parents looked at us with funny expressions, but I jumped to my feet and walked her down the hall to the open office. I wasn’t expecting her to want me to come in for the actual appointment, but I was keen as to see how all this stuff worked. I’d gone to one of Ivy’s appointments with the twins because Gabe had gastro, and it had been awesome seeing them inside her like that, bouncing around like jelly beans with arms and legs.
I pulled Mia’s chair out for her, and she took it while giving me an odd look. “What?” I asked as I took my own seat.
Her nose scrunched up. “You just pulled the chair out for me. That’s weird.”
“Why is that weird? Guys do that kinda shit all the time.” Don’t they?
Before she could reply, the doctor walked in and sat on the opposite side of the desk. “I’m Doctor Tony McLellan, but feel free to call me Tony.” He smiled at us and looked down at his paperwork as he addressed Mia. “It says here you’re not sure of your dates, is that correct Ms Lynn?”
Mia’s cheeks flamed. “Umm no, I mean, yes. Umm, my…” She glanced at me, and I knew she wasn’t comfortable talking about chick stuff in front of me yet.
The doctor noticed her unease, so he cut her a break. “So you’re unsure of the time of conception, then. That’s not a problem. We’ll run some blood tests, which will give us a good estimate, and I’ll do a quick scan while you’re here, too. The earlier you are, the more accurate the scan will be, but we can compare it with your blood test results and get a better sense of things. How does that sound?”
“Excellent,” Mia said excitedly. “I didn’t know I’d be seeing Nugget today.” That smile of hers was out in full force—beautiful.
“It’s one of the services I offer expectant mothers,” Tony explained. “How about you jump up on that bed by the wall, and I’ll just get you to lift your shirt for me and roll the top of your pants down a little, too. This early in pregnancy the fetus will still be sitting quite low.”
Mia was out of her seat and on that table before the doctor had even stopped talking. And for some reason, that made me stupidly happy. “A little excited there, are we, Pretty Girl?”
She nodded. “I didn’t know I’d be this excited. Will you hold my hand?” she asked.
In the little time I’d known her, I already knew without a doubt she could ask me anything, and I’d say yes. “Of course.”
I held Mia’s hand as we both watched the doctor squeeze some blue goo onto her belly. Goosebumps broke out across her stomach and spread up under her shirt. “Sorry, I forgot to warn you this stuff is pretty cold,” Tony apologised.
A moment later, a noise like radio static filled the room. Then a strong, quick-paced thrumming took its place. Our eyes met briefly before moving to the ultrasound screen, and there it was, Mia’s little Nugget.
“Hi, Nugget,” Mia whispered at the screen on a choked sob.
I turned away from the screen to focus on Mia. Her eyes were red and glassy. “You can cry, Pretty Girl. This moment is worth your tears.” This moment was so raw, so intense. I reached for her cheek and cupped it gently in my palm.
She sniffled once more as fat tears leaked from the corners of her big, brown eyes. “It’s real. Nugget’s real. Until right now, I still thought the test I took could have been a dud and I was just putting on weight because I was stressed or something.”
The doctor laughed and patted our still-joined hands. “While stress can be the cause of weight gain, I can assure you that this not the case here, Mia. I’m actually surprised it’s taken you this long to come see someone. Judging by my measurements and the fetal development, I’d say you’re just over nine weeks pregnant.”
“NINE WEEKS!” Mia shrieked. “That’s over two months, which means I’ve got less than seven months to get everything ready. That’s not long enough. I need more time!” Her tearful gaze turned to meet me. “What am I going to do, Kai?”
She had seemed so calm in the waiting room that I couldn’t help but smile at her sudden panic. “You’re going to let me help you. That’s what you’re going to do, Pretty Girl.”
Tony handed her some tissues for her to blow her nose. After he wiped the goo from her belly and pulled her shirt back down, Mia did her pants back up and hopped down off the table.
I took her hand as we moved back to our seats in front of the desk. “You good?” I asked.
She looked at me with her big, brown doe eyes and smiled. “Yeah, I think so.”
I shot her a wink then we turned our attention back to the guy in the know about all this baby stuff.
When we finished with the doctor, we went to the pharmacy and got the vitamins Mia needed before heading back to Gabe and Ivy’s. Mia reached over the centre console and wrapped her fingers around the hand I had resting on my thigh. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Anything for you, Pretty Girl.” No truer words had been spoken. I was so wrapped up in Mia she was all I could see. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this about anyone.
“Can we go to the park for a little while?” Mia asked.
“Of course.”
Twenty minutes later, I parked my car on the sidewalk by the park we met in. Mia’s head lay on the headrest as she stared out the window at the park. Rain began to fall softly on the windshield, so I left the car running as an acoustic rendition of Dark Horse played through the speakers.
As I watched her silently, her foot tapped to the rhythm of the music while her chest rose and fell in even beats. Soon, her fingers and then her head joined her foot in tapping. I loved that she was feeling the music, and it pissed me off that she’d been deprived such an elemental part of life.
She closed her eyes, fully immersed in the song as her tapping became a gentle sway. I wished I could see her dance, it would be mesmerising. The way her body was moving made me want to pull her out of the car so I could watch her dance in the rain. I grew hard at the image that thought conjured in my mind.
Too soon, the song was finished, and Mia opened her eyes to see me staring at her. She blushed. “What?”
I shook my head—Trent was a fool. “You’re stunning.” I reached over the small space separating us, wrapped my fingers around the back of her neck, and drew her to me. She came willingly and melted into me when my lips pressed against hers. I kissed her softly, worshipping her mouth with the tenderness she deserved. My tongue slid against her bottom lip, and she shuddered against me. “Mia.” Her name escaped me on a groan. I wanted more of her.
As if she could read my mind, she unclasped her seatbelt, climbed over the centre console into my lap, and straddled me – all without breaking our kiss. After undoing my own belt, my hands went to her lush hips, and I sank my fingertips into her smooth flesh where her top had ridden up. She fisted my hair as she melded her body against mine. Fuuucccckkkkk.
“Mia baby, we need to slow down, or I’m going to lose my shit, Pretty Girl.” I groaned as she ground her hips against mine.
She was panting. “I can’t… I need… Kai… I…”
I shifted beneath her so she could get the friction she needed. I then gripped her hips tighter and helped her move against my hard-on while I trailed kisses along the edge of her chin, down her neck, and to her collarbone. I rested forehead against the column of her throat, my own breaths faltering when she threw her head back and moaned my name. Her whole body tensed before she began trembling against me.
Time slowed down as Mia’s body slowly calmed. I ran my hands up and down her back, soothing her as she regained her breath. “Damn, Pretty Girl,” I murmured against her slick skin. Her hands slid from my hair to my chest. “Kai.” She rested her head against my shoulder.
We sat in comfortable silence until Mia sat up and levelled me with her doe eyes. “Kai, I don’t do that… I mean, I… what we just did, I don’t do that.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for me to respond.
I reached for that beautiful, red lip being held captive by her perfect white teeth. “I know.” She released her bottom lip and tilted her head to the side while she searched my eyes for something. I wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but I hoped she found it.