“So today’s the big day?” April asked.

“Maybe we can use some other word besides big,” Jordan said, smirking at her friend.

April just laughed.

They both worked at Houston Legal Aid Society, which was a much better fit for Jordan that Morris & Gibson had been. She had given her notice to the firm almost a year ago. Between Carter’s hectic in-season schedule and missing all of Bree’s life events, it was a no brainer.

Now, she worked part time at the legal aid clinic, which gave her the flexibility to take off when she needed to. Like, for example, going for her ultra sound.

“You guys didn’t have to do the cupcakes,” Jordan said, eyeing the tray of treats, half of which were blue and half pink.

“Well, you wouldn’t let us throw you a baby shower,” said Carla, the administrative assistant. “We had to do something to pay you back for all those breakfast tacos you bring in practically every day.”

“So what are you guys hoping for?” asked Emily, another attorney.

“I don’t care, as long as it’s—”

“Yeah, yeah,” said April, “as long as it’s healthy. Now what do you really want?”

Jordan laughed. “Well, you know Carter. He loves Bree to death but, and he certainly hasn’t said anything, but I’m pretty sure he wants a boy.”

“Speaking of which…” April looked past her shoulder.

There was a definite buzz of electricity in the air as Jordan heard the bell over the front door ding. As usual, when her husband made an appearance, there was a shift in the atmosphere. The combination of his celebrity status and imposing size was enough to stop all conversation and have all eyes focused on him.

He had Bree, who was now a little over two years old, in one large arm. She was wearing a coral sleeveless dress and white sandals. Her light brown head of curls was up in a pony tail.

“There’s my little kitten,” April gushed, walking over to tickle her.

Bree laughed and shrieked away from her favorite person in the world, second only to Daddy. Then her eyes caught the tray of cupcakes and she reached for them, nearly toppling out of Carter’s arm.

“Whoa sweetie,” he said, quickly reaching around to secure her with his other hand.

“Unh,” she protested, straining in his embrace, until Carter finally grabbed one for her.

“Pink!” she insisted and, being permanently wrapped around her little finger, he happily switched out the offending blue cupcake for pink.

“You’re going to regret that, I guarantee it,” Jordan said coming over to him and reaching up on her tip toes to kiss him.

“Mmm, that’s the kind of sugar I prefer,” he said against her lips.

Jordan smiled, then leaned in to her daughter. “Hey there, baby.”

“Cupcake!” Bree said, holding up her recently acquired treat to show her mother with a broad smile on her face. Jordan wanted to eat it up.

“Yes, it is! Are you ready to go see your little brother or sister?”

She was patently ignored in favor of the pink frosting.

Jordan turned her attention to Carter. “I guess that answers that,” she said with a laugh. “Are you ready?”

Carter blew out of his mouth, looking at Bree’s frosting covered chin. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

* * *

“Uh oh,” Jordan said, looking in the back seat.

Bree was already fast asleep in the car seat. Obviously being fawned over in the office was very tiring business. The half eaten cupcake had fallen out of her hand, leaving a nice pink frosting stain on the seat.

“What is it?” Carter asked, looking in the rear view mirror of his truck.

“You don’t want to know.”

“She dropped it didn’t she?”

“I told you you’d regret it,’ Jordan chided, laughing. “Still want another?”

“A bit too late now, sweetheart,” he said with a smirk. “Besides, I kind of like being a daddy. In fact, I think we should keep doing this, you’re kinda sexy when you’re pregnant.”

She slapped him on the arm, chuckling. “You’re hopeless.”

* * *

“We have a healthy heartbeat,” said the doctor. “Two arms, two legs, and lookie there, even a head!” he went on, teasingly.

Jordan liked him. He countered her obsession over every detail of the pregnancy with a calm reassurance that was neither patronizing nor critical and often quite humorous.

“So, do we want to find out if we’re painting the nursery blue or pink?”

Jordan looked up at Carter with her eyebrows raised. She truly didn’t care, having been honest when she told her friend she just wanted a healthy baby.

Carter looked down at Bree who was curled against his shoulder, still sleeping, two fingers stuck firmly in her little mouth. Once again he blew out his mouth and nodded down at his wife

“Let’s hear it, doc.”

“I guess that’s a yes,” Jordan said, smiling at her doctor.

“Okay then, prepare yourselves….”

* * *

A very healthy, 8 pound, 1 ounce Carter Fox Jr. was born at 2:47 on a perfectly lovely day.

The parents and big sister are all doing fine.