Cassandra sighed, tugging the waistband of her leggings up over her belly bulge for the hundredth time that morning. She’d been working from home almost exclusively the past couple weeks, once she realized her belly had bulged into “definitely baby” and was no longer “questionable bloating.” She wasn’t ready to tell coworkers, not even Laura. As far as she could see, she had two options available to her: the truth, which would jeopardize her career and involve a lot of explanation she wasn’t ready to give; or acting like she had no idea, which somehow seemed worse, like maybe she participated in some sort of secret sexual underworld nobody knew about.

So remote work it was. Until she could muster the courage to ask for Laura’s advice. She, at least, would keep her secret long enough to help her figure out the smart career move. Keeping this information from her boss was key, though. This slip-up couldn’t follow her, if she needed to switch agencies.

As if she could sense her thoughts, Laura sent a message using their work messaging client. “Hey girl. You around? I need some advice.”

Cassandra clucked her tongue. Funny, I was thinking the same about you. She typed back a quick response. “I’m here and ready. What is it?”

“The file you passed me a few months ago…do you remember? The Middle Eastern guy, Nasir? He’s ten matches deep and still no dice.”

Cassandra’s hand went to her belly as she read the message. She couldn’t fight the smile that crossed her face. Was it wrong to feel a little bit happy about that, even though they would have never worked out? She hadn’t even seen him for months. “Man. Some guys are just impossible to please.”

“You’re telling me. But get this—threw me a curveball earlier this week. He updated his profile, but it’s completely different. It’s like a whole new guy, I swear to God.”

Cassandra furrowed a brow, re-reading her words a few times. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she wrote back. “Seriously? That’s so odd…just out of curiosity, could I see it? For informational purposes, of course. I’ve never had something like this happen, would like to see what he changed.”

She nibbled on a nail, awaiting Laura’s response. Peeking at other agents’ profiles was a big no-no, but maybe it would slide since Nasir had technically been her client for a while.

“Totally. You worked with him before, so maybe you can explain this change. I certainly don’t get it. Would love any insight. I feel like I should charge him double. LOL”

Her e-mail client dinged with a new arrival, and she flipped over to the program, mouse hovering over the message. What would be in there? People never changed their profiles to the extent Laura alluded to. It just didn’t make sense.

Her cell phone rang, short annoying beeps that meant her alarm was going off. She grabbed it, a reminder waiting on the screen: “Appt w/gyno.”

She inhaled sharply, springing up from the couch. She’d forgotten entirely, and she still had to get across town. If she called a rideshare immediately, she’d probably make it, but only by the skin of her teeth. This was an important appointment, too, one she’d rescheduled twice now simply due to anxiety: the first ultrasound.

After she’d called for the ride, Cassandra rushed to gather her purse and a novel and bolted out of the apartment. The taxi showed up within minutes, one of the pluses of big city life immediately tempered by the half-hour drive to make it only two and a half miles. Fueled by nervous energy and the need for distraction, she finished three chapters of her book before the taxi pulled up at the doctor’s office. She hurried toward the front door, tugging her leggings up over her belly yet again.

Inside the doctor’s office, she sat on the edge of the examining table, swinging her legs as she waited for the nurse to finish her preparations. The room was quiet and dim, a hushed reverence making her feel a bit like she had in church as a young girl. The nurse didn’t speak as she pulled over the ultrasound machine and readied various tubes at the bedside. Finally, she said in a brusque voice, “Lie back.”

Cassandra did as she was told, the paper crinkling beneath her as she relaxed onto the examining table. The nurse pushed her shirt up, and the machine flickered to life. Cassandra watched every movement from the nurse as if she were at a bar and suspected someone of tampering with her drink. She swallowed hard. Calm down. Nothing is afoot here. She’s just doing her job.

Cassandra’s right hand twitched, and she desperately wanted to squeeze someone’s hand. Even more than that, she wanted it to be Nasir’s. She pinched her eyes shut, bringing a hand to cover them. A tear escaped, which seemed like it was probably pregnancy hormones, but also, she’d missed him something fierce in the months since she ingloriously exited his life. No amount of rationality or logic could really explain this longing anymore.

Someone rapped on the door, and then her doctor peeked her head in, a shock of frizzy brown hair surprising her as it always did. The obstetrician stepped inside, shutting the door quietly behind her.

“Cassandra.” She offered a hand as she approached. “So it’s time for the ultrasound.”

“Looks like it.” Cassandra managed to laugh a little, but it was forced. The ultrasound meant there were a whole lot of other things coming down the pipeline, and she wasn’t ready to face a single damn one of them.

“It’s about time,” the doctor said, easing onto a rolling stool. She picked up a small wand, squeezing gel onto it. “You shouldn’t have waited so long.”

Cassandra sighed, eyes on the screen, like maybe it would show something before the wand even touched her. “I know, I know. I just got busy with work.” The doctor seared her with a look. “But I’m here now. So let’s just see what’s happening in there.”

Dr. Berna pressed the wand to Cassandra’s lower belly, the cool gel making her suck in a sharp breath. She rubbed it around in a few sweeping circles, squinting at the screen.

“Do you have a partner, or are you with the father?” Dr. Berna asked it like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Cassandra grimaced as the cool gel traveled lower. She had no good answer to that question. Hell, even her fibs sounded pathetic.

“He was busy today, unfortunately,” Cassandra said, deciding at the last minute that both “two-night stand gone wrong” and “fatally mismatched sex god” were inappropriate for the quiet sternness of this appointment.

Dr. Berna nodded, clucking her tongue. “There we go. Gotcha.”

Cassandra watched the screen, trying to make sense of the whirls of white against the black background. Maybe she could tell people she’d been artificially inseminated. Like she’d gone to a clinic, and this was an implant. That way, she had no spouse to account for—she was simply a goal-oriented young woman who got what she wanted, no partner required. She made enough money—maybe it would pass as truth.

“Here we are.” Dr. Berna smiled, pointing to the screen where a couple strange blobs floated. It looked like a newt or maybe a collection of snails. Cassandra’s mouth hung open, unsure what to say, feeling guilty that she couldn’t identify her baby on the screen.

“What is it? A boy or a girl?”

Dr. Berna smiled wider, moving the wand a little bit lower. And then she pointed again at the screen, pointing out a few distinct areas so that finally, Cassandra could see.

She gasped, understanding the precious outlines, the collection of whirls, the ways in which the final pieces came together to create something very undeniably real.