Juliette

“Yes.”

“No,” I answered at the same time as Declan.

Dr. Frazier’s gaze darted between the two of us before a startled laugh bubbled up her throat. “I guess I could only tell Dr. McGowan, but I doubt he’ll be able to keep the secret from you for five days, let alone five long months. Why don’t the two of you take a moment to discuss what you’d like to do? I’ll step out to give you some privacy.”

The minute the door closed behind her, Declan leaned over me, setting his hands on the exam table on either side of my head. His eyes practically glowed with happiness, and his smile was the biggest I’d ever seen.

“You think you’re going to get me to agree, don’t you?” I asked suspiciously.

He dropped a brief kiss on my lips before answering. “I hope you will, but that’s not why I’m grinning like a fool. I’m just so damn happy to be able to experience the first decision we’re facing as new parents together.”

“We can’t even agree on something as simple as learning the sex of our baby,” I fretted, twisting the engagement ring around my finger. “We barely know each other and we’re already living together, engaged to be married, and going to have a baby.”

“I can’t wait to learn everything there is to know about you, Juliette,” he whispered against my lips after giving me another sweet kiss. “But I disagree about this being an easy decision. I’m a bit of a planner, which I’m sure isn’t a surprise to you by now, but that’s not why I want to know. This isn't about planning the nursery or buying baby clothes for me. I just feel this deep-seated need to learn as much about him or her as soon as I can. I’m already wondering if our baby will have your gorgeous violet eyes, if he or she will be as graceful as you, if our child will have my love for medicine or yours for dance. We have to wait for the answers to all those questions, but the ultrasound can tell us one thing about our baby—whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

His confession moved me to the point where there was only one possible answer. “Call Dr. Frazier back in, and let’s find out the sex of our baby.”

Declan dropped one last kiss on my lips and walked over to the door. As soon as he cracked it open, Dr. Frazier peeked her head in. “What’s the verdict?”

“We’d like to know, please.”

She beamed a smile my way at my response. “I’m not surprised. Dr. McGowan can be fairly persuasive when he wants to be.” I darted a wary gaze between the two of them, wondering what she meant by that, and relaxed when she continued. “He’s done an excellent job talking donors out of money for the new pediatrics wing. It’s just too bad it won’t be done before your little girl is born since the wing will also be the home to new labor and delivery rooms.”

“Little girl?” I gasped.

“Hot damn!” Declan whooped, scooping me off the exam table and twirling me around. “A baby girl who’s going to be just as beautiful as her mommy.”

“Maybe she’ll look like her daddy instead,” I suggested shyly, gazing up at him when he set me on my feet.

Declan wasn’t the least bit self-conscious about Dr. Frazier watching us in such a personal moment. He cradled my face in his palms and captured my lips, kissing me tenderly. It might not have been the right time or place, considering Declan worked there, but it was exactly what I needed to feel closer to him. Lost in the kiss, neither of us heard the door click shut as we physically expressed all the emotions the ultrasound had evoked inside.

His thumbs swept across my cheeks when he lifted his head and stared down at me. Then he dropped to his knees and whispered against my belly, “Hello in there, baby girl McGowan. This is your daddy. I love you very much and can’t wait to meet you, my little peanut.”

Cue the tears—again. Although this time it was more than just stupid hormones. I was thrilled my baby girl had her daddy’s unconditional love. I just wished I did, too.

* * *

“Do you have to go into the studio today?” Declan murmured from the bed.

I stepped out of the walk-in closet, dressed for a day full of dance classes, and let my eyes linger on his naked chest. The sheet hung low on his hips, his eyes were sleepy, and his dark hair was tousled after a night spent making love to celebrate the news about our baby girl. We’d popped into his office after the ultrasound so he could get some work done, but we hadn’t stayed long. After a quick, early dinner, we’d spent the rest of the night in bed. Forget champagne and cake, sex with Declan was the best way to celebrate.

This morning was a return to the real world though, and I had to leave the private bubble we’d created around ourselves. I would have loved to be able to hide in it, particularly that day, but it just wasn’t possible. “I’m meeting with Serena today to talk about the pregnancy.”

His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head to the side. “She doesn’t know yet?”

“It’s only been three days since I found out,” I answered defensively. “Since you were able to get me an ultrasound appointment with Dr. Frazier for the same day as my originally scheduled one, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait until afterwards to let her know.”

He rolled out of the bed and stalked towards me, laying his hand gently on my belly when he got close. “You haven’t been pushing yourself too hard, have you? I know how important dance is to you, but you’re dancing for two now.”

“Dancing for two,” I repeated dreamily. The baby kicked at his hand, almost as though she knew we were talking about her. “I think that’s a sign that she likes the idea of dancing with her mommy as much as I do.”

“Maybe, but I think she just loves the sound of her daddy’s voice,” he teased.

“Then she must take after her mommy because I do too.”

“If you play hooky with me today, I’ll whisper sweet nothings in your ear for as long as you like,” he offered hopefully.

“Oh, please. We both know you aren’t really going to take the whole day off,” I answered, wagging my finger at him. “In fact, I’ll probably beat you home. Depending on how my meeting with Serena goes, I may be home super early. I’m not sure how she’s going to take the news of my pregnancy since I’m already four months along. It’s been years since one of the principal ballerinas has been pregnant, and she’d been happily married and trying for a baby for more than a year. This time around, it’s going to come as a shock to everyone. If they aren’t willing to let me continue with classes throughout the pregnancy, then earning my principle spot back would be incredibly difficult.”

“I know how important your career is to you. I think I proved that with how I handled your four-month absence.” I shook my head in confusion, but he didn’t notice since he was staring down at his hands on my stomach. “You have my support, one-hundred percent, but I want your promise that you’ll be careful and won’t overdo it out of fear for what will happen after the baby is here. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to either of my girls.”

“You have it,” I vowed, linking my fingers through his and holding them against me.

We stood together like that for longer than I’d realized. When we finally broke apart, I had to make a mad dash across town to the studio and was almost late to my meeting with Serena. The company’s ballet mistress adored me, but tardiness was one of her biggest pet peeves. It was a fact I was reminded of when I barely made it into her office with one minute to spare and she pointedly looked at the clock on the wall.

“I trust the reason for this meeting is urgent since you almost made me wait for you?”

“I’m four months pregnant,” I blurted out, skipping the entire speech I’d practiced in my head for the last couple days.

“Well,” she murmured, dropping into her chair with her eyebrows raised as her gaze swept my body. “That would explain the weight gain.”

“It’s five pounds,” I grumbled. “And it was only four the last time you saw me.”

“There will be many more pounds to follow, I’m sure. Four months along, you said?”

“Yes, I just found out this week, and had an ultrasound yesterday. It’s a girl, and a perfectly healthy pregnancy.” I shoved some papers at her that the doctor had given me upon my request. “I’ve already spoken with my doctor about this, and she’s supportive of me continuing with my workout as long as I’m careful and listen to my body’s signals.”

“You can dance,” she conceded after reviewing the information from Dr. Frazier, and I heaved a big sigh of relief. “In classes only, where I can ensure you’re being cautious as your body changes throughout the pregnancy. I’ll speak with Hayes about your unavailability for casting.”

“I don’t want to do anything to put my baby at risk,” I assured her, feeling relieved that she was going to tackle the conversation with our artistic director for me. “My doctor even said it will help me maintain my body strength, which might alleviate some of pregnancy’s negative side effects. Plus, the baby’s father”—she sent a pointed look at the ring on my finger, and I corrected myself—“my fiancé is a pediatric surgeon. I’ve recently moved in with him, and he’s going to want to keep a close eye on my health, too, so it’s not like I’m going to be able to get away with much, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “We will work to keep your core strong to help you avoid back pain. This we can do, but no performing. No lifts. No grand jetés.”

“Whatever you think is best,” I agreed.

“Remember, Juliette. You have many years to dance, even though they might not all be on the stage, but you only have so many to become a mother.” She looked sad for a moment, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she regretted never marrying and having children of her own. The dance world was different when she was a prima ballerina. I was deeply grateful for the changes over the years, which allowed me to live my dream and be a mother too.