The Sweetest Gift - Scarlett Cole Page 0,6
of you, Jordan.”
Supportive? It was the fucking least he could do. One wild night when they’d desperately reached for each other in a moment of lust and forgot the most basic tenets of contraception. By the time he’d gotten over just how fucking good it had felt to come deep inside her, they realized he’d not put a condom on.
There had been changes they’d had to make immediately once they’d had a positive pregnancy test, like telling the company director of the ballet. But Lexi hadn’t so much as blinked and was still dancing her favorite role in The Nutcracker, the Snow Queen, every night. Thank fuck her last night was that evening or he might just die from panic every time she was hoisted into the air.
And now she was growing their fucking child while he sat on the sidelines. So, yeah, making sure she remembered to take her vitamins while cooking her a healthy breakfast each morning was the absolute bare minimum he could do.
“Are you ready for Christmas?” Dr. Cherry asked, wiping the gel off Lexi’s stomach. “Got all the shopping done?”
Lexi sat up. “Pretty much. We’re off to Miami tomorrow for Christmas and New Year. A friend is getting married.”
“Oh, that sounds exciting,” Dr. Cherry said. “And to get away from this weather.”
The weather? He’d not slept the night before with worry about the whole thing. Wouldn’t she be safer in their own bed, near their own OB? Was altitude even safe? And seat belts on planes? Wait, she wore seat belts in their car. Was it the same thing?
“We aren’t going,” Jordan blurted.
Dr. Cherry and Lexi both turned to look at Jordan.
“Why not?” Lexi asked, but she asked it kindly and took his hand. “It’s perfectly safe for me to fly. Right, Doctor?”
Dr. Cherry nodded her head. “It is. You are past the twelve-week stage, so miscarriage risks are much lower. The flight time is less than four hours, so risks of deep vein thrombosis are nearly negligible. And Lexi is in perfect health with no underlying conditions that would increase the risk of anything. She’s fine, Jordan.”
He shook his head. “No. I want to keep her here, closer to you if there is a problem.”
Dr. Cherry thought for a moment. “I’ll make an introduction to a doctor I know in Miami. Then you’ll have a point of contact.”
Lexi looked at him. “Jordan. We’ve talked about this. You can’t wrap me up in cotton wool for the next six months, you know this.”
Jordan raised her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. “I can fucking try, Lex. It was bad enough dealing with the thought of something happening to you. The idea of something happening to both of you is more than I can deal with.”
Lexi sighed. “Can we have a moment, Dr. Cherry?”
Dr. Cherry stood. “Certainly. I’ll get copies of your ultrasound printed. How many would you like?”
“Two,” Lexi said.
“Thirty,” Jordan said at the same time.
“We’ll take a dozen,” Lexi said, smiling at him in a way he knew he didn’t deserve.
“Fine. A dozen.”
The soft click of the door told him they were alone. “Lex, listen. I can’t stand the thought of—”
Lexi cut him off by pressing her lips to his, by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him tightly against her chest. Unable to resist her, he placed his arms around her and pulled her to him without giving her time to right her clothes.
There was no defense against her lips, against the way her body pressed against his. He felt himself getting hard at the very thought of her carrying their child.
Their child. A child he’d get to meet next summer.
Just as his thoughts were about to turn to taking her right there on their OB’s medical bench with crisp white disposable sheets on it, she pulled back.
“I know this worries you,” she said, placing her hands on either side of his face. “But it’s a miracle, too, Jordan. Don’t you see it? We’ve been blessed with a precious gift to give this child everything they need to feel safe. A secure home. And we’ll love them. We’ll love them so hard they’ll never feel alone, even when we aren’t with them. We’ll give them what you give me, and I give you. We’ll give them stability, and hope, and independence to go out into the world to create amazing things.”
Her words penetrated his brain. When she held his face, making him feel so fucking cherished he thought his heart