Mason (Carter Brothers #2) - Lisa Helen Gray Page 0,22

I walk back into the room.

“Yeah. The window was open and I’m pretty sure I didn’t open it. I can’t be sure though,’’ I shrug, still feeling unsettled over it.

“I hate you staying here on your own. Have you thought anymore about moving in to the new place? Joan and Harlow helped decorate it. They seemed to know what you’d like, so the only room left to do is the baby’s room, but I wanted to confirm she’s a girl.’’

“Optimistic aren’t you,’’ I half tease as he opens the passenger door to his car.

“Yep, I’ve already got the pink paint in the shed ready for when we get back,’’ he winks, shutting the door once I’m seated.

When he’s in the car, I wait for him to pull his seatbelt on before speaking. “I was talking about me moving in there.’’

“I know. I just didn’t want to make you mad by going on about it. It needs to be your decision, not mine. I’d never force you into something you didn’t want, just like you wouldn’t do it to me. I really want this with you Denny, I don’t want to fuck it up by being controlling.’’

Damn him and his easy charm. My belly does a little flip, and butterflies swarm my belly and it’s not from the baby moving. I really want to take this step with him, but I’m so scared of my past fears that I’m stalling the inevitable. We’ve got a baby on the way together for Christ sakes. You can’t get any more committed than that. We drive the rest of the way in silence, both of us left to our own thoughts.

We arrive at the hospital on time. We sign in and take a seat in the waiting area ready for our name to be called by the nurse. We’re only waiting a few minutes when the nurse walks out and calls my name. She’s a small framed lady with red hair and soft features.

“Denny Smith?’’

“That’s me,’’ I smile standing up and grabbing my bag. Mason stands with me, looking from the nurse before looking back over to me with nervous movements. “Come on, you can come with.’’

“Yeah. Sure. That’s really good,’’ he smiles, nearly tripping over the wooden table with all the pregnancy magazines piled on.

We walk into a room with an ultrasound machine, a bed and other equipment. The room is surrounded in dim lighting, giving it a warm feeling.

“Lay down on the bed, use this to cover your bottom half and lift your dress up over your bump. I tell all the ladies who come in here to tuck the paper towel inside the waist band of their knickers. It helps prevent the gel from getting them all sticky,’’ she smiles.

Doing as she says, I lye back and relax and watch as she types a couple of things into the computer before walking back over to us. Mason has taken the seat to my left, looking nervous as hell. His leg is jittering, the motion and tapping becoming annoying.

“You’ll have Mr. Harris performing the scan today. He should be here...’’ she doesn’t get to finish as the door opens and a burly man with a large stomach wearing large blue scrubs walks in, pulling his glasses back over his eyes. He looks up when he notices us already in the room and smiles.

“Hi, I’m Mr. Harris. I’ll be doing your scan today. We just received your notes from your midwife. Can you give me your name, date of birth, and address please?’’

He takes the seat next to me, listening as I answer his questions and a few more. Mason stays seated in his chair, listening intently to what the doctor is telling us. When he presses a few buttons on the ultrasound, I start to become restless and nervous. What if something’s wrong? What if I risked our baby’s life by not seeing a doctor sooner?

Oh no, I feel sick, which is not good when my bladder is screaming at me to go relieve myself. I even asked if there was another way to have the scan without drinking two pints of water an hour before attending the appointment. It’s worse because when you know you can’t do something it only makes you want to do it that little bit more.

“Are you ready to see your baby?’’ he smiles encouragingly. Mason gulps next to me and out of instinct I reach for his hand. He doesn’t miss a beat, holding my hand