a pretty good living off my family’s tragedy. We’re ratings gold.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I want you to tell me. I want you to let me in.”
“Right. Like you let me in that the internship you’d wanted to take wasn’t even in town? Talk about the shock of my fucking month when you told me how upset you were that you had to take the local one. The only reason I didn’t fly off the handle was because I was genuinely concerned that you were upset, and at least that told me you weren’t leaving in two months.”
“I never hid that from you.” She shook her head, drawing back like I’d wounded her.
“You didn’t exactly lay out the details, either. Do you honestly think I would have been so calm if I’d thought you were moving—pregnant with my child before he or she was even born? Is that really what you think of me?” I backed up and leaned against the edge of the small workstation, putting as much distance between us as I could in the small room.
Her mouth opened and shut a couple of times before she found her words. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. I assumed you understood, and you weren’t upset, so I didn’t pursue any line of thought where you would be. I didn’t know you, Nixon.”
“And according to what you just said, you apparently still don’t know me, so let me make this clear. I don’t know what’s going on between us, but we need to figure it out. If not because of the obvious attraction we share, then definitely for the good of our child.” I swallowed the tension in my throat as she drew her lower lip between her teeth.
“I know. It’s just a really heavy subject that comes with a lot of choices I’m not ready to make.” She folded her hands in her lap. “You’d think for someone who is trained to read people and diagnose mental health issues, I’d know my own mind a little better, right?” She flashed a quick, fake smile.
“We really suck at communication, don’t we?” Except when we were in bed. Skin-on-skin, we communicated effortlessly. I’d never been so at-ease around a woman, and so torn up at the same time.
“We’re going to have to change that,” she admitted. “Look, if you need to make your flight—”
Two knocks sounded on the door, and the doctor entered with her nurse. I gave her a nod as she made her apologies and took my spot at Liberty’s side as the doc got her ready for another ultrasound.
First, she checked the baby’s heartbeat with the doppler, and my own settled peacefully as I heard the steady whoosh-whoosh fill the room. I laced my fingers with Liberty’s and lifted the back of her hand for a kiss.
Then the pictures started. The doc took measurements as our baby filled the screen in blotches of black and white. Just when I thought I’d guess a body part right, I’d be wrong. I thought a leg was an arm, and a head was an abdomen.
“Do you want to know the sex?” the doc asked as a small smile spread across her face.
Liberty and I locked eyes. Did we?
“I do,” I admitted. How else was I going to prepare for everything we’d need?
“I do, too,” she agreed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
We both turned to the doc, and Liberty’s grip on my hand tightened.
“It’s a girl,” the doc announced, clicking away on the ultrasound machine.
A girl. I sputtered a laugh of pure happiness. We were going to have a little girl. God, what if she was just as reckless as I had been…as I still was? What if she—
“A girl!” Liberty beamed at me.
Every worry vanished with her smile, and I kissed her soundly, uncaring that the doc was still taking pictures. It was firm, but chaste, and conveyed all the joy in my heart that I couldn’t find words for.
“I hope she has your eyes.” I ran my fingers down Liberty’s cheek.
“I hope she has your smile,” she answered, giving me one of her own. Then she gasped.
“What?” Panic rose up. Had the doc hurt her?
“You have thirty-five minutes to make your flight. Go!” She pushed at me.
Fuck. “I’m not leaving you here.”
“Oh, stop. I’ll call Heather. She works across the street. Now seriously, go. Our daughter needs her daddy to keep his job.” She yanked on my tie, pulling me into a quick kiss before shoving me away again.