TAKE TWO_ Who says you can't ma - Heather M. Orgeron Page 0,62
name tumbles from my lips, soft and breathy.
He’s silent, but his hand finds mine and he laces our fingers, his eyes never leaving that screen.
“One-hundred-eighty beats per minute. Sounds great,” Veronica says. “It’s normal for the heartbeat to be really fast in the first trimester.”
“Can I get a recording of that?” I ask, with a tear-filled giggle. “I’ve never seen my husband shut up so fast.”
Liam doesn’t even smile at my joke, and he’s weirdly quiet for the rest of my appointment. When the doctor returns to give me samples of prenatals and stacks of reading material, Liam just sits there listening intently—hanging on his every word, but not saying much. It’s so unlike him.
He remains quiet on the ride home. So quiet, in fact, I’m really beginning to worry. “Liam, is everything okay?”
“Wha—? Yeah. I’m just…wow, right? A baby.” He loosens the tie at his neck.
I swallow hard. “Yeah. Are you going to freak out now?” I suddenly feel like I’m going to vomit, and it has nothing to do with morning sickness. What if he’s changed his mind?
“This is really happening,” he says, glancing over to me in the passenger seat. “You and me and Ellie…we’re doing this together, right?”
And it finally hits me. The fact that he’s still not convinced he’s here to stay. That I’m in this for the long haul. “We’re doing this together. Under the same roof… the four of us.”
He nods. “Even if I fuck up? Cuz, it’s going to happen, you know? I mean, not intentionally. But I’m known to do really stupid shit.” He flicks on his blinker and turns down our street, and a knot forms in my chest. “You can’t just toss me out when you get upset or scared.” After parking behind my car, he turns to face me. “I want you to promise to talk to me. To give me a chance to fix whatever fuckups there may be.”
Tears spill from my eyes for the second time today. “I promise.” I grab his face and turn his eyes to meet mine. “I won’t push you away. I want to raise this baby with you by my side. I can’t promise I won’t ever make you sleep on the couch or run up your credit cards in a fit of rage—”
There’s that familiar laugh.
“But I promise not to run.”
“And I promise to always put you and our children first.”
“Well, then.” I rub my nose on the back of my sleeve. “Now that that’s all settled, I expect you to stop with the silent treatment, because we’ve got a little girl waiting inside who deserves to know she’s going to be a big sister.”
“Where have you been?” Ellie rushes to the door with Midge nipping at her heels, Hannah following closely behind.
“Hi, sweetheart. Daddy and I have some news.” I hand Liam the ultrasound picture, allowing him to do the honors.
“We were just at the hospital having pictures taken of your new brother or sister.”
Ellie’s eyes narrow as she snatches the photos from her father’s hand. “Is this a joke?”
“No. It is very real.” I can’t quite tell if she’s happy or not.
“You two had sex?”
Well, that was not the reaction I was expecting. My mouth opens and closes a few times, like a fish in a tank, no sound coming out. A response just will not come.
“Well, as evidenced by your existence, El-belle, yes, your mom and I have had sex.”
So, he has had this conversation with her. Probably brought her the damn books and all.
“Duh!” Our little girl starts jumping up and down. “I mean now. You did it now, and that means you’re really back together for real, because only grownups who are in love have sex. And now we’re having a baby!”
Ay. “Yes, mija. We are really back together for real, and we’re having a baby. Now can you please never say the word sex in my presence ever again?”
“You’re such a prude, Mom.” My little girl rolls her eyes, and I fight the urge to slap her father.
“Yep. We are definitely raising this one together. Just look at what you’ve done to my innocent baby.”
He shrugs sheepishly.
“Congrats, you two.” Hannah’s been so quiet, I’d forgotten she was even in the room. “When are we due?”
“August eighteenth.”
She does the math on her fingers. “So that makes you… about nine and a half weeks?”
“Exactly.”
“Eep! So exciting!” She gives us each a hug before rubbing my flat stomach affectionately and moving toward the door. “Listen, I have