Page 64 of Snow Cure
“Whose is it?” Chandler asked and a huge smile spread across Ellion’s face. He leaned over and pulled me over to him, nuzzling myneck.
“We don’t know yet,” Griffin answered for me as I was being hauled onto Ellion’slap.
“Actually,” I said around the bear hug I was getting, “I have asurprise.”
Chandler snorted. “It’s twins?” he asked. He came around the table and cupped my face. “I’m thrilled,” he said after giving me a sweet kiss. “We can still do it,right?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, startled and humored by his question. “Of course. But, no, my surprise is that the ultrasound tech at work agreed to come back this evening. We’re going to find out how far along I am, which will tell us who the father is most likely tobe.”
“Meaning, if the baby is less than three to four weeks along, it's one of you two, and we’ll have to wait for the baby to be born.” Griffin smiled at me, pure joy radiating from hiseyes.
“And if it’s more than three weeks, it was conceived in Alaska,” Ellion said, shooting Griffin a withering glance. “Should’ve been me in Alaska, not you,” hesaid.
“What?” Chandler’s voice was high-pitched. “If anyone it should’ve been me. I tried thehardest.”
“I got the first kiss,” Ellion shotback.
“Guys!” I exclaimed. “What can I say? I like angrysex.”
Griffin sort of purred low in his throat. “I’ll rememberthat.”
“We can hash that out later.” I checked my phone. “We need to get back to myoffice.”
They bustled around, getting their stuff together, and we headed for thecar.
“I haven’t told anyone else yet, except my boss and the ultrasound tech,Brandi.”
They nodded, stuck in their ownthoughts.
“So don’t mention it to mybrothers!”
The last thing I needed was the three of them freaking out. I wasn’t sure if they’d be thrilled or angry. Only time wouldtell.
As a nurse, I knew the procedure for getting a good read on a new pregnancy ultrasound. As a woman, it was mortifying. I almost asked the guys to leave the room but figured they’d seen me more spread out than what they’d see standing at my head with a drape over mylegs.
She inserted the ultrasound wand, and grainy fuzziness came up on the screen. I’d read a fair few ultrasounds in my day and spotted my baby as soon as she brought it into focus. I gasped. I knew who the fatherwas.
I’d told Brandi not to say anything since I wanted to be able to tell them, and she did a great job. They were all sniffling and reaching over to touch my cheek or hug me. They all wanted the baby to be theirs. My heart swelled with affection forthem.
“You ovulated out of the left ovary,” Brandisaid.
“You can tell stuff like that?” Chandler asked,amazed.
“Sure. People often like to know little details like that,” shereplied.
After she fiddled with some knobs, a heartbeat appeared on the screen. She switched on the speakers, and the sound of a racing heart filled the room. “That’s your baby,” shesaid.
I was squashed in men. They all pressed against each other and me tohug.
“It doesn’t matter,” saidGriffin.
“I agree,” saidChandler.
“Whoever is the father, we’ll all be there. This is our baby,” saidEllion.
The salt from my tears tickled my lips as she spent a little more time taking measurements and printingpictures.
Finally, she removed the wand. “You won’t have to use that thing next time,” shesaid.
“Thank goodness for that,” Ireplied.
Everyone left the room to let me dress. I composed myself before meeting them in the hall. I looked at the pictures of my little bean. “Your daddy is a prince,” I crooned and rubbed my still-flat belly. “I’m so happy to have you, littleone.”
I opened the door and walked out to face my new life. It might work out, and it might not. One thing I knew was that Griffin would never be separated from his child, not after what he’d been through. And Ellion and Chandler would make the world’s best uncles, and maybe one day,fathers.
