“That remains to be seen.”
He grinned at me.
I had been joking, but once I was on the examination table, I got quiet. I kept looking at the equipment beside me. I wanted the doctor to come in and tell me the baby was okay. I also wanted another few minutes before any of this became more real.
Justice reached for my hand.
“You good?”
“Just nervous.”
“About what?”
“Everything,” I responded.
He pulled his chair closer instead of telling me there was nothing to worry about. I appreciated that. There was plenty to worry about, even with Roman gone.
The doctor came in and introduced herself before going through my history. Justice listened while I answered her questions. When she asked about my other pregnancies, he kept his hand around mine.
I got through the answers without crying. I was proud of that because lately it didn’t take much.
During the ultrasound, I watched the doctor’s face until she turned the screen toward us.
“Based on these measurements, you’re eight weeks pregnant.”
“Eight weeks,” I repeated.
Justice leaned forward.
“That’s the baby?”
She pointed it out, explaining what we were looking at. I followed her finger, trying to make sense of the tiny shape on the screen.
There was our baby.
I had been worrying about money, Keenan, and Storie so much that I hadn’t spent much time imagining this child. Now I couldn’t look away.
Justice squeezed my hand.
“You see that?” he asked.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He was smiling at the screen. I watched him for a second, taking in how different he looked from the man who had stood in my suite talking about Storie.
I wanted more mornings that ended with him smiling like that.
The doctor finished the scan and stepped out so I could get dressed. Justice stood beside me while I looked at the sonograms. There wasn’t much to see but it was everything.
“What do you think it is? Boy or a girl?” he asked.
“Boy,” I replied with a smile.
“Is that what you’re hoping for?” he asked.
“No. Just that he or she is healthy and sane,” I laughed.
“They will be.”