Page 100 of Fought and Freed

The nurse gave them a strained smile. “I’ll fix that for you. According to this, you’re about twenty-four weeks along, so we should be able to do a sonogram today.”

Amber smiled. “Yes, I’ve been dying to see our little bundle of joy.”

“Great. Hop up onto the table and lie back.” The nurse gestured to the table. “Let’s get this going.”

Amber moved to the table and lifted her shirt to expose her stomach. “Will we be able to tell the sex now, too?”

“So long as the baby cooperates.” The nurse squirted clear gel onto Amber’s stomach and wiggled the wand around, searching. “Ah, there we go.”

“What?” Amber stared at the monitor. “That looks like an alien.”

Wonder filled Skylar at the tiny being revealed on the monitor. “That’s our baby, Amber.”

Amber frowned. “It barely looks human.”

He shook his head.

“Everything looked good.” The nurse moved the wand around some more. “Your baby boy is nice and healthy.”

Skylar’s eyes snapped back to the screen. “A boy?”

The nurse smiled at him. “Yep. You’re going to have a son.”

Amber squinted at the screen. “Are you sure? How can you tell?”

The nurse moved the wand around some more, then pointed. “Right there.”

Nervous excitement filled Skylar. A baby boy.

The nurse put the wand away and wiped the gel off Amber’s stomach. “Do you want pictures?”

“Why would we want a picture?” Amber snapped. “I’ll wait until he’s cute to look at.”

“I’d like one,” Skylar said. “I’d like to share it with my family.”

As they set up the next appointment, Skylar couldn’t stop looking at the photo.

How was it possible to love someone he hadn’t even met yet and be scared shitless at the same time?

“Do you want to check out some baby stuff?” Amber asked.

“Sure,” Skylar agreed.

Amber got a big smile on her face. “I know the perfect place.”

They got back into the truck, and Skylar drove over there.

He parked and turned to Amber. “Listen, I don’t want to spend the next several weeks arguing. So, let’s set some ground rules.”

“What kind of rules?” she asked in an unsure voice.

“I will be here for the doctor’s visits and the birth, and I will pay for anything you need for the baby. I want to be there for my kid.” He gave her a stern stare. “But you need to back off on the moving thing and me quitting my job. I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you wanted, but I’m in love with Jace and Maddy.”

Amber nodded. “As long as you take care of the baby, I’m fine.”

She sounded sincere, but he didn’t trust her.

They walked into the store, and Amber headed straight for the most expensive-looking crib. It had a crown with netting coming down to the crib’s sides.

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