Page 97 of Sheriff's City Girl

“I am so ready,” I grinned, my heart thudding at the thought of finding out the sex of our baby. “I just can’t believe the day is here.”

“And the fundraiser is this weekend, too,” she beamed. “It’s a win-win.”

“Yeah, I think Lucas is coming around to it, too,” I said with a grunt as I slid out of the car. I was cleared to drive and work again, but there was still pain in some movements—oftentimes some of the most minuscule ones.

“You okay?” Emma poked her head around her SUV, looking at me with concern. “I think we ought to take you back to the doctor.”

I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good. I know how healing works. It takes some time. I’ll be just fine. Today is about you and him or her.” I brushed my fingers along her belly, feeling a spark of excitement. “I’m so glad we decided to just find out today.”

“Me, too,” Emma laughed, pulling her dark hair up into a bun on her head. She was the kind of woman who glowed while pregnant, and I had to admit I loved every second of it. She was by far the most eye-catching woman I’d ever seen, and I knew my love for her would only grow as we started the journey…

It was just too bad that I still had the damn rustling investigation hanging over my head.

She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze as we made our way to the door. “I seriously just can’t wait to find out if we’re having a girl or boy. I know that Jess wants a little sister, but I hope that she’ll be okay with a little brother—if that’s what we’re having.”

“Oh, I have no doubt that Jess will be elated no matter what the gender is. I know how she is. She’s just hoping for a sister because that’s what she knows. It’s familiar, you know?” I thought back to when I found out I was having a daughter rather than a son. “When I found out I was having a girl, I damn near lost my mind. I was terrified.”

Emma nodded. “I can understand that. I guess I don’t know much about boys, either. I only ever had a sister, and my dad wasn’t in the picture, so I guess that was never really there, either.”

“Well, maybe we’ll get to learn with a boy,” I chuckled, giving her a reassuring smile. “And then maybe we’ll do it all over again in a couple years.”

She raised her brows in surprise. “You’d want another baby?”

I felt my face heat up, the words having slipped out. “I… Well… I wouldn’t be against it. We don’t know where we’ll be then… But I have a good feeling we will still be together.”

Emma lit up as we stepped onto the elevator, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. We rode up to the sixth floor in silence, and I let myself relax into the moment. I wanted to enjoy it, and to do so, I left all the stress and worry about the investigation at the hospital doors. I just wanted to focus on Emma and my growing family.

We checked in with the front desk receptionist and took a seat in the waiting area of the imaging department. I took in the room around us, with a couple of other women and their partners.

I never thought I’d be doing this again.

But I wouldn’t change anything about it.

“I can’t wait to pick out the colors for the nursery,” Emma beamed in a quiet voice. However, her brow furrowed right after.

“What is it?”

“It’ll just be quite a lot of work.”

“I’m more than happy to help you with it…” my voice trailed off, already knowing what she was getting at. She had no idea what I was planning to ask her right after this appointment…

“Yeah, of course,” she smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes.

I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to ruin my intentions, and thankfully, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to, anyway.

“Emma Fisher?” A tech stuck her head out.

We rose to our feet, and I followed them down the hall to the dark room. I took in the screen on the wall, already knowing what was to come. Emma got comfortable on the bed, and the tech began the scan, pointing out the different organs.

“Are you wanting to find out the gender today?” the tech asked, a bright smile on her middle-aged face.

Emma nodded. “Yes. We thought about doing a gender reveal party, but ultimately decided to just find out. I don’t think I could handle waiting that long,” she added, a sweet laugh slipping from her lips.

“Well, I don’t blame you. What do you think, Dad?” She turned to me, all the while I had been focused on the screen, fighting to hold back the emotions building in my chest.

“I think that I’m pretty excited to find out what we have,” I chuckled, looking down at Emma. I met her gaze, taking in the poignant green irises—ones that I hoped like hell our kid inherited from her.

Tears brimmed her eyes as she turned back to the tech. “I’m ready to know.”

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