Page 122 of Break Out

“I know.” Mom glanced past me. “How are you, Steel?”

He nodded. “Jackie.”

I kept at Mom. “That means no trying to change his mind in the exam room.”

“I know, sweetheart.”

My phone dinged in rapid-fire succession. I saw three texts from Alexandra.

What’s the deal with Rafferty?

Jazz says he’s hanging with a club, but it isn’t the Riot!

Do you know anything?

“Oh hell,” I whispered.

“What? Are you okay?” Mom asked, her posture stiff.

I smiled at her. “I’m fine. Calm down, I’m only four months along, no worries.”

She widened her eyes. “Only four months? Simone, every month of pregnancy can give you something new to worry about.”

I rolled my eyes and the woman sitting across from me gave me a commiserating smile. After a deep breath, I turned back to Mom. “It’s all good. I got a text from Alexandra, that’s all.”

Mom nodded. “Say no more. She can be very dramatic.”

I choked on laughter while the woman across from me snickered outright.

Mom looked from her to me. “What’s funny?”

Steel leaned forward. “Pretty sure it takes one to know one.”

Mom gasped.

The door opened and a nurse called out my name.

Even though I had seen ultrasound pictures before, I still had no idea what I was looking at as I stared at the screen while the tech moved the wand over my belly. She adjusted some knobs and the blur of white took on a different shape. Lines started to appear on the screen and I realized she was taking measurements.

“Since this is your first ultrasound, I’m measuring from crown to rump. It helps to give us a guide for development and better determine your due date.”

I exhaled slowly. “Okay.”

She grinned at me. “Everything looks fine so far.”

I nodded. “He doesn’t want to know the gender, but I do. Can we do that?”

“Sure. I’ll write it on a piece of paper for you, and you can find out when he isn’t within earshot.”

Steel gave my hand a squeeze. “The baby looks healthy though, right?”

The tech tilted her head. “The doctor will let you know, but unofficially, I don’t see anything to be concerned about right now.”

“Good,” I whispered.

It struck me that Mom had been too quiet. I turned her way and saw her fighting back emotion, but two tears had escaped her closed eyes.

I reached out and grabbed her hand. “It’s okay, Mom.”

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