Page 55 of Dr. Grump's Surprise Baby

The grief of losing her sister was something, she had come to realize, that would last the rest of her life.

Dominic would have understood that. He would have known what she was feeling right now.

But he wouldn’t have cared.

All that time she had spent believing that he cared about her… she’d been wrong about all of it. If he really cared about the things she felt, he would act like it. He would be here for her right now. He wouldn’t have responded to the news of her pregnancy the way he had — she still felt slapped when shethought about the look on his face when he’d found out. It was impossible to believe after that that he had ever felt anything for her.

So what had been between them?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t been using her, exactly, but he must have been so caught up in the physical chemistry that he hadn’t thought about what he was doing. He hadn’t given things serious consideration. She understood what that was like — she’d been caught up in it herself — but that didn’t mean she could forgive him now.

Ruth would have gotten it.

Emily had never missed her sister more in her life than she did right now, on the verge of this huge transition. And if there was one person she could have wished to have with her, it wouldn’t have been Dominic — it would have been Ruth.

But Dominic was a surprisingly close second.

She wouldn’t have believed anyone would ever come close to Ruth in her life. She wouldn’t have thought she could care for anyone as much as she ever had for her sister. The fact that she was feeling such strong feelings for Dominic made her question everything. Maybe she was making a mistake, letting him walk away like he had. Maybe she should have fought harder to keep him — maybe she should still be fighting.

It was just that she didn’t know if she had any fight in her right now.

And at the end of the day, what she needed to keep her focus on was getting ready to be a mother. That had to be the most important thing — no matter how much she wanted anythingelse. Her own desires came second now, and from this moment on, they always would. The needs of her baby came first.

That was something Dominic didn’t seem to have recognized.

And that was why she couldn’t try to win him back.

CHAPTER 22

EMILY

Every moment over the next week felt like an echo of that conversation with Sara.

Emily went to the store to pick out a crib for the baby. “Do you offer assembly?” she asked the store clerk as she was checking out.

“I’m afraid we don’t,” the woman said. “But don’t worry. The assembly instructions are in the box, and it’s really basic. I’m sure you and your partner aren’t going to have any trouble getting this crib set up for your little one.”

Not wanting to correct the assumption and explain her circumstances to a complete stranger, Emily forced a smile. “I’m sure you’re right,” she said. “We’ll figure it out.”

“That’s right,” the clerk said encouragingly. “When my baby was born, my husband and I bought one of these, and it was just as easy to put together as our little three-foot nightstand.”

“I’m sure it is,” Emily said.

“Do you want me to have someone help you load the box into your car?” the clerk asked her.

“No thanks,” Emily said, guiding it off the conveyor belt and into her cart. “I can do it by myself.”

But she found herself blinking back tears as she left the store.

“You’re a new patient here?” the ultrasound tech asked.

Emily nodded, trying not to think too hard about how awkward the exchange was. In theory, it shouldn’t have bothered her, since she was used to conversing with people in a medical setting. It was something she did every day. It was just that she was used to being on the opposite side of the interaction. She wasn’t used to lying here in such a vulnerable position while someone tried to chit chat with her.

“Is this your first pregnancy?” the tech asked, moving the wand gently on her stomach.

“Yes,” Emily said. Her voice trembled slightly.

“There isn’t anything to be nervous about.” The tech smiled at her. “We’ll get a look at what’s going on, but there’s no reason to suspect that things aren’t perfectly normal and healthy, all right?”

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