Page 12 of Breeding Clinic

When do you get to see the baby?

My OB made me wait ten weeks

It’s torture

Five to six weeks

Our discussion turns to other stuff. My new book, and her disaster playdate with a new mom from her local baby group. Her responses get slower, so I tell her I’ll talk to her tomorrow. With three mates and two kids under five, her life is chaos.

I smile to myself and stare at the digital smiley face. I can’t wait for a little chaos of my own.

Chapter Four

LIAM

I smellher before I see her. Dirty, sexy Christmas cookies. The cutout kind that’s covered in a pretty smear of colored icing and sugar sprinkles. Her scent is thicker. I don’t know how to describe it, but she smells pregnant.

My groin tightens as the door opens and the cloud of her thick pheromones punches me in the sinuses. Nervous, I stand up out of habit. My dad always taught me to stand when your date appears, even though this isn’t technically a date.

She glances my way and appears startled, her eyes widening.

Shit, should I have stayed seated?Man, this is awkward.

Unsure of what to do, I sit back down. “Hi.” It’s a lame greeting after six long weeks of not being told anything except that her blood work was good.

“Have a seat on the exam table,” the ultrasound tech says. She grabs a patient gown and paper blanket from a basket on a shelf. “I’ll give you a few minutes to change. Everything from the waist down comes off.”

“Umm…” Kat takes them.

The ultrasound tech leaves, shutting thedoor behind her.

I didn’t realize she’d have to get naked for this. Don’t they put the goop and stuff on the belly? I stand and wipe my palms on my jeans.

Kat hesitates. Like I haven’t seen every inch of her already. Licked every inch with my tongue.

“I won’t watch,” I tell her. Turning around, I stare at the medical poster on the wall.

“Thanks.”

After a brief hesitation, I hear the rustling of clothing, then the creak of the exam table. I wait until she tells me it’s okay to look. She’s cuter than I remembered. Expressive hazel eyes and brown hair. I wonder if our kid’s gonna have her eyes. That thought makes me smile.

“How have you been?” I ask to break the ice.

“Good.” she says, raking her hair out of her face. “Puking every morning and afternoon, but… That’s a good sign. I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to be here for this.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask, puzzled. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. My kid’s first ultrasound. I hope they give me a print out so I can put it on the fridge for Gabriel and Matthew. The clinic wouldn’t let them come.

She opens her mouth to say something, but the ultrasound tech’s arrival interrupts her. The tech pulls her machine over and sits, explaining everything that’s about to happen. I watch her put a condom on the ultrasound’s dildo-shaped attachment. She lubes it up and puts it under Kat’s paper blanket.

Oh. So that’s why they had her change.

All three of us focus on the tech’s screen. It looks like TV static to me, but the tech spends a lot of time taking snapshots and marking measurements with digital calipers.

“Is everything good?” I ask.

“I’m taking measurements for the doctor,” the tech says. “He’ll go over the results with you.”

“Oh, okay.” I deflate in my seat. I thought I’d see a tiny baby, but I guess it’s still really early. All I can make out among the static is a blob and a smaller blob.

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