Page 115 of Training the Heart

I squeeze her hand as she relives the time in her life I’m sure she’d rather forget.

“God, I have to pee so badly.” Ivy giggles as the doctor starts moving the wand with pressure against her abdomen.

Dr. Miller grins. “If you’re not far enough along, we’ll have to try a transvaginal ultrasound, but we’ll try this first. And sorry, it makes it easier for us to see, pushes everything to the forefront if your bladder is full. This won’t take long.”

We watch as the doctor clicks away on her computer while she maneuvers the wand around.

The room is dead silent save for the constant clicking.

“Just taking some measurements,” the doctor tells us, sensing our nerves is my guess.

After what feels like an eternity, she turns the screen around to face us and smiles.

“Seems you’re right around eight to nine weeks along. You’ve got a little mover in there.” She laughs as she points to the tiny little figure wiggling all over the screen that actually looks like … like a little bean.

“There is the baby’s heartbeat, it’s good and strong … and your lining is plenty thick, everything looks … good. I must say, I don’t see anything here that would ever make me speculate you couldn’t carry this baby to term, Ivy,” she says. “But we’ll run more tests to be sure.”

A sob escapes Ivy’s throat as she blows out a breath I think she was holding that whole time, and I smile down at her beside me, then kiss the top of her sweet head.

“What? Wade … did I just dream that?”

I chuckle and kiss her lips.

“No, sweetheart, you heard right. Looks like little bean isalready pretty set up in there,” I say as I let the most love I’ve ever felt in my life wash over me.

We stare back at the screen and let ourselves become mesmerized byourbaby, a perfect little mix of each of us. He or she wiggles around some more before the doctor interrupts us and tells us we’ll need to come back for another ultrasound around twelve weeks. She gives Ivy instructions to rest, eat well, avoid stress, and tells us it’s all very standard. She says there’s no reason Ivy can’t keep assisting with training as long as it’s from the ground.

Ten minutes later, as Ivy heads off to get dressed, Dr. Miller prints me off three pictures of little bean and hands them to me. I stare down at the most incredible photo I’ve ever seen, in total awe, before placing that little masterpiece in my inside jacket pocket, right over my heart.My little bean,I can’t wait to be your dad.

CHAPTER SIXTY

Wade

The drive back to the ranch is quiet. Ivy sits, staring down at the ultrasound photos in her lap, and I see it in her eyes as she moves them back to the window and the sunny countryside.

It’s halfway home when she finally speaks. “I think maybe Brad had his doctor lie to me,” she says quietly.

I breathe out a sigh and reach across the seat to hold her hand.

I fucking think so too. The caregiver in me wants to shelter her from this. In fact, the caregiver in me wants to drive to fucking Bellingham Ranch and demand answers even if that means beating them out of him, but that’s not what Ivy needs right now. Right now, she needs me to be in control while I support her.

“It could be a possibility,” I admit. “And even though Dr. Miller didn’t say so, I can’t shake the feeling she’s confused by the whole thing too. The word she used about your ultrasound wastextbook,” I say honestly.

She looks up, nods, then stares out her window into the fields beyond.

“He knew I was thinking of leaving. It all makes sense to menow. He didn’t want kids and he knew I did. He only would’ve done it for control. It’s how he abused me.Control,” she says again quietly, and I could kill this motherfucker for doing this to her.

“If I’m on the pill, and all goes the way it should, he gets what he wants and I don’t get pregnant. Looking back, he was even cautious when we were … together. I wonder now if that was his way of being extra careful. It would just be a bonus for him if I thought I couldn’t get pregnant, if I thought there was something wrong with me—it takes away my hope, then I’m that much more grateful to him for sticking by me when he can make me feel … less.”

“I never want to hear that from you, even in a hypothetical setting, okay? Ivy, even if you weren’t able to carry a baby to term, you would never beless.You know that, right?”

She smiles and pats her hand over mine.

“I do know that now. I didn’t then.”

My jaw flexes as I contemplate my next words.

“You know, if you say the word, I will drive there and get the answers you’re looking for, happily.”So fucking happily.

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