Page 30 of Trash the Dress

I glance at Zander, and he nods once as he swallows hard. I tell her we’d love to. She turns back to the screen and clicks a few buttons and then the most wonder-filled sound can be heard in this small, dim room. A tiny little heartbeat for our tiny little butter bean.

I feel Zander’s fingers brush mine, and I curl my fingers around his.

The tech prints out a few pictures and hands them to Zander. She explains she’ll step out again so I can get dressed, and then she’ll take us to another room to meet Dr. Ray. She tells me there are baby wipes on the counter and the bathroom is to the right if I want to clean up from the lubricant. Before she closes the privacy curtain again, she congratulates us.

I feel several emotions in this moment, but the most intense one is love. I love this little butter bean with all I am. I sit up and glance at Zander. He seems enamored with the black-and-white images in his hand, and it makes my heart swell with a strange feeling. Maybe this will all be okay after all.

“I’m going to get dressed really quick,” I say.

“Sure.”

He barely glances at me as he swings his legs around to face the wall.

When I’m dressed, the tech leads us to another room. This one is bright and has pictures of babies and the female anatomy on the walls. Dr. Ray comes in shortly after and introduces herself. She reviews my health history and the ultrasound from today. She asks us if we have questions and we both say no for now.

She reminds me to take my prenatal vitamins, gives me a list of medicines I can take if needed, foods to eat and ones to avoid, and she gives me a prescription for a breast pump for later. There’s also a packet of information on what to expect. She smiles kindly and seems to genuinely love what she does. It makes me trust her whole-heartedly.

She changes the course of the conversation to Zander and what he should expect as my partner. He listens intently, and when she tells him to expect both increases and dips in my sex drive, I swear this grown man blushes.

I’ve heard sex drive can go crazy and bottom out too. But she’s just confirmed it. The look on his face is priceless and I’ll never forget it.

She must get all kinds of reactions to everything in her line of work. She goes further and says having sex won’t harm the baby, so there’s no need to worry about enjoying it. Although she did caution about using certain things during this time. I didn’t think his face could get redder, but I was wrong. It’s almost glowing.

After some blood work, we’re done, and we silently make our way to our separate vehicles.

“Are you okay?” I ask this time instead of him asking me.

“Me? Yeah, totally fine.”

He runs his hand through his dark hair. “We’re going to be parents.”

“I know. If it didn’t feel real before, it certainly does now,” I reply.

“Did you bring your bags?” he asks.

I nod as I shield my eyes from the sun.

“I’ll come home and help you get unloaded, then I need to head back to High Road for the dinner rush,” he says.

“Sounds good. I’m worn out today, so I’ll probably crash with my own dinner and a movie if that’s okay with you,” I tell him.

“Whatever you want. I can bring you something from the bar too if you’d like. I’ll come home as early as I can. Dad said he’d close tonight since you were coming today,” he says.

“You don’t have to change your plans for me,” I say quietly. The last thing I want is to be a burden.

He steps closer and tips my chin up so we’re staring in each other’s eyes. “You’ve changed everything, my little sunshine.” His gaze moves from my eyes to my lips and back again. Then without warning, he presses the softest kiss to my forehead before walking away.

What has this man done to me? He not only helped me trash a dress, but he also changed everything else for me too. This man with the jaded outlook on love just blasted through the walls to my heart from one forehead kiss. I’m in big, big trouble.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Zander

“How was the appointment?” Dad asks when I get back to the bar after helping Scarlett unload her bags at my house. She tried to drag them into the guest room she’ll be in, but I wouldn’t allow that. She doesn’t need to be lifting things.

I hang my keys on a hook by the door and blow out a puff of air. Even seeing the ultrasound and hearing the heartbeat, somehow this still feels like a dream. “It was surreal and enlightening,” I tell him.

He chuckles. “You know how babies are made, son, so how exactly were you enlightened?”

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