Page 61 of Agony of Our Regret

His eyes dropped as if thinking about it.

“You haven’t said it since coming back.”

He blinked several times and rubbed his jaw before finally looking at me again. “I’m so sorry. That’s something I should tell you every single day.”

I cracked a smile. “It would be nice to hear.”

He was still frowning. “I don’t express myself very well.”

I smirked, and Sky scoffed.

Noah ignored us. “It’s not something that comes naturally to me, and I’m so sorry it took me so long to say it again. But please know my feelings never changed. I’ve always loved you and always will.”

“Even when you get a little lost?” I asked.

“A little?” Sky sniped.

Noah shot him a glare. “More than a little, but it won’t happen again.”

“Damn right, it won’t. Any time you leave for more than a weekend, you’re getting a travel supervisor. Maybe a shock collar that goes off every few minutes to remind you that you’ve been gone too long.”

“A shock collar?” I laughed. “Really?”

Sky shrugged. “First thing I thought of.”

Noah finally lifted the corners of his lips, just barely. “A bit kinky.”

I giggled at Sky’s horrified expression just as there was a knock, and Dr. Gracie came in.

“Hello.” She smiled at each of us and didn’t miss a beat with the new men joining me. “How are you feeling, Avalon? I saw the notes about cramping and looked over the ultrasound. Baby is very healthy and measuring right on track.”

Hearing that was a relief. “I’m doing okay overall. Still a lot of nausea and morning sickness. I get tired easily.”

She nodded. “That’s to be expected.”

“The cramping has come and gone, but I wanted to come and get checked.”

She sat and waited, so I continued.

“I’ve had a recurring dream,” I said, launching into the story I came up with at work. I didn’t want to mention Noah’s visions. Even though she was in the Society, not everyone knew about his rare ability, and it seemed wise to keep that to us. “I bleed. A lot.”

She folded her hands over her knee. “That would be concerning. You haven’t bled, have you?”

I shook my head.

“It’s always something we want to watch for. It can be normal at the beginning, and some women can confuse it for normal menstrual bleeding. But we’d want to know about any bleeding now—especially since the placenta is located at the front of your uterus.”

“Is that not normal?” Sky asked.

“It’s not uncommon and generally not something of concern. It should move up naturally, and we’ll keep a watch on it.” She gave me a gentle smile. “Have you been able to feel the baby yet?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

“You should in the next couple of weeks. It can be difficult to distinguish between you and the baby with your first pregnancy. It will take even longer for anyone else to feel movements when the placenta is in the front. It’s extra cushion between the baby and the outside, so you’ll either have to wait for baby to grow or it to move.”

Sky seemed disappointed. “How long will that take?”

Dr. Gracie grinned. “Every baby is different.”

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