Page 274 of Vegas Heat

He laughs.

“Can we talk about something else?” I ask.

“I told myself I’d tell my parents when you told Troy. So I guess I need to make good on that promise.”

I raise my brows. “You’re sure?” I ask.

He nods. “It’s time. Things with Brian are…” he trails off and shakes his head. “They’re incredible, Gabs. I don’t want to hide him. But I need to mentally prepare.”

I nod. “Of course you do. You tell me when you’re ready, and I’ll be there to hold your hand through it.”

“You’re a good friend,” he says, leaning his head on my shoulder.

“Back at you.”

We spend the rest of the day watching rom coms on Netflix and snuggling Ruby Sue, which doesn’t distract me as much as I was hoping it would. And bright and early on Monday morning, my doctor’s office calls.

“I know it’s short notice, but we had a last-minute cancellation for seven-thirty if you can make it in.”

I glance at the clock. I have twenty minutes. “I’ll be there.”

It’s time to get some answers.

CHAPTER 8: GABBY

The last time I had my annual appointment here was nearly ten months ago.

Ten months ago, I could never have predicted the roller coaster that would’ve brought me to this moment.

I sit in the parking lot for a beat as I stare at the building. It’s a little surreal being here for an exam to see how far along my pregnancy is. To see whether the baby is healthy in there. To see whether I’m really pregnant.

I’ve had a lot of time by myself to think over the last couple days, and I’ve come to a few conclusions. The first, and maybe the most important, is that it doesn’t matter what happened between Cooper and me. It doesn’t matter that I’m alone. What matters above all else is this baby.

Ten months ago, I never would have imagined I’d be pregnant, or that I would’ve met the love of my life only to lose him because of the father I so desperately wanted in my life, or that I’d want this baby with the type of intensity I didn’t know I could feel.

It feels like she is all that matters.

I’m calling her ashein my own mind for now because I have this gut instinct that Cooper and I created a little girl out of the love we shared. It’s a love we’ll always have for one another—or, at least, it’s a love I’ll always have for him. I can’t speak for him or his feelings, obviously. It’s a love that will never dim even though love isn’t enough for the two of us to make it work.

I force the threat of tears away as I hang onto that last thought.

I wish I could find a way to get him back without using the baby he doesn’t even know about. I’m terrified that I’ll tell him about her, and he’ll want to get back together for her sake, and it’ll be all wrong. I want him to want me forme, not because of the idyllic family picture he always painted in his mind.

I want to fight for him, but I don’t even know how. He made his choice, and he picked the game. He picked pleasing my father. He picked essentially everything else over me while he pretended like he was only acting in my best interest.

I hate it. I hate where we left things, and I hate that he knew what my biggest fears were and he did what he did anyway.

He wants kids.

I can give him that. Iwillgive him that. But he also wants a family, and after the way he ended things, I just don’t see how that will ever be a possibility for us.

I head inside, and I check in for my appointment. She asks me to leave a sample, and this time I know what that means.

I wait to hear my name, and then I’m taken back to a small room with a table for me to sit on, a computer, and a large screen on the wall.

“I’m Juliette, and I’ll be your ultrasound tech today. Since we’re not sure of the timeline, I’m going to do a transvaginal exam, which means I need you to take off your pants and underwear. I’ll insert a probe that will allow us to take a look around and see what’s going on. I’ll give the results to your doctor, who will explain everything in detail to you. Sound okay?”

I nod, and for the first time I really wish I wasn’t here alone.

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