Page 98 of Samuel

“Evie?” Sam rested his free hand on her thigh and gave it a squeeze. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. “That’s her. Jellybean.”

“She’s looking great, Evie.” Dr. Hayes moved closer to the screen as the tech moved the wand around on her tummy, pressing different buttons on the machine and letting them bask for a minute in the sounds of her heartbeat while her little arms and legs wiggled on the screen in front of them. “Still measuring a bit on the small side, but we’ll keep an eye on it.”

Sam sat back. “Do we need to be worried? Should Evie be eating more? Resting more? Does she need to see a specialist?”

Evie tightened her grip on his hand for what seemed like the millionth time that appointment.

“Evie is doing great, and there’s no need to change anything right now. Just like adults, babies come in all shapes and sizes. What we’re sometimes concerned with is something called Intrauterine Growth Restriction, but I’m not seeing the signs of that right now. My gut is telling me your little girl is just going to be on the petite side, like her mom.”

“From how big I feel, I’d never guess she's small.” Evie laughed. “Thank you so much, Dr. Hayes.”

“It’s my pleasure. You’re all set here, just remember to stop at the reception desk and schedule your next appointment.”

“Will do.”

“Here, Dad.” The tech held out a length of paper to him. “Pictures of your little girl to hang on the fridge.”

“Thank you,” Sam managed to croak out past the lump in his throat.

A few minutes later, after scheduling Evie’s next appointment as promised, they sat silently next to each other, heading back towards the ranch.

Sam reached over and set his hand on her thigh.

“Thank you for taking me to meet your doctor.” Evie smiled as she broke the silence.

“I should have done it a long time ago. You should have known about my heart before I even ever kissed you.”

She nodded in agreement. “I should have, yes. But I understand why you didn’t tell me.”

“It still wasn’t fair of me. And I’ll keep working to make it up to you, and to show you how grateful I am that you forgave me for as long as you’ll let me.”

“Is that what you were thinking about just now?”

“No. I was thinking about the ultrasound. How fucking perfect she is. How I can’t wait to meet her. How I hope she has your big brown eyes and your perfect rosy cheeks. How I need to figure out a way to say thank you that encompasses just how truly incredible that moment was to experience with you.”

“I love you, Sam.” Her words came out no louder than a whisper, but it hit him like the force of a hurricane.

“I love you, Evie.” He brought both of their hands up to rest on her belly. “I love you too, sweet girl.”

Twenty-Six

Evie loved the Coopers’ ranch more than she ever thought possible. The last few weeks, following her attack, had been, well she hated to even say it, but they’d been really wonderful.

Sam and his mother had been doting on her so much that she had to constantly remind them that she was physically fine. Even Zeke and Derrick had been extra sweet to her. She was never without an escort, and while Sam normally walked down to the office with her in the morning, and stayed with her until it was time to go back up to the apartment at night, she occasionally had Abby, or Daisy, even Hank or John.

“Hey, Evie, you got a second?” Sam called as she walked back to the barn, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Of course.”

“I wanted to introduce you to Garrett Langdon. He was my dad’s roommate in college. The one who invested in the ranch.”

“The one who you haven’t seen since your father’s funeral?” she asked. Evie knew it was a bitchy thing to say, but shehurt for Sam and the loss of that potential relationship that could have helped him through his grief.

“I deserved that. Got caught up in my own feelings about losing Joel and forgot to make sure his family was okay.” Evie’s skin pebbled and the warm breeze turned to ice as it brushed over her. Something about the man standing in front of her was so familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

“Garrett came by to set some things right, and I’ve accepted his apology. There’s so much good going on in the family right now, I just don’t have it in me to hold a grudge.”

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