Page 48 of Daddy's Double Surprise

Carter patted the cushion next to him, and this time I opted to sit by his side and cuddle into his embrace. When he asked me if we could talk, I didn’t expect myself to feel so overwhelmingly comforted just at seeing his face. The real talking still had to happen, and I didn’t know if this was the calm before the storm, or the rainbow following it.

“Sunny, I know you don’t want to talk to your dad, but you need to.” Carter’s words made me bristle. He of all people should know how much Dad had upset me. My father had tried to shove men toward me for weeks, some of them right in front of him. How could he not be upset by this?

I stiffened and sat up, clutching the towel around my body subconsciously. “Carter, how can you defend him? You’ve seen what he’s like.” I felt my lower lip quivering, not even trying to stop the slight twitch. I wanted healing between us now, not more division.

His hand rose and cradled my cheek, pulling me in for a soft kiss. Then he let me go and said, “Sunny, I know. But you only get one father, and I looked into his eyes and saw the pain there. He’s sorry for being a jerk to you, babe. He wants to make it right, and I won’t let him harass you anymore. You have me on your side now, and he knows it. Besides,” he said, lowering his hand to my belly, “Baby Price needs a grandpa even if he’s a curmudgeon who likes to nitpick.”

I hated that he was right. I hated that my mom had been right, and Luna. Freya had even cautioned me not to give up on my dad, not having had one herself as a child. It was time to let the hurt go and face reality, that I did need my dad. I simply didn’t need him the way a child does. I needed his encouragement now, not his parenting.

“What if he can’t stand the idea of us being together? And what if he is angry about the baby?” I knew he knew about the baby after that rude comment in the restaurant the last time I spoke to him. Based on that comment, I suspected he was angry about it, though I didn’t know his real thoughts on the matter.

“Then we’ll handle it.” Carter looked skeptical, eyes narrowed, lips pursed. I knew this had to be hard on him too. His first child died, and the fear of it happening again…I couldn’t even imagine.

“Are you okay?” I asked him softly. No one in this world meant more to me than him, and knowing this situation might be frightening to him felt like a dark cloud hanging over us both. I wanted more than anything for him to be happy and celebrate with me, but that reality might never happen.

“I’ll be okay, Sunny. I just need some time to process things. I’m going to see the counselor I worked with after Hope died. I know they’ll have a lot to say about this, and it will help. But I don’t want you to think for a second that I’m upset with you or angry.” The pad of his thumb brushed over my lip. “I am sohappy to have you in my life, and after a moment to sit and think and process, I realized that I do want this baby. I want what I never got the chance to have with Hope, and I couldn’t be happier that I get to share it with you.”

His reassurance coiled around me, drawing me into him. I laid my head on his chest and let him play with my hair as he spoke softly about Hope and how much he loved her, how much he knew he already loved our baby. The warmth of his tone lulled me into a deep sleep as he held me, and for the first time in weeks, I slept peacefully, curled up against his chest.

34

CARTER

The wand glided over Sunny’s abdomen, slicked in the gel used to help provide a clearer image. Sonogram technology today was so different from the type available when my ex was pregnant with Hope. The perfect three-dimensional image of our baby on the monitor brought tears to my eyes as the tech positioned it and snapped pictures.

Sunny’s hand clung to mine, smile on her face while I chewed the inside of my cheek in anguish. Seeing the baby only made it more real. I’d met with my therapist who gave me excellent grounding techniques for this moment, but they were failing me. Fear over the future made me lose all conscious thought, lost in my swimming imaginations of panic and dread.

“Baby is healthy and growing, and I’d put your due date around February fourth.” The tech grinned at Sunny, who looked up at me and squeezed my hand.

“Did you hear that, Daddy? A Valentine’s baby…” Her tone was chipper and light.

After finally reuniting with her last week, I’d spent the better part of the last eight days with her at Rick’s home in Malibu. I understood now why she’d been adamant about finding herown place when she decided to remain in LA instead of going to Tampa, but this tormenting fear put me on edge, making me think it would be better if she were in my home with me where I could keep an eye on her. I knew that wasn’t what she wanted, but it would make me feel much better.

“Valentine’s,” I repeated numbly, watching the screen. The machine kept malfunctioning, picking up a second heartbeat which the tech complained was impossible.

Sunny’s expectant eyes studied the monitor carefully as the wand slid over her skin, and I noticed the uptick of the tech’s face, eyebrows going high.

“Ms. Douglas, I know Dr. Fetters said you were measuring slightly larger for this pregnancy already. I expected it to be a large fetus, perhaps you’re farther along than you thought.”

“No, it’s not possible. This is Carter’s baby.” Sunny’s sudden tense expression made me tense too. I knew she’d been dating someone before me, but she never let on that a pregnancy with that guy might be possible. After the yo-yo of emotion getting here, seeing my therapist to deal with the uncertainties I was facing and everything else we’d fought through, I didn’t want to have any more shocking news.

“Oh, I know it is.” The tech grinned as she rocked the wand to one side. As she did, two perfect silhouettes came into view on the monitor as two heartbeats synced up to almost match perfectly. “You’re having twins. Do you see this?” Her finger stretched out to point at the monitor where it appeared their hands were locked together. This tiny, they barely had appendages, but I saw it with my own eyes.

“Oh my gosh, Carter, look!” Sunny whimpered. I felt her grasp tighten around my hand. She was so thrilled with this news I could almost get lost in the sensation of her hope and joy filling the room.

“Twins,” I breathed out slowly, still trying to wrap my head around this new bit of information. Fear seized me in a stranglehold. Sunny was taking it in stride, but I don’t know how I would manage this. “Okay, we can do this.” I squeezed Sunny’s hand reassuringly, my other hand trembling against my leg. I said it more for her benefit and perhaps to bolster my own sense of confidence which faltered at the idea of one baby, let alone two.

“They appear to be fraternal, which is better than identical. You’ll need extra care, extra doctor’s visits and of course there is the chance you’ll be on bed rest near the end. But, congratulations on your perfect little Valentine’s babies!” the tech happily cooed. She seemed to be far more pleased than either Sunny or me.

Sunny’s excited, stunned face was enough to coax a smile out of me. I leaned in and kissed her cheek before folding her in my arms. “You okay?” she whispered, so I nodded.

“Just breathing through the insecurities,” I told her as the tech finished up a few measurements.

“We’ll schedule you guys in for a secondary ultrasound just to make sure everything is on track, but so far, so good. Congratulations. Dr. Fetters will be in to speak with both of you shortly.” The tech gathered up her things, the squeal of her shoes on the linoleum floor echoing as she made her way to the door and closed it behind her.

Sunny glanced at me, a bashful smile on her face, but I could see the same fear swimming in her eyes. I reached over and took her free hand, intertwining our fingers. “We got this, right?”

“Yeah we do. You said if I wanted a thousand, right?” Sunny nervously chuckled. I laughed too but I felt it die in my chest, the weight of it sinking in and becoming real. Twice the risk, twice the pain. “Two times as much joy, Carter,” she said, as if she could read my mind.

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