Page 28 of Capitally Unexpected

“This is Hunter. He’s the baby’s father.”

“Oh?” Dr. Barber’s eyebrows shoot high on her forehead in surprise. I take that to mean Michelle explained a bit about our situation at her last appointment.

“It’s a long story, but it turns out our social webs are a bit more tangled than we knew. He really wanted to be here today.”

The doctor turns her warm smile on me. “Well, I’m glad you could make it, Hunter. Nice to meet you.” Her attention returnsto Michelle. “And now I understand the ultrasound request. To confirm, we can’t guarantee your insurance will cover it. There’s a chance, given your age, but we’ll need you to sign a form confirming you’ll pay out of pocket if you need to.”

Michelle nods. “That’s fine. I called the office ahead of time and got the cost. I’m good for it.”

Dr. Barber smiles again. “Alrighty then. I’ll go grab a machine and a tech, and we’ll get you all checked out.”

The door shuts softly behind her. Michelle takes a deep breath and then meets my gaze.

“You requested an ultrasound?” I say, my voice soft, like if I say it too loud, they’ll cancel it.

She nods, swallowing hard. “I know you made a real effort to get yourself here in time for this appointment. I . . . I didn’t want you to have to wait.”

I cross to her side in two steps. Not a huge feat in a small exam room, but I know I would have gotten to her in the same amount of time in a room three times this size.

I reach out for her hand, and she lets me grab it. “Michelle, I ...”

A knock sounds at the door again and her hand leaves mine, greeting the doctor and the nurse. I want to be a better listener, and I promise myself next time I’ll bring a notebook. Get every little thing down and commit it all to memory. But right now, they sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher as I wait until it’s time for the little screen to turn on.

“Okay, everything from the internal exam looks great. Let’s get you ready for the ultrasound.”

My hearing flips on a switch, and everything seems too loud. The opening of the gel bottle. My heartbeat and breathing in my ears. The click of the machine being turned on.

This time, Michelle’s hand finds mine, and she gives it a squeeze. The doctor puts the wand on Michelle’s stomach. I watch the process in fascination until I hear it. A little “thump, thump” coming from the machine to our right.

“There they are. Nice and strong. Can you see it? It’s that?—”

“That little cloud right there,” I say, pointing to the part of the screen that’s flickering.

“That’s right,” Dr. Barber says. “Seems you’ve got good instincts.”

“Little Cumulus,” Michelle says, her voice wavering slightly. My eyes leave the screen to see moisture pooling in hers. I grip her hand tighter and follow those instincts, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“We’ll give you two a minute,” the doctor says, slipping out of the room after the nurse.

“Do you really think it looks like a cloud?” Michelle asks, her eyes locked on the screen.

“Absolutely, I do. The nickname fits them perfectly.”

She leans her head on my shoulder, and we stay there together, looking at the life we somehow created flicker on the screen. Rightness washes over me again as I press another kiss to the crown of Michelle’s head. However we decide to navigate this thing, I know we’re doing it right. Together.

Chapter

Twelve

Michelle

Fourteen weeks pregnant

It’s taken some getting used to—having Hunter in the apartment. One lesson we both learned early on is to invest in some robes. Towel-clad run-ins on back-to-back days left me draining my vibrator of power the second night, hoping the buzzing wouldn’t make it through the wall to Hunter’s room. The extra-long shower I heard him take the next morning let me know I might not be the only one suffering.

I know we need to discuss what we are to each other—and soon. But I don’t know what I want. Well, okay, equal parts of me want to climb him like a treeandmaintain a functional co-parenting relationship with someone I’ve only known for a month. Those same parts of me disagree on whether those desires are mutually exclusive.

What I am sure of is Hunter is a fan-fucking-tastic cook and I’ve never eaten better in my life.

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