Page 66 of Talk About… Secrets
They were my dream pack. Attentive, kind, protective, and treated me like an equal.
“Grace!” the nurse called out from the waiting room. I stood, and my pack followed suit as she led us down the hall and into one of the ultrasound rooms.
“Doc always likes to start with an ultrasound. Then she’ll look at the results, and you can go over that in your appointment,” the nurse explained as she introduced the ultrasound tech. The beta sitting next to the machine gave me a little wave and a bright smile.
“I’m Alicia. It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “If you want to lie down, then roll your shirt up just under your breasts and pull your pants down below your lower belly for me. And here, I have a towel to tuck in so none of the gel gets on your clothes.” She helped me get ready while the guys hovered around.
She picked up a tube of gel, giving it a shake.
“Don’t worry. We heat the gel for you, so there’s no shock of cold.”
She opened the bottle, squeezed a little gel onto my stomach, then grabbed her transducer and ran it over my skin. It was uncomfortable as she pressed down, but I simply waited as she moved it around until she finally found what she was looking for.
“That’s what I needed,” she said as she came to a stop. It was just a dark patch on the screen, but as she shifted the transducer a bit more, I could see movement, a flutter, and what looked like a little bean on the screen.
“You’re still early. These get more exciting as you go on,” she promised. Then she clicked a few buttons, and a pulsing sound filled the room.
It took me all of two seconds to realize what it was.
“That’s the heartbeat?” Spencer asked, his voice already choked up. I saw a tear leak down his face. I reached out for his hand, gripping it for dear life as my own tears rolled down my cheeks.
That sound was everything, but it was the excitement in my chest that really did it for me. Both of my alphas had their phones out, recording the sound. I didn’t expect Beckett to be the emotional one, but from the way his breath was heaving, his jaw clenched tight, he was trying his best not to cry.
Drew had no such reservations. He swiped his eye with his free hand as he ended the video, then turned to me, leaning down and brushing a kiss over my lips. “You’re a miracle, omega. I can’t believe you’re growing our baby.”
Cade was standing close to the screen, watching the movements as if he was transfixed. When he looked back at me, his eyes were wide, and he let out a soft laugh.
“Definitely a miracle,” he agreed.
“You guys are just the cutest little pack,” Alicia chuckled to herself. She hit a few buttons, took a few notes, and then stoodup and held out a towel. “Here’s a towel to clean up your omega. I’m going to go print off some pictures. I’m assuming everyone wants one?” Her smile widened as all five of us nodded. “Coming right up.”
Beck won the battle to reach the towel first and came over, wiping me down with a warm washcloth, cleaning every bit of gel off my skin and then drying me with the other towel before pulling my clothes back into place.
They treated me with such gentle care that it made my chest ache and tears burn in my eyes. These damn hormones were going to be the death of me with these men around.
They helped me up just before Alicia walked back in. “If you want to follow me, I can take you back to the doctor,” she said, handing over a strip of black-and-white pictures to each of us.
Honestly, I was used to waiting, but the doctor stepped in just before Alicia could close the door, her bright smile in place. “Hi, I’m Dr. Clark. It’s so nice to meet you.”
She sat down and took us all in.
“Several nurses warned me that you’re Hailey’s sister and told me to take extra good care of you,” she said with a wink. “We’ve been missing her around here.”
“She loved this place, I know she misses it, too. Though, a wedding and fancy honeymoon are a solid distraction,” I agreed, not sure what else to say. Hailey had barely talked to me since getting married, which was another thing starting to eat away at me. But there were only so many things I could worry about at once, and I was hell-bent on keeping things positive from here on out.
Dr. Clark was amazing, going over everything I needed to do and encouraging the things I’d done already. With a fresh prescription for prenatal vitamins in hand and her encouragement to call if I needed anything or had any questions,and with the next appointment set up, we were ushered out of the office.
It was a whirlwind of a day, but the moment my stomach rumbled, my guys were already moving.
“All right, let’s see where we can take our girl for lunch,” Beck said, glancing around and then frowning. “There aren’t a lot of options here, are there?”
“More than you think,” I defended, giving him the stink eye. He held up his hands and let out a chuckle. “Sorry. I’ll rein in the city boy.”
I took the lead, sliding my hand into Drew’s and walking down the road. The Landing wasn’t far off from here. It sat against the lake and was the perfect spot for a day like today.
Though, the pregnancy exhaustion of the first trimester was real, and it was hitting me hard. As much as I wanted to eat, I also wanted to snuggle into my nest for a long nap.
Drew looked at me just as I let out a yawn. “Food first, and then it’s nap time for you, little omega,” he said. “That’s the doctor’s orders.” He added that before I could argue.
