Page 104 of Unexpected Forever
God, he’s adorable. And hot. Adorably hot. It’s a lethal combination.
I glance over at him to see him staring at the monitor, slack-jawed, his eyes wide. With a smile, I squeeze his hand. His gaze meets mine, and the emotions in his eyes make it hard for me to breathe.
I know one clear truth.
I’m in love with Nate Gentry.
Like one hundred percent, you jump, I jump, prime time in love with him.
I turn back to the screen, tears in my eyes, and the doctor talks about the organs growing right on schedule. The heartbeat’s strong and everything looks the way it should.
I breathe out a sigh of relief and drop my head back against the padded table. Nate rubs a hand over my forehead with a soft smile.
“This little one is active. Do you guys want to know the sex? Because I can tell.”
“No,” we say in unison.
Dr. Miller smiles, dropping the probe into its holder before cleaning off my belly. “Okay, then. We’re done here. Everything looks great, Charley. Still measuring on track, so your due date is still going to be around December 20th.”
She prints out pictures and we wrap up the appointment. We stop at the front desk to schedule my next appointment, where Nate manages to fluster the office manager.
As we walk through the parking lot, I smack him in the stomach with the back of my hand, but can’t help but smile. “She’s old enough to be your mother.”
“What’d I do? I just winked at her.”
“You flashed her that trademark Nate Gentry grin.” I point at him, gesturing to his face. “That grin is a lethal weapon, Gentry. That grin is how I ended up with this belly.” I point at my solidly round stomach.
Nate laughs and throws an arm around my shoulders, bringing his other hand up and laying it over my belly. “I love your belly and the little nugget inside it.”
At his words, my stomach flutters. He says it so casually, as though it’s the kind of thing he always says to me. Without thinking about it, I lay my head on his chest as we walk to the car.
If only for a moment, I pretend Nate and I are more than friends with benefits, cohabitating for the sake of a baby.
* * *
On our way home,we stop by the Chamber of Commerce to show Mom the ultrasound pictures, and once she stops crying and hugging us, she starts a list of things to do for a baby shower.
“Hey, is Megan around?” I ask her, after Nate walks outside to take a phone call.
“She should be,” she says, half listening. “Last time I saw her, she had a bunch of pictures spread out in the conference room.”
She adds a couple of notes to her list. “I think it’ll be easier to have the shower at your house. You can relax and poor Nate won’t have to carry all those gifts in and out.”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, you’ve seen Nate, right? I think he’s capable of hauling some boxes around.”
She waves me away. “You’re no help. Go, go. Oh, and tell Megan to come see me when you’re done. We have planning to do!”
I laugh and head down the hallway from my mom’s office to the large conference room.
I find Megan in there, glossy photos, some color, some black and white, scattered all over the large mahogany table.
“Hey,” I say, stepping into the room, arms behind my back.
She looks up, a smile lighting up her face. “Hey! Nate with you?”
“He’s outside, had to take a call.”
She rubs her hands together. “Do you have pictures for me?”
