“Dr. Thompson,” Megan said seeing it, “ultrasound?”

“What? When did…is everything alright angel?” Carter said as worry filled his gaze.

“It’s perfect, I figured you wouldn’t mind paying for an extra ultrasound to see our little love yourself since you weren’t able to make the first appointment,” she said slipping her arms over his neck. “Especially considering we should be able to find out what it is if we want.”

“I’ll gladly pay for a million of them if it ensures that you’re safe, healthy and so is our baby,” he said before stealing her lips in a long, slow kiss that had his mother sighing with happiness.

“Enjoy your afternoon, Brianna, Mr. Russells,” Marsha said as they left, and Brianna knew she would no matter what the news of their baby’s gender because Carter would love him or her.

They did a quick lunch and she smiled when Megan suggested they invite her parents, sisters, and grandmother up for a gender reveal that weekend. They hadn’t told all of their friends the news yet and it would make a perfect way to let all of them know at once, letting her agree and Carter gave them a nod not about to argue over it.

She called her mother on the way to the doctor’s office, and she promised that she, her dad, and grandmother would all be there, and they’d pass along the invitation to her sisters. After the mess of Thanksgiving, she wasn’t sure if Ashley would show but hoped that Grace would, they’d managed to find a little more in common than she’d thought they had in recent weeks.

“Here’s your baby,” Dr. Thompson said turning the screen towards them letting them get a glimpse of the baby’s face. She pointed out the fingers, arms, legs, and toes as Carter’s eyes took it all in as he held her hand, pressing a kiss to it making her fall further in love with him than she already was. She didn’t know when it happened, how it happened, but it had and she wasn’t about to deny it to herself, to him yes, but not to herself.

“That’s our baby,” Carter said in awe turning to meet her gaze. “It’s amazing, Brianna.”

“I never get tired of these appointments,” Dr. Thompson said agreeing with them. “Now, I know Brianna scheduled this to let you see the baby, hear the heartbeat in person, and see about finding out the gender, so…are you ready to know?”

“You can tell?” Carter asked and she nodded.

“Clear as day,” she stated looking between them.

“I think we should wait until the party as well,” Brianna said finding Carter’s gaze again. “We can do cake or balloons or something like that at the party because if I know there’s no way I’m going to stop from letting it slip before then.”

“I probably wouldn’t be able to keep it to myself either,” Carter agreed, and Dr. Thompson nodded writing it down on a paper after turning away from them so they wouldn’t be able to tell how many letters it was.

They let Megan drag them to a baby store and spent the next few hours looking around it, smiling fully when she spotted an ex-classmate there with two other little ones and her stomach three times that of hers. Carter kissed her temple as Danielle paused beside them, her jaw open a bit in surprise.

“Oh, my goodness, don’t tell me you’re pregnant,” Danielle stated after greeting them.

“Sixteen weeks,” she said with a grin.

“Oh wow, you’re so tiny,” Danielle said, and she felt Carter tense beside her.

“Not that tiny, we just had an ultrasound and our doctor said everything looked great,” she said as much to Carter as to her.

“So, did you find out what you’re having? I didn’t with this one,” Danielle said resting a hand on her daughter’s head. “Worst mistake ever, she had no hair, we’d bought a generic car seat and until she was two, unless she was in pink, purple or something really girly, everyone kept asking if she was a boy.”

“Our doctor could tell, and we’ve decided to have a little party this weekend to find out all at once. We haven’t told most of our friends yet, so we’re thinking of it being a combined, marriage, baby, gender event,” she said making Danielle laugh.

“Smart but watch out, once your stomach gets big enough people can tell you’re pregnant, even strangers will walk over and try to touch it. I don’t get it at all,” Danielle said making her laugh. “This is our third and last…I made my husband get a vasectomy when I was about ten weeks, figured if I was going through hell he might as well be too.”

“I can relate, I was never happier when the morning sickness stopped,” Brianna mused as Carter let his hand caress her hip gently.

“Well hopefully the nearly fainting will stop as well,” he said making Danielle smile at the concern in his gaze.

“I see you found a really good one, congratulations Brianna, I should go before these two get too cranky for public,” Danielle said giving her a hug before passing along her phone number. “Let me know how you’re doing, I’m at home with these two all the time and always looking for someone to talk adult things with.”

“I have a feeling that will be you soon, there’s no way you’re going to want to miss out on every little moment possible by coming back to work,” Carter said, and she smiled, not positive about it either if she was honest—not when it wasn’t going to be a necessity to take care of her baby.

“For now, I still have to make sure you’re taken care of,” she teased him. “Once the baby’s here, I suppose we’ll see how it goes.”

“Whatever you say, baby,” he agreed letting her think about it as the week went past them, not any closer to an answer than she was beforehand as they drew up to the party.

They found the restaurant half-full with friends already and she smiled at the surprise on faces as Carter walked her into the space, his arm around her waist. They mingled with the guests already there as the rest of their list came in and stopped by to say hello, asking the question everyone was thinking—if they were together.

Carter got everyone’s attention and she happily rested against his side as they stepped up behind the box that held the surprise for them. “We’d like to thank you all for coming and to answer the biggest question, yes, Brianna and I are together. But that’s not all, we are also married, and…expecting…”