Page 63 of A Risk Worth Taking

“What? What’s wrong?” I’m on my feet, ready to scoop her up and take her to the hospital.

“I think I felt him,” she breathes, looking over at me with glassy eyes.

“What?” I glance down at her belly. “Can I feel him?” I place my hand on her stomach but don’t feel anything.

“Oh! I felt it again. I think it’s a flutter.”

“A what?” I remove my hand.

“A flutter. The doctor said I’ll feel him stirring inside me before I feel him kicking. He’s getting big enough that I can feel him moving around.” Her smile is so big and bright, if it were thesun, it would blind the fuck out of me. “I can’t believe I can feel him,” she murmurs. “He’s real and alive in my belly.”

“He is,” I choke out, my emotions getting the better of me. But I can’t help it. It was only a few days ago I thought I was going to lose them both. But here she is, alive and smiling and talking about our baby moving around inside of her.

“When you were in the hospital, I was looking up names on my phone to pass the time. I came across one name that I think would be perfect for him...I mean, only if you like it.”

“What happened to the name you originally wanted?” she asks.

“I think this name would better suit him.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“Donovan. It means ‘strong fighter.’ I saw it and it made me think of you. You’re a fighter, El, and I have no doubt our son will have the same strength as his mother.”

Tears fill her lids, and she grants me the most beautiful, watery smile before she says, “I love it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes descend to her belly. “Hello there, Donovan. What do you think? Do you like that name?” She giggles and glances back up at me. “He fluttered again. So, I’ll take that as a yes. What about the middle name? Any traditions you guys have?”

“Our middle names were derived from our grandfathers. Micah’s is Eugene, named after our paternal grandfather, and mine is Thomas, named after our maternal grandfather.

“We could continue on with the tradition,” she says. “Donovan Michael Alexander has a nice ring to it. Unless Micah already called dibs on it.”

“Micah’s going to end up with another girl,” I tell her with a laugh. My brother already has two girls, and they’ve decided this baby will be their final one. I think part of him is hoping for a boyto even out the gender playing field, but if they have another girl, he’ll be completely okay with it. Both of his daughters are total daddy’s girls.

Ellie laughs. “Probably. But maybe you should ask just to make sure before we settle on it, since Sienna is giving birth before me.”

“I’ll ask, but I’m sure it will be okay. Now, what are you and Donovan hungry for?”

“Mmmm...Pizza...with ham and pineapple.” Her eyes light up. “Yes, with extra pineapple.”

“Alright, so one Hawaiian pizza for you plus a normal one for me. Got it.”

“Hey!” She playfully smacks my arm. “Hawaiian is normal.”

“Sorry, Kitten, but nothing about fruit on pizza is normal.”

I order the food and then make her some popcorn, since she wants it to snack on while we wait for the pizza. And then I find the movie she wants to watch. Since it’s not on any of the streaming services, I buy it from Amazon.

“Save the Last Dance? It’s not one of those cheesy dance movies, is it?” I’ve seen my nieces watching those, and if I’m going to have to sit through two hours of that, I at least want to mentally prepare myself.

“It’s not cheesy,” Ellie says. “It’s my favorite. And in the movie, Derek takes Sara to see the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. I’ve always wanted to go.”

As she tells me more about the movie—and the Joffrey Ballet—the dreamy look in her eyes reminds me of the old Ellie. The one who was in love with dance and ballet and dreamed of performing professionally one day. Before the dark parts of life snuffed out her light—and dreams.

When she finishes telling me the premise of the movie, I click play, and that’s how we spend our evening—watching two teens from different worlds fall in love while they fight for theirfutures. Occasionally, I glance at Ellie as she watches the movie. She laughs and cries, and when the couple manages to work through their shit, she clutches her chest, making me realize just how much of a romantic Ellie really is. Which means, I need to tap into that romantic side of her if I have any hope of ever winning over her heart.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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