Chapter 7 #2
I paid close attention as the doctor pointed out everything she was seeing on the ultrasound screen.
Even though Eliza had her face oriented toward the screen, I could tell her eyes weren’t focused on it.
I assumed that had to do with her plan to not get overly attached to the baby.
The problem was I was pretty sure I was getting attached already, and I shouldn’t be.
There was definitely the option of talking to Eliza about Jax and I adopting the baby, but I would have to think long and hard about whether that was actually a good idea.
Until then, I needed to make sure I didn’t get attached either.
“Good news—the baby appears to be very healthy,” Dr. Gray said once the ultrasound was complete. “Going by everything I’ve seen, the baby appears to be eighteen weeks old. That puts your due date at November 23rd.”
“A Thanksgiving baby,” Jax said cheerfully.
“Yep.” Eliza’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Will I still be able to go to school?”
“Most people are able to continue to w- do their every day activities very far into pregnancy if not the whole time. Hopefully you shouldn’t have to miss too much. It all depends how the pregnancy goes, but we’ll keep a close eye on things. Don’t worry.” Dr. Gray gave Eliza a reassuring smile.
I was so happy to find the reviews we had seen about her online were correct. She really was making this as comfortable as possible for Eliza, and I was very appreciative of that.
When the appointment was over, Dr. Gray made sure Eliza was scheduled for her next exam, which was going to be two weeks from this one. She also handed us a packet of information regarding the adoption process.
Eliza appeared stressed out by the stack of papers, so I patted her back. “We have time for this. Let’s not worry about it right now, okay?”
That seemed to calm Eliza’s nerves, and she was mostly back to herself on the drive back to the house. Once we arrived, she asked if it was okay if she took a nap. I would have agreed no matter what, but this was perfect timing. There was a lot I needed to talk to Jax about in private.
“How does a glass of wine sound?” Jax asked as soon as Eliza was upstairs.
I laughed. “A glass of wine sounds pretty perfect right now.”
Jax pulled out two wine glasses and filled them up, then the two of us went into the family room to drink and talk.
I took a big sip of wine then set my glass down on the coffee table. “So, I had a bit of a crazy thought today, and I have a feeling that you might have had the same one.”
“That this was all meant to be and we should adopt Eliza’s baby?”
I laughed at Jax’s bluntness. “Yes. Pretty much.”
Jax set her drink down then leaned forward. “I want to dive right in, but I take it you have some reservations.”
“There’s just a lot we need to consider.”
Jax smirked. “You totally want to make a pros and cons list, don’t you?”
I tried to glare at her, but it was no use. My smile grew wider instead. “I’m not sure a pros and cons list is the most appropriate thing in this situation, but I don’t think this is something we should jump right into.”
Jax nodded. “Which probably means that we shouldn’t, but we both know I only think with my heart and not my head, so can you tell me why?”
I had so many reasons. I wished I could leap into the unknown without a million different thoughts and questions, but that just wasn’t possible for me.
“Well, first of all, we haven’t made any final decisions about Eliza, and I think she needs to come first. She should be our top priority right now.”
“I couldn’t agree more, which is why I may or may not have told her that she’s welcome to stay with us as long as she wants to.”
I laughed again. Jax was so impulsive, but I loved her for it. “That’s good, because I was going to say we should figure that out and see if it’s something she wants.”
“She definitely does.” Jax took another sip of wine. “Sorry I didn't say anything before this. I honestly forgot I told her that until just now.”
“Of course you did.” I took another long sip of wine, which resulted in me finishing my glass.
It was so unlike me to do this in the middle of the work week, but given all of the big life changes we were undergoing, I’d say it was understandable.
“I know we’re not her parents, but if she’s going to be staying here, we definitely need to come up with some rules, especially when she goes back to school. ”
Jax chuckled. “I actually told her that. Not that I know what kind of rules we need to make. I figured you could figure out that part.”
“I don’t think we need to go crazy with them. She seems very appreciative to have a place to stay. I don’t think she’d take advantage of that.”
“I agree. So, if we have everything figured out with Eliza, what are the other issues?”
I couldn’t believe Jax considered agreeing that Eliza could stay with us as having everything figured out.
As far as I was concerned, that was just the beginning.
“She made it very clear today that she doesn’t want to get attached to this child.
If we adopt the baby, what happens once they’re born?
We can’t keep the baby and forget all about her. ”
“True. But if we keep the baby, she doesn’t have to worry about getting attached because she can see them whenever she wants.”
“But what if she doesn’t want to?” I wasn’t trying to be combative, but it was a very possible scenario.
“You’re right. If we decide this is something we’re interested in, we definitely have to discuss it with her first to find out if it’s something she’s even okay with. She’s obviously our first priority.”
“Exactly. I’m so happy we’re on the same page about that.
” I stood from the couch and walked to the kitchen to pour myself some more wine, then returned and sat back down next to Jax.
“Something else that we need to think about is if we move forward with this slightly crazy plan, we’ll go from having no kids to two—one of which is a teenager.
That’s a lot to take on. What do we know about raising a teenager? ”
Jax shrugged. “I’m sure we know more than most people raising them since we’re not as many years out from that time in our lives.”
I laughed. “I feel like I was a teenager in another lifetime.”
“Lucky for you, sometimes I feel like I still am, so we’ll be okay. Plus, your parents went from having no kids to three. If they could handle that, we can handle this.”
I reached out and took Jax’s hand. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I didn’t believe in her or us. “I know we can. Together, we can do anything. I just want to make sure that what we’re doing is the best choice for everyone involved.”
“See. This is exactly why I need you. You keep me grounded.”
“And you help me to dream.” I leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Jax’s lips. “Luckily, we have time before we need to make any decisions. My whole family will be down here for Pride. We can see how that goes, and I can talk to my moms more.”
“Sounds great. Pride always provides clarity.” Jax winked and tapped her wine glass against mine.