Chapter 16 Macy
MACY
The coolness of the gel on my belly sends a shiver down my spine when the ultrasound technician glides a wand over my stomach.
The examination room at the local hospital is dimly lit, and the soft whirr of the ultrasound machine fills the silence.
I glance over at Grayson, who is standing at my side with his eyes fixed on the screen.
I suggested he wait outside, but I’m glad he chose to come with me for the ultrasound.
His presence is the only anchor I have to stop my mind from swirling with worry.
Grayson cushioned my fall; however, the bumps stacked in his midsection are as rigid as the floor I was careening toward. And I won’t mention the other appendage I felt digging in, or I may have another shameful slip in decorum.
Last night, Grayson supported me as a friend, but my hormones made it feel like more. I took the gentleness of his touch and the shallowness of his breaths as something more, and since it occurred at bedtime, my mind got carried away on me.
I’ve dreamed about Grayson in the past, but the one last night was filthy. He was a god who brought me to climax more times than I could count, and even though it was a made-up fantasy, my body responded as if it were real.
Have you ever climaxed so hard you felt like you were going to pee? My bladder was already pushed to the limit, but the image and scent of Grayson my deviant mind conjured up almost broke me.
It was so invigorating that I rolled onto my side and scissored my legs like I wasn’t busting to use the facilities. I was right there, on the cusp of an orgasm, and I had reached that point with nothing but my imagination.
I held on to those tingles for as long as possible, certain I wouldn’t experience them again anytime soon.
Then, when they subsided for the aches of a full bladder, I begrudgingly stomped to the bathroom.
You know what happened from there, though I doubt you will ever fully comprehend the awe of Grayson in the buff.
Whoa! That man is as divine out of his clothes as he is in them, and the visual had me wishing it was bedtime again.
I’ve never wished away the hours as I did in the bathroom this morning.
I focus back on the present when the technician slices my worry in half with five short words.
“Everything looks how it should.” I glance at Grayson, who is smiling as brightly as I am when she continues.
“The baby’s heartbeat is strong, and there are no signs of distress.
” She locks eyes with Grayson, but instead of showering him with lust, like many of the nurses have for the past hour, she shines praise on him. “You did good, Daddy.”
“Thank you.” Grayson doesn’t correct her assumption that he is my unborn child’s father. “Is there any chance we could get a copy of that?”
When he looks up at the monitor showing my unborn baby’s cute face, the technician smiles.
“Of course.” She clicks a handful of buttons on the ultrasound machine.
While it prints out the image Grayson selected, she wipes the gel off my stomach and then helps me sit.
“The doctor will be in shortly to discuss the results.” She hands Grayson the photo she printed out for him, dips her chin in farewell, and then leaves the room.
After ogling the image like a proud papa-to-be, Grayson places his hand on top of mine and gives it a gentle squeeze. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah…” I ought to leave it there, but my fear won’t let me. “I’m a little scared.”
“Of what?” Grayson eyes me cautiously. “The technician said everything looks good.”
“I’m not worried about that.” I flash him the same grateful look the technician gave him. “I’m more worried about how that”—I jerk my chin to the monitor still showing my baby’s adorable face—“is going to fit out of there.” This time, I wave my hand to my vagina.
Grayson laughs, and it instantly appeases my worry. “I understand your concern. He has a pretty big head.”
“Or maybe she has a big brain.”
He clutches his chest as if maimed. “If you missed the instrument your son is carrying between his legs, I’ll need to purchase a magnifying glass before stripping naked in front of you again.
It was unmissable.” Before I can articulate any of the wicked thoughts in my head, Grayson murmurs, “I’ll happily accept any daddy title they wish to hand me if it will have them believing that came from me.
” He nudges his head back to the monitor.
Now that he’s pointed it out, it is pretty apparent that my unborn child is a boy.
My eyes slide back to Grayson when he asks, “Are you sure we didn’t have a sneaky hookup eight months ago? I’m seeing a family resemblance.”
I wish.
I realize I said my statement out loud when Grayson’s grin stretches from ear to ear. Mercifully, the doctor arrives before I can decipher why he seems more pleased than repulsed.
“Good news.” The obstetrician looks up from my medical chart. “The ultrasound shows that everything is fine. The baby is healthy, and there appears to be no complications from the fall.”
I sigh with relief as the tension bunched in my shoulders slips away. “Thank you, Doctor.”
The loose skin under his chin wobbles before his expression turns serious.
“However, I need to caution you. The baby’s head is already engaged, which means you could be close to giving birth.
If you don’t want to go into preterm labor, you need to take it easy over the next few weeks. Bed rest is recommended.”
I scoff before shaking my head. “Bed rest? I can’t lie around all day. I have imperative matters to take care of.”
Grayson gives me a stern look that thickens my tongue. “You need to listen to the doctor. Your health and the baby’s health are the most important things right now.”
Even knowing he is right, I roll my eyes before lying through my teeth. “Fine, I’ll take it easy.”
I’m the world’s worst liar, though only Grayson can sniff that out.
“I know it won’t be easy, but it is for the best.” The doctor appears pleased that I am willing to follow his orders. “If you have any concerns or if anything changes, don’t hesitate to come back.”
Nodding, I thank the doctor again. As he leaves the room, Grayson helps me off the examination table and then guides our walk out of the room.
As we make our way past many private suites, I spot a familiar face in the waiting area of the maternity unit. My heart skips a beat, and I grab Grayson’s arm. “Grayson, look.”
He follows my gaze, his wide eyes narrowing when he sees Samuel, the man we took down only days ago, sitting in a chair, looking surprisingly relaxed. “What the hell is he doing here? And how is he already out on bail?”
Anger surges through me. “This can’t be right. A judge wouldn’t have granted him bail.”
Grayson stops my stomps to Samuel by grabbing my arm. “No, Macy. You’re on bed rest.”
“This is important.”
“I understand it’s important, but your health is more significant.”
He’s placing me first, and although I should hate him for it, I don’t. The tide is shifting between us, and I’m seconds from being swept out to sea.
Grayson is already pulling me over to his side of the fence, but he tugs me fully over with a heartfelt pledge. “I will look into his release. I promise.”
Although I’m desiring a fight, I know he’s right.
Placing myself in a situation that might induce premature delivery will jeopardize my baby’s health.
I also risk breaking the promise I made to myself about Kendall meeting my child when he’s still a baby.
So instead of marching up to Samuel and putting him back under arrest, I surrender.
“You better keep me updated on your findings, Grayson, or I’ll...” It takes me around three to four seconds to come up with a threat, and it is weak. “I’ll tell everyone at the bureau that you volunteered your sperm for my surrogacy.”
I’m forced to mull over a decision I made months ago when he replies, “Might not have been a lie if you’d ever worked up the courage to ask.”
I had considered asking him numerous times if he would be a donor. I was freaked out because a stranger’s sperm would be inside me, but my supervisor told me I was being ridiculous. It was the same supervisor who booked me for an abortion when I learned the step B plan hadn’t worked.
As we drive back to the apartment, a mix of frustration and relief bombards me. I need to be out there investigating, but I also need to prioritize looking after myself and the baby. It is a debilitating deliberation that breaks and mends my heart.
When we reach the apartment, Grayson guides me inside before making sure I’m comfortable on the couch.
“Do you need anything? Water? A snack?” Sparks of the man I’ve had a crush on for years shine through when he murmurs, “A long-range rifle?” He waggles his brows when my eyes light up at his offer before he gives me the next best thing.
He hands me Cameron’s file. Her real file.
“While you work on that, I’ll find out what’s happening with Samuel’s charges. ”
He waits until I approve his offer before he disappears into the kitchen.
Something about Cameron’s case doesn’t make sense.
Grayson’s reports are meticulous, and his witness statement sprang tears to my eyes many times.
But something is still off. I can’t put my finger on it.
Call it intuition or a hunch, but my Spidey senses are tingling out of control more now than they were when I first went over the details of her case.
Since I am worried that I’m deflecting my guilty conscience about the erotic dream I had about Grayson onto Cameron, I push aside my worry and focus on the facts. Grayson believes a baby-making syndicate abducted her, so that’s all I need to give my all to this case.
My head lifts from the forensic report of the burned-out van when I sense I am being watched. Grayson is standing in the doorway of the kitchen, eyeing me cautiously.