Chapter 19
OLIVIA
A s the weeks go by, life attempts to trick me into a sense of normalcy again. Aware that Carlos has been planting false leads across New Jersey and Chicago to keep Marcus off my trail, I become comfortable, at peace even.
Every Saturday, he drives me up to the cabin so I can spend some time with Chloe. She’ll go stir-crazy if we’re not careful, and she’s been through enough already.
Today marks the beginning of my maybe-new-normal life as Dax pulls over outside the women’s clinic on the north side of Ember Ridge.
“How are you feeling?” he asks me for the umpteenth time.
“Well, I guess we know which one of us is going to be the helicopter parent,” Beck mumbles from the back seat, where he and Leo exchange amused glances.
“I promise you, I’m okay,” I tell Dax, genuinely touched by his constant concern. “It was just a bad bout of nausea. Probably something I ate that didn’t agree with the little guy’s tastes. ”
“The doctor said the morning sickness should wear off soon,” Dax says in an attempt to justify his worrying.
I find it sweet that he is so preoccupied and so devoted not just to our baby’s health and well-being, but to mine, too. I’m seeing a softer, more nurturing side of this mountain of a man, and it simply fills my heart with a sweet, golden light that is downright addictive.
“I’ve been having less and less of it,” I assure him.
Beck gets out of the SUV first and opens the door for me, then helps me get out. His touch is always gentle. His eyes are always on me, minding my every movement. He gives Dax a hard time about being a softie, but he’s right there with him. Of the three, I think Leo is the most laid-back.
However, that’s not to say he’s not constantly worried, too. But he’s got Luke to look after as well, so he works overtime to keep his emotions and his concerns in check. There’s only so much bandwidth anyone can have in such instances.
“I would tell you if there was anything for us to worry about,” I reassure the three of them as we make our way up the clinic steps. “I’ll steer clear of any seafood. No more calamari rings either.”
“Bet you’re mad about that,” Beck quips.
“It had to be that pink cocktail sauce,” I reply. “But it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
As soon as we walk through the doors, we’re greeted by a smiling nurse at the reception desk. She has me fill out my intake form before taking us upstairs to an exam room.
Dr. Kravitz meets us, already in possession of my latest blood test results .
“Gentlemen, have a seat over there,” she tells my men as she points to a cream-colored sofa by the window. “We don’t normally allow friends and family for this kind of visit.”
“They’re all family,” I remind the good doctor.
She gives a heavy sigh. “I’m well aware, but that doesn’t mean I like it crowded in here,” she says, then helps me get up on the exam table. “Go ahead and lift your shirt up for me.”
“What about the morning sickness?” Dax asks with a furrowed brow, prompting a dry chuckle out of Beck and Leo. “What?” he glowers at them.
Dr. Kravitz, a woman in her late forties and truly one of the best OB-GYNs in the state, takes a deep, patience-summoning breath as she looks at Dax. “You have concerns about Miss Fairchild’s morning sickness? Still?”
“She’s still having some episodes,” he replies with a defensive shrug.
“First time dad, am I right?”
I’m impressed by how unimpressed she is, given the sheer size and imposing stature of my men.
Then again, I assume she’s dealt with plenty of worried and scared fathers in her line of work.
“Now I need you to relax a little bit. Let’s give you and the little one a minute to decompress while I go over your blood test results. ”
“Sure thing,” I say with a soft smile.
Somewhere in the back of my head, every time someone tells me to relax—despite honestly trying to do that—my thoughts carry me back to Devon, to my old life, to the man who hurt me, the man who is still out there, searching for me. He’s the ghost that won’t stop haunting me .
“Your blood work looks fine,” Dr. Kravitz says, going over the file. “Your blood sugar is a little high, but you can regulate that with a few changes to your diet. I’ll write down a list of foods you should include to help with that.”
“Are we concerned about pregnancy-related diabetes?” I ask.
That gets Dax, Leo, and Beck sitting fully upright. It only makes me love them even more.
“Not yet,” Dr. Kravitz replies. “But if we can avoid it early on, let’s do so.”
“Right.”
“Everything else is right where it’s supposed to be, and the hormonal factors tell me you’ve got a healthy baby growing in there,” the doctor says as she nods at my belly.
There’s a bit of a bump now. Nothing I can’t mask under a loose shirt or dress, but she knows it’s there, and so do I.
“It looks a little bit bigger than what I had expected for the first part of your second trimester.”
“Oh?”
“Let’s get a look, shall we?”
I nod slowly and do as I’m told while she gets the gel tube and the ultrasound device ready.
My appetite has gone up over the past few weeks, truth be told.
I could eat a truckload if left unsupervised.
Luckily, I’ve got three men taking great care of me, so we do manage a modicum of calorie control to avoid an exaggerated weight gain in the long term—for my health and my baby’s.
“Yikes,” I exclaim as she applies the cold gel all over my abdomen, then positions the device to start picking up ultrasound waves from my womb .
She looks at the screen for a while. I try to make something out of the garble of black and white fuzz, but I’m not sure what I should be looking for exactly.
“Huh, interesting,” Dr. Kravitz says.
“What does that mean?” Dax asks. They’ve been so quiet and damn near motionless up to this point. For a second, I almost forgot that they were even there.
“You might want to come up here and see for yourselves,” she replies with a grin.
“What? Why?” Beck shoots up from his seat, officially concerned, judging by the tension in his voice.
“Doctor, is everything okay?” I ask her.
“Oh, yes. Give me a moment, and I’ll explain.
” There’s a full-on smile testing the corners of her mouth as she waits for Dax, Leo, and Beck to reach my side.
When they do, and Leo takes my hand, giving it a good, reassuring squeeze, Dr. Kravitz points at the screen. “So this right here is a pair of legs.”
“We see them,” Dax gasps, his eyes softening with raw emotion.
“And this right here,” Dr. Kravitz adds, pointing right next to the baby, “is another pair of legs.”
My heart stops for a second. The words hit me like bricks, leaving me speechless and senseless as I struggle to muster a reaction. My mind is already firing rapid signals to the rest of my body, sending my pulse racing and tears filling my eyes.
“Congratulations, You’re having twins, Miss Fairchild,” Dr. Kravitz says .
“Oh, my God,” I whisper.
She flips a switch next to the monitor, and the room suddenly filled with the echoing double heartbeats of my babies. The sound of two droplets of pure life developing in my womb, eager to be born and to live memorably. My children, our children.
Leo’s grip tightens around my hand. “We’ve got this, Olivia,” he says.
“I want to believe you,” I manage, panic settling in. “This is just… so unexpected. One felt challenging, but this, this is double trouble.”
“We’ve got this,” Beck adds with a firm tone of voice, quick to wrap his head around this new reality as he senses me spiraling away from them. “Olivia, it’s going to be okay.”
“There’s four of us and two of them,” Dax replies and plants a kiss on my temple. “They’re going to be a handful, but you can do this, baby. We’re with you every step of the way.”
The tears flow freely now. Happiness and fear intertwine as I wonder what my future will look like and acknowledge the irreversible changes that will follow.
I’ll never be the same again, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
I’m just terrified of the unknown, of being a bad mother, of not being good enough.
All the thoughts that Marcus loved putting in my head.
“It’s not what I expected,” I manage.
“We didn’t see two little ones coming either, but they’re coming,” Dax tells me. “And we’re going to be right here, welcoming both with arms wide open. We’ve got you, Olivia. You’re not alone. ”
“I’m not alone,” I say. “You’re right.”
I find comfort in their touch, in their words, in their mere presence. It’s something I’ve never felt before, and it’s an odd sensation. It’s also a sorely needed sentiment, because most of my life was lived under a thick veil of uncertainty, of simply making it through to the next day.
It’s different this time.
“Congratulations, Miss Fairchild,” Dr. Kravitz says again. “I know it can be scary, especially with an unplanned pregnancy, but I am encouraged by the support you’re getting here today. You’re going to be alright.”
I nod and look around the room. She’s right. I am.
“I will need you to come in every two to three weeks from now on.”
I give her a worried look. “Not monthly? Why?”
“Because there are always risks associated with twin pregnancies. Nothing to concern yourself with at the moment. Preventative care is the best kind of care, and it’s what I specialize in.”
“Okay.”
“Every two to three weeks, Doc, duly noted,” Dax confirms with a nod.
Yet another routine, another appointment, another way for life to keep me anchored here in Ember Ridge.
It should be a wonderful thing, but with the ghost of Marcus still hounding me, the possibility of his intrusion still so painfully real, I can’t even enjoy the simple things as much as I wish I could.
Sooner or later, the devil will come to town .
I just need to be careful, to make sure I’m ready to face him when he does show up. In the meantime, I’ve got so much to prepare for, so much to get used to, so much to live for. I fell in love with not one, but three men. And now, I’m having not one, but two babies with them.
Life is about to get even more interesting.