Chapter 27
The next morning, I picked up some breakfast and decaf coffee before heading to Colt and Mer’s house. I felt like a schmuck as I stood on their porch and knocked on the door. I hated that I had to drive to Ali and that she wasn’t in my bed with me this morning, but we’d be fixing that today.
My breath hung in the cold air in front of me as I waited, but no one was coming to the door. After checking my watch to make sure I got the time right, I knocked on their door again, but there was still no answer.
My brow furrowed as I pulled out my phone and tried to call Ali, but it went straight to voicemail. I spun around to their driveway. Both Mer and Colt’s cars were gone. Mer was probably still dropping off Lucy at her school across town, and I knew Colt had an early meeting with Coach at the rink.
Thinking quickly, I rounded the back of their house and dug through a snow-covered planter in the backyard, which I knew had an extra key in it.
As soon as I started digging through the snow and dirt, my phone went off. Seeing Colt’s name, I rolled my eyes and held my phone up to my ear with my shoulder.
“I can see you on my security cam. Why are you creeping around my house?” he asked.
I shook my freezing cold hand out with a curse, making him laugh. “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want,” I muttered. “Ali’s not answering the door. We’re gonna be late for the appointment if I don’t get her up.”
“Roger that,” he said. “But ya might wanna dig in the other planter,” he said with a laugh.
“Coulda lead with that,” I deadpanned before hanging up.
As soon as I let myself in their house, I called out her name, but she still didn’t answer.
Now I was getting a little worried. I quickly climbed the stairs and knocked on the guest room door.
“Ali?” I didn’t want to enter her room and scare her, but I knew she’d be pissed if she missed the appointment.
Biting in the inside of my cheek, I pushed the door open.
She was peacefully sleeping on her side.
“Ali, baby,” I said a little louder.
Her brow furrowed, but she stayed asleep.
“Hey, it’s me, JP,” I said gently, really hoping she wouldn’t wake up in a panic. I rubbed her arm. “We have that appointment. Ali.”
Her brown eyes flashed open. “Oh my God, I forgot.” She popped up on her elbows. Her short hair was sticking up all crazy and there was makeup smudged under her eye from last night. “Oh my God. What time is it?” She searched her bed for her phone. “My alarm didn’t go off. Shit. My phone’s dead.”
“That’s okay,” I said with a soft chuckle. “We still have about fifteen minutes ‘til we have to leave.”
“Shit,” she repeated. She shot out of bed, then almost lost her balance. I caught her around the waist before she crashed into the dresser.
“You good?” I asked, feeling deeply satisfied that she was wearing one of my old t-shirts.
“Yeah, yeah, fine.” She slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Gonna be sick?” I asked worriedly.
Nodding furiously, she stepped around the suitcase overflowing with clothes and bolted for the hallway.
Staring at her suitcase on the ground, uneasiness filled my chest.
We weren’t supposed to be like this. Ali wasn’t supposed to be living out of a suitcase.
I wasn’t supposed to be waking up alone in a city apartment.
We were supposed to have one of those log cabins dotting the lake where we used to go pond skating.
We were supposed to be teaching our kids to skate at Centre Ice and checking in on my dad and Hank at Herb’s.
I rubbed my forehead. But that’s what I wanted. Not her. I wasn't even sure what she wanted. And maybe that was the whole problem: I had no clue because I never even asked her.
I swallowed hard, tasting my own regret.
When she came back in the room, her shirt rode up a bit, revealing a little bit of ink on her inner left thigh.
“Woah, wait.” I blinked hard, trying to see if my eyes were deceiving me.
“Yeah?” she drawled, frowning at me in question.
“Ali, did you…” I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. I leaned forward and grasped her thigh to take a closer look. I smoothed my thumb over the tiny heart, making her shiver. It looked exactly like the one I’d drawn on the little note I left her on the cruise ship. My eyes flashed to her face.
“Oh…that.” She blushed deeply. “You got a reminder of our week together. I wanted one too.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “Didn’t think I’d get a permanent one.” She snorted, pointing at her stomach.
Feeling like my heart was about to explode out of my chest, I immediately stood and pulled her into a kiss, picking her feet off the floor in the process.
She giggled in surprise and kissed me back. “We’re gonna be late.” She patted my cheek, her face still a little flush with shyness.
“Don’t care,” I murmured against her lips.
She gasped and held my cheeks. “Is this JP I’m talking to? The guy who’s allergic to being late?” she teased.
I dropped my head back, groaning with annoyance as I reluctantly let her slide down my body.
“Well, I’m glad you like it,” she said, giving me a flirty grin as she quickly pulled on an oversized fall-colored flannel.
“Like it? No.” I scoffed, making her eye me. “I fuckin’ love it,” I breathed out, hating that she was now covering it with her leggings.
Her lips twisted into a little smile as she smoothed a headband into her short hair.
_________
Ali chatted pleasantly with a young nurse while she completed a series of tests, but I couldn't focus on the conversation because my mind was twisting into a pretzel.
After reading a brochure in the waiting room, I was overwhelmed with everything we needed to prepare for the baby.
We needed to start a nursery, like, yesterday.
After the nurse left the room, Ali sat on the exam table looking smaller than usual. Her body was slightly trembling as she hugged herself to rub her arms.
“Cold or nervous?”
She gave me a tight grimace. “Both.”
“C’mere.” I pulled her into my lap and her head rested between my collar and jaw. “I missed you last night.”
“Me too,” she said with a shaky sigh.
I smoothed my hands up and down her arms, trying to warm her. “So, I think you should move in, and we should convert my extra room into a nursery,” I blurted out, then squeezed my eyes shut. “Sorry, that’s what I want. What are you thinking?”
Her brown eyes met mine and she chewed her lip nervously. “I want that too, but I’m still a little afraid that this”—she waved a hand between us—“will blow up, and then the baby will have to deal with our drama.”
“How about we give ourselves this time before the baby arrives to explore? Give me a trial period, how does that sound? I really don't even think we’ll even need it. I never want to be apart from you again,” I said with a small smirk.
“I want to give you everything, my bed, my last name, any house or ring you want.” But as I said those words, she stiffened in my arms. I searched her eyes for the meaning.
“What? Too soon?” It would’ve felt too soon with anyone else, but this was Ali. I’d known her most of my life.
“Yeah, a little,” she said, forcing an uncomfortable laugh.
She kept her eyes downcast, away from me.
“I want to move in with you and be with you, but I hope marriage isn’t a dealbreaker.
I don’t see that in my future.” She unfolded herself from me.
I let her put the distance between us even though it was the last thing I wanted.
I sat there feeling stumped. I’d be okay with her claim about marriage if I actually believed her. But I knew her tell. Sitting on the exam table, she was currently twisting her fingers into knots, telling me she just lied.
I rubbed my jaw, trying to figure out the best way to approach this. “That’s okay,” I finally said, and her worried eyes flew up to mine. “I just want to be with you. I just have one question.”
Her throat bobbed with a swallow as she shrugged.
“You don’t see marriage in your future or you don’t want it?”
She looked caught. Her poor fingers were turning white. I scooched the chair forward and took her hands in mine.
“JP.” Her face went serious. “I need to tell you something, but you can’t—”
A knock sounded on the door, making her startle.
I wanted to yell at everyone to just leave us alone, but I forced myself to swallow down any rebuttal.
A doctor with curly dark hair poked her head in. Her eyes darted between us. “Sorry if I’m interrupting something,” she trailed off. “Everything okay?” She looked directly at Ali, making it clear the question was not for me.
“Yeah, sorry. Just an emotional time,” Ali said, forcing a weak smile as she brushed her hair behind her ears.
“Okay, well, I can come back?” the doctor offered.
“No, no.” Ali rolled her shoulders back. “I’ve been looking forward to this appointment for days.” She gave me a small apologetic smile, and I immediately felt like a dick for making any part of this day about us instead of her and the baby.
After we ran through introductions, Dr. Keenan instructed Ali to lay back.
She spread some sort of jelly on Ali’s belly and started smoothing a little wand around.
A couple seconds later, the sound of a heartbeat filled the room.
It sounded way faster than I expected, but the doctor was smiling, so I figured it wasn’t an issue.
“Wow.” Ali reached to hold my hand. When she looked at me, her eyes filled with tears, hitting me right in the chest.
“Well, all sounds well,” Dr. Keenan smiled. “We’ll book you for a couple more tests, but we’ve got two strong heartbeats.”
Ali’s eyes flew from mine to the doctor. “Two…?”
“You mean Ali's and the baby’s are both strong?” I gave Ali’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Yes,” the doctor said, making Ali’s grip on my hand relax.
Ali gave me a sweet smile before her eyes dropped down to her stomach.
“Ali’s is solid,” the doctor continued. She gave us a reassuring smile. “And both babies sound good as well.”
Shock ripped through my body. “B-both?”
Ali gagged.
Moving quickly, I handed her the small trash can in the corner of the room right on time for her to lose her breakfast.
“Yes, both,” the doctor confirmed, giving us a confused look. “This isn’t your first appointment, just your first in this office, correct?”
“No, not exactly,” I said while rubbing Ali’s back.
.