Chapter 11
Alexi
Five Years Later…
I still hate the crinkly paper.
Some things have changed. People have grown, fears have faded, lives have shifted in big, beautiful, unexpected ways. But the paper on an examination table?
Still awful.
I shift on top of it and wince as the sound echoes through the room. “I swear this stuff gets louder every year.”
Hugh looks up from where he’s standing beside me, one hand resting on my chart, the other braced on the edge of the counter. His dark green eyes move over me in that careful, assessing way I know well.
Doctor’s eyes.
I narrow mine at him. “Don’t.”
His eyebrows pull together. “Don’t what?”
“Look at me like that.”
“I’m just looking at my wife.”
“No, you’re looking at me like I’m a patient.”
His mouth twitches. “You are a patient.”
“I’m your wife first.”
“Yes, baby,” he says, setting the chart down and stepping between my knees. His hands settle on either side of my very round stomach. “And my patient, second.”
I give him a look. “Hugh.”
He leans down and kisses my forehead. “Fine. Wife first. Patient very distant second.”
“You took my blood pressure twice today,” I complain.
“It was slightly elevated the first time.”
“Because you took it right after telling me you wanted to check my ankles for swelling.”
His gaze drops immediately.
I grab his chin and force his face back up. “Do not even think about it.”
A low laugh rumbles out of him, and just like that, my irritation softens.
Annoying man.
Annoyingly handsome man.
Five years married to him, and he still has the power to make my stomach flip with one smile.
Well, either that or the baby is kicking again.
As if she heard me thinking about her, our daughter gives a firm little jab beneath Hugh’s palm, and I watch as his entire face changes.
Every grumpy line softens. Every bit of stern doctor disappears. He stares down at my stomach like he’s witnessing a miracle for the first time, even though she’s been kicking up a storm for weeks.
“There she is,” he murmurs.
My chest squeezes. Hugh Mercer, the grumpiest doctor in Wolf Valley, turns into absolute mush for two people. Me and the tiny girl currently using my ribs for target practice.
“She’s active today,” he says, his thumb sweeping gently over my belly.
“She gets that from you.”
His eyebrows rise. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Always moving. Always fussing. Always checking on things.”
“I’m attentive.”
“You’re bossy.”
“I’m a doctor.”
“You’re proving my point.”
Before he can answer, the door opens, and Daisy sweeps in like she owns the place.
“Sorry I’m late,” she announces, dropping her purse into the chair by the wall. “Ledger called right as I was parking, then Mrs. Hanley stopped me in the hall to ask if Alexi had gone into labor yet.”
I groan. “I’m not due for three more weeks.”
Daisy waves that away. “This town has never cared about facts when gossip is available.”
“True,” Hugh grunts.
Daisy points at him. “You don’t get to judge. Half the gossip in this town is about how obsessed you are with your wife.”
He doesn’t even look ashamed. “Good.”
I sigh. “You’re both impossible.”
Daisy grins at me, then her expression softens as she looks me over. “How are you feeling?”
“Good,” I say honestly.
And I am.
Tired? Yes.
Hungry? Constantly.
A little emotional because my due date is close and Hugh has reorganized the nursery three times this week? Also, yes.
But good. I’m not scared. That’s the part that still surprises me sometimes.
Years ago, stepping into Wolf Valley Medical would have made my whole body tense. I would have looked for exits. I would have argued, snapped, complained, and maybe attempted a dramatic escape.
Okay, I still complain, but I don’t want to run anymore.
I don’t like doctors’ offices. I probably never will. The rooms are too cold, the paper is too loud, and no one needs to know my weight that badly, but I’m not afraid.
Not now.
Not with Hugh standing beside me, his hand warm on my stomach and his eyes full of so much love that it still makes my breath catch.
Daisy’s smile turns knowing.
I narrow my eyes. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s your I’m-about-to-be-annoying face.”
“I’m hurt,” she says, placing a hand over her heart.
“You’re never hurt. You’re plotting.”
“I was just thinking,” she says, settling into the chair, “that if I hadn’t dragged you here five years ago, none of this would have happened.”
“And I’m grateful every day,” Hugh says sweetly.
“Wolf Valley is tiny. Hugh and I would have run into each other eventually,” I correct her.
Hugh smiles as he slides his hand over my stomach. “She sped things up. You couldn’t run from me here.”
“I believe I did run from the room,” I sass.
His smile becomes a smirk. “True, but those five minutes with you are what convinced me to chase you.”
“So, you’re welcome,” Daisy says smugly.
The room goes quiet for a second. I take a deep breath, trying to get comfortable, which is almost impossible being this far along. I don’t think I’ve been truly comfortable since sometime around month seven.
“All good?” Hugh whispers.
I nod.
A knock sounds at the door, and a second later, Dr. Tracy steps in with a bright smile.
“There’s our mama!” she says warmly. “Ready to check on this baby?”
“Ready,” I say.
Hugh straightens, his doctor persona firmly back in place.
I roll my eyes at him, too tired to argue with him about it right now.
The appointment moves quickly. Dr. Tracy checks my blood pressure with Hugh hovering over me. I answer the usual checkup questions and go over our birth plan before Dr. Tracy asks me to lie back.
Hugh steps forward, helping me recline.
“I’m capable of lying down,” I remind him.
He gives me a sheepish look.
The gel is cold as the doctor squirts it over my swollen stomach. Then the ultrasound wand is there, twirling around. My eyes are glued to the monitor, and I smile as our little one appears on the screen in grainy black and white.
Hugh’s fingers tighten around mine, and I look up to see his eyes fixed on the screen, his jaw tight, his expression overwhelmed in a way I’ve never seen before.
“Hugh,” I whisper.
He swallows hard, glancing down at me. “She’s perfect.”
“She is,” I agree softly.
The baby kicks again as Dr. Tracy wipes off my stomach.
I rub the spot. “She’s active today.”
The doctor smiles. “That’s a good sign. Maybe she’ll be making an appearance sooner than three weeks.”
I smile, excitement filling me. I can’t wait to meet our little girl.
Dr. Tracy and Daisy step out of the room, and Hugh helps me to sit up. I grimace as the paper crinkles loudly beneath me, and Hugh grabs me, lifting me off the examination table.
“Still hate that,” I mutter.
“I know.”
I change, with Hugh doing most of the work. When he bends to tie my shoes, I’m relieved. I can’t even see my toes over my stomach. God knows what would happen if I tried to bend over to do it myself.
Hugh slips his coat on and cups my face in his hands. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Hugh. Really.”
His thumbs brush over my cheeks. “You did good today.”
“It was a routine appointment, not a battle.”
His gaze softens. “It used to feel like one for you.”
My smile fades a little because he’s right. This place felt terrifying once. Cold. Judgmental. Unsafe. Now, it’s just a clinic. Not my favorite place in the world, not somewhere I wanted to hang out for fun, but not scary. Not anymore.
“I’m not afraid now,” I say quietly.
“I know.”
“I still don’t love doctors.”
His mouth curves. “No?”
I slide my hands up his chest, smoothing them over his coat. “One doctor is okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?”
“Don’t push it.”
He laughs, then kisses me, softly at first, sweet, then a little deeper, like he can’t help himself.
Five years, and he still kisses me like he’s just found me.
When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine.
“I love you, Alexi Mercer.”
My heart gives that same wild, helpless flutter it always does when he says my married name. “I love you too.”
His hand drops to my belly. “Both of you.”
The baby kicks him hard.
I laugh as Hugh blinks in surprise. “She says she loves you too.”
“She has your attitude.”
“Lucky girl.”
He huffs out a laugh and wraps his arm around me, guiding me toward the door. When we step into the hallway, Daisy is waiting, phone in hand and eyes bright.
“Picture,” she demands.
“No,” I say automatically.
“Yes,” Hugh says at the same time.
“Traitor,” I grumble.
He kisses my temple. “You’ll want it later.”
I don’t argue because I know he’s right.
“Oh, this is a good one,” Daisy says.
I don’t need to see it to know what it looks like. Hugh will be staring down at me instead of at the camera. He always is. And I’ll be smiling, looking happier than I ever have.
Which is accurate.
Daisy turns the phone around, and sure enough, there we are. Hugh, tall, broad, handsome, and grumpy-looking to anyone who doesn’t know better. Me, round-bellied, flushed, smiling despite myself. His hand resting protectively over my stomach, over our daughter. My hand covering his.
My throat tightens as I stare at the image.
Five years ago, I walked into this clinic miserable, terrified, and desperate to escape. Then Hugh Mercer walked into the room, and somehow, the man I wanted to run from became the safest place I’d ever known.
I still don’t like cold exam rooms.
I still hate crinkly paper.
And doctors?
Well, I’m not their biggest fan, but as Hugh tucks me against his side and leads me out of Wolf Valley Medical, his hand warm on my belly and his mouth brushing my hair, I smile.
Because one grumpy doctor has changed everything.
And I’m keeping him forever.