Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Lachlan
I cleared my schedule for the entire day, but that just means I’m antsy as I wait for three o’clock to roll around. I’m excited, nervous, and scared as hell. I can’t even hang out with Maggie before our appointment because she’s working today.
Today, on the day we get to hear our baby’s heartbeat, she’s working. The woman works way too much, and I’m sure as she gets further along in her pregnancy, I’m going to have to stay on her about taking time and resting.
So, here I am, at nine in the morning, hours before we have to be at Maggie’s doctor’s office, and I’m too damn restless to stay in this house. After grabbing my phone, keys, and wallet, I head out to my truck. I’ll go to the shop to work on some drawings or give the guys shit, maybe take a walk-in, which is something we don’t do often. Our guest artist handles the walk-ins unless we have a no-show or cancellation, or days like today when I need a distraction.
It doesn’t take long for me to get to the shop. As soon as I walk through the door, Drake furrows his brow.
“What are you doing here?” He looks down at his computer screen, worried he missed something on the schedule, I’m sure. “I thought you had the day off.”
“I do. But I don’t have anywhere to be until later today, so I thought I’d come in and work on some drawings.”
“That defeats taking a day off,” Forrest says, walking out of his room. He shakes his customer’s hand before pointing toward Drake to take care of the cash-out.
“Yeah, well, I’m restless at home.”
He nods. “Yeah, before Briar and the girls, I did a lot of the same on my days off. You need a good woman to help occupy your time.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I have one, and she’s having my baby, but I manage to bite my tongue. I promised Maggie I would wait until after today’s appointment, and I never break a promise, especially to the mother of my child.
“Maybe.” I shrug as if I’m not hiding this huge, life-changing secret from my closest friends. It’s not just me anymore. Maggie and our baby come first, and I know the guys will understand that, but I still feel bad for not screaming from the rooftops that I’m going to be a dad.
“Forrest, your next appointment is here,” Drake tells us.
“Go do your thing, brother. I’m going to be in here working on some mockups for a few customers. Get ahead a little.”
“Don’t work too hard,” Forrest says, and there’s a hidden message in his words. He knows I’m using work as an escape, but what he doesn’t know is that after this afternoon, I won’t need to hide what’s on my mind.
Once in my office, I shut the door, put on my headphones, crank up my favorite playlist, and get to work. Thankfully, I’m able to get lost in my art, and before I know it, it’s just after two o’clock, and I decide to drive to Maggie’s work and pick her up. We can grab her car later.
Stepping out of my office, I can’t hide my smile. Finally, the moment is here.
“Well, you’re much more chipper than you were when you went in.” Drake laughs.
“I wasn’t not chipper before, just restless, but I’m heading out.”
“Hot date?” Drake asks.
“Something like that.” I smirk and walk toward the door, throwing my hand up in a wave on the way out.
The drive to Maggie’s work is only five minutes, so I have time to stop and pick her up a ginger ale. She says it helps to settle her stomach. I buy some peanut butter crackers and a bottle of water for each of us, too, just in case she’s not feeling the ginger ale.
When I reach the parking lot of the surgery center, which is connected to the hospital, I find her car easily. And today must be my lucky day because the spot next to her is open. I back my truck into the spot, so I’m sure not to miss her when she comes out. Not even two minutes later, she’s walking across the parking lot. When she notices me parked next to her, she smiles, and I swear that smile twists something inside me.
I climb out of the truck, rush to take her bag from her, and lead her to the passenger door.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking you to our appointment.”
“You know you’re not the one being seen, right?” she teases.
“I do, but you and our baby are, so it’s ours. Deal with it.” I wink, and she grins, shaking her head. I wait until she’s in the truck to hand over her bag. “I got you some snacks. They’re in there.” I point to the bag lying on the console. “Buckle up.”
“Yes, sir.” She salutes as she chuckles.
After rushing around to the driver's side, I hop back in, and make sure she’s buckled her belt before I pull out of the lot. “So, we get to hear the heartbeat, right? This app I downloaded on my phone says he or she should be the size of an apricot.” Reaching over, I place my hand on her belly. “So tiny,” I murmur, keeping my eyes on the road.
“You downloaded an app?” she asks, popping a peanut butter cracker into her mouth. “Oh, these are good.”
“I read that they help with nausea and the protein is good for you and the baby.”
“Thank you, Lachlan. This was very sweet of you.”
“I’m the daddy. That’s my job.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to be parents. It’s so surreal.”
I pull into the parking lot and turn off the truck before turning to face her. “It’s here. Our little one will be here before we know it.” I want to reach over and rub her still-flat belly, but I refrain. “Ready for this?” I ask her.
Her smile could light up the darkest of night skies. “I’m ready.”
Nodding, I climb out of the truck and help her down, then lead her into the building with my hand on the small of her back. I stay with her as she checks in and then settle into the plush seats as we wait to be called back. My leg bounces because this is a huge moment, and I’m feeling so many things right now.
Maggie reaches over and places her hand on my knee. “You doing okay?” she asks.
“I’m… perfect, but this is big, Mags. Huge, massive, life changing.”
Her eyes are soft, as is her smile. “It is.”
“I’m nervous because I want to hear his or her heartbeat, and I want you and the baby to both be healthy, and I want to yell so everyone in this damn county hears that I’m going to be a daddy. I never thought about it. I mean, I did think about it, but never how I would feel, you know? And now this. You, me, and the baby, it’s… everything.” This time I’m the one that reaches over and places my hand on her knee. “Thank you for doing this with me.”
“Lachlan.” She breathes my name like a gentle caress, but before she can say more, her name is called.
I stand and offer her my hand, which she takes. I help her to her feet. Not that she needs it yet, but it’s good practice for when she does, right? Regardless, I follow her back and she steps on the scale, turning to me and makes a silly face.
“Hate this part,” she grumbles. “It’s just going to get worse as the pregnancy progresses.”
Before she can even step off of the scale, I move in close, and cup her face in the palm of my hands. “You’re beautiful, Maggie. You’re growing our baby. Fuck what the number says.” Leaning forward, I place a tender kiss on her forehead before stepping back.
“You better lock this one down.” The nurse laughs as she leads us back to a room. She takes some vitals and tells us Dr. Holmes will be right in.
Maggie smiles at me, and I wink at her. What else am I supposed to do? Tell her that the nurse is right? That she should lock me down?
Turns out that “right in,” literally means right in. There’s a knock on the door, and then the doctor steps into the room. “Maggie, good to see you.” She moves to the small sink to wash her hands. “How are you feeling? How’s the morning sickness?”
“Not terrible, but it’s still lingering.”
“Let me know if it gets worse, and we can help by giving you something to deal with it.”
“Thank you, but I’m managing okay,” Maggie assures her.
“Perfect. Any other concerns. How’s your appetite?”
“Okay. No weird cravings or anything yet. I’m eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and I’ve cut down to one small cup of coffee a day. That’s still okay, right?”
“Yes, that’s perfectly fine. Do you have any questions or concerns to discuss?”
“Not that I can think of.” Maggie’s eyes find mine.
I clear my throat. “No. No questions. I’ve been reading a lot,” I confess. I guess because I don’t want her to think I’m some deadbeat dad who doesn’t care about my child, because I don’t have any questions. I’m a mess and need to get a grip. My nerves are getting the best of me.
The doctor smiles at me. “That’s good. There isn’t a manual once this little one is born, so being as prepared as you can for this process and the delivery is very helpful.”
“I’m new to this dad thing.” I laugh. “My friends have kids, and they’re amazing, but this one is mine, so yeah, I need to learn everything.”
“Don’t stress too much. Babies are a lot of trial and error and learn as you go. They might be tiny, but they have their own personalities from the day they’re born. You all will learn together.”
“Thank you.” Her words are reassuring.
“You’re welcome. Now, why don’t we get some measurements? Check on how your baby is growing. Maggie, if you’ll lie back.”
Maggie does as she asks, and when she pulls up her scrub top, my mouth falls open. There is a very tiny bump that was not there the last time I saw her without clothes.
“You’re showing,” I blurt without thinking.
“You missed that, did you?” The doctor laughs.
“Oh, we’re not together. I mean, we’re raising the baby together, but we’re not… it was a one-time thing,” Maggie says, her face growing hot with embarrassment.
“No judgement here. I’m glad the two of you are making it work, whatever is best for you and your baby.” The doctor measures Maggie’s belly a few different directions. “You’re measuring right where you need to be for twelve weeks.” She smiles kindly.
“That’s good, right?” Maggie asks.
“That’s perfect.”
“Now, how about we see if we can hear the baby’s heartbeat? Let me run out to get the doppler. I’ll be right back.”
She leaves the room and I’m on my feet. I rush to Maggie’s side and stare down at her belly. “Can I?” I ask, the words gruff on my lips.
I don’t need to explain. She nods her agreement, knowing exactly what I’m silently asking for. Slowly, I lift her scrub top, and there it is. Her small baby bump that I haven’t been able to see due to her clothes.
“Damn, Mags.” Unable to stop myself, I lean over and place a kiss on her slight bump. “Daddy loves you,” I tell the bump, and I hear a choked sob. Lifting my head, I see Maggie with tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Hormones.” She smiles through her laughter.
“Don’t. Tell me what I did, Maggie.”
“Nothing, Lachlan. You just melted my heart. You’re really here and in this. I mean, you’ve been incredible since the moment I told you about the baby, but… I guess I’m just happy that our baby gets a daddy who’s going to love him or her unconditionally. I wasn’t sure how you would take all this and you’ve been nothing short of amazing.” She wipes at her cheeks. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that if this was the plan for me, I’m glad it’s you.”
I’d give anything to kiss her right now. To tell her with more than my words that I’m always going to be here for both of them. I want to tell her I can’t stop thinking about her, and that the greatest night of sex of my life led to this tiny miracle. However, I just smile. “Me too, Maggie. Me too.” I squeeze her hand just as the doctor steps back into the room.
“Sorry, we had one break, so we’re passing this one around. All right, let’s do this.”
A loud, whooshing sound fills the room. “Holy shit, is that the baby?” Even I can hear the awe in my voice.
“It sure is. Very strong and healthy.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone, open the voice app, and hit Record, hoping to capture the sound. I want to bottle it and listen to it forever, at least until our little one is here with us.
“You know, you can buy these now. They’re under a hundred dollars or so for a good one.”
“What? Can you send me a link?” I ask the doctor.
That has her chuckling. “I think we have some literature and a coupon. I’ll grab it for you before you leave.”
“Yes, please.”
“Thank you, Dr. Holmes,” Maggie speaks up.
“You’re welcome. Everything looks great. We’ll see you back in four weeks, unless you need us before then. If you ever have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call us, or if you're truly worried, go to the emergency room. Keep taking your prenatal vitamins and growing a healthy baby.”
“Thank you,” Maggie and I say at the same time.
“I’ll send someone in with that literature on the doppler.” She disappears, and I beam at Maggie.
“I’m buying it today. We’ll be able to listen anytime we want.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to do that. You better get used to me dropping by just to hear the baby’s heartbeat,” I tell her. She laughs, but I’m being serious. This is the most amazing feeling. “When do we get to see the baby?”
“Usually at twenty weeks. That’s halfway, and we’ll be able to tell the gender.”
“That’s too long,” I pout, and it makes her smile grow.
“You’ll survive, Daddy.”
“How about you, Mommy? How you feeling?”
“Relieved. Happy.” Her eyes find mine. “I’m really happy.”
“Me too, Mags. Me too.” I wrap my arm around her and hug her where she’s still sitting on the end of the exam table. The nurse brings in the literature on the doppler, and I thank her. “Man, Forrest needs one of these. I wonder why Legend or Roman never bought one of these things?”
“They probably didn’t know that you could.”
“I need to call Forrest.” I pull my phone out and then remember he doesn’t know. “When can we tell them?” I don’t want to pressure her, but damn, this secret has been hard to hold on to.
“We made it past twelve weeks. We’re twelve weeks and four days, so I’m okay with telling everyone, but we’re going to have to tell them how this all happened in the first place.”
“I think they have the birds and the bees covered.” I chuckle.
“You know what I mean. They’re going to know when and have lots of questions.”
“We’ll tell them when, and that the rest is ours to keep. All they need to know is that we're raising this little one together. You tell them as much or as little as you want. That’s what I’m telling the guys, and they’ll respect it.”
“I guess we can tell them whenever we’re all together again.”
“Tonight?” I ask hopefully. “It’s Friday night, and I can assemble the masses. Not at my place. It’s too damn small,” I grumble. “I’m working on fixing that, but I can make it happen. If you feel up to it.”
“Sure, if you can make it happen, we’ll tell them tonight. It’s been hard keeping this from them.”
“So hard,” I agree.
I lead her out of the exam room, where we stop to make her next appointment. I check it’s in my calendar, and shoot off a text to Drake, who is still at the shop, letting him know to clear my day that day.
Once we’re in the truck, I call Roman.
“What’s up?” he answers.
“How would you feel about getting everyone together tonight? My place isn’t big enough.”
“I say let’s do it. I’ll call Em. I’m leaving the shop now. We’ll just order some pizza and wings or something. You need me to spread the word?”
“Yeah, if you can. Say seven?”
“That works for us. I’ll handle it.”
“Thanks, Rome.”
“Anytime, brother.”
I end the call and look over at Maggie. “Tonight at seven at Roman and Emerson’s. We’re doing pizza and wings. Is that okay for you and the baby?”
“That actually sounds really good.”
“Perfect. I’ll take you to your car. Then I’ll be back at your place at six thirty to pick you up.”
“I can drive.”
“And I can pick you up. United front and all that.”
She opens her mouth to argue but quickly shuts it with a nod. “Okay.”
I glance in the rearview mirror, and my smile is blinding. I’m worried it might be permanent. This baby wasn’t planned, but it’s already so loved.