Chapter 18
Bianca
I decide to surprise Niko by waiting in the Arrivals terminal of the airport. He strides through the double sliding doors, a backpack slung over his shoulder, and I note how exhausted he looks.
Exhausted but sexy as hell.
A few passersby note him with interest in their eyes. I can’t tell if they’re trying to place him or if they’re just salivating over his good looks the way I am.
Stop. I shake my head. He’s your baby’s father only. He will never again be a man you sleep with.
I mentally draw that line in the sand and will myself not to cross it. Not like I’ll be sleeping with anyone these days.
Niko moves toward me, his dark hair thick, his body strong and lean as it cuts through the clusters of travelers, and then he sees me. His blue eyes spark, the color of the Greek Isles, and I suck in a breath.
Why the fuck does he have to be so damn hot?
“You didn’t have to come!” he exclaims, genuinely pleased to see me.
Why the hell does he have to be so sweet?
“I thought we could ride together,” I explain.
He pulls me into a warm embrace, kissing my temple. “I would have picked you up.” He hitches his backpack higher on his shoulder. “But I’m happy to see you. How are things going?”
He’s genuine. Naturally charming. Easygoing.
And I wonder how he can be so familiar when everything about our relationship is the opposite of calm. It’s a shit show.
“It’s…going,” I say. “I lined up some places for us to see today.”
“Great.” He sounds enthusiastic. Sincere.
I tilt my head and study him. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. You seem really…chipper.”
He chuckles. “I’m relieved to be here. I can’t wait to see the doctor and just know that—”
“The baby is yours.”
He rolls his eyes. “Everything is okay.”
“Oh.”
“Oh,” he snorts. “Come on, Honeybee. Let me drop off my backpack.” He moves toward the taxi line. “Do we have time for lunch before the appointment?”
“Yes,” I admit.
“Good. I’m starving.”
I follow Niko outside and slide into a taxi as he holds the back door open. He settles in beside me and I rattle off Luca’s address so we can drop off Niko’s things. He flies back to Stuttgart late tonight so I talked him out of booking a hotel room since he isn’t even sleeping in Valencia.
After we toss his backpack in Luca’s foyer, we wander into the Mercat Colon. “This place has some good options,” I say, indicating a gastro bar with delicious food.
“Sounds good.”
We take seats at a table and scan the QR code to view the menu. I flag down the server and we place our orders.
“How many viewings did you line up today?” Niko asks after he places down his phone.
“Four confirmed,” I admit, leaning forward. “But the agent might have some other places to check out too. You sure about this?”
“I’m positive, Bianca.”
“Okay. Well, some good news…I also secured two collaborations here. One is with a Spanish sneaker designer and the other is with a designer using recycled materials to create these super cool jackets. They’re bomber style and have a vintage flare.”
“That’s awesome. How’d you do that so fast?”
I snort. “I feel like I’m moving at the pace of a snail these days.”
“Still missing New York?”
“Sometimes. But the silence here is nice. I take a walk in Turia Park every morning and it’s incredible.
The sky is bright blue, the temperature is moderate, there are blooms of flowers and changing colored leaves.
I miss the heartbeat of New York. That gritty, raw urgency that seemed to run like a current beneath the sidewalk.
I told Abuela, Carla’s grandma, that I miss the noise and she turned on her blender. ”
Niko chuckles. “Sound like my YiaYia. She’s full of nuggets of wisdom but delivers them at face value.”
“Yeah.” I bite my bottom lip. “I’ve been spending more time with Abuela.
It was a ploy on Carla’s part to get me out of the apartment.
But I’m enjoying our time together. She’s reminding me to slow down and appreciate the little things.
That those little things really shape your life.
” I shrug again, picking at the edge of the table.
“I wish my mama was here. There are so many things I’d ask her.
Things she would just naturally know to help me with… ”
“I’m sorry, Honeybee. I didn’t even think about that.”
“Have you told your family yet? About the baby?” I wonder, hating that my voice wavers. Did Niko blow up his life the same way I did? Is his family worried the way Luca and Andrés have been? Do they have questions? Want to meet me? Want to be involved at all?
“Not yet,” he admits. “Well, I told my brother Dimi, my sister Alex, and my best friend, Ellie.”
“Ellie,” I repeat, remembering he told me about her.
“Yeah. Dimi and Ellie came to visit me at the end of August. They wanted to catch my first two games, which was really awesome. It was nice to have them in town and know they were in the stands cheering me on.”
I nod, leaning back in my chair. I tuck my hands beneath my thighs before I pick the entire ledge of the table apart. “Are you…worried to tell your parents?”
Our server appears and places down plates, drinks, and of course, French fries.
Niko thanks her before turning his gaze on me. His brows are pulled together, his jaw tight. “My parents are going to have a million questions.”
I nod.
“I want to make sure I have answers for them when I break the news. I was hoping, today, that we’d get one of those black-and-white pictures.”
“An ultrasound photo?”
He nods. “And I can send it to them. Also, I’d like you to be with me when I tell them.”
Surprise widens my eyes as I sit up straighter. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Bianca, you’re the mother of our baby. Our lives will be linked forever. My family will always treat you like family.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“So, you’re not ashamed?”
“Of what?” Niko looks alarmed.
“Me.” Fuck my voice for cracking. Again.
Niko shakes his head. “Of course not.”
“Will your parents be angry?”
He shrugs. “I think concerned. They’ll want to know—”
“If I baby-trapped you,” I supply.
“How I’m going to be a good father if I live in a different country,” Niko explains.
“Look, I’m not going to lie, my baba is going to be concerned about my career as well.
Playing in Europe was the ultimate dream and he’s going to be worried that I’m fucking that up.
But my baba is also the best father a kid could have.
Once he gets over his initial surprise, he’ll be riding my ass about showing up as a dad. ”
“I want our baby to have a big, loving family.”
“He or she will. That part, at least, I can guarantee.”
I nod, smiling at Niko as the server sets down our entrees.
“Fáe!” Niko commands in Greek, gesturing toward my plate. “Eat, Bianca.”
Picking up my fork, I dig into my salad. And feel the first flicker of excitement for today’s doctor’s appointment.
“Welcome,” Dr. Fernando greets us with a warm smile.
“You speak English,” Niko breathes, looking relieved.
Dr. Fernando chuckles and holds out her hand, tilting it both ways.
Niko grins. “Trust me, your English is a million times better than my Spanish.”
“We will take it slow. Ask any questions you have,” Dr. Fernando says, putting me at ease.
Niko reaches for my hand and laces our fingers together, squeezing gently. The gesture further relaxes me. With Niko’s hand in mine, I step onto the little step stool and perch on the edge of the examination chair.
“So, dime, what brings you in today?” the doctor asks.
“I’m about thirteen weeks pregnant. I recently moved back to Valencia from New York. I saw my doctor there to confirm my pregnancy. But I’ll be in Spain for the remainder of my pregnancy as well as the baby’s birth. I’d like to…start this process.”
Dr. Fernando nods. “Okay. Today, we will do an ultrasound, listen to the baby’s heart rate, check to see how the baby is measuring, and set you up with some more information. The big scan, where we will do a full anatomy check, will be around twenty weeks.”
“Can we find out the sex of the baby?” Niko asks.
“Usually at the anatomy scan, yes.” The doctor nods, her gaze darting between Niko and me. “Would you like to learn the baby’s sex?”
“I…I’m not sure,” I admit, biting my bottom lip. “What do you think?”
Niko shrugs. “It’s your call.”
“No.” I shake my head. “You decide this, Niko.” His words about not being in control of anything have imbedded below the surface. And this is something he can decide. I want him to know that I value his input and trust his decision making. I want him to choose this for us.
His eyes brighten, Mediterranean blue. When he smiles at me, I feel its warmth spread throughout my limbs like a sunbeam. “Okay. Yes.” He turns toward Dr. Fernando. “We’d like to know the baby’s sex.”
We. I like that he refers to us as a we, as a team. We’re in this, all of it, together.
“Alright,” Dr. Fernando agrees. “You can lie back, Bianca, and we will start the ultrasound.”
I lie back and lift the hem of my shirt. She squirts a glob of gel onto my lower abdomen and uses the wand to spread it around. Clicking on the monitor, she turns it so Niko and I have a clear view of the screen.
I pull my eyes away from the screen to study Niko. His eyes are glued to the monitor, his breath hitching, as sound fills the room. “Is that the heartbeat?”
“Not yet.” Dr. Fernando clicks on her keyboard.
“Give me one minute. I’ll take the measurements first.” She clicks again.
“Vale. Here is your baby.” She points to the monitor where our tiny little bean bounces.
“Here’s your baby’s head. Here’s the spine,” she points to a brightly lit curve.
“And arms and legs.” She clicks again and laughs. “Look! He or she is sucking its thumb!”
I gasp, my mouth falling open in wonder.
Dr. Fernando continues to click. “Measurements are looking perfect. And now…” Another click and the rhythmic whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, fills the air. “The heartbeat is 164 beats per minute.”
“One hundred sixty-four!” Niko cries, his grip tightening on my hand.
“Totally normal,” Dr. Fernando reassures him.
“You’re sure?”
She nods.
And he blows out a breath.
I look up at him, studying the tightness in his jaw. It eases as the sound of our baby’s heartbeat washes over him. His shoulders dip, his lips part, and a look of pure wonder—of love—ripples over his expression.
He turns his deep blue eyes on mine and lets out a little laugh. “That’s our baby, Honeybee.” He sounds boyish, his voice filled with wonder, like a kid opening gifts on Christmas morning.
Dr. Fernando grins and clicks another button.
“That’s our baby, Niko,” I repeat, feeling like my heart could burst at any moment.
Our baby is perfect and healthy and…ours.
“This is for you.” Dr. Fernando hands Niko a printout of multiple ultrasound photos.
His face lights up even more. Bright eyes, eager smile, a sincerity that shines beneath his charismatic charm. “Thank you. Gracias, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome.” Dr. Fernando pats his forearm and gazes at me. “Congratulations to you both. Michelle will be in in a moment to book your next scan. If you need anything at any time, ring me. Otherwise, I’ll see you at twenty weeks.”
She exits the room and Niko spins to face me, holding up the ultrasound photos like a prize. “We got the pictures!”
I laugh. “Does this mean we can call your family?”
“Right after we find your new apartment, yes.”
“What’s wrong with this place?” I ask Niko as we stand in the kitchen of the third apartment.
He gestures toward the windows. “You have no view.”
“Niko, you saw my place in New York. I looked at a brick wall I could reach out and touch. This looks out onto an actual street.”
He wrinkles his nose. “It’s more like an alley.”
“A small side street,” I clarify.
He shakes his head. “This is not a view.”
“Niko! It doesn’t have to be perfect.”
“Why not?” he questions, folding his arms over his chest.
“This place is fine. It has a cute kitchen and a bedroom.”
“I want you to love it.” He steps toward the real estate agent. “This isn’t going to work.”
The guy shoots me a look as if to ask, what does your man want?
I shrug. How the hell should I know?
But I like how invested Niko is in making sure I’m comfortable in my new place. The first one didn’t have an elevator so he nixed that before we even saw the space. The second didn’t have a window in the second bedroom as it was an interior room. And now, the third option lacks a view.
Let’s pray number four is a winner!
It’s not.
We view seven apartments, with Niko insisting that the real estate agent present more options, before he’s satisfied.
“This could work,” he muses, leaning against the kitchen island and nodding. “Good natural light, windows in every room, a concierge and larger elevator. You could fit a stroller in it.”
I look at him in surprise. Shit. I didn’t even consider that.
“Newly renovated,” he continues. “That second bedroom is perfect for a nursery. And built-in wardrobes.” He takes a lap around the kitchen again, opening cupboards and peering inside. “I think this could work, Bianca. If you like it.” He turns to look at me.
“I love it,” I admit. I glance at the real estate agent and he smartly removes himself from the room, stepping outside with his phone pressed to his ear. Probably to complain about us. “Niko, this is double the price of the first place.”
Niko shrugs, looking unfazed. “But we like it.”
“I know,” I say slowly. “But you’re not even going to be living here. I mean, of course you can stay when you’re in town but—”
“I can still get a hotel.” He cuts me off.
“Bianca, this has nothing to do with money. I care about you feeling comfortable and safe. That’s it.
” He shrugs. “If I stay here because you want me here is different than if I stay here because you have some misplaced sense of guilt of owing me.” He adds air quotes around owing me.
“You don’t owe me anything and I want to do this for you. For the baby. So, you like it?”
“Yes!” I throw my hands in the air, rushing to give him a hug.
He wraps his arms around me and rocks us gently. “Good.” He kisses the top of my head. “Welcome home, Honeybee.”