Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Grace
Since Mav was still on the road, I offered to go to Codie’s first ultrasound appointment with her. I could tell she was nervous, so I sat at the edge of her bed while we waited for her doctor to come in, trying to distract her with mindless chatter about Mama’s shenanigans.
“Good morning, Mrs. Stone.” The middle-aged technician entered the room with a warm smile, putting me at ease. “How are you today?”
Codie, who was calm and collected, squeezed my hand. “A bit nervous, actually.”
“To be expected,” she said, settling on the rolling stool.
“This is my sister, Grace,” Codie said to the technician. “She’s here for moral support, since my husband is out of town.”
She smiled at me as she applied a gel, which she warned would be cold, to Codie’s stomach. “That’s nice.”
I wasn’t used to seeing my big sister so nervous, and it was making me edgy.
If God forbid, there was something wrong with the baby, she would need the kind of comfort only Mav could provide, and he didn’t even know about her pregnancy yet.
She was adamant about sharing the news with him in person, and didn’t feel comfortable driving or flying out to see him, since her morning sickness had been brutal.
She settled in on her rolling stool as I tried to peek at her screen. Not that I would know what I was looking at. I was clueless when it came to medical procedures.
Her face remained neutral as she scanned the screen, making me wonder if she was a poker player. If she was, she’d clean up in Vegas.
“Is everything okay?” Codie asked, squeezing my hand.
The technician smiled. “I’m just collecting the data for your doctor. Luckily, she’s here today, so she’ll be in later to go over the results with you.”
Codie stared at the screen, wide-eyed, as she bit her lip.
My heart went out to her. I knew if I were going through this procedure, I’d want Taz— uh, my husband by my side.
“I can tell you what we’re looking for,” the technician said. “Whether the pregnancy is viable, we have a strong heartbeat, estimated due date based on size, whether we have any abnormalities or more than one baby.”
“Oh God,” Codie whispered, closing her eyes.
The technician glanced at her, smiling. “Any twins on either side of the family?”
“No!” Codie shook her head frantically. “I don’t know if I could handle twins. Especially twin boys.” She looked frantic when she said to me, “Can you imagine two Maverick’s at the same time? Holy hell.”
I laughed. “But think how adorable they’d be, sis.”
“True.” Her free hand curled into a fist. “But is it bad that I’m praying for one at a time? I think that’s all I can handle.”
“But think of it this way,” I teased. “If you had twins, you’d have Mama at your house all the time to help.”
“Not funny,” she said, between clenched teeth.
The technician laughed as she stood, making me feel better. I didn’t think she’d be in high spirits if the doctor had bad news to impart. No one could be that indifferent, could they?
She cleaned off Codie’s belly and washed her hands at the sink. Promising us the doctor would be right in, before leaving the room.
“Now I’m even more nervous,” Codie said, closing her eyes.
“But thankfully the doctor was able to see you right away, sis. Imagine if you had to wait a day or two for the results.”
“True,” She inhaled deeply before releasing the breath. “Thanks for coming, Little.”
Her childhood nickname always made me smile. “My pleasure.”
“So, have you heard from Taz?”
I didn’t want to tell her I’d spent the night with him until after her appointment. Knowing how stressed she was about it, I didn’t want to burden her with one more thing to worry about.
“Um, I did, but I’ll fill you in later. After your appointment.”
She narrowed her eyes, before pointing her finger at me. “Ohhh, I know there’s a story there. You are so taking me to lunch after this. I want details.”
“It’s a deal.”
Dr. Estevez, who was also my doctor, walked into the room, beaming. “How are you, little Mama?”
Codie gasped, and I knew it was the first time anyone had called her mama. It was still hard for me to believe my sister was having a baby. And I was going to be an auntie. I couldn’t wait!
“Good, I think. I hope.” She gestured to the folder in the doctor’s hand. “But you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”
“Everything looks good, Codie.”
My sister spread her hand over her chest, exhaling. “Oh, thank goodness.”
“I have the print-out right here,” she said. “And the baby’s heartbeat is strong, position looks good, and I’d say you’re about nine weeks along, just like you thought.”
“And there’s only one baby?” Codie asked.
“Yes, just one.”
“Oh, good. Not that I don’t want him or her to have a sibling, I do. I’d just like them to be spaced out a little.”
There were eight years between me and Codie, but we were still as close as sisters could be.
“Understandable,” the doctor said. “Well, you ladies have a lovely day. And if you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact my office. Otherwise, I’ll see you at your next appointment, Codie. Grace, always nice to see you.”
“Thank you,” we both said in unison as the doctor left the room.
“Thank God,” Codie said, resting her head against the pillow. “I’ve never prayed so hard in my life.”
“Me too, hon. Me too.”
She opened one eye to look at me. “Okay, now we’re going to lunch and you’re going to give me the scoop on Taz.”
Ugh. I wasn’t looking forward to this.
Once we’d settled into a cute little Italian restaurant, within walking distance of the hospital, my sister started pelting me with questions about Taz. When did you talk to him? Have you seen him? What did he say?
“Calm down, girl,” I said, raising my hand. “Take a breath.”
She groaned, but smiled politely when the waiter came to take our order. We both ordered soft drinks and chicken salads without opening the menu.
“Okay,” she said, wiggling her fingers. “Spill.”
I took a deep breath, trying to decide how to share the story without my overprotective big sister freaking out. “So, he came to my office yesterday and we talked. He told me the real reason he broke up with me, because his daughter didn’t want him dating anyone.”
Her jaw dropped. “Seriously? Why?”
“I guess her mama had quite a few men in and out of their lives while Quinn was growing up and she was tired of it.”
“Poor kid,” Codie said. “Can’t really blame her.”
“No, you can’t.” Our mama hated men when we were growing up, so we didn’t have to worry about that.
“And I don’t blame her for wanting to have her dad all to herself.
She’s just getting to know him, right? Think about it.
If our dad came back into our lives when we were her age, we’d want to make up for lost time, without having to share him with a girlfriend. ”
Codie rolled her eyes. “As if he ever had any intention of coming back. He could care less about us.”
My sister, like me, had been through years of therapy, but I knew she still held onto some animosity toward the father we’d never really known.
He’d been in and out of our lives, returning only to get our mama pregnant with me before he bailed again.
Codie had sketchy memories of him, but I had none at all.
“Well, Taz does care about his daughter. And he was trying to do right by her. But I guess he’s come to realize he can’t live his life to make her happy, while making himself miserable, so he’s going to try and reason with her.”
“Which means y’all are getting back together?”
I braced myself for a lecture when I said, “I spent the night with him last night.”
“Hmm.” She sank back against the bench seat, waiting until the waiter set our drinks down before she said, “Anyone can see he makes you happy. And while he comes with a lot of baggage, I really do like Taz. He’s obviously a good guy.”
“He really is.” I wouldn’t be head over heels in love with him if he was an untrustworthy jerk.
“I just worry that he’s going to fold again, if his daughter starts putting pressure on him. I mean, you haven’t even met Quinn yet, have you?”
I shook my head, feeling fear take root in the pit of my stomach. My sister was voicing my own concerns. This could go sideways in a hurry, if Quinn got her way.
“No, which means y’all could hate each other. What if she’s a spoiled, nasty little bitch?”
“Codie! I hissed. She’s a kid who grew up without her dad. Give her a break.”
“I’m sorry, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be hateful, and try to destroy what you and Taz are building. She’s already done it once before. Who’s to say she won’t do it again?”
“Taz is adamant he won’t let her.”
“Oh, honey,” she said, leaning in to squeeze my forearm. “I sure hope that’s true, for your sake.”