Chapter 33
Thirty-Three
River
Was it dirty of me to call him back here so I could make him give my book back? Yes. Yes, it was. Do I feel bad? Not one little bit.
“I can see why you like this so much,” he says, holding up my paperback and waving it in the air before placing it in my outreached hand. “I kinda wanna be like Malek when I grow up.”
“What? Deranged? Unhinged?” I giggle, shifting on the bed, the paper crinkling underneath me.
“He’s hilarious,” Carter counters.
His head swivels, checking out the room, then a smirk lifts the corner of his mouth as his focus homes in on the metal tray down by my feet. “The man does whatever he wants and gives zero fucks,” he adds.
Standing to his feet, he walks over to the tray, and picks up the speculum.
“Wanna play doctor?” He squeezes the handle, the device giving a few clicks. “Open wide. Wait. What does this thing do?”
Just as he asks the question, there’s a knock, and the door opens.
“Will you put that down?” I hiss, embarrassment flaming my cheeks. I rub my hands over my face.
The doctor gives a chuckle as he strolls in, sliding his finger down the screen of his tablet. “Hi, I’m Doctor Jones.”
Carter drops the tool back onto the metal tray, where it falls with a clink. “Sorry. I was curious. Carter Graham, sir, nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure.” He shakes Carter’s hand, then points toward the tool. “That’s a speculum. It’s inserted into the vagina and propped open for the exam.”
Carter’s eyes blow wide as he holds a fist to his mouth.
The doctor continues, “We won’t be using that today. Mrs. Graham, did the nurse go over anything with you when she drew your labs?”
“No, she just told me you would be in to talk with me. I think I want to go with the implant.”
“She must have failed to mention why we drew your blood. Mrs. Graham, your pregnancy test came back positive.”
Carter releases an audible gasp as tingles rush to my head, and the room spins.
“That can’t be possible,” I argue. “I took a plan b pill. And last week, when I took a home pregnancy test, it was negative. There’s gotta be a mistake.”
“No mistake here. Emergency contraceptives only work if they’re taken before ovulation and within the first seventy-two hours after intercourse. As far as the home tests go, they’re hit and miss on accuracy.”
Dr. Jones pulls the stool over to sit and continues to go through the tablet. “I’m looking at the hCG levels from your lab work, and they look a little high compared to your last cycle. This puts your conception sometime in October.”
“It had to be in November.”
Setting the tablet down on the counter, he then turns to us with a smile. “Let’s go ahead and do an ultrasound. We’ll take some measurements and see how far along you are. I’ll give you two a few minutes while I fetch the machine.”
As the door closes, Carter moves a chair from under the window and sets it next to me.
He takes a seat and laces our fingers together, trailing light kisses across my hand.
We sit in silence, my mind reeling. So many thoughts.
Carter wants a baby. I don’t know what got into him, but he’s been on this baby kick for about a week now.
I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Sure, this isn’t when we had planned, but we were planning. I was just asking for time.
Turning my head, I find tears in Carter’s eyes.
“This makes you happy,” I say, a smile spreading to my lips.
His eyes lock on mine, concern in his expression. “It does. How are you feeling? I know this isn’t what you wanted right now.”
Adjusting the paper over my lap, I shrug. “I thought we would settle into our marriage before bringing a baby into the mix, and if I’m being honest, I’m actually in shock. I feel stupid because I thought that pill protected us.”
Carter stands and comes around to the edge of the table where I’m seated, placing himself between my legs. His eyes map my face, and his fingers trail down my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I nod my head, and as soon as he leans down to claim my mouth, the door opens, and Carter steps back.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Dr. Jones laughs under his breath, wheeling in an ultrasound machine.
Carter moves back to the chair and watches with wide eyes as Dr. Jones brings out a wand, rolls a condom over it, then squirts gel along the length.
“Wait. Where are you putting that?” he asks in horror.
“This wand will be inserted into the vagina. From there we’ll be able to see everything. Okay, Mrs. Graham, let’s put your feet up, and I’ll need you to scoot all the way down to the edge of the table.”
I do as he says while Carter rubs the back of his neck with a pained expression. I reach out my hand, and he takes it into his.
The screen comes to life, but it’s hard to make out anything. I wince as he moves the wand around and squeeze Carter’s hand.
“Sorry. This can sometimes be uncomfortable. You may experience some light spotting, but there’s nothing to worry about. Ah. There they are.”
“I-I’m s-sorry. Did you say ‘they’?” Carter asks.
“Yes. They,” Dr. Jones responds, clicking the mouse then moving it over and clicking again. “I had a suspicion with her hCG levels, but I wanted to be positive. Let’s measure real quick.”
Carter stands unblinking, looking at the screen in awe while my heart nearly pounds out of my chest.
“You knocked me up with twins,” I whisper, a tear slipping down my cheek.
Carter smirks and looks between me and the doctor as if he knows something I don’t.
“Actually, Kitten. Twins come from the maternal side. So, thank you.” He gives me a quick peck on the lips.
“Oh, you did not get smart with me.”
“Didn’t want to take all the credit, baby.”
The doctor looks between us before moving the wand again. “Are one of you a twin?”
“My husband is.”
“Ahh. Yes. That’s just a happy coincidence.
” He winks at Carter offering him a smile.
“Alright. You’re measuring right around six weeks give or take a couple of days.
See the yolk sacs?” He points to the screen.
“You can’t really see much of anything quite yet, but you definitely have a set of fraternal twins baking in there. ”
I need to breathe. I just need to fucking breathe.
This isn’t happening. Dr. Jones removes the wand, prints the ultrasound pictures, then helps me to sit up.
“You can use this sheet to clean yourself up with. I’ll want you back in three weeks to see how things are progressing.
At the next appointment, we should be able to hear their heartbeats.
I’ll send over a script to the pharmacy for prenatal vitamins. ”
“Thank you, Dr. Jones,” Carter says.
I look down at the ultrasound pictures, and my heart begins to swell. Two seconds ago, I was freaking out and now, I can’t imagine not having them both. My emotions are all over the goddamn place.
Dr. Jones walks out the door as Carter stands there with a shit-eating grin on his face. I clean up and tug on my blouse, and as I zip up the back of my skirt, he stands there, watching me with that same smile.
“What?” I ask, plucking my coat off the back of a chair and putting it on.
Carter strolls over and wraps his arms around me. “I’m kind of in shock about the twins, but a good kind of shock. This is the best day of my life.”
I smile up at him.
“And now, you get to be pregnant alongside Aspen, and I—”
“Wait! How do you know Aspen’s pregnant? She’s only told me.”
He takes my hand, leading me out of the exam room. “When we were at their house last week, Cal told me he suspected. More than suspected, actually. He’s convinced.”
Since that day, Carter’s been watching me like a hawk, asking if I could possibly be pregnant. Staring at my damn boobs. Then, when the pregnancy test came out negative, he was moping around the house. It all makes sense now.
“Wait. Is this one of those things where you realize your best friend’s having a baby, then you decide you want one too?”
He scoffs, “No. Of course not.”
“Mmm-hmm. I think you had a little FOMO.” I giggle, swinging his hand in mine while we walk through the parking lot.
When we reach the car, he turns me around and presses my back against the door, caging me in.
“When I saw you having the same symptoms as Aspen, I immediately became hopeful. There was no question in my mind when you were sitting against that tub after getting sick that I was ready to be a dad. I’m thirty-one.
I’m not getting any younger, and I’m in love with my wife.
The only thing that worried me about the situation was the fact that Jaxon is still on the loose.
I felt like I was being foolish wanting a child given the circumstances.
But when that pregnancy test came out negative, it gutted me.
Goddamn, Kitten . . . this entire week, all I could think about was putting a baby in you.
And now that you’re pregnant, I'm on top of the world. This is what I want, and it’s not because of anyone else.
It’s because of you. Because I love you, and I want a family with you. ”
Carter kisses me, then opens my door and helps me into the car. He fires up the engine while I pluck my phone out of my purse and call Aspen, placing the call on speaker. She immediately picks up.
“What?” she barks.
“Well hello to you too. I’m heading back to work. Do you need anything while we’re out?”
“Yes. I need you to stop and buy yourself a new phone. All that change in the bottom of your damn purse, jingling around like the fucking Salvation Army attendant on the corner at Christmas, hurt my ears. I almost didn’t answer this time,” she snaps.
Damn. Bite my fucking head off, why don’t you.
“I’ll take her to get one,” Carter says, pulling out of the parking lot.
She sighs. “Thank fuck! I’m tired of the damn random phone calls. When you get here, we need to start scouting talent for The Heat Girls or whatever the fuck you’re calling them now. Think you can be back by three?”