Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
GRANT
“Do you want to come with me to the ballpark after lunch today? Supposed to be a nice day.”
Luke shovels more of his scrambled eggs into his mouth. “No.”
“You sure? I don’t think you’ve been outside since we got here,” I comment.
He casts an annoyed glare my way before finishing his breakfast and dropping his plate into the sink. I really should be used to the cold shoulder by now, but all it does it cause my annoyance to grow this morning.
I can’t say that it’s his fault.
My first stop this morning on my way to work is what’s causing me stress.
An appointment with Georgia at her doctor’s office. Because she’s pregnant. That’s taking a lot to wrap my mind around.
Moving to Pinecrest was one thing. A new job? I can handle that. But a baby?
That’s going to take some getting used to.
I thought those days were long behind me. I’ve hunkered down to prepare for the moody teen years, but not the teething years again.
Grabbing my keys and my travel mug of coffee, I shout goodbye to Luke—lost in the drone of his video games downstairs—and head out.
The one nice thing about Pinecrest is how close everything is. If this were LA, it could take me well over an hour to get to the appointment. Here? Five minutes and I’m pulling into the parking lot.
Georgia is standing outside, pacing back and forth.
Even from here, she looks as sexy as I remember. In a pair of jeans and a buttoned-up flannel shirt, her blonde hair is pulled back. Her eyes are hidden beneath a pair of dark sunglasses.
Stepping out of the car, I walk over to meet her.
“Hey.”
That startles her. “Oh, hi.”
“Are you okay?”
She sways her head back and forth, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head. “Honestly? I have no idea. You?”
I scrub a hand over the back of my head.
“Same. Didn’t think this is how I was going to see you again.”
That earns me a half-smile. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am glad you’re here with me.”
I reach out and squeeze her bicep. It’s the briefest of touches, but I feel it everywhere. Based on the way her eyes are locked on to my hand, she felt it too. But we don’t have time to worry about that as she spins on her cowboy boot and heads into the office.
A few people are sitting in the waiting room as Georgia goes to check in. Pictures of happy babies and families line the walls. The clean, antiseptic smell permeates the room.
I drop into a plastic seat in the back corner and wait as Georgia comes to sit next to me. Her knee is bouncing right next to mine.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say, placing a hand over her leg.
“Sorry.” She winces.
“Don’t apologize.”
“It’s just…” She shoves a hand through her hair. “I’ve never done this before.”
“If it helps, I haven’t done it in over fourteen years, so I have no idea what to expect.”
She spins and faces me, her knee brushing against mine. “You don’t?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea what’s changed since my son was born. I’d like to say not much, but I really don’t know. We’ll figure it out together.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
“What do you mean?”
“Georgia.” A nurse steps into the waiting room and calls us back.
Whatever she was going to say will have to wait. The nurse takes her vitals before showing us into a room.
“There’s a gown you can change into and the doctor will be in to do the ultrasound and get some more information for you.”
“Thank you.”
Georgia smiles at her before she leaves the cold, sterile exam room. I eye Georgia as she starts to unbutton her shirt.
“Yeah, I’ll just…”
I drop down onto the stool and spin around to give her some privacy. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before, but it feels different here.
The ruffling of paper tells me she’s back on the exam table.
“You can look now,” she says.
Turning back to her, there’s now a nervous smile fixed firmly in place.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask.
“I want everything to be okay.”
I hold my hand out to her and she takes it. Her palm is warm and calloused. Probably from riding.
“Squeeze if you need anything, okay?”
The door opens and an older woman with graying hair walks in. “Hi, Georgia. I’m Doctor Rhodes and I’ll be doing your ultrasound today. Based on the information you gave the nurse, it looks like your due date is the fifth of January.”
“Okay.” Georgia squeezes my hand and I squeeze back.
“I’m sure you’re ready to see your baby, but I warn you, it’s a vaginal ultrasound and it can be a bit cold.”
She gloves up and moves the monitor closer to the table as Georgia gets her feet in the stirrups.
“Oh,” Georgia gasps as she starts the procedure.
But I don’t notice as the sound of the heartbeat echoes through the room.
“Holy shit.”
“That’s a strong heartbeat,” the doctor says. She clicks on the monitor. “Now, let’s see what we find.”
Georgia’s grip is tight on mine as we stare at the fuzzy screen. I’m not sure what I’m looking at until the doctor points out a small shape, about the size of a lime.
Holy shit. That’s my baby. I’m in awe as I stare at the screen.
“You’re right at twelve weeks, and everything looks good so far. I’ll get you started on some prenatal vitamins to help, and I want to make sure you stick to a healthy diet.”
“I can do that,” Georgia agrees.
“What is it you do for a living?” the doctor asks.
“I’m a hippotherapist.”
The doctor nods like she knows exactly what that is. I’m guessing it’s a nicer version of what Georgia told me when we first met. Not quite the cowgirl description she gave me.
“I tell most of my patients that horseback riding is off-limits, but if you are comfortable riding and can take it easy, I don’t see why you couldn’t keep riding.”
“That’s safe?” I ask.
The doctor nods. “As a therapist, she has knowledge of how her horses behave, and if they are well-mannered, I don’t see it as a safety concern. Now, if you’re trying to break in a young horse, I do not want you doing that. But an easy walk would be okay.”
My attention turns back to Georgia, and there is relief on her face. “I’ll play it by ear and see how I feel. I don’t want to put the baby in danger.”
I squeeze her hand. “I trust you.”
“I’ll print some pictures for you both, and then you can get out of here and enjoy your day.” She smiles at both of us. “Congratulations.”
Georgia and I leave the office in a blur, but it’s only when we’re back outside in the bright sun that I remember our conversation from earlier.
“What did you mean in there? Before we got called back,” I ask.
She fiddles with the keys in her hands. “I’m giving you an out. I know this isn’t what you signed up for, so if you don’t want to help, you don’t have to.”
“Did you sign up for this?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest, trying not to let my annoyance show.
“Well, no, not exactly.”
“Then why would I get an out if you don’t have one?” I take another step closer. “Because I don’t need an out, Georgia. I’m here. You and me. We’ll do this together.”
Her eyes glass over before she blinks and it’s gone. “Okay.”
“Now, about telling people.”
She barks out a laugh. “The people I love know. Everyone else in town will know by lunchtime.”
“Seriously?”
She nods. “Yup. You can’t do anything subtly in a small town. Oh, that Georgia Halliwell. Did you see she was at the OB’s office?”
“Damn.” I let out a low whistle. “Okay then.”
“We will give them plenty to talk about these next few months.”
“As long as Luke hears it from me.”
“Have you decided on how you want to tell him?” she asks.
It shouldn’t make my heart swell as much as it does that she’s concerned about him. She might have this whole mother thing down already.
“Does your offer still stand on being there to tell him?”
Georgia steps closer, resting her hand on my arm. “Of course.”
I ignore the zap of heat that hits me at the brief contact. I should pull away, but it helps settle the nerves inside of me.
Because having to tell my son that I’m having a baby isn’t an easy thing to stomach.
“When’s your next free night? Maybe we can do it then.”
“Friday,” she answers. “You’re not worried he’s going to find out?”
I shake my head. “Again, that would require him coming out of his room. I got him a new gaming system when we got here, so that’s taken all of his brain cells at the moment.”
Georgia groans. “Oh, God. Are we going to have to worry about that with our kid?”
“Not for a long time.” I laugh.
“Good. At least that’s one thing I won’t have to stress about.” She opens her truck door and hops in, rolling the window down. “Want to do dinner on Friday and we can tell Luke then?”
I blow out a breath. “That sounds good. I’ll text you the details.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you around, Grant.”
“See you, Georgia.”
I watch as she pulls out of the parking lot and disappears down the road. The paper in my pocket feels heavy. The first picture of my new kid. I pull it out of my pocket and tuck it into the slot in my visor mirror and push it back up.
This isn’t exactly the fresh start I was hoping for. I have no fucking idea how I’m going to break it to Luke that I’m having a kid with a woman I barely know.
Seriously, dad of the year right here.