Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three
Xavier
The exam room goes silent after the doctor leaves. Ruby doesn't move right away. Neither do I.
For a long second, the only sound is the paper crinkling beneath her as she lets out a slow breath. My eyes are burning.
“You, okay?”
I let out a laugh that doesn’t sound much like one. “Yeah.” My voice catches on the word. Entering the second trimester. Normal pregnancy. Healthy baby. I’m going to be a dad. Shit. This is real. “Yeah.”
She studies me. Then I see it. Her eyes are shining too. Not crying. Just…. Trying very hard not to.
I step closer. “So....”
She smiles through a shaky breath. “So.”
I reach for her hand. She gives it to me without hesitation. “Our baby’s okay.” The words leave my mouth before I think about them.
Not the baby. Not your baby. Our baby.
“Our baby.” Ruby looks down at our joined hands and bites her bottom lip. It quivers despite her effort to stop it.
Something inside my chest gives way. I squeeze her hand once and let go. Not because she needs it. Because I do. Neither of us says anything for a few seconds. We don’t have to. The silence says more than either of us could.
Ruby sniffs once and wipes beneath one eye. “You’re not allowed to tell anyone I almost cried.”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
She lets out a tear-filled laugh as she rises to her feet. “Oh, please.”
“I'm serious.”
When she bites her bottom lip this time, it’s to stop a grin from forming, and my heart seizes in my chest for an entirely different reason. “You looked like you were about thirty seconds away from hugging the doctor.”
“I was considering it.”
She laughs again, and its music to my soul. Until this moment, I thought I knew how much I missed her, but I had no idea. Being close to her without all the tension that’s been building for weeks makes my knees nearly buckle.
“I’m pretty sure she would’ve called security.”
“I would’ve explained.” I step back, giving her room and cross my arms over my chest. It wasn’t until the doctor confirmed that everything was okay with Ruby and the baby that I’d realized how anxious I’d been. Now, I’m nearly giddy with relief.
“How?”
“That should be obvious. Thank you for confirming my kid’s okay.”
She smiles so hard she has to look away. “I don't think that’s less weird.”
“I disagree.”
She bumps my shoulder lightly. “You’ve been weird all day.”
“I’ve been appropriately concerned.”
“You asked the receptionist if the chairs were supposed to be that uncomfortable because stress was bad for pregnant women.”
I unfold my arms and raise them palm up in front of me. “They were uncomfortable.”
“They were chairs.”
“They were terrible chairs.”
She shakes her head, laughing again as she straightens her clothes. “And then you offered me your jacket because the waiting room felt ‘slightly drafty.’”
“It was drafty.” The way her eyes shine makes my heart skip a beat. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed her. Us. Everything.
“It was seventy-two degrees.”
“I stand by my assessment.”
She rolls her eyes, but she’s still smiling. God. I’d forgotten how much I missed making her smile.
Her laughter fades as she studies me. “You really were scared.”
I don’t bother pretending otherwise. “Yeah.” The single word hangs between us. “I was.”
I brush my thumb across her cheekbone. “I kept thinking about everything that happened. The attack. The concussion. The pills. What would’ve happened if Jake and I hadn’t shown up?” I swallow over the lump in my throat as my eyes sting harder than before. “I kept wondering if...."
I can't finish it. I don't have to. Ruby's fingers tighten around mine. “The baby is okay.”
“Our baby is okay,” I correct.
She smiles. This time without tears. “Yeah. Our baby is okay.”