“The best,” I said as I watched the tech slide the probe around her stomach.
Within moments, the screen filled with an image that I couldn’t decipher beyond the beating that I knew was the heart. Pointing at it, I looked at the tech. “That’s the heartbeat, right?”
The tech grinned. “Yep. Your kiddo’s heart is pumping strong.” She proceeded to point out various things on the screen, helping us to see the baby instead of the alien figure that appeared to fill the screen in front of us. As she swirled the probe on Maggie’s belly again, she glanced at us both. “Do we want to know the gender?”
I looked at Maggie and smiled. “What do you think?”
She broke out in the widest grin I’d ever seen on her face. “I think that sounds amazing, but what do you want to do?”
I laughed, “Heck yeah, I want to know the gender if we can.” Looking over to our ultrasound tech, I said, “Let’s do this.”
She grinned. “I’m pretty sure already, but let’s just get another confirmation.” Sliding the probe over Maggie’s belly, she studied the screen. I had no idea how to tell anything, so I just sat back, enjoying the ability to watch our baby. What a miracle.
After a minute, the tech spoke. “I should say this isn’t one hundred percent because babies can by shy. That being said, your baby is being cooperative, and I’d say with a great deal of certainty that you two are going to be taking a little girl home with you around the holidays.”
“A girl?” I whispered, looking down at Maggie
Maggie beamed up at me. “We’re having a girl? I was sure it was a boy!” Suddenly she looked concerned. “Is that okay with you?”
I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Babe, I’m happy either way. Girl, boy, I just want a healthy baby.” Pressing another kiss to her temple, I whispered, “And I hope that this baby will be joined by at least one or two more siblings in the years to come if that’s okay withyou.”
Maggie closed her eyes, tears slipping out as she took some deep breaths. Opening her eyes, she looked up at me with shining eyes. “I love you, Cole Sullivan.”
I smiled at her, leaning down to brush her lips with mine. Pulling back, I looked over to the tech who was watching us. “A girl,” I said softly.
The tech nodded, smiling. “I’ll print off some pictures for you all to take home.”
Maggie moved a bit on the table. “Not to rush you or anything, but is there a way I can pee before the rest of the appointment continues? My bladder is seriously going to bust!”
The tech laughed. “Yes, I got all the images I needed. You don’t need a full bladder for the rest of the appointment.” She pointed to a door in the corner. “There’s a bathroom in there.”
“Thank God.” Maggie shot up off the table and hurried to the bathroom, mooning us the whole way. I looked over to the tech and met her eyes as we both burst out laughing.
A girl.
31
When I Knew
Maggie
After today’s check-up, I was exhausted and seriously concerned about my stamina in two weeks when school was back in session. An ultrasound and a four-hour shift at the bookstore had me longing for my bed. Instead I had trekked from the bookstore to meet Sully, then we’d headed over to his parents’ place for dinner.
Leaving the bathroom, I was wandering down the hallway and checking out pictures that Anna had hanging in frames along the wall. Anna had loved taking pictures as long as I’d known the Sullivan family. Their home had framed pictures everywhere. It was her form of decorating. I smiled as I watched Sully and Emma grow older from frame to frame. At some point Max, and then I, joined the pictures as we became part of their extended family.
As I moved into their family room, frames spilled over onto shelves and tables. I saw a picture of Jake and Sully, arms swung around each other in front of The Homestead back when they opened it. Grinning, I thought of Jake’s conversation with me today when I got to the brewery. I told Sully he had asked a lot of questions about my hippy-dippy employer at the bookstore. I made a mental note to see what Ivy thought of Jake. Could be something there.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Anna came up next to me, sliding her arm around my waist.
I leaned my head against her shoulder, finding comfort in this woman I’d known for the majority of my life. “Just looking back and remembering.” I paused, thinking of how familiar standing here, in this house, after an amazing meal was. “Dinner was fabulous as usual. Thanks for having us.”
“Anytime. We love having you kids here.” Anna smiled and looked over at the shelves. “I love photographs,” she said. She picked up a picture of Sally, a golden retriever they’d had when I met Emma. Sally had passed when we were in seventh grade, and I remember how devastated we all had been.
“What do you love about them?” I asked, my fingers sliding over a frame.
Anna glanced at me. “Pictures tend to be honest. You can’t always hide the truth. Especially when they’re candid, which, as you know, are my favorites.” She gave me a soft smile.
Hide the truth? “What do you mean by that?” I asked, not sure where she was going with this conversation.
