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Marianna nodded. “Okay.”
“But otherwise, everything looks to be on track.” He smiled. “I know you’ve probably had a lot of excitement moving countries and getting married, so I would suggest taking it as easy as you can. Are you working currently?”
She shook her head. “No, but I wanted to start a volunteer job teaching English. I’ve found a place that wants to give me a trial.”
Nico raised a brow. “When?”
“Today.” She looked up at him with those luminous brown eyes, and his heart melted. “I was going to tell you after the appointment.”
“It should be fine, but don’t overdo things,” the doctor advised. “Remember that you’ve had a lot of upheaval. You can stay active, but make sure you get plenty of sleep and keep eating well.”
“When will we be able to find out the sex of the baby?” Nico asked.
Marianna turned to him with a serene smile. “We’re having a girl. I’m positive.”
The doctor chuckled. “We usually check at sixteen weeks. It depends on the way the baby is positioned, though. Sometimes it can take one or two attempts to see the genitalia.”
“Thank you.” Nico nodded.
As the doctor left, Nico stared at the screen, which had gone dark. His baby. A girl, like Marianna predicted? Or a little boy? His throat was tight. So tight he could only nod when she asked him if he wanted to come along next time when they got to find out the sex for certain, even though she was convinced she knew already.
A child who shared his DNA. A child who, he knew right then, would be the center of his world. A child who would have every advantage he hadn’t, who would have the love and security he hadn’t. Marianna’s desire for them to live like a real family had scared the crap out of him at first—he hadn’t wanted to get emotionally entangled with her because he didn’t want to repeat the past. Didn’t want to make the same mistakes he’d made last time. But Marianna wasn’t Alethea. She wasn’t Kosta. She wasn’t all the families who’d looked him over and decided he wasn’t good enough. She wanted him to be part of her life, part of their baby’s life.
Nico found himself overcome for a moment, but he packed the feeling down by clearing his throat.
“You okay?” Marianna asked. “You seem a little spacey.”
“It was a long day, and this is…”
“It’s a lot, isn’t it?” She reached for his hand. “I feel so unprepared.”
“I’m sure everyone does.”
“Yeah, but not everyone is having a baby with someone they don’t know.” She bit down on her lip. “I know we’re married, but we’re still strangers. I mean…forget it.”
“What?”
She looked up, her face wide and open and so vulnerable it took his breath away. “I’d like to know you better.”
He had no idea how to respond. Hadn’t Dion predicted this—that she would want more? What he hadn’t predicted, however, was that Nico was no longer repulsed by the prospect of “more.”
…
By the time Nico and Marianna made it back home, Nico’s head was swirling with information. Supplements and tests and percentiles and risk factors. Marianna, however, didn’t appear fazed…unless she was better at hiding it than he was.
“I thought of a name,” she said as he pulled the car into the driveway. It was dark now, and the lights outside sent weird shadows flickering through the car, making it tough to read her expression.
He killed the engine. “Tell me.”
“I like the name Katherine.” She unclicked the seat belt and turned to him. “It was my mother’s name. Although everyone called her Kathy, but I always thought Katherine sounded very regal and beautiful.”
“Katherine.” He rolled the name around. It was old-fashioned, but in a good way. It was a proud, traditional name, unlike a lot of the weird shit people called their kids these days. “Well, it’s as close as we’re going to get with tradition since I don’t have any family names to offer.”
“Is that a yes?” Her face lit up.
He nodded. “And if it’s a boy?”
She smirked. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…which I’m pretty sure we won’t.”
“You’re stubborn,” he said, shaking his head as he pushed the car door open.
“And you’re a soft touch.” She followed him up the path that lead to the front door, her sandals knocking against the flat stone tiles. “Most unexpected.”
“I’m not a soft touch.” He frowned.
“Sure you are. You saved me from getting my wallet stolen, and you’ve given me a home without asking for anything.”
“So I’m a halfway-decent human being?” He rolled his eyes and stuck his key into the front door. “That does not make me soft.”
“You came with me to my appointment,” she added.
“Again, just trying to be decent.” The door swung open, and Nico flipped on the lights.
“You took me snorkeling on our fake honeymoon.”
