Page 82 of Playing It Forward

I glare at her. “You enjoy your job too much.”

She shrugs. “What’s not to love? I bring babies into the world.”

I grunt. “You have a point.”

She places a condom on the wand before adding some lubricant. “This is going to be cold.”

“Awesome,” I mutter. “Because this isn’t embarrassing enough as it is.”

Nolan is at my side in a second. He squeezes my hand. “This isn’t embarrassing.”

“Says the man who nearly fainted at the sight of stirrups.”

“I needed a second. I’m ready now. And excited. We’re going to see the baby. And maybe hear the heartbeat.”

My pulse races. The heartbeat. I want to hear the little mermaid’s heartbeat more than anything.

“Here we go,” Jasmine says before pushing the wand inside me.

I grit my teeth at how cold and uncomfortable it is. Nolan rubs my shoulder. “Feel free to squeeze my hand.”

I glance up at him. He isn’t looking at the screen. He’s looking down at me with adoration and wonder in his eyes. Will that adoration and wonder remain if something happens to the baby? Or will he disappear, never to be heard from again?

“I’ve got you, sprite.”

Those words cause warmth to spread through my body. I want him to have me. I want to be his.

“Are you ready?” Jasmine asks. She nods to the screen. “There’s your baby.”

Nolan’s eyes widen. “My baby.”

“She isn’t very big. She reminds me of a gummy bear.”

“I think she resembles a mermaid learning how to swim,” he says.

“Based on the baby’s size, you’re due around March twelfth.”

I glance up at Nolan. “When is the Super Bowl?”

“Don’t worry about the Super Bowl. You concentrate on growing our little mermaid. I’ll concentrate on the football.”

He pulls out his phone.

“You’re not seriously answering a call now!”

“Nope.” He shows me his calendar app. “Adding the little mermaid’s expected appearance into the world to my calendar.”

I notice his calendar is already full. March is nearly eight months away, and he’s already got obligations for then? Will he even be able to attend the birth?

“Shall we try and hear the heartbeat?” Jasmine asks.

Nolan jerks and his phone nearly topples to the ground. “Yes.” He gazes down at me. “If it’s okay with mom.”

Mom? Me? Of course, rationally I know having a baby means I become a mom. But hearing someone call me mom feels different. It feels real. And terrifying.

I inhale a deep breath and nod. “Okay.”

Jasmine smiles. “Here we go.” A flickering sound fills the room.