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“Yes. It’s mine.” I swallow hard.
“You’re pregnant.” His words are soft, defeated almost.
“Yes.”
He stays silent for a moment, and I can tell he’s putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. “That’s why you’re here.”
“Yes,” I say with a breath. “I didn’t think it was something to tell you over the phone,” I add honestly, though I’d definitely thought about it at first. Just thinking about coming here and seeing him again had me nauseous for days.
“It’s mine?” A pleased grin forms on his lips.
Relieved at his smile, I laugh. “Yes, you dummy.”
He falls to his knees and wraps his arms around my waist, pressing his cheek to my stomach. My head bows while I wrap my arms around his neck, tears forming in my eyes.
This man. He never ceases to amaze me.
“Thank you,” he says against my shirt.
“For what?”
Looking up at me, I can see the emotion written all over his face. “For coming here. Telling me. Letting me be a part of this.”
“Trust me when I say it wasn’t an easy decision.”
He stands up and wraps a hand around my neck, pulling me closer. “Whatever it was, I’m just happy you’re here now. I wanted to be really pissed at you the second I saw you, but I couldn’t. Not for long at least. I don’t know what it is about you, River, but you just make me want to be a better person. You were all I thought about, and once I finally saw you, I couldn’t resist kissing you again. Knowing you could very well walk away with my heart, it was worth the risk.”
I feel so guilty, knowing I should’ve contacted him sooner, and I regret pushing him out of my life like I did. These last three months have been a whirlwind while deciding what to do. I went back and forth with my options, wondering if Alex would even want to be involved or if I’d be better off raising the baby on my own. The conflict consumed me for weeks, battling between my emotions of being able to have Alex back in my life and be a family or learning the hard reality of him rejecting us both. Ultimately, Natalie helped me realize I had to tell him face to face because it was the right thing to do—regardless of the outcome. I’d been sick for weeks, so I wasn’t even sure I’d make it on a plane, but I knew I’d regret not telling him if I didn’t.
It wasn’t just about him and me anymore.
We now had a baby to consider.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ALEX
I’ve barely processed all this information, but I don’t care. The girl of my dreams is right here, in my arms, telling me we’re having a baby.
And that changes everything.
“There’s more,” she tells me.
I just want to hold her again, lie in bed with her, and hear her tell me she’s staying.
“There’s a lot we need to discuss,” she clarifies.
I nod in agreement.
Locking my fingers with hers, I lead her over to the bed and sit.
“Do you know when the baby is due?” I ask.
“End of July.”
It’s mid-February, so that means we still had time to figure everything out, which, if I had it my way, that’d be moving her ass here to be with me permanently.
“Do you know the gender?”
“Not yet. It’s too early.”
“Okay. Well—” I think of how to proceed, but River is quick to interrupt.
“I had this whole speech planned out, but everything I’ve been trying to plan has basically backfired, so I’m just going to come out and say it. I found out I was pregnant when I was eight weeks, so right before New Year’s. I didn’t drink that night, by the way. I was Natalie’s personal assistant in making sure she didn’t vomit in her sleep and choke to death. Since then, I’ve had a doctor appointment and ultrasound. I heard the heartbeat and even got an ultrasound picture.”
“Really?” My eyes widen. “Can I see?”
She smiles, proudly. “Of course.”
Retrieving her purse, she digs out an envelope where she’s stashed the pictures. She hands them over to me, and my heart beats wildly.
“I’ve never seen an ultrasound photo before, but I already know it’s the most perfect blob I’ve ever seen. She already looks so much like you.” I grin, studying the pictures.
She bursts out laughing, her head falling back between her shoulders as she releases a sweet, throaty sound. “It’s the sac, you fool. It’s too soon to see details. However…” She points her finger down at the photo. “You can see the tiny arm and leg buds.”
“Wow.” I sigh. “I can’t believe it.”
“Are you panicking?”
“No, the opposite actually. I always imagined I would if a girl told me she was pregnant, but with you—not one bit.”
She sucks in her bottom lip, gazing up at me with her stunning emerald eyes. “Honestly, it took me a couple weeks to really grasp that I was pregnant. I was shocked, to say the least, since I was on the pill and we used condoms. However, I’d been taking an antibiotic for my sinus infection, and apparently, it canceled out my birth control.”
