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“You’re pregnant, Miss Maureen. The nurses ran the tests, right, and besides your blood pressure is a little too high, you’re fine. The baby is still there, so we just need to do an ultrasound to make sure everything’s all right in there.”
“Oh …” I didn’t know what else to say because the news had sucked the life and breath out of me. I felt dizzy again, so I had to relax on the bed again and close my eyes.
“Are you saying she’s pregnant? Like she’s having a baby?” Danielle asked again and I was certain the doctor was tired of us, so I touched her hand to keep her from repeating the same question.
“I’ll just need you to lie back so I can examine you, and make sure the baby’s all right.”
“Right now?” I asked and blew air out of my lips. “Goodness, this is impossible to believe. I don’t think I can do this. I mean I didn’t plan this, so what’s happening? A baby …”
I noticed the doctor’s stunned look, and when she backed away from the bed, I added. “Can you give me a minute to just freak out a little bit before we do the scan?”
“Yes, sure … Take all the time you need.”
She walked out of the room leaving Danielle and me, then I grabbed the pillow behind me, buried my face in it, then let out a scream because that would make me feel lighter in my chest.
Danielle came to my side after that and while hot tears burned the back of my lids, she touched my shoulder and pulled me close to her.
“I guess now you’re not going on the tour anyway,” she said.
“Danielle ….”
“I’m sorry, that was a joke,” she said with a smile then hugged me tighter. “You’ll be fine, Leah. I’ve seen you care for a lost puppy you picked up on the side of the street and you did well.”
“Yeah, well, a puppy is not a baby,” I pointed out. “A baby is a human. It’s a breathing human and what if I screw it up? What if your dad doesn’t want a baby? I mean I can’t do this alone and I just ….”
“Relax. Dad might be a lot of things, but he’s not a flake. He won’t bail on someone he loves. He raised me and look how great I turned out.”
“Yeah, you did,” I said to her, and we both laughed. “You really think I’m going to do great?”
“Yeah,” she answered after a while. “Yes, you’ll do great, Leah. I believe you will.”
I sucked in a deep breath, then blew air out of my lips. “All right, let’s do the ultrasound, but I want to tell Tommy on my own, so don’t go yapping away because you’re excited.”
We both laughed, and she walked out of the room to call the doctor for the ultrasound. This was a huge discovery, and I could only hope that Tommy would love the baby too just like he said he loved me.
Tommy
Threedayslater,wewere back in Lakewood, and Leah was asleep in my cottage’s bedroom when I walked in with a tray of scrambled eggs and French toast for breakfast. I wanted her to get as much rest as she needed, and since Danielle hadn’t returned from Nashville with us, I could move back into the cottage to be with her.
She sighed when she stirred awake, then sat up slowly on the bed. “Hey,” I greeted. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m great,” she answered before I kissed her chastely on the lips. “Breakfast?”
“Hmm, I figured you would be hungry because you slept without eating dinner last night.”
“I am hungry.” I watched her take the tray from me and while she ate, I caressed her cheek and gently trailed a finger down her face. Her skin was smooth and soft. Her smile melted my heart, and I replied that I had missed her so much.
“How does it feel to be a free woman?” I asked when she had almost finished the toast. Leah had paid her fine to the Nashville court system, and now she was back in Lakewood for good. We still hadn’t talked about what she wanted to do next, but it seemed she was pretty serious about singing at Belly Row for now.
If it made her happy, then I was on board. When I helped put her tray away, I turned to her again, stroked the side of her cheek again, then scooted closer to her on the bed and kissed her on the lips.
She responded to my kiss with a passion that warmed my insides and made me want to lower her to the bed. Leah broke the kiss gently, then she lowered her gaze from mine.
“We need to talk Tommy,” she finally said, then put her hands on my cheeks.
“Okay, what is it?”
Leah’s gaze stayed on mine for a second before she said. “I love you, Tommy. I fell in love with you without even anticipating it, and I …”
