AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Cadence Green?”
I could tell how tense she was by the way her head jerked up, staring at the nurse in silence for a moment before climbing to her feet. I stood with her, reaching out and taking her hand in mine. The quick smile she shot me filled my chest with warmth as I gave her a light tug toward the open doorway.
We’d had to wait a few weeks for the appointment so we’d both had time to adjust to the news that she was pregnant, but being here made the fact that she was carrying my baby feel real, so I didn’t blame her for her hesitance.
Cadence gulped in a breath before nodding to herself and stepping forward with me. The nurse greeted us, waving Cadence toward a chair beside a scale. The nurse took her blood pressure and checked her weight before showing us to a room.
Like the rest of the office, it was done in a pale blue, but there were fluffy white clouds painted along the top of the walls with grinning babies staring at us from photos hung beneath. There was a chair beside the exam table Cadence was directed to, and I took my place there, not releasing her fingers.
She clung to my hand, the faint tremble I felt pulling at my protective instincts. I didn't know the exact reason she seemed to be so scared of a simple visit, but I could make a few guesses. Likely the same ones that had my palms sweating and caused the need to fidget as we watched the nurse leave with reassurances that the doctor would be in soon.
The silence that had fallen between us felt awkward, but I couldn't come up with anything to say to break it. I'd finally cleared my throat to make an inane remark about the baby pictures when there was a knock on the door.
Cadence startled, straightening her back and releasing my hand as the door swung inward. The woman who stepped inside didn't appear much older than me. Slightly taller than Cadence, she was still shorter than me, but just as slim as my little omega. Her smile was bright as she looked from Cadence to me and back, and it seemed to release some of Cadence's tension.
"Hello, I'm Doctor DeCent."
I tried to hide my huff. I hadn't paid attention to the name of the doctor Cadence had scheduled with, only going so far as to be sure the office itself had good reviews. It was amusing that her name was pronounced exactly how it was spelled.
"How are you feeling?"
Her attention was focused on Cadence which gave me a moment to study her before I moved my attention back to the woman that mattered. Cadence answered with what I figured was the typical response of the newly pregnant. Tired, nauseous, hungry. The doctor chuckled, assuring her those were all normal and unlikely to change.
After they spoke a bit more, the doctor finally got to the part I'd been waiting for.
"Are you ready to hear the heartbeat?"
The doctor finally turned her attention back to me, though I knew she was only being polite by including me. Pregnancy was all about the woman, and I had no problem with Cadence being the center of focus.
Giving a nod to answer her question, I waited as Cadence laid back on the exam table and raised her shirt up to her ribs. The doctor had her unbutton her slacks and push them down a bit as well while she pulled out what looked like a microphone attached to a palm-sized speaker. After squirting clear goo from a bottle on the counter on the tip of the microphone, she stepped over to Cadence.
Wide brown eyes turned to focus on me, slim fingers reaching. I gripped Cadence's hand in mine again, holding my breath as the doctor touched the instrument to Cadence's still flat belly. It took a moment of moving around, but finally a whooshing sound replaced the static, filling the room.
The doctor smiled at us as Cadence’s eyes fill with tears. Her free hand rose to cover her mouth, her chest caving in with her struggle not to start sobbing.
"That's your baby. It’s normal for their heart rate to be faster than an adult’s, and it sounds perfect. We need to do a bit of bloodwork just to be sure everything looks good, then we'll get you scheduled for a follow up in a month."
Dr. DeCent pulled her little wand from Cadence’s belly, wiping the tip before putting it away and holding out a towel for Cadence to clean her belly. Standing, I took the towel from the doctor before Cadence could reach for it. I carefully wiped the gel from her skin, giving her time to get her emotions under control before buttoning her slacks and helping her sit up.
I couldn't say I heard any of the rest of what the doctor said, distracted by the sound replaying in my head. My baby was growing inside the tiny omega in front of me, forming a permanent tie I wanted to make stronger by placing my mark on her neck and putting the ring resting in my pocket on her finger.
It wasn't the time or place I'd planned, but I couldn't wait any longer. I knew I couldn’t rush her about bonding, but I needed to know she was mine for good.
As the doctor stepped through the door and closed it behind her, I dropped to one knee in the middle of the exam room.
"Cadence, I've told you from the first night that I wasn't through with you, and I never will be. I know you didn't believe me, but you were mine from the moment I saw you in my father's office. I couldn’t let a woman so beautiful and strong slip through my fingers.”
Cadence’s eyes went wide as she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down. Her fingers shook when I took hold of her left hand.
"I know you have your doubts, and I know you think I'm all wrong for you, but I want you more than anything I've ever wanted in my life. You and our baby are everything to me, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep you."
I reached into my inside pocket, withdrawing the black velvet box as Cadence gasped. Her eyes grew glossy as I flipped it open, her lips parting as I grinned up at her.
"Wear my ring. Marry me. I can wait to claim you, but I wish you’d let me so you can feel the truth in what I tell you. Say you know you’re mine.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cadence
