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I toss a quick glance at her. “Because there was no room for two car seats in the back of the old one, and it wasn’t as safe as this.”
She nods slowly like she already came to the same conclusion herself. “You’re taking this really seriously, aren’t you?”
I glance at her again, wishing we weren’t having this conversation while driving so I could properly study her expression. “Of course, Charlie. Having two kids is a very serious development in our lives.” I debate telling her I’m already getting my house renovated and planning to move from my downtown apartment in preparation for them but decide it’s too early for that. I don’t want to spook her.
We don’t speak again until we reach the doctor’s office. “Miss Square, you’re right on time. I take it this is the father?” the doctor asks. I nod and introduce myself. After the pleasantries, the doctor takes us to the exam room and excuses herself. I raise a brow at Charlie.
“I need to change,” she explains raising up the hospital gown on the tall bed.
“Oh.” I say lamely and gulp.
“You don’t have to leave. Just turn around.”
I nod and turn around, trying not to think about her slowly taking off her clothes behind me. Think of the beach. Fuck, don’t think of Charlie on a beach. Think of old people. Yes, perfect. Old people on a beach, in tiny bikinis. It would suck to have a boner right now. I’m wearing a fucking suit.
“Okay, I’m done,” she announces and I turn around. The gown is nothing to look at, but it only makes her beauty shine brighter. And her belly…
“You’re already showing.” I swallow hard as I stare at her stomach. There’s a soft knock at the door, and Charlie tells the doctor to come in.
She asks Charlie a bunch of questions and takes her blood for some tests. When it’s over, she asks if we want to see the babies again. Of course, we do. She walks out to wheel in the machine I saw in the video Charlie had shown me.
There’s a small tie at the side of her gown, which Charlie loosens so the doctor can squirt a gel on her stomach, followed by a wand. I watch enraptured when the screen comes to life, my hand automatically seeking Charlie’s. She squeezes mine in response as we watch our babies moving inside her. I was expecting to see two blobs, but they actually look like tiny little adorable babies.
A lump grows in my throat as my heart swells in my chest. I place my other hand over where Charlie’s hand and mine are joined, and I lift it up to kiss her knuckles. “Look at that,bébé.Those are our kids.”
She gives me a tremulous smile, and I kiss her knuckles again.
CHAPTER 18
CHARLIE
Iglance down at my hand clasped into Ezra’s as we leave the clinic. After we saw the babies, he let go of my hand so I could change, but he immediately latched on again afterwards, and I…Ilikeit. As we walk toward his car, I’m reluctant to leave his presence. If we get into the car, he’ll drive me home and go back to Brattleboro. For whatever reason, that makes me sad.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Just because we had a moment when we saw the babies doesn’t mean anything. We’re not together. We’renotin a relationship.
“Charlie?”
I glance up and see we’re already in front of Ezra’s car. I tighten my grip on his hand, then realize how stupid I’m being. We’re not in a relationship, damn it. I let go of him. He watches me quietly for a moment and then opens the door for me. I get in and pull the seat belt more aggressively than necessary.
Shit, he even went and bought a new car when I, the one carrying these babies, am still clinging to my sportscar. As I inhale the delicious leathery, new car smell, I decide I’m done putting it off. I’ll trade in my car. This week.
“Do you want to get something to eat? I’m a little bit hungry. I was so nervous, I didn’t eat before leaving home,” he says as he gets into the driver’s seat.
I glance at him, surprised he’d admit that he was nervous. “I could eat.” I’m actually okay right now, because I ate three halves of the club sandwiches Ella had put together this morning – all of mine and half of hers. But I can just order a smoothie or something.
“Know any place nearby?” he asks as he turns on the ignition.
“Do you like burgers?” I ask, and when he nods, I put in the address of a burger joint not far from where we are. My stomach growls at the thought of their greasy ground beef soaked through with cheese, reminding me that breakfast was over three hours ago. My cheeks heat up.
Ezra grins at me almost affectionately, “I see my babies are hungry too.”
I don’t know why, but the way he says that reminds me he called mebébéearlier; the thought makes me blush even harder because I liked it. I liked it way more than I should. After a couple of minutes, he pulls into the parking lot of the popular joint. I sigh when I see through the window that the place is packed.
“Guess we’ll have to take our meal to go,” Ezra says as he pulls into the parking lot.
“There’s a park a couple blocks away, we can eat there,” I tell him.
We walk inside and place an order for two cheeseburgers, onion rings and a milkshake for me. Ezra opts for coffee. We get the paper bag filled with our food and go back to the car. I give Ezra directions, almost getting distracted by the mouthwatering aroma of our food.
