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“We’re going on tour in a month. Is that going to be a problem?” Sawyer asked, taking the seat next to Piper.
“I don’t know if I can answer that right now. If she’s in good health, she should be fine. You guys will have to keep up with regular checkups, though.”
“We’ll figure something out,” Sawyer said since Piper remained quiet.
“How have you been feeling so far?” Ruby asked her.
“Fine, I guess. A little nauseous sometimes. Mostly tired, but that could be from my crazy schedule.”
“She fainted onstage yesterday,” Sawyer interjected. “That can’t be good.”
Ruby frowned. “That is definitely not good.” She asked Piper a bunch of follow-up questions, jotting down notes as they spoke.
As hard as Sawyer was fighting not to feel overwhelmed, everything about this made him anxious. There was so much to worry about before the baby was even born. Piper worked harder than most people he knew. How was she going to take care of herself and this baby? How was he supposed to help when they weren’t really a couple?
Ruby asked questions about their family history. Piper pulled a sheet of paper out of her purse. She was more prepared than Sawyer.
“My brother has epilepsy. Is that hereditary?” Piper asked, handing over a list of family medical concerns.
“Genetics play a role in epilepsy, but just because your brother has it doesn’t mean your child will. The baby would be slightly more at risk, but that risk is small.” Her smile seemed to reassure Piper. “What about you, Sawyer? Any significant family medical history?”
“My dad died of a heart attack at fifty. I don’t really know anything about my mom. She could be dead, too, for all I know.”
Piper gasped. “You don’t know if your mom is alive?”
Sawyer’s least favorite subject in the world was his mother. “She left when I was four. I think we got letters for a little while, but it ended pretty quick. My sister is more of a mom to me than she ever was.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s terrible,” Piper whispered.
Sawyer didn’t need anyone’s sympathy. He’d dealt with his feelings about his mother’s abandonment a long time ago. “Hey. Some people aren’t meant to be parents. Unlike us,” he said, touching Piper’s knee. He could tell she needed the reassurance more than anything. No matter how afraid he was, he needed to make her feel confident that all would be okay. “We’re going to be awesome.”
Her forehead was still creased with worry. “Right,” she said with a sigh.
“It’s okay if you don’t know everything,” Ruby said. “We’re simply trying to identify any possible concerns sooner than later. But there are a lot of ways for us to get information about the baby.”
Ruby asked a few more questions before asking Sawyer to leave so she could examine Piper. He wandered out into the kitchen, where Boone was pulling some drinking glasses out of the cupboard.
“I’d offer you a beer, but I don’t have any alcohol in the house. I’ve learned the hard way that the only way to resist temptation is to kick temptation to the curb.”
Boone was an excellent reminder that everyone had their own issues.
“No worries. I’ll take a Coke if you have one.” Sawyer pulled out a stool from around the large island and sat down.
Boone went to the refrigerator and grabbed a can of soda. He slid both the can and a glass to Sawyer.
“So, you and Piper.” Boone waggled his brow and popped open his own can. “How’s Heath dealing with all of this?”
That seemed to be a popular question for anyone who knew anything about Piper. “Heath sure does love his daughter and has lots of opinions about how she should live her life.”
Boone chuckled. “You’re a brave man. I only spent one month writing one song with that girl while her father breathed down my neck, and I barely survived. You’re signing up for a lifetime of hovering. Good luck with that.”
Sawyer would always have to deal with Heath, but hopefully not to the same extent he would if this relationship was real. In truth, he wasn’t sure what would happen once the baby was born and they ended this ruse.
