Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100661 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
A lump formed in my throat, and I closed my eyes, giving myself a minute to deal with all the feelings whirling through me like a tornado.
Julia, thank you so much for the kind words. I know I will be reaching out to you for all those things. I appreciate you more than you know, especially because you make my dad so happy. I hope I find what you have someday.
Darling Mabel, I’m sure you will. Love often takes its time but is always worth the wait.
I hearted her message, hoping she was right.
My ultrasound appointment was on Wednesday afternoon at three o’clock. Ari had offered to meet me there, but I told her I didn’t mind going on my own.
“Are you sure?” she asked over the phone. “I can put real clothes on, jump in the car, and be there in ten minutes. Dash is here, and he can stay with Wren and Truman.”
“I’m sure,” I said. “Enjoy your family time. I’ll send you the picture.”
“You better.” She paused. “Have you heard from Joe?”
“No,” I admitted. “Not a word.”
“What the hell? I thought he was going to be involved.”
“I think he meant with the kid, not necessarily with the pregnancy.”
“Still. He could at least check in with you.”
“It’s only been four days, Ari. He’s probably still processing it. And training camp is starting, so he’s really busy.” But even as I made excuses for him, I tamped down my own disappointment. “Look, if this is how it’s going to be, I’d rather know it now.”
“Maybe we should have let Xander punch him.”
“No,” I said as I pulled into a parking spot at the doctor’s office. “You can’t punch someone for being busy. I dropped this bombshell on him out of nowhere. He’s in the NHL. His schedule really isn’t negotiable.”
“He can’t find the time to send a text asking how you’re doing?” she asked testily.
I had no answer for that. “Look, I’m here, so I have to go. I’ll call you afterward.”
We said goodbye, and I dropped my phone in my bag as I entered the building. After signing in, I waited in the lobby, trying not to be nervous. There was a lot that could still go wrong so early in a pregnancy, and although I’d tried to stay off the internet the last few days, I’d unwisely searched a few things. The longer I sat there, the more my anxiety spiked, and I started to regret telling Ari I didn’t need her here. In the future, I’d bring her or maybe Julia along. It would be nice to have a hand to hold.
A grandmotherly nurse appeared in the doorway. Her name tag said June. “Mabel Buckley?”
I stood up. “Yes, that’s me.”
June smiled. “Right this way.”
After being shown to a room, I was instructed to get undressed and drape the sheet over my lower body. The tech would be in momentarily.
I slipped out of my flats, pulled off my work pants and underwear, and climbed onto the table, spreading the paper sheet over me. After a couple minutes, there was a knock on the door. “I’m ready,” I called. “Come in.”
Expecting the tech, I was surprised when June poked her head into the room. “Just me,” she said. “There’s a man here who says he’s the father and wants to know if it’s okay if he comes back.”
My jaw dropped. “He’s here?”
She smiled, her eyes twinkling. “Well, someone’s here. Big guy? Dark hair? Quite handsome?”
“Yes,” I said in disbelief. “That sounds like him. His name is Joe Lupo.”
June nodded happily. “That’s what he said. Okay to bring him back?”
“I—um—sure.”
She shut the door again and I sat there, dumbfounded. Joe was here?
Hiccup!
My heartbeat tripped over itself again and again and again. My hands fisted in the paper sheet. When the knock sounded on the door again, I frantically rearranged it, trying to cover as much of myself as possible, which—given the circumstances—made little sense. This man had already seen me completely naked in a hotel room.
But somehow I was more vulnerable here and now.
“Come in,” I called weakly.
The door opened.
Hiccup!
ELEVEN
joe
I still hadn’t wrapped my brain around the idea that I was going to be a father.
After brooding about it for forty-eight hours, I’d finally broken down and messaged my brother Gianni Monday night.
Got a minute?
Sure, what’s up?
Can I call you?
Give me a few and I’ll call you. Getting the kids to bed.
My phone vibrated about fifteen minutes later, and I flopped back on the couch before taking the call.
“Hey.”
“Hey. Everything okay?”
“Yes. No.” I exhaled. “I need advice.”
“Quit trying to score from the blue line.”
“It’s not about hockey.”
He laughed. “There’s something else in your life besides hockey?”
“There is now.”
“Sounds kinda serious.”
“It is.” I leaned forward, one elbow on my knee, and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I got someone pregnant.”