Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
She set aside her tablet and picked up the wand again.
“I think it’s time we see if we have a Casper or a Wendy here,” the doctor said, smiling at Cade. She watched the monitor as she moved the wand in increments. Her smile widened and she pointed at the image.
“Aah, here we go, see the upward angle of that nub? Congratulations, you have yourselves a little man here.”
A boy.
Cade’s grip tightened around Fern’s hand as he watched her expression run the gamut from disbelief, to wonder, to excitement and then joy. He knew he was grinning like an idiot. He wasn’t even sure why, when he was absolutely terrified.
“A boy,” Fern breathed in awe. Her eyes met Cade’s and she smiled, a dazed, beautiful smile. “A boy, Cade. Can you believe that?”
Cade, whose heart had lodged somewhere in his throat, making speaking a physical impossibility, simply lifted her hand and stroked the back of it down the side of his face before placing a reverent kiss on her soft skin.
A boy. Their son.
His son.
“He’s beautiful,” Cade said, eyes fixed on the image of that perfect little profile. Little Casper wasn’t wriggling anymore, but his rapid, strong heartbeat never faltered.
Cade diverted his attention to Fern, who was still smiling broadly, her eyes never leaving the screen. His eyes lingered on her lovely features in awe. This moment felt sacred and he was so fucking happy and grateful to share it with her.
“He’s absolutely perfect,” he whispered, his voice too low to be heard over the sound of their baby’s heartbeat. “Just like his mother.”
Fern kicked off her shoes the second they entered the apartment. She’d been doing things like that more and more over the last month or so. It was clear she was feeling more at home in this place. Seeing it as her space too. She no longer felt the need to keep her clutter confined to only her room.
And Cade loved it. He loved coming home from the office to find random hair clips lodged between the sofa cushions, or various pairs of shoes piled up beside the front door. He’d once found a lacy, lilac bra draped over the back of the sofa. His room, where she’d been sleeping since the evening they’d decorated the Christmas tree together, smelled like her, her toiletries and cosmetics dominated her side of the double basin vanity but also encroached into his more spartan side.
More and more of her clothes had found their way into his closet, and he got a possessive kick out of seeing her colorful dresses and jumpsuits mixed in with his austere suits and shirts.
She was still bubbling over with excitement after the ultrasound.
“Oh my God,” she suddenly said, eyes bright, as dragged out her phone. “I should tell Beth. And Iris, of course. And Kenny, I’m sure Kenny will want to know.”
She hesitated—suddenly awkward—and looked at him uncertainly, reminding him that they still had a lot to resolve.
“That is... if it’s okay with you?”
He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets to prevent himself from taking her into his arms and nodded.
“It’s fine with me. Only, I figured you’d want to do one of those gender reveal things?”
Her eyes widened and she laughed.
“Oh no, parents usually find out the baby’s sex at the actual reveal party and that ship has sailed.”
“And that wasn’t something you wanted to do?”
“Honestly? It never even occurred to me. I don’t think it’s my style to be honest. Is it… would you have enjoyed finding out that way?”
“No.” The way they’d received the news had been perfect. It had been their moment. Her moment really, and he was fortunate that she’d chosen to share it with him.
“Thank you for today,” he told her, hunching his shoulders uncomfortably. “For including me. It meant a lot.”
She nodded and padded to the kitchen on bare feet. So, fucking pretty in her baggy—in order to accommodate her tiny baby bump—teal jumpsuit. Cade had seen her in a variety of bold colors since she’d purged her closet of the nun couture—as she’d called it—but teal had to be his absolute favorite color on her. It complemented her hair and added even more depth to her already beautiful eyes.
She got out a couple of bottles of water from the fridge, handing him one on her way to the sofa, where she sat down with a tired sigh. She took a thirsty sip of water and then pulled her feet up onto the couch to sit cross-legged while she watched him closely.
“Cade…” she began, her voice heavy and he tensed, uncertain of what to expect. Knowing—from that tone of voice—that it couldn’t be good. He sat down on the edge of the easy chair across from her and watched her intently. “From the very beginning, back when you accused me of fabricating my pregnancy, I assumed—no I believed—that the prospect of fatherhood was unappealing to you. Especially with a stranger, a woman you’d met once and with whom you’d had—what I now know to be—terrible sex.”