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“It’s up to you.” He wasn’t sure he should even have a vote. He wasn’t the biological father, even if he was legally her husband.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I hadn’t really thought about it.”

Josiah turned to the doctor. “Will there be more ultrasounds later?”

He nodded. “Yes. The anatomy scan will be in a few weeks.”

Looking back at Bekah, Josiah tried to decide how to let Bekah make the choice. “You don’t have to decide now. If you’re not sure, wait. Maybe the doctor can make a note in your chart in case you change your mind before then.”

Relief crossed her face. But why? Just that she didn’t have to make an actual decision? Or that he hadn’t pushed her one way or the other? “I like that idea.”

“I actually couldn’t tell from the scan so far,” the doctor told them. “The baby is facing the wrong way. I’m happy to try if you’d like and make a notation.”

This time Bekah shook her head. “No. If you can tell as you finish, note it, but don’t tell me. If not, then we have time to decide.”

Again, she included Josiah in the decision. He was flattered, though he didn’t understand why.

The doctor moved the wand around for a moment then away from her stomach. “We’re done. Everything looks good.”

As best Josiah could tell, the doctor wouldn’t have seen anything he hadn’t already seen. But what did Josiah know?

“I see no reason to be concerned about the baby,” he went on. “But if you feel anything unusual or uncomfortable or have any abdominal cramping or spotting, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.”

“I will,” Bekah promised. “Thank you.”

The machine was put away as the assistant cleaned Bekah’s stomach.

Once done, the doctor stood with his arms crossed but not in a menacing way. “I won’t order you to stay in bed, but I would strongly encourage you to rest and take it easy for the next few days.”

Bekah nodded. “I will. I don’t know that I’ll feel up for doing much for a while anyway.”

“Most likely not,” the doctor concurred. “Get some rest, and we’ll set up another appointment in a few weeks unless you need to see me sooner.”

Josiah stood and walked the doctor to the door left open by his assistant who’d left a moment earlier. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Your Royal Highness.” He tipped his head toward Josiah. “Be sure to call me if she needs anything or if you’re not sure if you need to be concerned about something. Anytime. Day or night.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

After a quick handshake, the doctor left.

Josiah closed the door and turned to see Bekah still propped up on the pillows. Her eyes were closed. But...

Were those tears coming out of her eyes?

He sat next to her and took her hand in his. “Hey. Are you all right?”

“It’s just overwhelming,” she whispered, her fingers curling around his. “It was stupid of me to reach so far for my hat. It could be replaced or retrieved later. I’m not used to the super cold water, obviously, and it wouldn’t have been a big deal, except for being wet, on Serenity Lake. I need to adjust my thinking, I guess.”

Brushing the back of her hand with his thumb, he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her hairline. “You also hit your head - not too bad, but bad enough. I should have been more vehement about the temperature of the water and the danger it poses, even mid-summer.” He let out a breath. “But you’re both okay. That’s the important part.”

“True.” She slowly took in a deep breath. “None of this is how I ever imagined this part of my life would be, you know?”

It didn’t seem like she expected a reply so Josiah just sat next to her, still holding her hand.

“The farther I get from Ian’s death, the more I think I dodged a bullet as it were. I see some of the things he was doing - gaslighting and so on. I didn’t realize one of my meds would counteract my birth control.” Her free hand rested on her abdomen. “I love this baby so much already, but I wish so many things were different.”

The tears continued to leak down her temples.