Page 31 of Burning Love (Looking For Love #7)

THEIR RELATIONSHIP CHANGING

“ W hen is your mother due home?”

Talia turned to Jace as he drove her to the doctor three weeks later.

The first home test came back negative.

She breathed a sigh of relief and she and Jace relaxed and enjoyed their weekend together.

On Sunday when Jace left for work she’d taken another test because it wasn’t sitting well in her brain. This time it was positive.

When she looked at the box on the first one, she’d noticed it was expired after checking to see if it was possible to get a negative and a positive test.

She screamed a few times over the results, then sat and had a pity party that this was happening.

Her first thought was to call him, but she didn’t want to let him know at work.

Nor did she tell him for days later, waiting to take a third test just in case.

It was fifty-fifty in her mind and she had to process it.

That one was positive too.

She’d made a big mistake waiting to tell him after a third test.

He hadn’t been happy when she’d explained what was going on. Thinking back, he could have assumed she was hiding it from him, but she assured him she was just in a state of shock.

He obviously was too, but remained calmer than her.

She’d called her doctor to get in, but it was over two weeks before they’d see her. They wanted her past the six-week mark.

In that time she and Jace had spoken very little about it. She was afraid to bring it up; maybe he was too.

Talk about their relationship changing!

At this point, she was over three weeks late and the morning sickness told her how real this all was.

“She’s coming home on Monday.”

Six days from now. Talia was going to have to figure out how to hide this. It seemed once she was up and showered, had her coffee, and a light breakfast, she was good to go.

The key was keeping fluids in her all day.

“What are you going to tell her?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s wait to see what we find out today. Everything is early.”

They’d only been dating for about two months. She got pregnant within a few weeks of them meeting and having sex.

Urgh!

They’d have to talk after today as much as she was dreading it.

Financially she was secure.

She’d have her mother for help and support.

She didn’t need Jace even if she wanted him.

She was working herself up for the worst-case scenario. He wasn’t acting happy about the news.

Neither was she.

She wasn’t upset or sad, not even angry.

Just...existing in the moment until she had this appointment.

He was doing the same and she wondered if he was feeding off of her or she was feeding off of him.

“It is. But we can’t keep this a secret. Your mother is going to find out. You live in the same house with her. You’re still sick in the morning.”

“It’s getting better,” she said. “I’ve got a routine.”

He nodded his head. He had asked her all the time about her health. He was concerned, but the actual reason for her not feeling well wasn’t brought up.

They didn’t talk again until he pulled into the parking lot of the medical complex.

“Are you going to let me go in with you?” he asked.

“Did you want to?”

His hand reached over and landed on hers and he took a deep breath. It was the first he showed a sincere reaction to what was going on. “I don’t want you doing this alone. We haven’t really talked about this.”

“I’ve been following your lead. You didn’t seem as if you wanted to.”

“Neither have you. I’ve been following yours.”

Her head went back and forth as she laughed. “We’re a piece of work. It’s early. A lot can happen I don’t want to even think about, but I’m not na?ve either. I think for me, I wanted to hear what the doctor said before I let myself really say, here comes another Carlisle.”

“Rigby,” he said firmly.

She smiled. “Rigby.”

There was no way she was telling him that some of her thoughts were his job.

How dangerous it was.

They never even talked about the day she watched him battling the fire.

One of those things that never came up and he didn’t push nor ask much about her being there other than her stopping on the way home.

It was all clambering in her brain and shattering the happy future illusions she’d drummed up for herself.

She didn’t want to worry that she’d have a child and their father’s life was on the line and at risk.

How did her mother handle this?

Then she told herself she could be doing this on her own anyway and it was best to prepare for that and not that she’d fallen in love with her baby daddy.

The same guy who’d never been in a serious committed relationship and still had demons and trust issues with women.

She amped them up some by waiting the extra few days to admit she was pregnant. That was her mistake and she’d have to own it.

Yeah, talk about a recipe for disaster.

Why couldn’t they have continued on as they were in the beginning when everything was simple?

Because she realized now that nothing was simple with them.

She wasn’t sure she’d want it to be.

“Let’s not think that way. I’m not leaving your side through this. It’s my child too. We are in this together.”

“Okay,” she said, giving him a soft smile. “Thank you for that. You can come in.”

She’d push the embarrassment aside.

They got out and walked inside. She gave her name and took a seat. She’d done the online registration and answered all their questions already.

“Carlisle.”

She stood up with Jace and followed the nurse.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Adele and I’ll be your nurse today. Let’s go this way. I need to get a weight for you.”

She stepped on the scale, noticed the number, then turned her head and saw Jace looking away.

How sweet was that? Not that she cared in the least.

“I have a long way to catch up to you,” she said, elbowing him.

“There is no way you’re going to,” he said. “Unless you go through a lot of chocolate and ice cream. I’ve got you by over a hundred pounds.”

She laughed, but the nurse jumped in and firmly said, “It’s not healthy to gain more than thirty pounds on average. You’re on the small side, so might be able to get away with more.”

“Nope,” she said. “I’m a healthy person and I’ll do what I’m told.”

“That’s what we like to hear,” Adele said. She pulled a gown out. “If you can take everything off, opening in the back, and give us a urine sample. There are cups in the bathroom there.”

She took the gown and winked at Jace. He looked more uncomfortable than her. He sat in a chair in the corner and she did as instructed, then came out with the cup, set it on the counter to be tested, and climbed on the table.

The nurse took the sample away that she’d closed with her name on the side, then returned. “I just wanted to bring that to the lab quickly before I took your vitals,” Adele said.

“No problem.”

Talia sat through questions on how she was feeling, her eating habits, if she smoked or did drugs and any sexual partners she might have had in the past month.

Jace was flushing through some of it and she found it hilarious.

“The doctor will be in shortly.”

“Thanks.” She was on the bed swinging her legs with her ankles crossed. “You’re more uncomfortable than me and you’re fully dressed and won’t have to spread your legs and put them in those medal stirrups.”

His eyes landed on them.

“Good thing I’m sitting back here.”

“What? You’re not going to watch your child pop out of me when the time comes?”

She was trying to make light of it. If she got serious and he wasn’t, it might hurt too much.

They’d spent too many weeks being serious and he’d opened the gate in his truck with tender communication and she was walking in now.

“I’ll be there. Don’t worry about that. I’ll be at all of these appointments if I can too.”

She smiled. “You don’t need to come to them all. I might not want you here either.”

“I’m coming,” he said firmly.

“We’ll see.” It wasn’t the time to argue. Or even talk about it.

The doctor came in a few minutes later. “Hi, Talia. Congratulations. Your urine confirmed your pregnancy,” Dr. Mitchell said when he came in.

“I figured it would.”

“I’m going to do an exam and then a transvaginal ultrasound. This will give us a better gestational age and allow us to hear the heartbeat.”

“We’re going to hear the heartbeat today?” Jace asked, looking hopeful.

“We should if all is well,” Dr. Mitchell said. “Why don’t you lie back, Talia, and put your feet up?”

She did what she’d done before on her visits here. Jace was in a chair up by her head and out of the way.

His hand landed on her shoulder and she put hers on top of it, giving him a squeeze.

There was pressure when the doctor was doing his exam and then he sat back and pulled the machine over.

She started to laugh at the size of it. “Oh my God. That’s going inside of me?”

Dr. Mitchell smiled. “You’ll be fine.”

She burst out laughing when he put a condom on the probe. “Well now. One of them not working is what got us into this mess.”

Jace squeezed her shoulder and she looked up. He wasn’t laughing. Not even smiling. He looked more nervous.

His eyes were on the doctor doing his job.

She wondered if the squeeze was for her to stop making jokes.

The probe was inserted and moved around some while Dr. Mitchell watched the screen and took measurements.

“I’d say you’re seven weeks and two days pregnant at this point. It lines up with your last period.”

She nodded and did the math in her head.

The first few times they’d had sex this happened and it reminded her that her mother said she’d gotten pregnant with Rowan even though they were using condoms too.

Maybe they were just fertile in her family. What a thought!

Though she’d never had a problem before and always used condoms.

Dr. Mitchell turned the volume on the machine up. “Is that the heartbeat?” Jace asked.

“It is. Nice and strong. It can be weak this early, but that isn’t the case.” Dr. Mitchell took a few more measurements and pictures and then pulled the probe out and pushed his chair back. “Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll talk some more.”

Talia slid off the table and went into the adjoining bathroom, took the gown off, put her clothes back on and returned to the exam room.

“I’ve been trying to read up as much as I can about being pregnant.”

Her mother would be a great resource when the time came. That was a thought for another time.

“That’s good. Adele will be back in with some packets and information for you and a chart to fill out for your appointments, things to look for and when to call.

For now you’ll come every month. As long as you’re feeling well, there are no restrictions at this point. You have an office job, correct?”

“Yes. I work from home, but I do travel at times. I can fly, right?”

“For now, there are no worries. As you get toward the end of your pregnancy that will have to be limited.”

She nodded, listened to the doctor some more. Adele returned and gave her the information she needed, then they walked out to make her next appointment.

“Let me figure out when I’m not working for you to make it.”

“What?” she asked when they were in line.

“Can you make it when I’m not working? It’s normally only one day during the week when the office is open.”

“And the next day you’re sleeping.”

“That doesn’t count. I don’t care about that. I just can’t come if I’m at the firehouse.”

He was being extremely accommodating.

She got to the window, made her appointment for next month when he’d be off and then walked to his truck.

“Thank you for coming today. It feels so real.” She was sniffling some. The excitement hitting her.

She’d seen Jace’s eyes get a little misty when they heard the heartbeat. She knew hers did but didn’t want to start bawling in front of him.

It was a close call though.

“It is real,” he said, pulling her into his arms for a hug. She’d needed that. She had wanted to make the first move in the office, but he seemed unsure of himself.

“I know. And I know you want to talk about things, right?”

“We have to,” he said. He gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“And we’ve got time. Let me say this. I’m not putting pressure on you or us. Okay? Let’s focus on the baby and take things as they come.”

“I want you to meet my family this weekend. Will you?”

Talia looked up into his eyes and smiled. “I’d love to. Are you telling them about the baby?”

“Do you want to tell people?”

“I’d like to hold off until I’m out of the first trimester. Five more weeks. Is that okay?”

“It’s probably the smart thing to do.”

“Are you scared?” she asked, stepping out of his arms and climbing into his truck.

“Yes. Babies are scary things.”

She laughed. “They are, but happy things too. I’m happy. It’s not planned, but it’s like our child is growing inside of me.” She was bouncing in the seat now. It was too hard to contain it and she didn’t want to.

Grabbing his hand, she put it on her belly.

“It is,” he whispered. “I’m happy too.”

She looked into his eyes and believed it.