Page 89 of Ride Me Reckless

Ishould’ve been used to the smell of air freshener and floor wax by now, but the second I stepped into the clinic’s waiting room, my stomach tightened like it was auditioning for a Cirque du Soleil routine.

Colt leaned over and kissed my temple. “Relax, darlin’. You’re glowing.”

I gave him a flat look. “I’m sweating.”

“Same thing,” he said with a wink, lacing his fingers with mine.

The ultrasound tech—the same one we’d seen last time—popped her head into the waiting room and smiled. “You two again. Let me guess, he’s nervous and you’re pretending not to be?”

I laughed despite myself. “You’ve got a gift for reading a room.”

Colt muttered something about this being more stressful than branding season, and we followed her back into the exam room.

“You still wanting to keep the gender a surprise?” she asked, tapping at her tablet as I climbed up onto the table.

“We are,” I said quickly, shooting Colt a look. “Right?”

He nodded. “We made it this far. Might as well ride it out.”

The tech pulled up the machine, slathered on the gel, and started moving the wand over my belly. The familiar whoosh and thump of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room, and I felt my whole body soften with relief.

But then she paused.

Not long. Just long enough for me to catch Colt’s jaw clench.

“Hmm,” she said.

I squinted at the screen, seeing nothing but gray blobs and fuzzy shapes. “Hmm, what?”

“Mind if I have you turn a little onto your left side?” she asked, keeping her voice light. “Just want a better angle.”

I shifted, heart ticking faster. Colt leaned forward in his chair, eyes sharp. “Is something wrong?”

The tech grinned, one hand still on the wand. “Not wrong. Just... double.”

“Double?” I echoed.

She tilted the monitor toward us and pointed. “That’s baby number one. And that—” she slid the wand slightly—“is baby number two.”

Colt made a noise like the air had been knocked right out of him. I couldn’t stop staring at the screen.

Two tiny shapes. Two flickering heartbeats.

Twins.

“Oh,” I breathed, a strange laugh bubbling up, “that explains why I’ve been feeling like a barge before the second trimester.”

The tech chuckled. “You’re not crazy. You’re just extra blessed.”

I glanced at Colt. His mouth was still open.

“Colt,” I said softly, reaching for his hand. “Are you feeling like I’m feeling?”

He blinked like he’d just come back from space. “I mean... We were expecting one tiny human. Not a matched set.”

I squeezed his fingers. “I guess Lady Luck figured we needed a little more chaos.”

“Or perhaps she’s making up for what we lost,” Colt grinned.