Page 16 of Summer Nights (The Kingston Brothers #3)

Chapter Twelve

Cooper

The waiting room of the doctor's office was white and sterile. Ivy's knee bounced on the chair next to mine. I reached over and touched her thigh, only temporarily stopping the motion.

I wasn't sure if she was nervous because of the exam or if she was worried about people finding out about the pregnancy. She'd chosen a doctor's office outside of town, and so far, I didn't see anyone we knew.

Ivy was a butterfly I'd never catch. She was beautiful but elusive. The only thing that tied us together was this baby I'd come to want more with each passing day.

Over the last few weeks, we'd had sex when I saw her at the inspections. I wanted more, but I knew enough not to push her.

I was biding my time, infiltrating into her life even as I gave her space. If I pushed too hard, she'd run away, and I'd never catch her. I was always cognizant that she could bolt at any second.

I wanted to make her feel good. So far, she was more tired than usual and horny. She hadn't said anything about feeling nauseous, which relieved me. I didn't want her to suffer because she was carrying my baby.

I wanted to take care of her, so I showed up at her condo with dinner from time to time, and even ice cream for dessert. I always left after giving her an orgasm. I never asked if I could stay. I kept the visits short.

"Ivy Buckley," the nurse called from the front counter where she held a clipboard, presumably with Ivy's information on it.

We stood and followed her to an exam room where she weighed Ivy and checked her blood pressure.

The nurse handed Ivy a paper gown. "Go ahead and change. You can keep your bra on, but take everything else off. The doctor will be with you shortly."

The woman left, and Ivy quickly shucked her clothes and slid into the gown. She sat on the exam table, the paper crinkling as she moved.

"Are you scared about the baby?" I asked her.

She covered her belly with her hand. "The baby was unexpected, but now I'm growing to like the idea of being a mother. I never thought I would be, and that makes me scared that I could lose him."

I stood and moved closer to her. "That's probably normal. But if it happens, I'll be right by your side."

I wanted to remind her she could have another baby, but that might not be with me. This baby was the link between us. The one thing that had the power to break down her impenetrable walls.

It wasn't just that. I couldn't imagine not becoming a father now that I'd gotten used to the idea of it. I hadn't planned for this, but I wasn't ready to lose him or her either. I wanted to meet this baby.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," Ivy said.

"I'm Dr. Edison. It's nice to meet you both." He shook our hands. "Are you ready to see your baby?"

"Yes," Ivy said, her voice wavering slightly.

I reached for her hand, interlacing my fingers with hers as she lay back so the doctor could perform the internal ultrasound.

When the blob appeared on the screen, I wasn't sure what I was seeing.

The doctor pointed to a small mass. "This is your baby."

I was overcome with emotion. We were having a baby. This was real.

"Is everything okay with the baby?" Ivy asked.

I had a feeling she felt a little guilty for not wanting this pregnancy at first. Now she was all in and scared she'd lose the baby as a result of her initial reluctance.

Dr. Edison nodded. "Everything looks great. Want to hear the heartbeat?"

"I didn't even know we could do that yet," I said.

"Sometimes you can." The doctor withdrew the wand and used a second instrument on her belly. When the whooshing sound filled the room, I asked, "Is that the heartbeat?"

"It's more rapid than ours."

I couldn't get over how fast it was beating. It was as fast I'd imagine a butterfly's would be.

When he removed the instrument, the sound fell away, and I was left with the overwhelming sense of protectiveness for Ivy and the baby she was carrying. It was my job to support both of them.

"Do you have any nausea?" Dr. Edison asked Ivy.

"No, actually. Does that mean the baby isn't as strong or viable?" Ivy asked, and I was struck that she hadn't shared this concern with me. I figured she was relieved not to have morning sickness.

"Some say that nausea can verify the pregnancy is still viable. I think that comforts those that suffer from it. But a lot of new moms don't experience any discomfort. You're one of the lucky few."

Ivy's forehead wrinkled. "But miscarriage is still a possibility?"

"In the early stages. So it would be a good idea to wait to tell your family and friends for another month."

The doctor finished the exam and then turned away to wash his hands. "You can schedule your next appointment in a month. Congratulations to you both."

He walked out, and I was struck by the fact that he was the first one to congratulate us.

I helped her get off the table. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? We're going to be parents."

She moved to the chair where her clothes were carefully folded. "It makes it more real."

"It was kind of amazing though, hearing the heartbeat."

"Yeah." There was something about the tone in her voice. She was upset.

I waited for her to finish getting dressed, and then I stepped closer. "What's wrong?'

She blinked away tears. "I'm responsible for this human being."

"We're responsible. I'm in this with you," I assured her.

"It's so scary. I never intended to be a mother. I don't even know if I'll be a good one."

I tipped my head to the side, feeling a little incredulous. "You're amazing with your siblings. You spend time with them, you plan for their future, and you provide for them. If that's not the definition of a good, caring mother, then I don't know what is."

She blinked up at me.

"I have no doubt you'll be an incredible mother. No one will be fiercer than you in protecting this little one."

Ivy shook her head. "You sound so confident about that."

"That's because I am."

She rested her head on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her.

This was one of the first times she'd allowed herself to be vulnerable with me.

She'd admitted to feeling scared and unsure.

I reveled in the opportunity to be there for her.

I wondered if there would be more chances as she allowed herself to relax around me. To lower her guard.

Her stomach growled.

I leaned back to see her face. "You want to grab lunch?"

"Sure." Ivy stepped back, and I missed the contact immediately.

Other than sex, she never allowed me to linger. There was no cuddling. I wanted to get her in a bed in the worst way.

Lunch was an opportunity to discuss what things would look like as co-parents.

Would we each need a nursery? Would she allow me to watch the baby in my place or spend time at her place, to help her?

I was getting a little ahead of myself, but I was a planner.

I wanted to take care of everything so she didn't need to worry.

We chose a food truck so that we could sit on a picnic table with our toes in the sand. We ordered fish tacos and lemonades.

Ivy took a bite. "What is it about being pregnant that makes everything taste better?"

I chuckled. "I hadn't heard that."

"I'm speaking from experience." She took another large bite of her taco.

"Now that we know the baby is real, do you want to talk about logistics?" I asked her.

Her brow furrowed as she chewed and then sipped her lemonade. "What logistics?"

"Do you want me to move in with you at some point so I can help at night? I've read that babies can be up at all hours. I don't want you to handle that alone."

Ivy shook her head. "I haven't even thought that far ahead."

"I can set up a nursery at my place too." I had plenty of money saved up to do whatever was necessary. "Do you want me to get two of everything and have it delivered to your house? I can assemble everything for you too."

Ivy chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I have lists of things I'll need. I've already researched the safest items."

"I didn't realize you'd done that." I'd hoped to take something off her to-do list.

"I've been looking at that since I first found out. Research helps me relax."

I filed that information away for later. "So you know what you want?"

"I just need to order everything. I've been holding off because I'm worried it will jinx the pregnancy."

I reached across the table and covered her hand with mine. "Miscarriages can happen to anyone. I don't think you will jinx it."

She chewed her lip. "I'm not ready to buy anything yet. Maybe in a few more weeks."

"Can you share the list with me, so I can take a look?"

"Of course." She hadn't said anything about me helping out at her place. I took that as a good sign that she hadn't said no.

"I'm happy to be here for you, however you want my help."

I had a feeling she'd want to do everything herself, but it wasn’t necessary.

"I haven't thought about how things would be afterward. Other than to worry about how I'll work."

"You intend to go back to work right away or after a maternity leave?"

"I don't get paid if I don't work, so I'll need to keep doing something."

She didn't have certain benefits like she would with a regular nine-to-five. "You have health insurance?"

She nodded. "You don't need to worry about that."

"I'm happy to pay for anything you'd need to so you can stay home."

She shook her head. "That's too much. You can buy the diapers or something. But I can provide for our home."

"You should be able to work and stay with the baby if you want. I'm happy to support you."

"You know I don't want you to do that. Besides, you'd only end up resenting me."

"You're carrying our baby. You're the one who's doing all the work. I just want to help in any way I can."

"And you are," Ivy said curtly.

I took that as my cue to back off for now. I didn't want her to feel pressured to go back to work right away, but at the same time, who would watch the baby, because I worked too? "Maybe I should talk to my dad about stepping back from work for a while."

Her brow furrowed, and she shifted slightly to face me. "Why would you do that?"

"So I can take care of the baby while you work. I want to bond with the baby too." How could she argue with that?

She held up her hand. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. We have a while before we need to think about this stuff."

"Are you planning on reserving a daycare? I've heard you need to hold your place fairly soon."

Ivy blew out a breath. "I don't want to leave the baby at a daycare. But I don't have anyone who could babysit. Maybe I could look into a nanny."

I liked the idea of that. I'd heard that babies were more exposed to germs at daycares with other kids.

Ivy was thoughtful. "It's not like I work a set number of hours. My job is flexible. I can do as much or as little as I want."

The air was warm today and the breeze light. We had a few months to get used to the idea of being co-parents, of working together so that we could care for this baby. But what would it be like when he or she was born?

"Our baby will be around the same age as Dalton's. They'll grow up together. Or at least, I hope they will."

Her nose scrunched. "I'd heard that Oakley was threatening not to let Dalton be involved."

I knew the girls talked about the drama from Dalton's baby's mother.

"It's a mess because Oakley has a lot of power.

Dalton spoke to an attorney, and he's prepared to go to court if she doesn't let him see the baby after he or she is born.

He doesn't have a right to be in the delivery room.

But he would like to be called when she's in labor, and he'd like to see the baby shortly thereafter. "

Ivy frowned. "I don't have any intention of blocking you from seeing our baby. But I'm not sure how I feel about the delivery room yet."

I reached across the table and covered her hand with mine. "There's no rush to make a decision about the delivery. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. You should have whomever you want there."

Ivy looked away from me. "It's not like my mother would be supportive. I suppose I could ask a friend."

"Whatever you want," I said.

She frowned. "But I'd never stop you from seeing the baby.”

"I didn't think you would." I was more concerned about whether she'd let me support her. Be there emotionally and financially. So far, she'd rebuffed any financial offers.

I pulled my hand away, and Ivy asked, "Have you talked to a lawyer?" Then she shook her head. "Never mind. It's none of my business."

"I haven't. I don't have any plans to either.

" I couldn't imagine why I'd need to do anything at this point.

I knew how the system worked, thanks to conversations with Dalton.

But I wanted to work with Ivy as much as possible, and I held out hope that she'd be a lot more reasonable than Oakley had been.

"I can't imagine why Oakley would want all this drama around her when she's pregnant. I just want quiet so I can think about everything I need to do."

"Maybe she likes the drama. I can't figure her out. But it hasn't endeared any of us to her. If she thought it would draw Dalton in, it backfired."

Ivy nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought. He's doing the right thing."

Whether Ivy would let me in to support her as a mother-to-be was the issue. "Thanks for letting me come to the doctor's appointment. It made everything more real."

Ivy nodded. "You're welcome to come anytime."

When the office staff had repeated the appointment time and date, I'd committed it to memory. I wanted to know that Ivy and the baby were okay. "We're going to get through this. I don't have all the details worked out yet. But I trust that we can figure this out together."