Page 25 of Tempting Bo (Montgomery Dreams #2)
Savannah gets up on the bed and obediently pulls her shirt up and her shorts down, baring her flat stomach. She’s practically shivering with nerves.
“It’ll be a little cold and I’ll have to apply some pressure in a few places,” the technician warns, “but nothing will hurt.”
Savannah looks like a scared kid right now, clutching onto her mother’s hand like she’s worried she’ll get lost at the fair. All of her argumentative attitude has drained away, leaving her nothing more than a girl about to be confronted with the truth.
She looks so terrified that I almost feel bad, but the memory of my heartbreak is still too fresh for guilt to take hold.
There’s no guilt for what she did to me, no apology in the look she sends me. She’s still only thinking of herself, her own selfish desires, her own cruel plans. I would have been nothing more than a footnote in her story if she got away with this.
She won’t get away with it.
The tech places the little probe against Savannah’s bare stomach. She sucks in a breath and digs her nails into her mother’s hand. The screen fills with a mix of black and gray shapes.
She says nothing as she moves the probe, snapping stills on the machine of various different angles.
I have no clue what I’m looking at, and nerves build in my gut, too.
What if we’re wrong? What if Savannah’s been telling the truth this whole time?
Will Bo really stand by his word? Will he stand by me?
“Alrighty, the doctor will be in shortly to discuss the images with you,” the tech says pleasantly.
The four of us stay silent as we wait for the doctor to come in, awkward and uncertain of what’s about to happen.
Hailey grabs hold of my hand and brushes her thumb soothingly across my knuckles.
It’s the only thing that keeps me from pacing the length of the room as we wait.
Thankfully, the wait isn’t long, and a doctor who looks to be in his mid-forties steps into the room with a warm smile.
He introduces himself, but I can’t hear anything over the rushing of my own pulse. Is she pregnant or not?
My senses slowly fade back in as he takes the probe in his own hand, talking to Savannah quietly as he looks through the same incomprehensible blob of black and gray. After what feels like hours, he finally pulls the probe away and strips his gloves off.
“Well, Ms. Ward, as far as I can tell, there’s no sign of pregnancy,” he says, and I sigh so harshly I worry my lungs will come out of my throat. “You said you’re nearly four months along?”
“I—yes, I took a test!” she insists. “My other ultrasound showed things were progressing normally, I went last week!”
The doctor glances between Savannah and the rest of us, seemingly unsure of what to say. I doubt he knows the details of why we’re all here, but it’s a small town, and rumors spread like wildfire.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he knew something .
“All I can say is that there’s no signs of pregnancy, Ms. Ward.”
“So I… I miscarried?” Savannah asks blankly.
If she was anyone else, I might believe that she’s in shock.
I might believe that she believed she was pregnant all along.
But I don’t miss the flash of rage in her eyes, nor the desperate fear making her lip tremble that has nothing to do with the loss of a pregnancy.
No, she looks like she did in high school when someone else wore the same outfit as her.
She looks mad, but not heartbroken. Scared, but not sickened by the news.
The urge to hit her rises again.
At her side, Andrea’s eyes fill with tears, a broken sob tearing from her lips. I guess dear old Mom really wasn’t in on the lie.
“There’s no evidence of a miscarriage,” the doctor says carefully, keeping his tone soft and level. “My best guess is that your pregnancy test was a false positive. I’m very sorry, Ms. Ward.”
“But the first ultrasound showed…”
Andrea trails off, stricken with grief. My heart twinges in sympathy for her, but it evaporates when I see the rage building on Savannah’s face. She looks like a cornered animal trying to figure out the best way out.
“I’m not sure where you went for your first ultrasound, Ms. Ward, but I assure you, there’s no sign of pregnancy, past or present.” The doctor speaks gently, but there’s no trace of uncertainty in his voice. “I’m going to give you the room to process. Please take as long as you need.”
He leaves with a quiet click of the door, and the four of us are left with nothing but an oppressive feeling of dread.
I wish I could feel victorious, but I just feel kind of sick. It’s all a bit anticlimactic, even though this is the most important part of this whole mess. I just… I want it to be over.
Andrea is crying softly, tears slipping down her slim cheeks, but Savannah just looks shell shocked.
Her face is pinched into a frown, bright blue eyes narrowed as she glares at the tile floor.
Hailey told me in the text she sent while we were still in the cafe that she planned to just make a quiet exit after the ultrasound.
It doesn’t seem like she’s keen on rubbing this in anyone’s face either, but Savannah’s head snaps up as soon as we head toward the door.
“You set this up,” she hisses accusingly. “You and your useless fucking son and perfect little Kenzie .”
Hailey looks at her, honest sympathy in her eyes along with a bright flare of protectiveness.
“Yes,” she says simply. “Oakley and Kenzie saw you drinking and riding the mechanical bull at the rodeo, and Bo can’t remember spending the night with you at all. It was enough to raise some suspicion. I don’t think we can be blamed for wanting proof, especially with how things turned out.”
She doesn’t let her voice turn bitter or accusatory, but Savannah springs up from the bed like she’s been scalded.
“I miscarried because Bo wouldn’t step up!” she screeches. “He’s been ditching me at every turn and I’ve been under so much emotional strain that I lost my baby!”
She doesn’t place a hand over her stomach as she says it, and there’s nothing but fury on her face.
I don’t think she even realizes that she’s just proving us right all over again.
This isn’t the picture of a grieving mother-to-be.
This is a stubborn, spoiled girl who didn’t get what she wanted and is lashing out.
“The doctor said you were never pregnant,” Hailey says sharply. “You can’t tell us where you got your first ultrasound because you never did . You’ve been lying and faking this whole time, and it’s over. You lost.”
Andrea’s head whips up, anger painted clearly on her face, and she stands with her hands balled into fists at her sides.
“How dare you call my daughter a liar?” she bites out. “This is the most painful moment of her life, and you?—”
“She is a liar,” Hailey says sharply. “She’s a liar, and a cheat, and a spoiled little bitch. If I ever see you or any of your family near any of us again, the first thing I’ll be doing is filing a restraining order. Stay away from my son, Savannah. And my daughters.”
She wraps a lean arm around my shoulder and holds her chin high as Savannah and Andrea stare at her in a mix of shock and anger.
And then we just leave. We walk out of the room and through the lobby and out onto the sidewalk. The air is chilly and a little damp, but it feels so crisp and clean in my lungs. I feel good.
For the first time in months, I feel okay .
Hailey wraps her arms around me in a thrilled hug, an overwhelmed laugh falling from her lips.
I squeeze her tight against me, pouring every ounce of emotion into the embrace.
I can feel it all echoed right back at me, the relief, the anger, the half-hearted sorrow for Savannah, even after everything she put us through.
“Thank you,” I whisper into her hair. “I was so scared Bo would just go through with it. I couldn’t have done this without you and Oakley. Just… thank you.”
The familiar scent of her shampoo is soothing, as is the golden light that filters through the blond strands as we curl into each other’s arms on the sidewalk. I pull back, happy tears clinging to my lashes, and laugh again when she cups my face in her hands adoringly.
“Don’t be silly,” she says, but her eyes are shining with tears, too. “Like I’d accept anyone but you as my daughter in law. The only wedding I’ll be planning for Bo is with you.”