Page 20 of This Memory (Moose Village #3)

Evelyn gasped next to me and squeezed my hand. “The baby’s moving! I see the little arms. Oh my gosh, is that the heart beating?”

Dr. Lark smiled. “Yes, it is. The baby’s measuring three-quarters of an inch. Let’s measure the heartbeat.”

The sound of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room, and Evelyn dropped my hand, struggling to hold her phone with both hands.

“Heartbeat is strong and healthy at 176 beats per minute.”

I turned to see Evelyn crying. I blinked back my own tears and focused on the screen as Dr. Lark pointed things out about the beats.

“By the measurements, and the fact that we know the date of conception, the baby is exactly eight weeks and two days.”

“The due date is still June twenty-third?” Evelyn asked.

Dr. Lark nodded. “It is, indeed. Here are a few pictures I printed for you. ”

“Thank you so much, Dr. Lark!” Evelyn said, hugging the doctor.

“You’re welcome. Now, you can head back out to the waiting room while Brystol gets dressed.”

Evelyn seemed a little taken aback for half a second. “Uh, yes…yes, of course.”

She turned to me and smiled, but I could tell it was forced. “I’ll be in the waiting room.”

Fifteen minutes later, as we walked to the parking lot, I found out why Evelyn seemed so surprised when she was asked to leave the room.

“Brystol, we need to discuss your appointments with Dr. Lark.”

We were parked next to one another, and I leaned against my car. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t like that they kept me waiting for as long as they did. What were you and Dr. Lark talking about?”

My eyes widened, as Denny gently grabbed Evelyn’s arm and attempted to get her into the car.

“I beg your pardon?”

“We’re paying for those visits!” Evelyn said loudly, as Denny closed his eyes and let out a small sigh.

I drew in a slow breath, reaching for patience. “Yes, you are, as part of the agreement that I carry your child in my body.”

She pointed to my stomach. “Exactly! That’s my child! I had every right to be in that room the entire time.”

I folded my arms over my chest and tried to stay calm. I didn’t know what Evelyn was going through, and I was sure most of this anger was about her being unable to carry the child herself .

“Evelyn, I’m not just some baby vessel. I’m a person .

I’m your best friend—in case you forgot—and I agreed to do this for you because I love you and Denny, and I desperately want you to have a baby.

But…this is still my body, my life, and my privacy.

Dr. Lark asked me how I was feeling, and how I was doing, because believe it or not, the two things are separate—me and the baby.

“I will do everything in my power to keep this child safe, and I will do everything in my power to eat right, exercise, and keep my stress levels down, because I do want you to have this baby. I need you to trust that I will always have your best interests at heart. But, at the same time, Eve, I deserve to have a wand stuck up my vagina in privacy, without you and Denny watching.”

Denny held up his hands. “I didn’t want to watch, for the record.”

Evelyn closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Denny asked me not to say anything, and I shouldn’t have. I just don’t want to miss anything!”

“I swear, we just talked about how I’ve been feeling, whether I’ve been eating well, experiencing any morning sickness, things like that.

Dr. Lark would have asked you to come in if it was just questions about the baby.

She understands how the process works. But in the future, Eve, I’m going to continue to go in first, do what I need to do, and then you can come in.

When we do the regular ultrasounds, Denny’s more than welcome in the room.

I know this is your baby, and I’m not trying to take anything away from you. ”

She nodded and wiped tears away. “I know. I’m just… I wish it were me. ”

I took her hands in mine and gave them a soft squeeze. “I know. I do too.”

Drawing her to me, I hugged her while Denny mouthed that he was sorry.

I honestly couldn’t imagine how they were feeling, and I had to remind myself that as time went on, and it became more apparent I was pregnant, I was going to have to accept Evelyn would likely have an even harder time with things. That was evident.

We stepped apart, and Evelyn took a tissue Denny handed her. “Can we take you to get something to eat?”

I shook my head. “No, I have to get back to the store. Rain check?”

Evelyn nodded as Denny gave me a quick hug. “Thanks, Bry,” he whispered, before stepping back toward Evelyn.

“Be careful driving,” I told them.

Then I slipped into my car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Oh my gosh,” I whispered to myself. “This is going to be a long pregnancy.”

When I returned to Memory Lane Toys, I had to push Evelyn to the back of my mind. We were busy since it was getting closer to Christmas. I made a mental note to put an ad out to hire some seasonal help.

After the day was finally over, I went to flip the sign on the door to closed and saw Gavin standing there. He was dressed in his uniform, and damn if he didn’t look hot as hell.

I opened the door and motioned for him to come in. I looked both ways down the sidewalk and shut the door, flipping the sign and pulling down the new shade I’d had installed after my midnight rendezvous with Gavin. If that was going to happen again, I didn’t want anyone from the street to see us.

“You alone?” he asked, walking toward the counter.

“Nelly left just moments ago, out the back door. We were packed this afternoon.”

“Christmastime is good for the toy business.”

I smiled. “It is.”

“How did the appointment go today?”

My smile faded, and a look of worry appeared on Gavin’s handsome face.

“Everything is fine with the baby. We saw the little peanut on the ultrasound and heard its heartbeat. Dr. Lark said everything looked great.”

He nodded. “That’s good news, but why do you not look happy?”

I sighed. “I’m happy. I’m just annoyed.”

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

I looked at his uniform. “You still working?”

“Nope, my shift is over.”

Walking up to him, I placed a hand on his chest. “As sexy as you are in this uniform, and as awesome as it would be to have a bit of fun in the storage room, I’m starving. Care to take a knocked-up woman out to eat?”

Gavin laughed. “Rumors will start.”

I shrugged. “Who cares? I mean, unless you do?”

He shook his head. “I’d be honored to take you out to dinner. What are you in the mood for?”

“A stromboli with extra jalapenos.”

He screwed up his face. “Extra?”

“Yep!” I replied, popping the P.

“Slice, Slice, Baby?” he asked .

Hitting him lightly on the chest, I replied, “Is there anywhere else to get good pizza?”

He chuckled. “Not in Moose Village.”

“Do you want to head home and change, then pick me up at my place?”

A brilliant smile broke out on his face. “It’s a date.”

I almost put a hand to my stomach when I felt the butterflies. “It’s a date,” I repeated.

Cupping my face in his hands, Gavin leaned down and kissed me so softly, I couldn’t help but let out a moan. When he drew back, he slowly exhaled.

“One day, I’m going to hear that moan when I’m buried deep inside of you.”

My entire body shivered, and I wanted to say something sexy, but I was too busy picturing what Gavin had just painted in words.

“I feel sick,” I mumbled, as Gavin and I walked up the sidewalk to my house.

When he didn’t say anything, I stopped and faced him. “Don’t be a gentleman right now, Gavin.”

“What do you mean?”

“I need you to make some kind of smartass comment like you would have in the past.”

He laughed. “I’m not going to comment on the two pieces of pizza you ate, after you ate half a stromboli—or the monster chocolate brownie you ate after the pizza and stromboli.”

I smiled. “It was a lot of food, wasn’t it? ”

“Your body needs the energy. You’re growing a baby.”

With a slow shake of my head, I let out a soft laugh. “You’re taking this new friendship seriously.”

He reached for my hand and kissed the back of it. “I think we’ve moved on from friendship, Bry.”

I felt my cheeks blush. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

“No,” he said with a wink. “I’m off the next few days, and I’ll be on the sidelines cheering for you in the Turkey Trot.”

My head drew back in surprise. “How did you know I’d be running in it?”

He grinned. “You run it every year, and you have since high school. Except for that one year when you and Aurora went to Montreal for a bachelorette party, I believe.”

I was so surprised that he knew I ran the Turkey Trot every year—and specifically knew the year I’d missed—that I was stunned into silence for a few moments. “How did you know that?”

He shrugged. “I paid attention to what you were doing. Some might call it stalking, but I wouldn’t go that far.”

Laughing, I grabbed his coat and pulled him to me. I kissed him and whispered, “Will you stay the night tonight?”

I watched as he swallowed hard, then nodded. “I can stay the night.”

Smiling, I replied, “Good.”

I took his hand in mine and walked up the steps to the front door.

I unlocked it, and we stepped inside. The moment I turned the lights on and turned to ask if he wanted something to drink, Gavin pinned me against the door and kissed me.

It wasn’t a soft and sweet kiss. It was a rough and passionate kiss.

One that said he’d been wanting to do that all night.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I got lost in the kiss. Gavin lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“My bedroom,” I panted. “Now.”

Gavin started up the steps to the second floor as if I weighed nothing.

“In a few months, that might be harder to do.”

He grinned and quickly made his way upstairs. Once we got up to the top of the steps, his mouth found mine again. In my room, he gently lay me on the bed, not once taking his mouth from mine.