“You’re an asshole,” she mumbled, her heart pounding.
He chuckled. “And you’re the whore who landed us all in this position. What’s worse, Emily? A whore who fucks her boyfriend’s friend or an asshole who’s making her pay for it?”
As his sickening statement crushed through her head, the door swung open. Gavin and the doctor entered from the hall. Crossing the room rapidly, Gavin was at her side in a second, his face twisted in worry. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as Emily stood and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“What happened?” she asked. She breathed in his scent, automatically calmed by his presence. She looked into his eyes, trying to keep tears from her own. “I sent you a text. You never called back.”
“I left my phone at the office and didn’t realize it until I was halfway through the city. I got caught in traffic. It was a mess.” He looked at Emily’s face, picking up that she was worried about more than his absence. Something else was there. His stomach surged, twisting with anger. He flicked his eyes to Dillon, then back to Emily. “Is everything all right?”
Emily felt him freeze as though he’d suddenly been encased in ice. She swallowed, a knot swelling in her throat. She nodded, not wanting to tell him what’d happened. Gavin was already on edge. If he thought Dillon gave her even the tiniest of dirty looks, without a doubt, there would be bloodshed in that office.
“Nothing happened?” he asked more intently, staring between her and Dillon. From the chair across the room, Dillon peered at them.
She nodded again and reached up to kiss him. Gavin sighed as her lips met his. He tried to fight off the gnawing feeling she was hiding something. A heartbeat later, he helped her onto the table, his hand smoothing over her belly as she exposed her glorious flesh. She looked at him and smiled. Warming immediately, Gavin pulled up a chair and sat next to her. As he held Emily’s hand, Gavin’s eyes locked on Dillon. He was starting to think the idea of allowing him to be present was something he’d regret forever. Fuck. This child could be his, and that asshole had no right to be here during something so joyous.
“So how’ve you been feeling, Miss Cooper?” the doctor asked, flipping through her chart. He placed the clipboard on his desk and moved toward the sink. “I see you’re still having some nausea?”
“I am. But it’s down to the evenings only now.”
“Try a hot cup of chamomile or ginger tea,” he said, washing his hands. After drying them, he padded across the room, slipped on a pair of gloves, and reached for the gel. “My wife swore on Saltine crackers when she was pregnant with all three of our boys.”
“Three boys?” Dillon leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. His mouth screwed into the faintest smirk. “I’m hoping we’re also having a boy.”
Tension from every direction dropped in the room like an atom bomb. Feeling Gavin’s hand tighten around hers, Emily whipped her head in his direction. He stared at Dillon with his mouth pressed into a rigid line, and her breath caught at the sight of Gavin’s eyes glowing like burning embers. Emily squeezed his hand, attempting to bring his attention back to her, but it didn’t work. Body bristling with noticeable rage, Gavin looked as though he was about to leap across the table.
“I love you,” she whispered.
That broke his trance. Seething, Gavin dragged his eyes from Dillon’s and focused on the reason he was there. He could do this. He would do this. He only hoped to God he would survive without killing Dillon.
The doctor cleared his throat. “Well, you’re just shy of twenty weeks. If we get some cooperation from the little one, we’ll know the sex in a few minutes.”
Calming her, the unease of the moment faded as Gavin gently stroked her hair. Emily zoned out Dillon as she zoned in on the monitor. Praying the soft, humming heartbeat swirling through the air like a sweet melody half belonged to the man next to her, Emily pulled in a deep breath as the doctor pushed his handy microphone against her abdomen.
After a few blinking beats, the doctor chuckled. “Look at that.” He pointed to the screen as he pressed a tad harder along the right side of Emily’s stomach. “Not sure of the sex yet, but that’s the baby with its fingers in its mouth.”
Emily squinted, trying to make out the blob on the screen, and then it hit her. She could see exactly what he was talking about. Tiny, delicate fingers drifted in and out of a small mouth with the tide of the fluid it was floating in. Eyes watery, she turned to Gavin, his expression just as awed as she felt.
The doctor eased the microphone across Emily’s stomach. “And if it’ll just open those legs a little more, we’ll know if you’ll need pink or blue clothing.” A series of whooshes, a harder press of the instrument, and a warm smile on the doctor’s face later, he said, “Congratulations, Miss Cooper. You’re having a boy.”
Emily let out a choked gasp, tears falling down her cheeks as she smiled at Gavin. She watched him swallow, his eyes misting over as he stared at the screen. He’d played it off that as long as the baby was healthy, he didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl. Of course she knew he honestly meant that, but the day she walked into the almost bare nursery and noticed a signed Yankees mitt and ball set up on the dresser, she knew her Yankees lover’s heart wanted a little boy.
Gavin pulled his chair closer, his eyes landing on Emily’s. He brushed his hand over her hair and looked at the doctor. “A boy? You’re sure?”
“That little body part right there tells me yes.” Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Dr. Richards pointed at the screen, his smile wide as he looked at Gavin. “They say not to do it, but considering I’ve seen thousands of those over the last thirty years, I’d say go out and buy some blue cigars in celebration.” The doctor cleared his throat and glanced at Dillon. Wearing a composed but taut smile, his tone held awkwardness as he spoke. “You go ahead and do the same.”
Dillon straightened his tie and stood. His bright brown eyes mimicked his fake smile. “I plan on doing so. My family’s going to be stoked it’s a boy.”
Gavin felt every fucking hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He rose from his chair, preparing to break every single bone in Dillon’s face, but Emily grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her side.
After wiping the gel from her stomach, Emily sat up and licked her lips that’d gone dry. “We’re finished, correct?” Her breath slipped from her mouth shakily despite her attempted poise. “I can use the restroom now?”
The doctor nodded, and with the aid of Gavin, Emily hopped off the table. Staring into his eyes, she lifted her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “I love you, Gavin Blake,” she whispered after a long moment. “Thank you for not doing what I know you could’ve so easily done. You continue to shock me. You also continue to make me fall further in love with you. My heart, soul, life, and body, you own it all.”
God. Never did Gavin imagine such simple words could make not turning into a lunatic worth every second. But those simple words weren’t spoken by a simple woman. They were thanks from his angel. Yeah, she had a way of making every struggle they’d endured worth it. He watched with adoration as she disappeared into the restroom.
Gavin swiped his hand through his hair. “Doc, while Emily’s cleaning up, I wanted to speak with you in private regarding a few things.”
“That’s not a problem.” The doctor shut down the sonogram machine and flipped on the lights. “We can talk in the hall.”
“No way, Blake.” With arrogance seeping through his pores, Dillon stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. “This baby is just as much my business as it is yours. No private bullshit.”
Crossing his arms, Gavin cupped his chin. He cocked his head to the side, a slow smirk lifting his mouth. “You’re correct, Dillon. My bad.” Bring it. He was about to blow Dillon’s fucking mind to pieces. Relaxing into a chair, Gavin’s smirk widened. “So, Doc, you see my girlfriend’s a total catch. The woman brings a whole new meaning to the word beautiful, right?”