The Difference
Page 20
“Tiny, but mighty,” she jokes. “How about we see if we can hear the heartbeat?”
Luke stands and walks to me. “Will that hurt either one of them?” he asks, concerned.
“Not at all. We use a doppler. It’s external and completely safe.”
His grip on my hand is firm as we watch Dr. Edwards place a wand on my still flat belly and move it around. Seconds tick by that feel like minutes. Is something wrong? Why can’t she find it? There are a thousand questions running through my mind when I hear a steady thunderous beat fill the room.
“Nice and strong.” Dr. Edwards smiles.
I hear Luke take a deep breath, and as if I needed that to remind me, I do the same. “Is it supposed to be that fast?” I ask her.
“Yes. Perfectly normal.” She holds the wand still, letting us listen to our baby. “Everything looks great. We’ll see you back at twelve weeks. Continue to take your prenatal vitamins, and if you need us before then, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.” She gathers the doppler, hands me a few paper towels to wipe the gel from my belly, and leaves the room.
“I love you.” Lucas bends down and places a feather-soft kiss to my lips.
“I love you too.” I smile up at him. “Can we go eat now or do you have to go back to work?”
“We can eat. I’m off the rest of the afternoon.”
“Taco Bell?” I ask hopefully.
He laughs. “Anything you want, Addy.”
After I climb off the exam table with his help, I get dressed. We stop at the desk and make my next appointment. Lucas puts it in his phone, and my heart stutters in my chest. How could I have ever believed he would hurt me? He loves with all that he is. I don’t know what brought him to the bar that night, but I will be forever grateful he was there and interrupted our conversation.
As soon as we’re in his truck, my phone rings. I smile when I see Harper’s name. “Hello.”
“Well, how did it go?” I hear the excitement in her voice.
“Everything looks good. We go back in four weeks.”
“Come over to our place. We’re throwing some burgers on the grill.”
“Are you home?”
“Yeah, I called Just, and we wanted to celebrate with you and Luke, so we ended our days early. It’s all set up.”
I glance over at Luke. “Your choice, baby.”
“Okay. We’re headed there now. What can we bring? We can stop and get something.”
“Nothing. Just your appetite. I’m so happy for you, Addyson. You deserve this happiness.”
“So do you. See you soon,” I tell her. “So…” I turn to Luke. “Taco Bell will just have to wait.”
“We can go through the drive-thru and take it with us,” he offers.
“No, that’s fine. It just sounded good.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. Besides, the chance to catch up with Harper is way more appealing. I’ve only seen her a few times in the last couple of weeks.”
“That’s because you were both busy moving to new places.”
“I know. There have been so many changes, I don’t want to lose my close friendship with her.”
“You won’t,” he assures me.
When we get to Justin and Harper’s, she rushes outside and pulls me into a hug. “I miss you, momma,” she says, placing her hand on my belly.
“Is this how this pregnancy is going to go? You plan on feeling me up every time you see me?” I joke.
“Maybe. I can’t wait until you start showing.” She steps back and motions for us to follow her inside.
“Hey,” Justin greets as we enter the living room. “How did the appointment go?”
“We heard the baby’s heartbeat,” Luke tells them. “It’s this loud, fast whooshing sound. I can’t explain it, but it was unreal.”
“Congrats, man.” Justin nods in our direction.
“Oh, I have something for you.” Harper hops off the arm of the couch where Justin is sitting and grabs a small green bag before handing it to us.
“Harper, you didn’t have to,” I tell her.
“Hush. I’m Auntie Harper. I can buy my niece or nephew whatever I want.”
I shake my head at her and begin pulling out the tissue paper. I throw my head back and laugh when I see what it is. “Really, Harp?”
“It’s cute, right?”
I hold up the little yellow onesie to show Luke. My aunt rocks! is plastered on the front.
“Thanks.” Luke smiles over at her.
She grins at us both. “I can’t wait to throw you a shower. Have you thought about the room?” she asks.
“A little. But it’s still early,” I remind her. She knows I’m worried I could miscarry. The earliest chances are before twelve weeks. Luke and I agreed to not do anything to the house until we pass that mark.
“It’s going to be fine,” she assures me.
“Is this what we have to look forward to?” Justin asks Harper.
“Yes,” she says softly. “Okay.” She turns to look at us. “You ready to eat?”
“Yes,” I say immediately, and they all laugh. “I’ll help.” I stand up and follow her to the kitchen. A few minutes later, the guys join us.
“I’ll start the burgers.” Justin kisses Harper on the lips, then takes the plate of hamburger patties from her.
She watches the guys step out on the deck, before turning back to me. “So mac and cheese with Velveeta. I know it’s your fave.”
“I love you.”
She chuckles. “I love you too, Addy, and I’m so happy for you.”
“I think this is going to be your future soon,” I tell her.
“Maybe, if it is, I’ll accept it with open arms. If not, I’m in no rush. I love him. I know we’ll get there.”
We get busy making the macaroni and cheese and catching up. Luke sticks his head in through the open door and tells us the burgers are ready and wants to know where we want to eat.
“Inside,” Harper and I say at the same time. Luke just smiles and shakes his head.
We pile our plates with food and gather around the kitchen island. Harper and I talk about her plans to do some remodeling on the hotel she manages. Luke and Justin are talking shop as well. It’s a great day with even better company.
“I’m stuffed.” Harper stands.
“Harp, sit down. I’ll get it.”
“I’ve got it,” she tells Justin.
“Babe, please,” he says, and as if his words melt her, she slides back to her seat. When Justin stands and drops to one knee, I gasp and cover my mouth, not wanting to ruin the moment. “Harper Scott, I love you more today than yesterday, and I already know I’ll love you even more tomorrow.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little black box. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she screeches, pulling him to his feet and wrapping herself around him. Her hand shakes as he slides the ring on her finger.
We congratulate them with a round of hugs, and Harper and I make plans to have dinner this week to start planning our weddings. Lucas and I thank them for dinner before heading home.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day,” Lucas says, pulling his shirt over his head.
“I agree. I’m so happy for them.” I say where I’m lounging on our bed.
Lucas climbs on the bed beside me and slides his arm under my head. He snuggles in close, resting his hand on my belly. My sweater is short and has ridden up a little. The feel of his skin against mine is something I cherish. I turn into him and run my fingers over his short beard.
“More than just that. I’m still in awe of hearing our baby’s heartbeat. It’s a miracle that this tiny human the size of a raspberry is growing inside of you.” He rests his forehead against mine.
“It’s surreal,” I agree.
He closes his eyes, but I keep mine open, watching him. “I promise you and this baby I’ll always be there. I’ll love you both with everything in me. I know that all of this is fast,
Addy, but that doesn’t make it any less real. I want you. I want this baby, and I want this life we’re building together. I want more babies,” he says softly. “But most of all, I want to always be the difference for you. I want to be the one you know you can count on no matter what the situation or the outcome. Through good times and in bad, I want you always.”
“Sounds like you just wrote your vows,” I say softly.
“Speaking of vows.” He opens his eyes. “You ready to start planning our wedding?”
“I already have.”
He props himself up on his elbows. “Really?”
“Yes. I want to have it here. Just our immediate friends and family. Small and intimate. Our love is big. We don’t need all the pomp and ceremony. I just want to marry you.”
“Anything you want.”
“What about you? Did you want a big wedding?”
“Does any guy want a big wedding?” A smile stretches his lips, making my heart flip with happiness. “All that matters at the end of the day is you becoming Addyson Grace Prescott.” He kisses my nose. “When?”
“Soon. I’d like to not be showing, or barely showing.”
“Done. You tell me when and what I need to do, and it’s done. I don’t know the first thing about planning a wedding, but I can follow directions.”
“I don’t want it to be stressful. I want to keep it simple.”
“How about we plan a get-together, tell our friends and family it’s just to get everyone together. When they get here, it’s our wedding?” he asks, excitement in his voice.
“I love it. No fanfare, just us and those we value the most.”
“I love you, Addy.”
“I love you too, Luke.”
Epilogue
Four years later
* * *
Lucas
* * *
I stand off to the side of the room watching my wife. She’s sitting on the couch, our three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Emma Grace, on her lap, and our one-month-old son, Graham Lucas, on Emma’s lap. Addy has the patience of a saint when it comes to our children. Hell, with life. Nothing seems to faze her. Earlier today, Emma came into the living room with a poopy diaper hanging from her hands. She was so proud of herself that she changed her baby’s diaper. Addy rushed out of the room to check on Graham who was sleeping peacefully in the bassinet beside our bed.
I was still standing there, with a shitty diaper in my hands, looking down at my daughter who is the spitting image of her mamma. I was getting ready to scold her, which only makes us both feel like shit. When those big brown eyes, that are so much Addyson, well with tears, I’m a goner. The problem with that is my Emma knows my weakness. Before I could get on her, Addyson was back in the living room kneeling before her. That’s when the truth came out.
Emma took a dirty diaper from the diaper pail and put it on her baby, the one Addy found in the hallway, with shit all over it. They tell you parenting is a challenge, but they don’t mention all the bodily functions that happen. For instance, my son used to piss on me every single time I changed his diaper. Finally, Addyson took pity on me and showed me how to maneuver to cover him up with the new diaper so I miss the spray. Like I said, my wife has the patience of a saint. She is the backbone of our family.
Today, our parents, as well as Harper and Justin are here to welcome baby Graham home. We did the same thing with Emma. Once we get settled, we invite them all over for some food and family time.
“Daddy!” Siler, my two-year-old son says, rushing toward me. He wraps his little arms around my legs squeezing as tight as he can. “Up.” He holds out his arms for me to lift him.
“What’s up?” I ask him.
“Take the baby.” He points to the couch.
“That’s your baby brother. We love him,” I tell him. He’s not taking too kindly to no longer being the baby in the family.
“My mommy.”
“She is your mommy, but she’s Graham’s mommy too, and Emma’s.”
“Siler,” my dad says, joining us. “You know you have to teach Graham how to play when he gets older. He’s going to need his big brother to show him the ropes.”
“Take baby,” he says.
“Nice try, Dad. He’s two,” I remind him.
“Come to Gramps. We’ll go outside and throw the ball.”
“Ball!” Siler cheers, and leaps from my arms to Dad’s. Mom meets them at the door and they disappear outside.
I watch as my mother-in-law steals Graham from Addy, while my father-in-law holds his hand out for Emma. She skips off with him as they head outside as well. Harper and Justin are already in the pool with their two-and-a-half-year-old, Sadie. She just told us earlier today that they’re expecting baby number two. I enjoy giving Justin a hard time telling him he needs to catch up. They had trouble conceiving at first, but this time around things seemed to happen faster for them. I’m glad. They deserve it.
“What are you doing over here?” Addy asks, snaking her arms around my waist.
“Just thinking.”
“Oh, yeah? About what?” She looks up at me, and to this day, I still see nothing but love shining back at me.
“About us, life, our family. How that night I walked into Stagger I didn’t realize what my life was missing. Not until I walked past your table and decided to butt into your conversation.”
“Never in a million years did I see this becoming our lives.”
“You happy?” I ask her this question a lot because if the answer is ever no, I have work to do whatever it takes to make her happy. She’s given me so much. However, she always says the same thing.
“Deliriously happy.”
I pull her into me and place a kiss on her temple. “Love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too.” She places her hands on either side of my face. “How could I not? You’re the difference.”
Thank you
I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to read The Difference. I’d love to hear from you.
Contact Kaylee Ryan:
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Acknowledgments
To my readers:
Twenty-five books! When I published my first book almost six years ago, I never could have imaged that this is where I would be. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have you on this ride with me. You’re making my dreams a reality. Sure, it takes hard work, a great team and a lot of dedication on my end, but to know you’re all out there reading my words, and falling in love with my characters as I do. That’s humbling beyond belief. Thank you so much for taking a chance on me.
To my family:
I love you. You hold me up and support me every day. I can’t imagine my life without you as my support system. Thank you for believing in me, and being there to celebrate my success.
Sara Eirew:
Thank you for another cover worthy image.
* * *
Tami Integrity Formatting:
Thank you for making The Difference paperback beautiful. You’re amazing and I cannot thank you enough for all that you do.
Sommer Stein:
My beta team:
Jamie, Stacy, Lauren, and Franci I would be lost without you. You read my words as much as I do, and I can’t tell you what your input and all the time you give means to me. Countless messages and bouncing idea, you ladies keep me sane with the characters are being anything but. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking this wild ride with me.
Give Me Books:s
With every release, your team works diligently to get my book in the hands of bloggers. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for your services.
Tempting Illustrations:
Thank you for everything. I would be lost without you.
Julie Deaton:
Thank you for giving this book a set of fresh final eyes.
Becky Johnson:
I could not do this without you. Thank you for pushing me, and making me work for it.
Marisa Corvisiero:
Thank you for all that you do. I know I’m not the easiest client. I’m blessed to have you on this journey with me.
Kimberly Ann:
Thank you for organizing and tracking the ARC team. I couldn’t do it without you.
Bloggers:
Thank you, doesn’t seem like enough. You don’t get paid to do what you do. It’s from the kindness of your heart and your love of reading that fuels you. Without you, without your pages, your voice, your reviews, spreading the word it would be so much harder if not impossible to get my words in reader’s hands. I can’t tell you how much your never-ending support means to me. Thank you for being you, thank you for all that you do.
To my Kick Ass Crew: