“Tell me what they found, Jo, please,” he asked nervously.
Taking a deep breath, in I replied in a whisper, “A baby, Blake. They found a baby.”
I wasn’t quite sure, but it looked as though Blake had stopped functioning completely as he processed the news.
“A baby?”
I nodded. “They don’t know how far or anything else yet; I need to book in for an ultrasound,” I replied as I watched him carefully.
“I’m going to be a daddy?” his mouth lifted into a genuine happy smile.
“You’re going to be a daddy,” I choked out.
“I’m going to be a daddy,” he repeated. “We’re having a baby?”
“Yes.” I smiled as I took his hand and placed it to my stomach. “We are having a baby.” Blake’s arms instantly wrapped around me as he lifted me from my seat and spun me around in excitement.
“We’re having a baby!” he yelled at the top of his voice before he stopped spinning me and placed me back to the ground on shaky legs. “I love you so much,” he said as his hands cupped my face. “I love you I love you I love you I love you!” His lips crashed against mine as he kissed me over and over again, telling me he loved me between each kiss. “Marry me,” he said suddenly as he pulled away from my mouth.
“What?”
“Marry me,” he said again with conviction.
“No,” I replied with a giggle.
“Why not?” he asked, sounding wounded “We’re having a baby, Jo; let’s make it a complete family. Marry me.”
“You’re asking me because I’m pregnant.”
“Am not.”
“Am so.” I smiled. “Would you have asked me tonight if I hadn’t told you I was pregnant?” I teased.
Blake appeared to think for a while before replying, “I told you I wanted to marry you weeks ago, so technically I have already asked you.”
“You know that we will get married,” I said as my fingers trailed the line of his shirt collar. “Ask me properly one day, and I will say yes.” I smiled.
“You are one stubborn lady,” Blake said as he pulled me closer to him, “and I love you more than I could ever tell you. We’re having a baby. Wow.”
Blake didn’t stop fidgeting the whole time we sat in the waiting room to DR Greene’s office. We were about to have the first scan of our pregnancy, and for once I was the calm one. It was highly amusing watching Blake as he paced the floor, wearing the carpet visibly thin before stopping in front of a poster and reading it quickly before pacing again. When he eventually sat down, he flicked through magazine after magazine before tossing them back onto the messy pile on the table. His nervous eyes caught mine as he saw me smiling with humour at him. “What?” he asked.
“I love you,” I said simply.
“I love you too,” he said, finally starting to relax.
“Miss Summers, DR Greene will see you now.” Blake was up and following the doctor’s assistant before I had chance to struggle out of the uncomfortable seat.
“Miss Summers, hello,” DR Greene greeted me as I entered the room.
I smiled as I shook her hand. “Please, call me Jo.”
“Jo,” she said with a smile, “it’s lovely to meet you. Please take a seat. And Blake, it’s lovely to see you. You have grown a lot since I saw you last,” she joked. DR Greene was an old work colleague of Blake’s mum’s from when she had worked at this hospital while Blake was growing up.
Blake smiled as he shook her hand and sat next to me.
“He’s very nervous,” I pointed out.
DR Greene laughed. “You would be surprised how many of the fathers I see are more nervous than the mommies. Everything will be just fine.” She smiled. “So this is your first pregnancy, is that correct?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Have you suffered any nausea?”
“I’ve been sick a couple of times, but I’m not sure either was baby related,” I said, starting to panic. “Does that mean there’s a problem?”
“Not at all, no,” she said, smiling. “Every pregnancy is different. Some women have no sickness whatsoever; others can suffer right up to forty weeks.”
I felt Blake’s hand wrap around mine; he was shaking. “When do we get to see the baby?” he asked nervously.
She smiled. “In a few moments. Now, as we are unsure of the gestation, we shall perform a transvaginal ultrasound scan. Have you heard of these before?”
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. DR Greene stood and headed behind a curtain to the bed where the scan would take place.
“We shall perform the scan by inserting this probe here into your vagina. You won’t feel any pain but may experience a little discomfort. This will give us a good idea of how many weeks pregnant you are, and we should also be able to pick up baby’s heartbeat.” She smiled.
“Wow,” Blake gasped.
“When you’re ready, Miss Summers, if you would like to remove your trousers and underwear and hop up onto the bed for me, covering yourself with the sheets provided.”
Once I was in position, DR Greene appeared with Blake, who was immediately at my side with his hand firmly gripping mine.
“Okay,” she said gently. “Just relax for me.” I felt slight discomfort as the probe entered, but the thought of what I was about to see outweighed that by miles.
“Okay,” she said, “here we go.” Blake and I watched DR Greene as she pushed various buttons on the screen and studied different parts of it for what felt like an eternity.
“Is there a problem?” Blake asked impatiently.
DR Greene turned to face us; my body immediately filled with dread. “Do either of you have multiple births anywhere in the family?”
“My father was a twin.” I replied knowing what was coming.
DR Greene turned the monitor to face us. “Do you see this here?” She pointed to something, and we both replied yes, but I’m pretty sure that Blake was equally as confused as I was. “And this right here?” She moved across to another little dot that looked like a blob.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
She smiled. “Not at all, Jo. You are having twins. Here is baby one, and here is baby two,” she said, grinning.
“Two babies?” Blake asked in shock before turning to face me. “We’re having two babies,” he said, smiling in disbelief just as the sound of two tiny heartbeats filled the quiet room.
It was the most magical sound I had ever heard. My two tiny babies’ hearts were beating inside of me. How could anything ever compare to that feeling?
“Congratulations to you both,” DR Greene said. “Everything looks fantastic, sounds fantastic. There are no visible problems, and they’re both growing beautifully. According to this, you are ten weeks and four days gone, making your due date” – she hesitated – “April seventeenth.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped. “And you are sure that both babies are okay?”
She smiled. “Definitely. I’m going to leave you two alone for a moment; when you’re ready, I’ll see you both back at my desk.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Blake said, placing a kiss to my lips just after DR Greene left us.
“I haven’t done anything yet,” I laughed.
“You’re growing two babies in there. Oh my God, two babies.” He shook his head, smiling. “We made them,” he said in awe. “Isn’t that just the craziest thing ever?”
“Yes it is,” I answered truthfully. “Maybe pushing them both out will prove a little more crazy though,” I said as we both laughed.
“You know what it means that I’ve been carrying these babies for almost eleven weeks?”
Blake nodded. “You fell pregnant that first weekend we were together.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t believe that I didn’t adjust the time of my pill to match the time difference between London and New York.”
“Yeah, well, I’m glad you didn’t.” Blake smiled.
“So am I.”
“Are you kidding me? You are going to be living with three screaming, hormonal ladies MR Mackenzie.” I smiled. “I hope you can cope with that.” I gave Blake a lopsided grin.
“I think we’re both capable of coping with absolutely anything after the crazy couple of months we have had.” His face grew serious. “Are you happy,” he asked me carefully.
“I have never felt so happy in the whole of my life,” I said, meaning every single word of it.
22
“For the two millionth time, Casey, nothing is going to go wrong. Everything is exactly how it should be; there is absolutely nothing for you to worry about,” I said again as Casey paced the hotel room fully dressed and ready to make her vows to Alex.
“Please, I just have this feeling,” Casey said, placing her hand around her neck in panic. “Please just go and check that Alex is where he should be, please.”
“Can’t I just call Blake?”
“No. No, he could lie for him. I want to know that you see him, physically see him, and know he’s going to be there.”
“He will be there,” I said calmly.
“Please, Jo,” she begged.
“Okay, I am going,” I said in defeat. “Just take some deep breaths and calm down; you are going to hyperventilate.”
Casey took two deep breaths, but her panic was still visible. “Okay. I am going to check on Alex; just keep calm. Please.”
Blake opened the door semi dressed in his tux. Just lately I only had to look at him and I wanted to jump on him and tear his clothes off. I had read about this in pregnancy magazines. It was caused by the change in hormones. With me it was that plus the fact that Blake was by far the sexiest man on the planet.
His eyes took in my appearance, roaming up and down my body a couple of times before he smiled. “Wow, you look beautiful,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me to him.
“I look fat,” I said, pouting.
“You are not fat,” Blake said, kissing the tip of my nose. “You’re just keeping our babies warm.”
A warm feeling came over me. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”
“Because I always speak the truth.” He smiled before leaning in for a lingering kiss.
“Who is it?” Alex shouted from somewhere inside the room. Blake growled and pulled his mouth from mine.
I peeked around Blake’s body. “Hello. Me again.” I smiled.
“For the last time, I am not gonna do a runner,” he said, frustrated as he tried in vain to fasten his bow tie.
“Good. Blake, keep eyes on him at all times,” I said in a mocking tone.
“I am not going to run, jeez.”
“Okay,” I said simply. “Casey just has the crazy idea that something is going to go horribly wrong,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Alex finished fastening his tie and turned to face me. “Tell Casey from me that I love her, I cannot wait to be her husband, and I will see her in thirty minutes.”
I smiled. “Okay. See you both in a bit, then,” I said excitedly before heading out into the hall.
“Jo,” Blake called back, “can you help me with this thing?” he said, holding up his tie. I took it from his hand and placed it around his neck. His mouth lowered and he started trailing kisses along my neck.
“Blake, stop,” I said, swatting him away.
“I can’t; you know what these sexy curves are doing to me,” he said as he continued.
“And you know how horny this pregnancy is making me. Now stop until we can actually—” Blake stopped instantly and looked down at me. “Why do you seem shorter? Don’t tell me pregnancy shrinks you too?”
“Don’t tell Casey,” I said, looking around him to make sure Alex wasn’t listening before lifting the hem of my dress and revealing to him the white Converse that he had bought me for the Yankees game.
Blake snorted. “Oh my God.”
“Don’t laugh,” I said. “I still have twenty-six weeks to go carrying two humans inside of me. I’m showing already and can’t wear my heels without feeling like my feet and back are both breaking.” I pouted. “I’m going to look like a barrel by the time spring arrives.”
“But you will be my barrel,” Blake teased, causing me to swat him again.
“I love you,” I said.
He smiled. “I love you too. All three of you.”
“Can I take this dance, ma’am?” Blake held his hand out to me; I took it instantly before he led me to the dance floor. The wedding had been beautiful. There were no catastrophes, as Casey had imagined, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when they said their vows. It had been magical. All of the guests had waved them off for their honeymoon just half an hour before. My feet were throbbing, and I was desperate to call it a day, but Blake still had a duty as best man to make sure the night finished well.
I leaned into him as we swayed to Ellie Goulding singing “How Long Will I Love You.”
“This song was playing in your apartment that first night that we—”
“Conceived these babies?” I sniggered.
“Yeah,” Blake laughed.
“Feels like a lifetime ago now,” I said against his chest. “It’s been a truly magical day.”
“It has,” he said, kissing briefly into my hair.
“Can we call it a night soon?” I asked.
“Sure.” Blake stopped dancing and looked down to me. “There’s just something I want to show you first though.” He smiled. “Follow me.” He took my hand and led me out of the ballroom, through reception, and out towards the boathouse, where a member of staff stood waiting for us.
Looking down I noticed a gondola lit up by what must have been one hundred candles affixed around the perimeter of the boat.
“I am not getting in that thing, Blake,” I said, shaking my head.
“Come on, it’ll be fun.” He smiled as he climbed down into the gondola and held his arms out for me to join him.
“What if I tip the boat?” I said, reluctant to give him my hands.
“We’re not gonna tip; just get in the boat,” he said, amused.
I let out a little squeal as my feet left the ground for a moment before I was safely in the boat and sitting opposite Blake.
My fingers gripped the seat as I forced myself to sit as still as possible.
Blake nodded. “Thank you, Eric.”
“Is he not coming with us?” I said, panicked.
“Don’t you trust me?” Blake asked.
“You don’t want the answer to that right now.”
Blake shook his head and laughed as he took the oar in his hands and started rowing us towards the middle of the lake.
“See,” he said. “Who needs Eric?”
Slowly I began to relax. It turned out I could trust Blake in the pitch black on a lake in the middle of New York after all.
Blake stopped rowing, and we sat as the boat bobbed gently up and down. There was still a warm breeze blowing in the air, and there must have been a million stars twinkling above us.
“This is amazing,” I said, looking around at the stars, which seemed to be getting brighter and more clustered. I gasped as a shooting star sped across the night sky “Did you just see that?”
“I did,” Blake said, but I could tell that his eyes were only on me. “Make a wish,” he said.
Closing my eyes, I couldn’t hide the smile that graced my lips. “Done,” I said. I opened my eyes and looked to Blake.
“What did you wish for?” he asked, sitting forward and studying me.
I smirked. “Now, if I tell you that, it won’t come true will it?”
Blake sighed and shook his head. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he said in his deep, raspy voice.
I swallowed past the emotion that had appeared. “I do, yes,” I replied.
“Good,” Blake replied before placing his hand in the inside of his jac
ket and pulling out a tiny black velvet box. My hands shot to my mouth as I gasped in shock. Before I knew it, Blake was on one knee in the middle of the boat, opening the small box, revealing the most beautiful diamond cluster ring that I had ever seen.
My eyes clouded with tears. Blake cleared his throat; his emotions were clearly visible.
“From the first moment that I met you, I knew that you were the woman who I would spend my forever with. You captured me with you beauty, your innocence, and definitely your stubbornness.” We both laughed through the happy tears that we were both shedding. “The first time you spoke to me, I wanted to shut you up by taking your mouth in mine and never letting you go. You gave me feelings that I only believed happened in movies and in books. I couldn’t see how anyone could love somebody that much until I met you. And now I know that true love does exist, because mine is sitting opposite me right now. You made me believe that each one of us has a soul mate, and when you find that person, you know that you will be happy for the rest of your life. There are mountains to climb and stumbling blocks placed in your path, but you fight it. You know that this is the one fight that it is worth using every ounce of your strength to win. And you never give up. Just as we didn’t give up. When I met you, you were broken. I promised you that I would fix you, and when I look at you now, I don’t see broken any more. I see you – all of you. And I see that finally, you are happy. I’d like to think I’m responsible for that in some small way.”
“You are,” I choked out quietly.
“Do you remember when I bought you the car and you asked me what you could possibly give me to repay me?”
I nodded.
“Well, you have. Everything that I have ever needed or wanted is here in this boat with me right now. You have given me your heart, your soul, and your trust. Money can’t buy that.” He smiled. “But most of all, you have given me you, not forgetting those two tiny little babies in there that we made.”
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