Game Misconduct (Five for Fighting #1)
Page 20
“Don’t pay attention to him. He seems to need reminded every day that chances are the baby won’t look like us.”
“You told her when she walked in that I thought the baby was body snatched by aliens, so according to you, I’m expecting a little green bundle of joy with antennas sticking out of its head.” Dylan always painted the best pictures in Casey’s head.
“Well, I’ve got good news for you, because I don’t see any antennas to back up that hypothesis.”
“What do you see?” Casey didn’t care about the lack of alien features.
“It’s probably more what I don’t see. I think daddy is right to claim your daughter currently looks like her grandfather. Eventually I’m sure she’ll have hair, but for right now, we’ll worry more about her growing the other parts of her body.”
No one said anything for a few seconds as everyone stared at the picture. Where they were supposed to be looking for the invisible appendage was beyond Casey, but she tried to figure it out anyway. Dr. Nichols hit a few buttons while she waited for a response from either parent.
“I guess that means I know what color we’re painting the second loft.”
Out of all the things Dylan could’ve said, that wasn’t actually on the list. She expected a little taunting and maybe even a few tears. Claiming there was going to be any painting done in their tiny space was almost a waste of breath.
“He’s lived with me a year now, and he clearly hasn’t noticed that we have pine panels for walls. There isn’t a lick of paint in the whole house.” Casey thought an explanation for the annoyed look on her face was needed.
“If I hadn’t spent the last few months getting to know you guys during this process, I would highly suggest a little marital counseling. Since I feel like I know you a little bit, I’m still going to suggest the counseling.”
“I’m pretty sure that would just take all the fun out of life.” Casey was sure they’d be bored if they didn’t have something to argue about.
The picture of their baby disappeared as Dr. Nichols took the wand off Casey’s stomach. Casey wasn’t ready to stop looking, but complaining took a backseat to wiping the goo off. She was going to need a shower, and had actually suggested they provide one in the office during the last ultrasound visit they’d had.
“Knowing how you are, I went ahead and printed two copies of the best picture I could get. I didn’t want you two fighting on the way out of here over who got to carry it.”
For not having a personality that fit Casey to a T, the doctor did appear to know them pretty well. Part of the problem was that it was a lot like Casey’s own personality, except for the hugging, and she already competed with Dylan for who could say their opinion the loudest.
“Good thinking. How many more ultrasounds will there be?” Dylan took his copy of the photo as he asked the question.
“You shouldn’t need anymore. I see nothing but a healthy baby growing inside of you. Size looks good, I see two arms and legs, and the all-important antennas are missing. They grabbed some blood from you already, right?”
“I’m not sure what more you could learn from poking me with needles, but the nurse was particularly gleeful when she stole more of my blood.”
There had been so many tests before even getting pregnant that Casey would be perfectly happy if she never saw a needle again. She’d thought once she had her cancer cut out that she’d be done with them, but the reconstruction surgery to give her breasts like the original models was just the start of more needles to come.
“I do love to surround myself with people who really enjoy doing their job. So, I think we’re done here. We’ll get the lab work done to make sure nothing’s going on behind the scenes to worry about, but I don’t foresee there being any problems.”
Dr. Nichols pushed the sonogram machine away and stood up to leave. Casey was trying to wipe off the snot on her stomach, so she was going to miss out on hugs, but Dylan wasn’t so lucky. The petite blond had him wrapped up before he could run.
Once the uncomfortableness of a hug lasting too long lifted, the doctor smiled warmly at Casey and headed out of the room. Casey breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to finish cleaning up.
“I haven’t seen her with any other patients, but I’m thinking maybe she just wants to get a feel of you. She didn’t even try to hug me today.”
“And I know you aren’t sad about that. So, what do you and our daughter want to do the rest of the day?”
“You mean after I take a shower, right? Because that’s definitely the first place I’m going after we leave here. Once I’m clean, I think I’m game for just about anything.”
“And by just about anything, you mean shopping, right? I need to see how many zillion dollars I can spend on ‘Daddy’s little girl’ apparel.”
Dylan had had such a strong feeling that it was going to be a girl that it was surprising he didn’t already have their house filled with items. Casey had been hesitant to buy anything until they made it past the four month mark. After that, it had been hard to come up with excuses to slow Dylan down, but he limited most of his baby purchases to bottles and pacifiers. Their little girl was going to have a pacifier for every day of the year.
“Just remember, no matter how small the clothes are, we have limited space to put them.”
That fact was another one Dylan needed reminded of every day. They often had guys from the team and their significant others over, and things filled up quickly. Nelson was there practically every day, and just the three of them made it difficult to move around.
The guys had remained friends even through the drama that went along with Steph’s trial for attempted murder. Steph ended up winning her insanity plea, news to no one who knew her, and was put on some meds that would keep her a little more grounded.
The amount of time she remained locked up was still a little up in the air, but Casey didn’t worry about her coming after Dylan within at least a decade. By then, he’d probably have a potbelly and hair growing out of his ears, so Casey was hoping all the longing stares from other women would disappear.
“We could always extend the house a little, or make a cute full-sized doll house outside to keep all the presents I’m sure she’s going to get.”
There was a lot Casey hadn’t considered when she’d agreed to have a baby. Space was something she did, but she didn’t have solutions for how to fix their problems. The doll house was something that went on the list to consider, along with figuring out a way to build onto the house they currently had.
One of the biggest things Casey hadn’t taken into account was the time and money it took to go through in vitro. She’d always heard that it was expensive, but even with pretty good insurance, it cost tens of thousands of dollars. They’d been lucky enough that it only took them one try.
There were a lot of people out there who weren’t that lucky, or even lucky enough to have the money to try in the first place. Casey wanted to do something about that, but hadn’t managed to get all her ducks in a row. She needed to look into the organizations already out there to see if there was a need for a separate one or if writing a large check would be more useful.
“Let’s work on one thing at a time. Home and shower, then shopping I guess. And you have to promise you’ll always take me with you when you go shopping. I know what a compulsive shopper you can be.”
Dylan was getting better, but he often thought that if he could fit it in his car, it would fit in the house. They’d talked about getting a television at one point, and Dylan had assumed just talking about it meant go out and buy one. A sixty-inch television didn’t have a place to hang on the outside of the house, let alone the inside where a wall or two got in the way.
Casey tried hard not to let little things like that drive her insane. As Dylan took her hand, helping her off the exam table, before leading her out into the world, Casey realized that she’d spent her whole life lying to herself. Happy endings weren’t fantasies. Dylan Jones could be one of the mos
t annoying, self-centered and spoiled people in the world, but he was also the ticket to Casey’s happy ending.
About the Author
Amber has always had a passion for the written word. Along with that, she’s always had ideas for stories swimming around in her head. It finally got to the point where she couldn’t take it anymore and had to start getting her thoughts down on paper. There are still too many ideas, but she is working to get them out as fast as she can. Her hope is that one day her brain will be hers again.
Other hobbies of Amber’s include: drawing, baking, arts and crafts, motorcycles, hockey and archery. She likes to think she has eclectic tastes where her hobbies are concerned. She loves to laugh and tries to make herself smile at least once a day. With the crazy thoughts going on in her head that usually isn't hard.
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Other books by Amber Lynn:
Twisted Fates series
The Call
The Pull
Argonauts’ Adventures
The Witch’s Web
The Dragon’s Fire
Daughter of Gaia series
Daughter of Gaia
Queen of Aquima
Nightwalker Saga
The Nightwalker Knocks
The Nightwalker Teaches
Unlucky in Love series
Calypso in Love
Nani in Love
Rhea in Love
Hermia in Love
Desma in Love
Avery Clavens series
Not in My Job Description
Just Another Day at the Office
Working Through the Weekend
Another Day, Another Dollar
The Harder I Work, the Luckier I Get
All in a Day’s Work
Nyx Slaughter series
Nyx Slaughter: Books 1-7
More Books
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