The music starts back up, and finally, we pull away. Her face is flushed, and she’s wearing a wide smile. Her dark eyes are hooded, and I can tell exactly what she’s thinking about.
I take her hand and pull her toward the doors, wanting to get her back to the hotel as soon as possible, so I can be inside my wife.
We have to stop and sign our marriage license, and then it’s stamped and handed back to us with a note saying to file it with the courthouse. I take the piece of paper and her hand and pull her toward the doors.
Before we can go back to the hotel, we stop and have a nice lunch. I order a soy burger with a side salad, and Dani orders a grilled cheese with fries and a cup of vegetable soup.
I smile. “That’s a weird combination.”
She nods. “I really want some fries, but I figured if I couldn’t keep them and the sandwich down, I could sip on the soup. I’m still so nauseous. God, does it ever go away, or am I going to be sick for nine whole months?”
I place my hand on hers. “I think it can go either way,” I admit.
She groans and rolls her eyes.
We eat, and she’s able to keep her food down. Then, we go to the courthouse and file our marriage license, so we’re officially married. When everything is said and done, and we’re able to go back to the hotel, I’m so excited to finally be able to slide into my wife that I’m sporting an erection that looks like I’m hiding a deadly weapon.
When we walk into the hotel room, we both begin stripping out of our clothes. I use the bathroom quickly, and when I walk back into the room, she’s curled up in bed, dead asleep. My shoulders fall as I chuckle and shake my head. I pull the blankets up around her, pull on a pair of shorts, and head down to the pool with swim up bar.
I order a scotch on the rocks and sit in the lounge chair poolside before picking up my phone and calling Bennet.
“Hello?” he answers.
“Hey, man. What’s going on?”
“Hey, Levi. How’s your time off?”
“Pretty good. I packed Dani up and brought her down to Vegas. We got married today.”
“What? Congratulations! Why didn’t you tell me? Me and Maddie would’ve flown out to bear witness.”
I laugh. “I appreciate it, but it was sudden, you know?”
“Yeah, eloping usually is,” he says. “So, what else is new? When are you coming back?”
“We’re only staying the week. But, ugh. There is something else.”
“What?” he asks.
“Well, Dani thought she was coming down with the flu or thought she might have eaten something bad. But it turns out she’s pregnant.”
“Damn, Levi. I know you’re supposed to get married and have kids, but nobody said it had to be all at once,” he jokes.
I laugh. “Yeah, the problem is we don’t know if it’s mine or Nick’s.”
“Oh,” he mumbles as the realization washes over him. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Hear me out, and just so you know, my mind is made up. I just want to see how crazy it sounds to someone else.”
He laughs. “Go on.”
“Dani and I, we came down here with the intention of getting married. We bought our rings, we filed for a marriage license, and then found out about the pregnancy. After thinking about it for a little while, I decided to move forward with getting married and raising this baby as my own, even if it’s not. I don’t even want a DNA test done when it’s born.”
“Do you love her?” he asks.
“With everything inside of me,” I say, fully sure.
“Then it sounds to me like that kid is yours regardless of who put it there.” He laughs at the way he said it.
I smile. “I agree. It doesn’t matter if the baby is mine or not. Dani is mine, and where she goes, the baby goes. Plus, I’ve always wanted kids.”
“It sounds like you have everything figured out.”
“I knew I did. I just didn’t know how crazy I sounded.” I can’t hold back my chuckle as I bring my drink to my lips and take a sip.
“Love makes you crazy, Levi. Only another man in love will understand the things we’ll do.”
“Thanks, Bennet. I appreciate the talk.”
“Anytime. Safe travels.”
Without another word, I hang up the phone. I finish off my drink and lean my head back, smiling up at the sky. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have it all.
I end up falling asleep in my lounge chair by the pool. The breeze is softly blowing, and the sun is warming my skin. I sleep deep and uninterrupted. When I wake up, the sun is falling in the sky, and I quickly make my way back to the room.
The door closes behind me, and it wakes Dani up. She shoots up and runs for the toilet. I sit on the edge of the bed and wait. All I can hear is the sound of her gagging and puking, and I feel horrible for her. This trip was supposed to be fun. It was supposed to be a little mini vacation. But she’s felt sick and miserable the whole time.
I hear the toilet flush and then the water run. Moments later, she comes walking out. She doesn’t say anything to me as she passes me by and climbs back into bed. I turn around, and our eyes meet.
“You want to go home?” I ask. “This trip was supposed to be fun. I know you’re not having any fun being sick all the time. We can head home where you’ll be able to rest and be more comfortable. Then we’ll be able to make you a doctor's appointment.”
“Really?” she asks. “I don’t want to ruin your vacation.”
I crawl up beside her and place my hand on her hip. “Nothing is ruined.” I kiss her head. “Get some rest, and I’ll book our flights. Anything special you want for dinner? I’ll bring it up when I’m done.”
She thinks it over. “I want a burger with cheese fries. A hot fudge sundae with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top. Oh, and a big glass of iced tea.”
I laugh as I stand, heading toward the door.
We make it back to Chicago and to our apartment the following day. Dani goes straight to bed. I unpack our bags and call to make her doctor's appointment for later in the day. I figure I’ll hit up the grocery store, start some laundry, and let her sleep. Maybe, by her appointment time, she’ll feel a little better. I run my errands and head back to the apartment by three p.m. When I walk in, Dani is up and cooking something in the kitchen.
I walk in with my arms loaded down with groceries. “What are you making?”
She kisses me quickly and pulls away. “I think I found the key to escaping the sickness.”
My eyes stretch wide. “Oh yeah?”
She nods. “I know this sounds gross, but if I drink pickle juice, I feel better.”
“Okay, but what are you cooking?” It smells horrible; I can’t lie.
“It’s fried pickle chips that I’m dipping in this nacho cheese sauce. Then after I eat one, I take a bite of this Slim Jim and chocolate chip cookie. There’s something about the sour pickle and the salt of the cheese and Slim Jim mixed with the sweetness of the cookie that is amazing.”
I gag just from hearing about it. “Okay,” I mumble, bending down to pick up a bag of groceries to put away. “Your doctor's appointment is at four-thirty. You better get dressed.”
“But, I have to clean this up.” She motions toward the frying pan on the stove and the grease that’s splattered onto the stovetop.
I wave her off. “I’ll do it after I have everything put away. Go get ready.”
“Thank you.” She gives me a quick kiss, then runs off toward the bedroom.
A little while later, we’re sitting in a private room at the doctor’s office. He walks in with a clipboard. “Well, you were right. You are indeed pregnant.”
We both smile.
“Is there any way to tell how far along I am?” she asks.
The doctor nods. “We’ll be able to tell at your first ultrasound. We’re going to take a little blood while you’re here today, write you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins, and then, on your
way out, you can make your follow-up appointment. The nurse will set up your ultrasound and call you with the specifics. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect,” she says with a nod and a smile.
We both stand and shake the doctor's hand on the way out the door.
We swing by the nearest pharmacy and pick up her vitamins, then head home to relax and find something for dinner. Dani insists on her weird concoction, and I go for something easy like a salad and soup. We sit on the couch to eat and watch a movie together.
“Are you nervous?” she asks, popping a pickle into her mouth.
“About what?” I ask, holding up my fork, offering her a bite of my salad.
She leans over and takes it, chewing and swallowing slowly. “About the ultrasound.”
I shake my head. “No. I already told you, this baby is mine and yours. That’s it.”
“I know, but—”
“No buts. That’s it. It doesn’t matter if you’re one week pregnant or if you’re twelve weeks. It’s our baby.”
She nods and laughs. “You know I have to be at least four weeks before I even find out, right?”
“I’m just saying,” I laugh out. “It doesn’t matter what we find out tomorrow. It’s not changing my mind.”
She doesn’t reply; she only cuddles into my side, and we end up sharing my salad.
We wake in the morning, shower, and have breakfast. After our breakfast, we both dress and head out for the ultrasound appointment. We’re given a private room, and Dani strips from the waist down. She lies on the bed, and I stand up by her head, holding her hand as we wait for the nurse.
Moments later, she comes in with a smile. “Hello. How is your morning going?” she asks as she sits down beside the bed and pulls on a pair of rubber gloves.
Dani takes a deep breath. “Good, but it would be a whole lot better if I could see this little baby.”
“Well, let’s do something about that,” the nurse says.
I feel my brows furrow together as I watch her pull a tube of something out of a drawer and squirt it over her belly. She flinches a little at the cold goo.
“Okay, let’s take a look here and take some measurements. Just relax.”
I nod and act like I understand as I watch her guide the camera over my lower belly. Dani flinches, and then an image is projected up onto the computer in front of her.
There’s a small little flicker.
“This is your baby’s heart. That little flicker is its beating,” the nurse says, typing something.
“How far along am I?” Dani asks.
“Based on this measurement, I’d say about four weeks. You found out early!”
I see Dani let out a long breath. She looks up at me. “You know what that means?” She smiles.
I return her smile. “That means we’re going to have a baby,” I reply, knowing it means this baby is one-hundred percent mine. I don’t have to worry about Nick coming back and wanting custody of his kid because this baby is mine. Mine and Dani’s.
The smile won’t leave my face as I watch the rest of the exam.
We’re given a picture to take with us, and Dani hasn’t taken her eyes off of it since it was placed in her hand. I love that we’re having a baby, but I think I love that she loves how she’s having my baby. A little version of the two of us.
“Let’s go celebrate,” I say, and I open her door and watch as she slides into the car.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” I say as I close it behind her and jog around to the driver's side.
I get behind the wheel and start driving us out of the city. She doesn’t tear her eyes away from the sonogram picture, even to notice. She leans her head against the window, keeping her eyes glued to the picture until her lids are too heavy to keep open. She drifts off to sleep. I want to watch her sleep, but I have to drive, so I force my eyes to stay on the road.
When I pull into Bennet’s driveway, it’s already full of parked cars. It looks like Damon and Jazz are here, along with Callan and Valerie. I lean over and kiss Dani on the cheek.
“We’re here, sleepyhead.”
Her eyes flutter open, and she yawns and stretches before looking at our surroundings. “Bennet and Maddie’s?” she asks, confused.
“Yep, they’re throwing us a little party for getting married and finding out about the baby.”
“That’s so sweet,” she says as her eyes begin to water. Her few tears turn to a full-on crying episode.
I get out and walk around to her side. I open the door and kneel beside her. “What’s wrong? I thought this would make you happy.”
“It does,” she cries. “I’m really happy. I love that they support us so much, they’re throwing us a party.” The tears haven’t stopped, but I help her from the car and into the backyard. She’s finally managed to get herself under control, and she dries her eyes just in time.
Everyone looks up and cheers when they see us. Maddie rushes over and goes to pull Dani in for a hug but gets alarmed when she sees Dani’s red, glassy eyes.
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay with the baby?” she asks, alarmed.
I nod. “Everything is fine. Dani is just happy about the party,” I tell her.
She laughs and hugs Dani. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”
Dani hugs her back then pulls the picture out of her back pocket. “Look! Look at our little baby. He’s only four weeks old,” she says with a smile.
Maddie’s eyes grow large. “Four weeks? That means…” she looks up at me, and I nod.
“Congratulations, Daddy,” she says, leaning in and giving me a hug too.
Bennet walks over and shakes my hand. “Congrats. Why don’t we go celebrate with a bottle of old scotch?”
“Sounds good to me,” I say, but turn back to Dani. “Are you going to be okay?”
She nods and waves me on. “Go ahead. Have fun.”
I give her a quick kiss before releasing her and following Bennet into the house.
22
Danielle
I stand back and watch as Levi walks into the house with Bennet—Damon and Callan following along behind him. Maddie takes my hand and leads me over to the patio table.
She smiles wide. “I made sangria again, but I made you your own special pitcher. It’s just soda, grape juice, and fruit.” She pours a glass and hands it to me.
I’m not big on grape juice, but I pretend it’s wine as I take a sip. It’s sweet and bubbly. “This is good. Thank you.”
“So, tell us about the wedding,” Val says, bumping my arm with hers.
I smile. “It was so bad it was good. Bless his heart, he tried. But this little guy kind of ruined things.”
“That’s what kids are good for,” Maddie says with a smile and a wink.
“He had romantic dinners planned. He booked us the honeymoon suite. We picked out our rings. And then I got sick and have been sick until like…um, five minutes ago.”
The girls that have been pregnant laugh.
“Does it ever go away?” I ask.
“My first pregnancy was easy. I was sick for the whole first trimester, but with the second, I was sick the entire time!” Jazz says, her eyes stretching widely.
Val nods. “Yeah, I was sick the whole first trimester too. But this woman I work with, Diana, she said her first pregnancy was the same, sick for twelve straight weeks, but her second she wasn’t sick a single day. How lucky, right?”
“God, I wish it’d go away.” I lean my head back and let the cool breeze blow over me.
“Just wait until you get those weird cravings,” Jazz says.
“Oh, I already have them. Last night, I had fried pickles dipped in nacho cheese alongside Slim Jims and chocolate chip cookies.”
Maddie gags. “That’s disgusting. I thought you didn’t eat meat?”
“I did until I got with Levi. Then I stopped because I wanted to respect his lifestyle since I was infringing on his life.” I laugh. “But, thi
s baby, it wants what it wants. And honestly, I never ate much meat anyway. It really helped me to slim down and tone up, but that’s not much of a concern anymore.”
“Just wait,” Valerie says. “I gained thirty pounds during my pregnancy.
“Where?” I ask because she’s still tiny. “How’d you manage to lose it?”
“I breastfed, and that really helped. I also ate really healthy, only drank water, and I did Pilates and yoga. It toned me up. I’ll give you the number of my instructor if you want.”
I smile and nod. “Please.”
Everyone laughs.
“So, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?” Maddie asks, picking up her sangria and taking a sip.
I shrug. “It doesn’t matter, I guess. But I am picturing a little boy that looks just like Levi.”
The guys come filing out of the house, and Levi takes the open seat by me. His hand lands on mine, and I look over at his glassy eyes.
“Are you drunk?” I whisper.
He laughs. “I only had one glass, but man, that stuff is strong.” He pulls the keys out of his pocket. “Would you mind driving us back home?” He dangles them in front of me.
I laugh and catch them as they fall from his finger.
Bennet gets busy lighting the grill, and the rest of the guys stand around it, talking, drinking beer, and wandering back and forth from the patio to the garage to see what Bennet is working on now. Maddie and Jazz head to the kitchen to get the food ready, but Valerie and I stay seated at the picnic table, talking about pregnancy, babies, and everything in between.
Valerie and I haven’t talked much before now, but she’s cool and laid back. She’s someone I could see myself being friends with, and I hope we turn into that. God knows I need more girlfriends. I look over and find Levi laughing as he stands by the grill. I feel so thankful for him. Because of him, I have love, a baby on the way, and all these new people in my life that I’m sure will be like best friends in the future. I never knew I needed so much in life, but I’m glad he’s given it all to me.
My Best Friend’s Ex: Make Her Mine-Book 4 Page 16