Together: A Surprise Pregnancy Romance

by Jennifer Van Wyk

  “Are you seriously saying that my sister couldn’t have taken care of herself?”

  “No, actually, you said that when you alluded to the idea that I had taken advantage of Ashley, therefore implying that she couldn’t take care of herself when she was with me.”

  “That’s a stretch.”

  “But it isn’t a stretch to assume that someone you don’t even know couldn’t possibly be a good human and only want what’s best for Ashley and the baby? Give me a break. I get it, I’m the unknown who came into your sister’s life and had a part in turning it upside down. However, unless you’re willing to take the time to at least know more than my name and what you’ve learned from an internet search, then back the fuck off and give Ashley and I time to figure this out. She’s a fuckuva lot stronger than you’re giving her credit for.”

  I think she could breathe fire for how mad she is at me right now. We’ve only just met and she’s working her lawyer-y ways on me. Sitting across from me, staring me down, trying to throw me off.

  Ashley told me that Grace isn’t judgmental about people, and that she might be highly educated but doesn’t think down on those who choose a different path. Something tells me Ashley’s wrong about her sister.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see Ashley walking into the living room, glancing back and forth between Grace and me. “Everything okay in here?” Ashley asks timidly.

  I peel my eyes away from her, not to give in, but because Ashley deserves my attention far more than Grace does.

  “Everything’s great.” I stand up and move to her, kissing her cheek. “You look amazing,” I add, taking in her loose fitted jeans that have a few holes already ripped in the denim and baggy black and white striped sweater. Her boots have a short, wide heel and only go up to her ankles. She doesn’t only look amazing. She also looks adorable.

  “Thank you,” she says shyly, dipping her face and tucking a long strand of her beautiful dark hair behind her ear.

  “You’re welcome. Good to meet you, Grace. I hope to have that dinner with you and the rest of the family real soon,” I tell her with a smile.

  “Sure,” Grace agrees, sounding like she’d rather eat dirt than share a meal with me.

  I’m not so easily deterred, though. “Set it up, Grace.”

  “You ready to go?” Ashley asks, placing a hand on my arm.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Grace, are you going home or to the office?” Her voice is so full of hope, it’s almost comical. I have no idea why Grace is here but it’s clear that Ashley’s ready for her departure.

  “Not home. Think I’ll just work here for a while today. That way I can talk to you after your appointment.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s okay, right? You said I could stay here?” Grace points to where she’s set up a workstation of sorts.

  “Yes, it’s fine with me,” Ashley says warily. “Just make yourself at home. Should be plenty of food in the kitchen, but I don’t have much for caffeine. You might need to go somewhere for a good cup of coffee.”

  “You’re seriously not drinking caffeine?”

  “I’ll have half a cup of coffee if I have a headache or something but otherwise, no.”

  “Wow. I’m not sure how you survive,” Grace says. “Be careful and call me after.” She gives Ashley a hug and looks at me over Ashley’s shoulder. It’s not hard to ignore the fact that she’s trying to give me the stink-eye because I honestly don’t care. She’s made up her mind that I’m not trustworthy and I’ll do my best to change it, but unless she’s getting into Ashley’s head with the same junk, then I’m not going to spend my time worrying over it.

  “We will,” I answer for Ashley.

  Once we’re in my truck on the way to the doctor, she launches in.

  “I heard your conversation, you know.”

  I smirk. “Figured.”

  “She had no right.”

  “No.”

  “It’s not about you.”

  I look over at her and back to the road. “What makes you say that?”

  “She found out her husband was cheating on her with a lady from his work and also lost his job because he was sending inappropriate pictures to her.”

  I press my lips together and bite my tongue. I want to say something incredibly insensitive right now about not being surprised but that won’t do either of us any good so I keep my mouth shut aside from saying, “That sucks.”

  “Yes, it does. It’s also not an excuse to treat you like she did. I’ll talk to her.”

  “I can handle it.”

  “You shouldn’t have to,” she says sadly.

  She’s right about that. “Maybe not,” I agree, reaching over for her hand. I have no idea why I can’t stop holding her hand, but it’s become more than habitual. It’s natural to be holding her hand when we’re together. “But if I have to defend myself or us to her and the rest of your family or anyone else, for that matter, I’ll do it. It’s no one else’s business but our own, anyway.”

  “You’re right. It isn’t.”

  “Don’t let her words put a damper on getting to hear the baby’s heartbeat today.”

  She grins. “You’re right. I’ll try not to.”

  “Good. Now, tell me what I’m walking into at the appointment. Will you be getting naked?” I joke. Only, I am curious.

  “Ha! You perv. You just want to see me without clothes on again.”

  “Damn right, I do.”

  She blushes. “I assure you, nothing has changed.”

  I make a big show of looking her up and down, focusing on her breasts that have gotten bigger. Not incredibly noticeable, but I’ve paid close attention and have a lot of good memories with her breasts. I remember them fondly. “Well, that’s not exactly true.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Oh, shush. You can’t even see anything because of my winter coat.”

  “I saw you before you put it on,” I remind her.

  “You’re so ridiculous.” She laughs.

  “For real, though, do they have to examine you today or do you keep your clothes on?”

  “I think since I was examined last time I get to keep my clothes on today. Last time they did all the bloodwork and pelvic exam. This time, they’ll do the regular checkup stuff and listen for the heartbeat against my stomach but I won’t have to strip down for it.”

  “Damn,” I joke and she laughs lightly. I pull into the parking lot and find a spot fairly close to the front door. “Nervous?”

  “Nope. You?”

  “No. I’m more excited than anything. I’ve never heard a baby’s heartbeat before.”

  “Me either. A first for both of us!” She kind of cheers.

  I help her out of the pickup and we walk into the doctor’s office side by side. She signs in with the front desk and they direct her to sit down and wait for the nurse to call her back.

  My leg bobs up and down and I sit up perfectly straight in the hard, stiff chair, my hands on my knees.

  “Thought you weren’t nervous?” Ashley mutters next to me.

  “I’m not for the appointment. Just don’t like being in hospitals and stuff.”

  “You were fine when we were waiting for Josie’s baby to be born,” she reminds me.

  “That was different.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Thankfully the nurse calls Ashley’s name before I have the chance to answer. Especially since I don’t know how to answer her. There’s no logical reason for me to be nervous right now, but a big part of me keeps wondering what would change between Ashley and I if something were to happen to the baby. I don’t know if she would even want there to be anything between us. If I’m being completely honest with myself, I don’t know if I do, either. I like Ashley. A lot. For more reasons than the fact that she’s carrying my child. But if we take the baby out of the equation, is there still anything between us?

  I’d like to think so.

  And maybe that’s what has me so nervous.


  I have never felt this way about a woman before. Not my first wife, and not Stacia, either. With both of them, I was reaching for something that wasn’t actually there.

  That same thing I was reaching for, is exactly what I’ve found with Ashley.

  I follow her to the exam room after they take her weight.

  We take a seat and the nurse checks her temperature, her blood pressure and heart rate, typing everything into her laptop she carried in with her. After asking her a few more questions and continuing to type Ashley’s answers into the computer about how she’s been feeling, if she has any concerns, and a few questions to me about who I am to Ashley, she closes the laptop lid. “Okay, Ashley. We’ll need to take a urine sample. The restroom is right down the hall. There are containers on the shelf above the toilet. Simply put your name and birth date on the lid with the marker provided, place it in the cupboard, and I’ll grab it. The doctor will be right in.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks,” Ashley replies.

  “No problem.”

  “Good thing I chugged a bottle of water while I was getting ready before you came,” she says before going out to do the urine test.

  She’s not gone very long and only back a short time before the doctor follows her in. I met Dr. Fletcher at her last appointment and liked her. She’s probably fifteen years older than us, and has these bright blue eyes that somehow seem calming.

  “Good morning, Ashley and Nik. How are you both today?” Dr. Fletcher smiles.

  “Good,” we reply at the same time.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. I’ve had a couple days of morning sickness but nothing that I can’t handle. Just a little tired now. Earlier I felt like I could fall asleep at seven o’clock, but that’s gotten better. My appetite is starting to come back, too.”

  “That’s good. What we like to hear. It looks like you’ve lost two pounds. This is not abnormal when you’re in your early stages. It’s nothing to be concerned about, especially if you’re getting your appetite back. Don’t be pushing yourself too much, but staying active will help. Do you have any concerns or questions for me?”

  “Nope, not me. Nik?” Ashley asks.

  “I’m good. Just excited to hear the heartbeat,” I admit.

  Dr. Fletcher chuckles. “Let’s see what we can do about that, shall we? Climb onto the table.” She does and after using her stethoscope to listen to Ashley’s heartbeat and do some other basic testing, she says, “Good. Now, lie back for me then we’ll see about fulfilling Nik’s request.”

  “Sweet. Let’s do this.”

  They both laugh at my excitement. I can’t help it, though.

  Five minutes later, I know why I was feeling anxious.

  Hearing your child’s heartbeat for the first time might be the absolute best sound in the entire world.

  There’s nothing that could top this. Maybe hearing him or her cry for the first time, but for right now? This is at the top of the list.

  “Strong heartbeat,” Dr. Fletcher remarks, moving the Doppler against Ashley’s stomach.

  We’re holding hands, Ashley and I, and staring at the little screen that doesn’t show us anything. But we can hear it.

  “Oh my gosh,” Ashley whispers, tears in her eyes.

  Thump — thump — thump — thump.

  Thump — thump — thump — thump.

  It repeats over and over. Faster than I expected it to be.

  “Is that… it isn’t too fast?” I ask Dr. Fletcher.

  “No.” She smiles. “It sounds perfect. Just how it’s supposed to be.”

  We continue to listen, the sound exactly as Dr. Fletcher described it. Perfect.

  “That’s our baby,” I say, reverently.

  “Yeah,” Ashley replies, same tone in her voice. “It’s amazing.”

  “Can I,” I lift my phone up, “Can I record it?”

  “Of course.”

  “Ooh, good idea,” Ashley says, beaming.

  I press the button of the voice record app on my phone for thirty seconds, capturing our baby’s heartbeat so I can listen to it again later.

  “I’ve been doing this for over fifteen years and I can honestly say this part never gets old.” Dr. Fletcher turns off the machine and takes a washcloth to clean off the goo she had squirted onto Ashley’s stomach. She sets everything aside then helps Ashley sit up, her legs hanging over the edge of the bed. “If you have any questions or concerns between now and your next appointment, don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me through your patient portal or call the office directly. Otherwise, I’ll see you in a month.”

  “Thank you.”

  Dr. Fletcher nods and walks quietly of the exam room, shutting the door behind her.

  “That was…”

  “Incredible,” I finish for Ashley.

  “It really was.” She wipes a few tears from her cheek. “I had no idea it would sound like that.”

  “Me either. It’s so loud. And fast.”

  “Can you send me the recording?”

  “Yeah.” I open the recording and hit share, choosing her contact.

  She slips off the bed and I help her into her coat, handing her purse to her once she’s settled.

  “That was even better than I expected,” she admits.

  “Same. It feels real now, at least to me. Not that it wasn’t real before,” I rush to explain, “but I haven’t had the pleasure of morning sickness to remind me of how real it is,” I say, smirking.

  She wrinkles her nose. “The sickness definitely helps to remind me there’s a baby in there.”

  “What do you have the rest of the day?” I ask her once we’re inside the truck and it’s started up.

  “Today’s my day off so I planned to do some errands. I need to go to the grocery store and wash my car, do some laundry.”

  “Fun day, then.”

  “You know it. What about you?”

  “Need to go into the office for a bit, but I would like to have dinner with you tonight, if you’re up for it.”

  She smiles to herself. “Dinner tonight?”

  “If you’re up for it,” I repeat.

  “I think I can manage that.”

  “Will your sister allow it?”

  She sighs heavily at my reminder of her sister. “I don’t know that I care. I know that she’s hurting but what she was saying to you this morning wasn’t okay.”

  “If it helps, it didn’t bother me.”

  I turn to go toward the only grocery store in town, figuring I’ll just take her. That way I can grab a few things I need, plus help her bring her groceries into her house. Then I can take her car to the shop and wash it inside the wash bay we have for our work trucks.

  “I’m glad it doesn’t but I’m still going to talk to her. She was in super bitchy mode this morning and you did nothing to warrant it. And what was that about her saying you took advantage of me? Like I can’t hold my own?” she asks, fired up.

  I’m definitely in agreement on that one. The way Grace was talking, one would think that Ashley’s not strong enough to make her own decisions. I may have only known her for three months, but I can say with absolute certainty that she’s an incredibly strong person. Maybe no one has told Ashley that, though. If her own sister who doesn’t seem to own a filter says it to someone she’s known for two minutes, I imagine she’s said things very similar directly to Ashley’s face before.

  It seems it’s high time someone — me — let Ashley in.

  “Yeah. I gotta say, that was harsh. For the record, Ashley? You’re one of the strongest women I know. Maybe you haven’t been told that enough in your life, or maybe Grace was just having a supremely bad day, but she’s wrong. I know I didn’t take advantage of you because I tried apologizing for the exact same thing the next morning and got my ass chewed.” I turn into the grocery store parking lot and find a spot fairly close to the front and park my truck. “You might have tried to change for others in the past, but I know y
ou aren’t doing that with me. You can’t fake the strength that you have.”

  “Nik,” she whispers. She does this often, I’ve noticed. When I say something that she’s not sure how to respond to or maybe when she’s emotional, she whispers my name. It isn’t a response, but it is. It’s her letting me know she heard me and is overwhelmed by my words. In a good way. So the non-response? It’s better than anything she could say to me.

  “Ready to get those groceries?”

  She gives me a confused look then sees where we are. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

  “I need some groceries, too. Figured it’d be easier if we just went together.”

  I tell her the rest of my plan and she stares at me like I’m from another planet.

  “You’re going to wash my car?” she questions. “Why?”

  “Why not?” I counter, getting out of the truck and meeting her at the hood. “I have a place all set up for it in our shop. It will take me no time at all. Then I’ll bring it back to you. I won’t if you’d rather I not.”

  We walk into the store and each grab a shopping cart.

  “I don’t think anyone has ever offered to wash my car before. It feels like an over-the-top request, you know?”

  “Did you ask me to wash it or did I offer?” I ask her, throwing a package of romaine lettuce into my cart, followed by a container of cherry tomatoes.

  She places some berries, bananas, and tomatoes in hers.

  “Well, you offered, but I still feel guilty.”

  “Don’t. It’s not a big deal.” And it isn’t. I’m surprised that she thinks it is.

  We shop for our groceries, and last minute I decide that maybe instead of going out to dinner tonight, I’ll cook for her. Maybe a night in would do us both some good.

  “Steaks tonight? I’ll grill. We can hang out at my place. Unless you had your heart set on going out.”

  “Actually,” she says quietly before leaning into me, rising up on her toes to kiss my lips, “a night in sounds perfect.”

  That’s all it takes. One kiss from her and I’m a goner.

  Gone for her.

  Chapter Fifteen