"It's okay now. Can we talk more later?" My tears subsided and I wiped the trails of wet off my face.
"Of course, anything you want." Carter passed me a tissue just as the door opened again and the doctor came in.
"Hello, Evangeline." The doctor shook my hand with a smile. "And you're the father?" She looked at Carter expectantly. My breath caught in my throat and I prayed he wouldn't have an adverse reaction to the word.
"I am. Carter Morgan." He smiled at her. I heaved a sigh of relief.
"Dr. Burke. Nice to meet you both."
She asked routine questions and determined that I was approximately four weeks along. We'd conceived around our wedding day after all. She said we could expect the baby to arrive late next July. My heart did flip-flops at the thought that before next summer was over we'd have a little baby in our arms.
Carter held my hand tightly through the entire appointment and all my worry and concern slipped away. He was there when I needed him. It may have taken him a few days to get here, but he was here and that's what mattered. This is where I needed him most.
Carter asked the doctor a slew of questions. Apparently he thought I should be on bed rest for the next eight months. Dr. Burke reassured him with an indulgent smile that I could go about my normal life. I told her that I had had more than a few glasses of wine in the last month before finding out that we were expecting. She assured me that that too was okay, there was most likely no harm done. She also explained that it probably was the migraine medication I had been taking that interacted with the birth control, although she explained that she'd birthed more than a few babies that had defied the birth control odds.
She exited the room and left a little bliss-filled bubble in her wake.
"Ready, baby?" Carter helped me off the table. I stood on my tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"I'm so ready," I smiled.
"Good. Me too." He held my hand as we walked out of the office and into the chilly November air. "Will you come home with me? To Beacon Street?" he asked after he'd settled me into the back seat of the Bentley.
I regarded him thoughtfully. His eyes were soft and pleading. He still held my hand in his own and he stroked my palm back and forth with his thumb. The small touch caused butterflies to leap into my stomach.
"Yes," I nodded.
"Good. I've missed you." He pulled me to him and kissed me on the lips before instructing Parker to take us home.
"You're not going back to work?" I pulled away from him.
"Not now I’m not. I want to bring you home." He pulled me back and we kissed again.
Later that night, after we'd ordered pizza and watched Seinfeld reruns on TV, Carter turned toward me on the couch and held both of my hands in his.
"Can we talk now?"
I frowned at him playfully. "And ruin a perfect night?"
"It won't ruin it. I just want to explain a few things." He waited for me to agree.
"Okay."
"First, you ran into Madeleine at my office the other day because I called her in."
My breathing hitched in my throat. Maybe I wasn't prepared for this conversation after all.
"I bought out her share of the company. I have no reason to see her anymore. And I won't. She wasn't happy about it, she dropped by unexpectedly, I didn't realize when I texted you that she would be there. I'm sorry you saw her." His eyes watched me intently.
"I guess that was why she wasn't happy when I ran into her," I said aloud.
"She wasn’t happy. Angry in fact," he mumbled. "Did she say something to you?"
"Yes, but it doesn't matter."
"It matters to me," he prompted.
"She said that I’d trapped you by getting pregnant. That I was a gold digger." I cast my eyes down and rubbed my tummy with one hand. His hand that was still holding mine tightened marginally at my words
"I’m sorry she said that to you. I didn't mean to tell her, she was angry and ranting about why I was buying her out. She thought it had something to do with you. It just slipped out. I'm sorry, Eva." He tilted my chin up to look at me.
"It's okay," I said softly.
"It's not okay." He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear with a sad smile.
"Did you..." I paused for a moment. "Did you give Madeleine an engagement ring with your birthstone?" I whispered, afraid of the answer.
His eyes flashed with sadness before he answered. "No. She picked out her own engagement ring."
"Oh." I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"She's my past, Eva. You're my future—both of you." His hand settled over mine on my tummy. Tears pooled in my eyes. Damn the pregnancy hormones. I was barely a fine line away from breaking down into uncontrollable sobs.