I shove him off the curb, and he jumps to the ground. He takes my hand.
“You always this happy in the morning?” I ask.
He points to his chest. “Who, me?” he asks. “I am Mr. Sunshine all the time.”
I laugh out loud. “Tell that to someone who doesn’t know you.”
He looks down at his phone and then throws his head back and laughs. “See,” he says. “Told you.”
I see the picture of Kit’s first diaper change and roll my eyes. “I think it’s sweet,” I say quietly.
He sobers a little and looks closely at me. Too closely for comfort, so I cross my arms and speed toward the subway.
“You know you’re pregnant, right?” he asks my back.
I stop. “I won’t know until later,” I say. I turn to face him.
He brushes my hair back from my forehead. “You’ve woken up sick the past two days,” he says. “You’re pregnant.”
“I won’t know until later,” I say again, and I start for the subway again.
“And if you are?” he calls after me.
I shrug. “Then I am.”
“And?” he shouts.
“And what?” I turn around and glare at him.
“And how do you feel about that?” he asks.
I shrug again. “Fine. It’s not like I didn’t plan for it.” I make my eyes go wide and stare at him.
He holds up his hands like he’s surrendering. “Just checking,” he says.
“It’s not like it’s mine,” I remind him.
“So that means what?”
“It means it’s not mine,” I say again. “This baby is going to have two wonderful daddies, and just because it’s growing inside me does not make it mine.” Hell, even the one that does share my DNA isn’t mine. I close my eyes.
“I think you’ll like being pregnant this time,” he says. He takes my hand and pulls me into the subway. He wraps his arms around me like before and talks close to my ear. It’s all intimate, even though there’s a crowd of people around us. “After this one,” he whispers, “do you think you might like your own?”
“No.” I don’t even need to think about it.
His brow furrows. “Why not?”
“I’m not mother material.”
“Fuck that,” he says.
“Fuck you,” I say back.
He grins. “I wish you would,” he whispers, and then he kisses me quickly.
I shove his shoulder. “Shut up.”
He lifts my arms and wraps them around his neck, and then he kisses me. He kisses me in the middle of a crowded subway car with people all around us—again—but I feel like we’re the only two people in the world.
His phone dings, and he pulls it out of his pocket. He grins and shows me the picture. “First spit up,” he says.
Paul
I know it sounds crazy, and this is totally the wrong time to have thoughts like I’m having, but I want to be an ultrasound wand. I try to look at Friday’s face as the technician rolls a sheath over the long wand and then puts lube all over it, but it’s damn hard not to watch the movements because that stick is about to get all intimate with Friday.
We went home really quickly so she could shower, and we were almost late getting to the doctor’s office. Cody and Garrett were pacing the sidewalk as we walked up.
Now they’re waiting in the next room while the ultrasound people get Friday ready. The pregnancy test was positive, just like I knew it would be. They’re going to do a quick check for a heartbeat, just in case there is one to be seen. They might not be able to find it yet. We’ll have to wait and see.
“I’m up here,” Friday says as I watch the wand. She laughs. But her hand shakes when I take it in mine.
“I’m jealous of that wand,” I whisper in her ear.
She shivers, but I can’t tell if it’s a sexy shiver or if she’s so fucking nervous that her skin is jostling.
The technician warns us that she’s about to insert the wand.
“Close your eyes or something, Paul,” Friday says, her cheeks growing rosy.
I turn so that my back is to her lower half, and I look at the wall for a minute.
“All set,” the technician says. “Should I let the dads in?” She looks at Friday and then at me with a curious expression.
“You could just get a picture for them,” I suggest. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I don’t want to share this moment with anyone. Then I remind myself that this baby isn’t mine. Friday isn’t even mine. Yet.
Friday nods her head. “They’re the dads,” she says. “They deserve to enjoy every moment.”