“Now you want to talk?”
He sighs and takes my hands in his so I can’t fidget. “Why are you worrying yourself?”
I pull my hands back. “Oh, you can have your feelings, but I can’t have mine?”
“I said nothing’s wrong.”
Right. He really should be more convincing. “Well, nothing is wrong with me either.”
I’m being petulant, but he’s being an ass.
He shakes his head. “Women.”
I’ll give him ‘women’. “Asshole.”
Thankfully, the technician enters. She introduces herself and gets me set up.
“This is a little cold,” she warns as she squirts the goo on my belly. “Do you guys want to know the sex of the baby if I can see it?”
“Yes!” I answer before he can say a word.
Wyatt chuckles. “We’d like it if you can. I think she’s going out of her mind not bein’ able to shop.”
I roll my eyes and look over. With a few clicks on the machine we start to see actual human body parts. “Oh my God! Wyatt! Look!” I wave my hand, calling him closer. His fingers lace with mine as we both watch the screen.
Then, the most amazing thing happens. Our tiny little baby shows on the screen. The sounds of my and the baby’s heartbeats echo in the room as we stare at the life we’ve created.
“That’s our baby?” he asks.
The technician smiles and nods. “This here is the heart,” she says and points to the image on the screen. “Four chambers. All look healthy.”
“It sounds so fast,” I say in awe.
“Is it supposed to be that fast?” Wyatt questions.
“It’s a very healthy heartbeat, Mr. Hennington. A baby’s heart beats at a much higher rate than an adult.”
He nods.
I look back to the screen and she continues on. It’s so cool and so real. This is nothing like the ultrasound pictures Presley had with the boys. Now the photos look so detailed since it’s 3D. I can literally see the baby’s body. She shows us two legs, two arms, and all the organs look good. We can see its little face and all of the features are formed. It’s a real freaking baby.
“Okay, now let’s see if the baby will cooperate and show us the goods.” She smiles as she clicks and twists the wand over my belly.
I can’t believe this is our baby. I know I was excited before, but this is beyond my dreams.
“There we go.” She smiles.
Wyatt and I both look at the screen closer as she types: It’s a girl!
“I SWEAR TO GOD, ANGIE,” Presley warns. “If you don’t tell me what the sex of that baby is tonight . . . I’m not responsible for what’ll happen.”
I laugh. I’ve made them all wait for the last three and a half weeks. I don’t know why I wouldn’t tell them, I just wasn’t ready to share, which of course drove everyone nuts. Added bonus.
“I’ve been patient, sugar, but I’m dyin’ here. You wouldn’t want to let an old lady die before knowing what her grandbaby is gonna be, do you?” Macie lays on the guilt.
Wyatt glances at me and grins. “Fine,” I huff. “I guess we can tell you.”
Both of their eyes shift between us and then we yell, “It’s a girl!”
“I knew it!” Presley hurries forward and hugs me tight. “You totally needed a girl.”
“I agree!” I laugh. “Think of all the pretty stuff we’re going to get!”
Mrs. Hennington pulls me into her arms and then Wyatt’s dad follows. “I’m so glad you’re going to give this family a girl! I don’t think I could’ve listened to Macie grumble for another ten years about the boy things.”
He’s such a sweet guy. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s important. I was really nervous around him the first few times, but then I realized he’s a big teddy bear. Wyatt explained that he enjoys the quiet and doesn’t feel the need to fill the world with noise.
Everyone laughs and talks about how happy they are. It’s the first time all of us have truly celebrated anything with the pregnancy.
Wyatt glances at me every now and then, still in his funk. We haven’t talked about whatever is bothering him, and he doesn’t offer anything up.
I thought we’d crossed some threshold, but it seems we haven’t. Instead, I feel like we’ve regressed.
We sit around the table for dinner. The boys are excited to get a girl for a cousin. They offer various suggestions for names, which is ridiculously entertaining. Wyatt grumbles about boys and what they think about girls while I laugh.
“You should name her Belle,” Logan sniggers.