The Best Friend Bargain(17)

“Agreed.”

He sat taller, put his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward. Being under his fixed gaze made her squirm. The paper under her bottom rustled.

“All right.”

She could call him on that. It was two words. Instead she said, “And.”

“And?” he repeated, letting her get another word in rather than call her out on the conjunction, which was a no-no.

“Annoying.”

A knock on the door and the doctor’s entrance ended their game. Dr. Silver introduced herself and went over Liv’s health history again before going into a detailed description of what to expect. She prescribed prenatal vitamins, went over weight gain, nutrition and exercise, and most importantly told her the baby’s due date. April 30th. Olivia was nine weeks pregnant.

“An increased sex drive during pregnancy is normal,” Dr. Silver continued, her attention bouncing between Liv and Danny. “And perfectly safe. So feel free to keep sex on the agenda.”

Liv had never blushed in front of Danny before, but her cheeks were currently on fire.

Dr. Silver asked if Liv had any questions and proceeded to answer them in a way that put Liv at ease. The look of horror on Danny’s face when Dr. Silver announced a breast and pelvic exam came next was priceless. He stood, not knowing what to do with himself. Before Liv could say anything, Dr. Silver put a reassuring hand on his arm and told him a lot of first-time dads were uncomfortable with this, so if he preferred to step outside the room, he could, no problem.

He declined the offer, instead finding something interesting to stare at outside the window. His staying in the room put stupid tears in the back of Liv’s eyes. Once finished, Dr. Silver apologized for being short on time—an emergency delivery had come up—and told them during the next visit they’d listen to the baby’s heartbeat. Liv’s heart pounded so hard at the thought she was sure Danny and Dr. Silver heard it. Danny stepped to her side and squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.

After a quick stop at the lab next door so Liv could give blood for several routine tests, Danny stood outside the passenger door of his truck while she belted herself in.

“I’ve ruined you for future appointments, haven’t I?” she asked before he could say whatever had him rooted to her side of the car. She’d asked a lot of him today and wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to back out of their bargain.

“I don’t ruin, especially where you’re concerned.”

Do not cry at his perfect words. “O-kay,” she choked out.

“But the dad thing is a lot to take in.”

“Agreed.”

“So forgive me if I don’t do all the right things while I process it.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she said, squeezing his arm.

“There will be.”

Olivia couldn’t read Danny’s expression so she didn’t know what had clouded his usual confidence. She started to ask, but he shut the car door with a loud thud, putting an end to their conversation.





Chapter Four

Danny sat on his bed, laptop on his thighs, and hit send on another invoice for the designer in LA. He’d read over the damn thing five times to make sure he hadn’t transposed any numbers or made any typos. His eyes were tired, his mind preoccupied.

Today had been weird, but in a good way. To be involved with something so personal for Liv stirred up emotions Danny hadn’t expected. He’d always felt close to her, but being in that small examination room had turned that closeness on its head and magnified it. Every protective bone in his body had responded to the doctor’s explanations. And for the first time since Liv had told him she was pregnant, he’d wondered what it would be like to be a dad. A second later he’d wondered if it was fair, to himself and to Liv’s child, because Danny would never see the child reach all the milestones parents looked forward to.

Flip the coin again, and he knew this was the closest he’d ever get to “fatherhood.” On the drive away from the doctor’s office he’d asked himself if he could do this 100 percent. If Will kept his distance it fell to Danny to raise another man’s child. Danny didn’t take the responsibility lightly.

Liv had gotten quieter than usual during lunch and remained that way at dinner. He’d gotten good at reading her over the years, so he knew she was pulling back. Worried that today had been too much for him. It kind of had been.

They wouldn’t be lying about their marriage. It wasn’t a traditional union    , but it wasn’t a fake. The baby, however, opened up a slew of half-truths and undermined his integrity and the relationships he’d made in White Strand. That didn’t sit well with him. Which had led to him snapping at Liv about something stupid and then feeling like shit for doing so. She’d headed upstairs without another word to him after that.