The Mountain Man's Secret Twins(23)
When it was Kenzie’s time, the technician spread the strange, sticky liquid evenly over her stomach, beneath her belly button. She asked Kenzie light questions, having been briefed that she had only just learned of her pregnancy—and that it was proving to be a shock.
“You’re in real estate?” the technician asked brightly.
Kenzie nodded, her eyes searching the ceiling. “I should tell him, shouldn’t I?” she murmured, only half speaking to the technician. “Even if he has a life he doesn’t want me to know about, I should tell him about mine.”
The ultrasound tech looked at her curiously, her eyebrows drawing closer together. She obviously didn’t want to interject.
But Kenzie needed advice. “Should I go to him? Tell him the truth?”
“I try to stay out of these issues,” the tech said, shrugging sadly. “I’ve been in the middle of several disputes, though. There was an all-out war, in this very tech room, with the father saying the baby on the screen looked shockingly like his best friend. But the baby was only at three months. He really didn’t look like anything!”#p#分页标题#e#
Kenzie laughed, trying to clear her mind. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ask you that. I’m just out of my mind right now.”
“Of course you are, honey. And you will be for the rest of your life, with this baby in tow. Ready to see your little one?”
“Yes,” Kenzie whispered before pressing her lips together tightly.
The tech positioned the scanner directly on the goop, waiting until a fuzzy image appeared on the black screen. Kenzie frowned, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The tech’s jaw dropped. Slowly, a secretive smile formed between her cheeks. She made eye contact with Kenzie, trying to repress a giggle.
“You won’t believe this,” she said.
“Is it all right?” Kenzie asked, alarmed.
“Of course it is. You’re having twins, is all. Double the fun. Double the trouble.”
Kenzie couldn’t believe it. She didn’t speak for several moments, the tech still assessing her uterus, making sure she was healthy. She bowed her head, placing her chin on her chest, glaring at her protruding abdomen. Two babies. Inside her. Two babies that would soon be out in the world, crying and eating and sleeping and loving. Two babies who would cost her money, making her budget even tighter than it already was.
The tech finished and slipped her latex gloves from her hands. She shrugged. “Twins are harder, yes,” she said, filling the silence and trying to relieve Kenzie’s panic, “but there isn’t any reason you can’t handle it. You seem strong, Kenzie, and good. These kids are lucky to have you.”
Kenzie didn’t feel strong. After leaving the ultrasound clinic, she drove around Concord sullenly, the radio on. She drove past where she’d learned Tori and Austin now lived—a two-story colonial with a fenced-in backyard. She wondered if they were planning on having children. Had Austin ever mentioned kids, or wanting them? She couldn’t remember now. Her time with him was a blur, knocked out by her memories of Bryce.
Kenzie parked the car with a jolt outside her apartment building, sanding her palms against her rotund belly. The next week, she’d take three days off. She’d rearrange her client meetings, her showings, and her office hours, and she’d drive back to Vermont to tell Bryce the truth. She wouldn’t demand anything in return. Just telling him would have to be enough.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kenzie felt too catatonic that night to call or text anyone with the news. She sat with it, stewing, and drank hot chocolate, watching the clock tick. Her apartment was a one-bedroom, and there had been barely enough room for both her and Austin. Hunting for a house of her own sounded bizarre, like jumping the fence on the structured life she’d created. She imagined what she’d need. Three bedrooms, maybe? A backyard, if they wanted to get a dog when the kids were older? Should she start deciding on a school system? Now that she understood what her clients needed, she felt panicked, understanding why they had to “go talk about it” so often. It felt like the difference between life and death.
As she sat, blanketed, she began to doze. Her dream seemed like a premonition. She found herself standing on the porch of Bryce’s cabin, gazing out at the summery trees. She heard the wind ruffling through the leaves, birds twittering, no sign of civilization anywhere. Bryce’s truck was parked in the driveway, featuring what looked like a double baby seat in the back. She heard her name called from inside house and spun, swiping her hands over her apron. Were they cooking?#p#分页标题#e#