Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Dr. Savoy smiled. “That’s the heartbeat,” she said.
I hadn’t been prepared for the emotion that rushed into my chest as I sucked in a sob. Tears filled my eyes, making the screen blurry. The relief that came with that sound was overwhelming.
Dr. Savoy held out a tissue to me. I laughed and sniffled as I took it, then wiped at my face.
“Sorry,” I said, then laughed again.
“Don’t apologize. That is also a very normal reaction. It’s a relief the first time you hear it. And your little one has a strong one. One hundred fifty beats per minute, to be exact.”
Another small sob escaped me, followed by a laugh. A large warm hand slid over mine, and I stiffened, startled by the contact. I turned to look up at Liam as he stood beside me. His hand holding mine and his eyes fixed on the screen. I blinked and studied him. It was dark in here, but the light from the screen made his eyes appear glassy. The thought that he had gotten emotional only caused mine to fill with tears again as I turned to look back at the screen.
“Everything measures perfectly,” Dr. Savoy told us. She used an arrow across the screen. “That right there is your baby.”
I stared at it, trying to make it out but it was hard. The head I could see.
“This is the top of its head,” she said, “and these are its legs. It’s kicking away. Very active.”
I watched in fascination as the little things I could now see were legs moved back and forth.
Liam’s hand tightened on mine, and I pressed my lips together to keep from letting out another sob. I had been more hormonal lately. I’d cried over a picture of a mother holding her baby after birth that I’d seen while searching the pregnancy websites. But this was by far the most emotional I had been.
“Oh, and now, that is its arm. Looks like it’s waving,” she said, smiling at the screen and making notes as she clicked on certain things.
When the probe eased out of me, I wanted to beg her not to stop yet. I wasn’t done looking at it. She handed me several photos, and I took them to see she had captured pictures of the head, legs, and arms.
“You and the baby are in excellent condition. I know you’re ready to use the bathroom. Be sure to leave a urine sample. You can go in that room right there and do it. Once you’re done, get dressed and meet me back in the examination room. I have some things to go over with you, and I’m going to give you a book that I like all my prenatal patients to read and keep for reference.”
Liam had let go of my hand once the screen went off. I sat up and then handed him the photos to look at before hurrying to the bathroom. Getting a moment to myself, along with relieving my bladder, was needed.
I opened the bathroom door, then glanced back to see Liam looking at the photos in his hand with such intensity that my stupid eyes started stinging again.
22
Liam
Sitting in the booth with a glass of whiskey in front of me, I wished like hell I had a cigarette. The shit with Diamond’s death had been heavy. Blaise had just left with Huck and Gage. They’d traced it back to the Vipers and identified the man who had been here with her that night. The detectives assigned to the case were turning a blind eye to the family’s interference. But they always did.
Tex walked up and sat down across from me. He’d been in Miami the past four days. I hadn’t expected him to return until tomorrow.
I took a drink.
“You’re back early,” I said, setting the glass back on the table.
He sighed and leaned back. “Yeah, thought you might need me here. With the Viper shit. Saw Blaise and his men leaving.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Per usual, my son-in-law found them before the cops.”
Tex chuckled. “There is a reason why the Mafia is powerful.”
I still hadn’t spoken to Madeline about Liberty. Blaise had brought that up, too, and given me a deadline. I wanted to tell him to stay the fuck out of it, but I also respected that he didn’t like keeping shit from my daughter.
“He demanded that I tell Madeline before Saturday, or he’s doing it.”
Tex raised an eyebrow. “About the baby?”
I nodded.
Tex smirked. “I wouldn’t worry about it. From what I’ve witnessed this week, you let Madeline spend a little time with Liberty, and she’ll be fucking tickled pink.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
He ran his thumb over his bottom lip as his expression bordered on amused. “You might not like your baby momma, but the club, she’s got them all wrapped around her pretty little finger. Eating out of her hands. There might be a riot when the baby comes and you move her out of there.”