Celebration's Baby

“Good luck, you two,” she said as she and her husband walked toward the waiting nurse. “This truly is the beginning of the happiest time of your lives.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Nice talking to you.”

“Making friends, already?” Bia murmured. “You are such a flirt.”

“I wasn’t flirting,” he said. “I was just being cordial. They think we’re married.”

Bia rolled her eyes at him. “Obviously they don’t know who they’re dealing with. You, with your commitment allergy. I’m surprised that you didn’t run screaming for the door after she said that.”

“That hurts, B. Like a stab right through the heart. You know I’m committed to you. You’re the only woman in the world for me.”

She made a tsking sound and gave his arm a little shove and muttered, “Spare me.” Then she refocused on her paperwork, but she was smiling as she wrote. He noticed that she had left the spot on the form that asked for the name of the child’s father blank. He thought about asking her what, if anything, she was going to tell the doctor, but he decided to wait until after the appointment.

“Obviously, we make a good couple,” he said. “We fooled them.”

“Yeah, well, welcome to the grand illusion. When a man and a woman come to an OB-GYN office together, they’re usually involved. We just happen to be part of the slim minority who aren’t.”

“We should stop pretending and get married, Bia.”

She didn’t look up from her paperwork, but she laughed. “Says he who is allergic to monogamy. Don’t joke about marriage, Aiden. Some things are sacred.”

“Who says I’m joking?”

This time she pierced him with an exasperated look. “Settle down and quit distracting me. I have to finish filling out this paperwork before they call me back.” She started writing again. “Besides, you don’t have a ring. You can’t propose to a woman without a ring.”

He pretended to pat down his pockets, looking for a ring. “Touché. You got me there.”

She did have him. Heart and soul. He’d never realized just how deep his feelings for her ran until recently. If only he could tell her without the comedy routine. Easier said than done.

A few minutes later, the nurse called Bia back.

Aiden followed her to the door. “I haven’t finished my paperwork,” she said.

“That’s not a problem,” the nurse said. “Maybe your husband could finish filling it out for you while we’re getting you ready to see the doctor?”

“He’s not my husband,” Bia said.

The nurse smiled, and she looked from Bia to Aiden. “Well, okay. Do you want him to come back with you?”

She asked the question as if he would be entering a restricted-access area.

“Oh...” Bia glanced at Aiden and then back to the nurse. “I guess he can wait out here. Would you mind, Aiden?”

“Probably a good idea.” The nurse smiled at him and took a step closer. “The first visit is always the longest. The doctor will want to go over the genetic history of your family and that of the baby’s father. It will take a while, but if you’d like to wait, let’s get you something to drink—would you like coffee? A soda?”

He felt Bia pull away from him emotionally. She had a strange look on her face, and he wasn’t sure why. Probably just nerves. This was suddenly becoming very real, and she wanted to go back there alone.

“Aiden, I’m fine. Why don’t you go back to work? There’s no sense in you waiting.”

“I don’t mind. You might need me.”

She softened, but the wall was still in place. That same wall that kept him a safe, platonic distance away. “It was so sweet of you to come. But really, I’m fine. Please go.”

* * *

The nurse left Bia standing there while she fetched coffee for Aiden.

How utterly unprofessional. If the woman hadn’t been wielding needles—once she’d made sure Aiden was comfortable—Bia might have schooled her on the meaning of a proper time and a place for everything. When a woman was walking through the door for her first obstetric appointment, it definitely wasn’t the time or the place for the nurse to flirt with the man who had accompanied the pregnant woman. Just because he wasn’t her husband didn’t mean he was fair game.

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