Beat of the Heart (Runaway Train, #2)(82)

“Pretty amazing, huh?” Mia asked.

“Yeah, it’s f*cking intense.” When Karen glanced over at me, I held up my hands. “Sorry.”

She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m used to it.” As she rolled around the wand, Karen pointed to an area on the screen. “There’s the heartbeat.”

I could hear it echoing all around me through the sound system. “Sounds strong.”

“It is,” Karen replied.

When I glanced down at Mia, she was smiling at me. She squeezed my hand. Tears glimmered in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too, amorcito mio. Me too.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed along her fingers.

“So are you two ready to find out what your baby is?”

Since I couldn’t form words, I had to resort to nodding while Mia replied, “Yes, please.”

Karen pressed harder on Mia’s abdomen—the image on the screen shifted to a straight shot at what I assumed was the butt. We had a clear shot between the baby’s legs.

“Looks like you are having a girl.”

Tears spilled over Mia’s cheeks. “Really?”

“Yes.”

It took me a moment to even process the technician’s words. I was going to have a daughter. An image of Melody’s sweet smile formed in my mind along with her calling for Bray. I wanted to have a Daddy’s Girl just like her. I could almost see a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl with pig-tails gripping my hand in her tiny one—a little girl who was a perfect mix of mine and Mia’s DNA.

When I glanced at Mia, her mouth turned down in a frown. “Are you disappointed it’s not a boy?”

“Are you kidding me? Our baby is going to be the first granddaughter on my side of the family—we’re going to rack up some serious shit.”

Mia grinned. “Only you would say that.”

I smiled. “I couldn’t be happier that I’m going to have a baby girl.”

“I’m glad. To be honest, I really wanted it to be a girl.”

“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea not to unleash any AJ Juniors onto the world for a while.”

With a laugh, Mia replied, “You never know. Our daughter could take after her father.”

I shuddered. “God forbid.”

Mia’s hand came up to tenderly rub my cheek. “Don’t sell yourself short, AJ. There are a lot of wonderful traits she could inherit from you.”

At her sincere words, I leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the lips. When I pulled away, confusion and affection pooled in Mia’s eyes. I could tell she was still fighting with exactly how she felt about me. Once Karen finished cleaning the goop off of Mia’s stomach, Mia adjusted her top and sat up on the table. “I wanted to run something by you. I kinda already picked out a girl’s name, and I wanted to see if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Okay.”

Wringing her hands, she added, “I mean, we can totally brainstorm names together. I really do want your input.”

“Would you just spit it out, Mia?”

“Okay, fine. Isabella Sofia—for my grandmother.”

I smiled. “It’s beautiful. And my abuela’s name is Isabella.”

Mia’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Sounds like fate, huh?” I reached over to touch her belly. “I think Bella Resendiz has a nice ring to it.”

“Me too.”

I was glad to hear she wasn’t going to argue with Bella having my last name. There was no way in hell my kid was going by Mia’s last name or anyone else’s for that matter—including that douche ex-fiance who was sniffing around.

“Here you go,” Karen said, handing Mia a few snapshots and a DVD of the ultrasound.



“Thank you,” Mia called as Karen left the room. She gave me one of the pictures. “In case you want to flash Bella around.”

I smiled. “I’d love, too. The guys are definitely going to want to see her.”

“I have to get back to work, but do you want to grab some lunch first? The crew at Mama Sofia’s is anxiously awaiting the news.”

I grimaced. “I can’t. I’ve got a lot of shit to do before we leave in the morning.” When Mia refused to look me in the eye, my heart clenched in my chest. All week on the phone and through texts, whenever I would mention Mexico, she would become cagey. “You are coming with me, right?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’m not sure.”

At her hesitation, I clenched my jaw. “You’re still not sure about me, are you?”

“That’s not it.”

“Yes, it is. Jesus Christ, Mia, after all I went through to get here today, you still have your doubts about my commitment to you and Bella?”

She sighed and turned away from me.

“It’s never going to be enough is it?” I demanded.

“AJ, please.”

Grabbing her by the shoulders, I forced her to look at me. “No matter what I do, you’re always going to let the ghosts of your past f*ck things up for us, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not.”

“You don’t want to go back to Dev—he’s just a means to an end where you don’t have to make a choice.” I gripped her tighter. “Dammit, Mia, I want to be with you and only you. I’ve never cheated on you, and I’ve never lied to you. I’ve made some mistakes where we’re concerned—that’s the truth. But what happens between us next is all up to you.”