Rebel Heir (Rush Series Duet #1)(64)

We were both silent for the longest time, just staring intensely into each other’s eyes.

“I miss you,” she whispered.

I miss you, too.

I couldn’t resist bringing her into me. She buried her face in my chest. My heart was beating out of control. It was all too much: the softness of her skin, the recognition of her scent. The need to pick up exactly where we’d left off.

My dick hardened. I couldn’t get it up for Everly, but put this gorgeous, pregnant women in my arms, and my body was fully awakened. I wished her being pregnant turned me off, but I’d never been more turned on by anything in my life.

Coming inside the house was a mistake.

I let go of her, placing my spoon on the coffee table and standing up. “I have to go.”

As I was walking out the door, her voice stopped me. “I have my first ultrasound tomorrow.”

I froze. My heart started to pound faster. Hearing her say that really made it hit home that there was an actual human being inside of her.

She continued, “I’m really scared. Like what if they find something wrong…or there’s no heartbeat…or I freak out when I see it. I know this is going to sound crazy, Rush. Besides Riley, who’s out of state this week, you’re the best friend I have here. I haven’t even mustered the courage to tell my father yet. Anyway…do you think you could come with me?”

What?

Say something.

“I don’t know, Gia.”

“Please?”

How could I say no? She was scared, and aside from all of the complicated parts to this situation, I cared deeply for this girl. If she needed me to hold her hand, then I needed to suck it up and do it.

I let out a long breath and nodded. “Okay.”





“You’re making me even more nervous.” Gia rested her hand on my knee, stopping the incessant bob up and down of my leg. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it.

“Sorry.”

Sitting side by side in the doctor’s office waiting room, I impatiently waited for her name to be called. I’d been a wreck from the time we pulled into the damn parking lot. Some help I was. I’d come because she was nervous, yet here she was having to calm me down. I had no idea why I felt so anxious, but ten minutes ago when the receptionist’s phone rang, I literally jumped right out of my chair. I’d had to cover by pretending I needed to use the bathroom. What the fuck is wrong with me?

“I was thinking about my old job last night,” Gia said. “All the greeting cards that I wrote the copy for.”

“Oh yeah? Bet you didn’t get your own bathroom stall at that job.”

She laughed. “No, I definitely didn’t. But I wasn’t comparing my old job to working for you. There’s no comparison to how much more I enjoy spending time with you at The Heights…I mean, working at The Heights. But I was thinking about the cards I used to write that were meant to congratulate people on their pregnancies. At the time, I thought they were funny. Although, right now, as I’m sitting in an actual obstetrician’s office, I’m thinking maybe some of them went a little too far, almost to the point of being insensitive without even realizing it.”

“Like what?”

“Well, this one in particular I remember writing went something like this: On the outside it said, ‘How do you fit a watermelon through a donut hole?’ And then on the inside it said, ‘You’re about to find out.’

I chuckled. “That’s funny.”

“Says the man who doesn’t have to push a watermelon through his donut hole.”

The receptionist called Gia’s name, and she looked over at me. The fear was suddenly palpable in her eyes. I took her hand and squeezed. “It’s going to be fine. This baby is going to be healthy and beautiful just like his mom.”

“His?”

“His what?”

“You said just like his mom. So you think I’m having a boy?”

I hadn’t noticed I’d given the baby a sex. “Come on. Stop stalling.” I stood and gave her hand a slight tug. “And I don’t think you’re having a boy, I know what you’re having.”

Gia stood. “You do?”

I winked. “Of course. A giant fucking watermelon.”





“It’s a little early to be able to tell the sex of the baby. But, before I start, do you want to know if I’m able to see the gender clearly?” The sonogram technician pulled gloves from a box on the counter and snapped them onto her hands.

“Umm.” Gia looked at me for an answer. “I don’t know. I didn’t think you could tell this soon, so I really haven’t given it any thought. What do you think, Rush?”

I smirked. “Up to you. I already know what it is.”

The sonogram technician obviously didn’t know that I meant she was pregnant with a watermelon. She flicked off the lights in the room and pulled up a stool next to Gia. “So Dad already thinks he knows what it is, huh? I’m guessing that means he thinks it’s a boy. Most dads do.”

Gia got flustered. “He’s not…he thinks it’s a…”

I attempted to help her. “I’m not the…uh…I don’t think…”

The technician must’ve been used to two tongue-tied people in this room. “I’ll tell you what. I won’t tell you what you’re having if I can see, but I’ll note it in your chart so that you can call the office at any time if you decide to find out.”