“Do you hear that?” Nora asked.
“I hear it.” He was never going to forget that sound. Tears sprang to his eyes.
“Is our baby healthy? Does everything look and sound good?” Nora asked.
The doctor was silent for several moments. “Looks to me like you’re going to have a healthy baby. We’ll keep a check on things as you progress, and obviously you’re struggling with the morning sickness.”
“It’s bad, but I don’t mind.” Nora pushed some of her hair off her face.
“If the dry toast doesn’t work, and you find it getting worse, please call me.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Rex asked, suddenly wondering if her sickness had been worse or better.
“Now, we just like to make sure Mom and baby are comfortable. If you’re vomiting every chance, then it’s not going to be good for either of you.” The doctor moved the little device thingy around. “Would you like to know the sex?”
He looked at Nora and watched as she bit her lip. “Would you like to know?” she asked.
“Yeah, I would. I think I’d like to be prepared for whatever our little baby can throw at us.” He squeezed Nora’s hand as the doctor chuckled.
“It’s nice to see a couple ready to do this together. I have so many patients who come in here, and it’s either one or the other determined to make this work. Rarely is it both.”
There was no way in hell that Rex was going to let his woman go. No chance of it. He loved her more than anything, and right now his second chance was happening. He was going to grasp it, hold onto it, and keep it.
“Right … let’s see. Some babies really don’t like to give away their secrets,” the doctor said. “Ah, there we are, you’re going to be having a boy. A beautiful baby son.”
“A boy, Rex. We’re going to have a boy.”
“I hope he’s nothing like me,” he said, laughing. Tears fell down his cheeks as he leaned in against Nora, but he didn’t care. They were tears of joy, and right now he was so damn happy.
“I hope he’s everything like you,” Nora said, whispering the words. “If so, he’s going to grow up to be a wonderful man.”
Pressing his lips against hers, Rex couldn’t believe his luck. How he had found the woman meant for him, he didn’t know. There was no way he was going to let her go.
“I love you, Nora. More than anything.”
She smiled with her own tears. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Ten years later
“Can you believe our kids are friends?” Alaric asked.
“Yeah, well I’m about to be a son down in a minute.” Rex rushed across his yard toward the large oak tree. Nora had loved this house from the moment they stepped foot in it. The biggest problem with the house was they had several large trees, and a son that loved to climb. His little monkey boy was driving him crazy. “Will, I told you to stop climbing trees!” William Donovan, ten years old, and getting cockier by the day, gave a little chuckle.
“Come on, Dad, this is so cool. You can see everything here.”
“Your mother is going to have a heart attack, and I don’t want that.”
“Ew, you’ll do that kissing thing you always do. I hate girls. I love Mommy though. She bakes the nicest cookies.”
Rex rolled his eyes, and felt Nora right behind him, wrapping her arms around him.
“Hey,” she said. “I’m not going to have a heart attack.”
“I keep trying to get him out of the tree.”
“Watch this.” She rested her chin on his shoulder. “William, darling, you know that chocolate fudge cake you love so much?”
“Yeah.”
“I just wanted to say all of your friends are already eating it.” Before she had even finished that sentence, William climbed down and was rushing toward the kitchen.
Nora laughed.
“Food. All this time, good food is what brings him down,” Rex said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and kissing her head.
He turned toward his friend, Alaric, to see him with Bella in his arms.
“It’s good food,” Alaric said.
Ignoring his friend, Rex stared at his wife. Ten years of marriage, and he still loved her even more. Placing a hand on her slightly swollen stomach, he couldn’t believe the gift she was giving him.