“Make no mistake, Sin. You may have initiated her into the brotherhood and then married your bonny American but she’ll never be Fellowship.”
Abram gets up from the table and points his finger in my direction. “And she’ll never lead either of my daughters. I’ll see to that.”
Chapter Nineteen
Bleu Breckenridge
It’s been three weeks since Sin became secondary leader of The Fellowship. I knew it was coming when I agreed to marry him. I had hoped it would happen later in our marriage. I wanted time with my husband before he was taken from me but it wasn’t possible. Abram has given him no choice.
It hasn’t been awful but he’s still new to his role. He comes home late every night, although he did that anyway. He’s managed to get away long enough to be with me for my first ultrasound today. I suppose I can’t complain too much.
“You’re going to feel some pressure.” I’m lying on my back with my legs slightly parted when the ultrasound tech inserts the condom-clad probe inside me. I look at Sin and scrunch my nose.
He reaches for my hand. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll make it.” It’s not the first time I’ve had this done. I’ll never get used to it but I can tolerate it a lot better knowing the ultimate goal: to ensure there’s a heartbeat and a growing baby. Or babies.
“I’ll take measurements of yer uterus first. I know yer anxious but we’ll get tae the fun stuff in just a minute.” Her accent is thick; I have to listen carefully. Sometimes it takes a little deciphering to figure it out.
She said fun stuff. That much I understood. I think that sounds reassuring. Maybe. I wouldn’t expect her to use the word fun if she wasn’t seeing a live baby. Unless she hasn’t taken notice yet. She’s a professional. She’d look before saying anything like that, right?
I’m nervous so I’m rambling to myself. Shut up, Bleu. You’re making it worse.
Sin is still holding my hand. He gives it three rhythmic squeezes so I turn away from the monitor to look at him. He winks and mouths, “I love you.”
I make smoochy lips at him and mouth the same in return.
It takes forever to do the technical stuff—twice as long as I would expect.
“Okay. Got the measurements out of the way so here we go.”
The tech angles the probe upward and presses. My bladder feels like it’s inflated with a gallon of water so I could pee myself at any moment. “Hmm,” I groan. “That’s not pleasant.”
“Okay?” Sin asks.
“Yeah.” I’ll only have to bear it for a few minutes. The discomfort is worth what I’m about to see.
She points to the screen. “Right there. Do ye know what this little circle is that we’re looking at?”
“We’re hopeful it’s a baby.”
“Aye. And how many babies do ye see? One.” She moves her finger slightly to the left. “Two.”
“Well, fuck me. Twins.” Sin grins and then looks at the tech. “Pardon me.”
She giggles. “No problem. I’ve heard worse.”
He leans forward for a better view. “I was afraid to hope for two. It seemed greedy when I knew we’d be damn lucky to get one.”
It doesn’t feel real. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
I immediately go into worry mode. I suppose it’s natural. “Both babies look healthy?”
“Both heartbeats are strong and each is measuring right on schedule. They look perfect as far as I can tell.”
Sin leans forward to kiss me. “Did you hear that, Bonny? She says they look perfect.”
Twins. Two babies. I knew there was a high probability but I’m still surprised.
My head is spinning. I may even be a little short of breath. I pray it’s not because I’m about to have a panic attack.
What am I going to do with two babies? I wasn’t really even sure I was ready to mother one.
“All done, Mrs. Breckenridge. Ye can change back into yer bottoms.”
I get up from the exam table and go into the bathroom with Sin following behind me. I’m holding a sheet around my waist when he lifts me and kisses my mouth like crazy. When he finishes, he returns my feet to the floor. “Bonny. This is the best and most frightening news I’ve ever gotten in my life. I’m terrified and overjoyed at the same time.”
It’s a ginormous relief to know I’m not alone. “I’m scared too, but very happy.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being afraid.” He puts his arms around me and squeezes. “We can be scared together.”
* * *
“Mary predicted this, you know.”
“Who’s Mary? And what did she predict?” I hear the confusion in his voice.
“How can you forget Mary the medium? She did a reading on us. Said you would be married with children soon.” I touch my abdomen. “She was right. You’ll be getting children soon. I’d say she hit the nail on the head.”
“Aye, I suppose she did. I recall her saying I would find joy with my family. She was right about that as well.”
Sin opens the door to our flat and enters first. He enters the series of numbers to turn off the security system.
He stops in the living room and stands with his hands on his hips looking around. “There’s a lot to be done before they get here.”
He sounds as though he thinks they’re coming tomorrow. “I’m six weeks pregnant. We have time.”
“We need to be more aggressive in the search for a house. Two babies will require twice as much space.” He looks at the door leading out to the patio. “I want them to have a fenced outdoor area so they can safely play outside.”
He’s putting the cart before the horse. “They won’t come out needing a yard to play in.”
“I know, but I want to bring them home from the hospital to our family house. Not this.” He laughs. “I know. I’m just excited. This is the first time I’ve ever found out I was going to be a father to twins.”
“I hope it’s the first time you’ve ever found out you were going to be a father at all.”
We’ve never discussed that before. “This is your first time to be a father, isn’t it?”
“I don’t have other children.” He reaches out and takes my hands. He pulls me close, pressing my back against his front. He overlaps his hands over my tummy. “Only these.”