glare. “I’ll be happy to sign anything
She pouted as she turned around and swept her hair over her shoulder. “Will you sign the back of my scrubs then?”
I gave Mia an apologetic look to which she held up her hands. “Don’t mind me. I’m just here to see the gender of my unborn child. Excuse me,
Yep, I was in serious trouble. Capping the sharpie, I tossed it back at the girl. “This is really not a good time.”
“Later then?” she pressed
“How about never!” Mia blared.
The nurse at Mia’s side stepped forward and gently shoved the girl back into the reception area. “Beth, please do not bother Ms. Martinelli and her guest anymore.”
With an exasperated huff, Beth slumped back into her chair and whirled around to face customers. The nurse gave Mia and me an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m kinda used to it by now,” I replied.
“Well, I’m certainly not,” Mia hissed.
Oh great, in Mia’s eyes, I had royally fucked up now. Sensing we needed a moment alone, the nurse motioned us into the ultrasound room. “You know the drill by now, Ms. Martinelli. The tech will be with you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Mia replied.
When the door shut behind us, I inhaled a deep breath. Mia chose to ignore me. Instead, she hopped up on the table. Swinging her legs back and forth, she eyed me contemptuously. “Amorcito mio, I’m really sorry about that.” I took a tentative step forward. “It’s just that I’m used to interacting with fans and getting into a certain zone when I’m with them. I wouldn’t have wanted to take anything away from this day for you or for me.”
Mia weighed my words before reclining back on the table. The paper crinkled beneath her as she unbuttoned her pants and slid them down, tucking them under her bump. I couldn’t resist stepping forward to lay my hand on her bare belly. She watched me intently, searching my face. I didn’t know if she expected to me to pull a douche move and be disgusted by the sight of her stomach or what. It was still so fucking mind blowing that my kid was in there. That somehow, during our whirlwind two weeks together, we had managed to create a life.
“Mia,” I pleaded. “Will you at least call me a few choice words in Italian and except my apology?”
When she finally smiled, I felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off my chest. “Okay, I’m sorry for overreacting. I guess you couldn’t help it. I mean, that chick really railroaded you.”
I nodded. “I’ve had PR people drill it into my head never to turn away fans, so that’s why I did that. I would never dream of disrespecting you and this special day.”
“Thank you, AJ,” Mia replied.
The door opened, and a tech in green scrubs appeared. “Hello Mia.”
“Hi Karen.”
“Big day today, huh?” Karen questioned, as she flopped down on her stool.
“Yeah, it is.”
Karen eyed me as she picked up a bottle of some gel looking shit. “And who is this?”
“I’m AJ, the father,” I replied before Mia could try to figure out what to call me.
“Nice to meet you.” With a grin, Karen glanced between us. “Regardless of what the sex is of this baby, I can guarantee with you two as parents, it’s going to be attractive.”
I laughed. “Thanks. We do have some good genes to bring to the table, huh?”
Mia rolled her eyes at my cockiness. “Thank you, Karen. As long as it’s healthy, I’ll feel extremely blessed.”
“Okay then. Let’s get started,” Karen replied, after squiring the jelly shit on Mia’s belly. Once it was covered, she picked up a wand and began running it over Mia’s stomach. The instant the baby’s grainy image flashed on the screen I was mesmerized. Seriously, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him or her, and I fought to breathe. It was the most surreal experience of my life. Nothing compared to it—not even being on a stage in front of thousands and thousands of people. “Wow,” I wheezed.
“Pretty amazing, huh?” Mia asked.
“Yeah, it’s fucking 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.
