Courtney whipped her head to look at him. “You’re a twin?” she asked, her mouth falling open.
“Yeah. I thought you knew.”
Only that he had three brothers. “No, I didn’t.” She blew out a mouthful of air and turned back to look at Alice. “Does that mean we could have twins?”
“My brother’s wife had twins last year,” Logan told them. “In case that makes any difference.”
“Are you and your twin identical?” Alice asked, her brows knitting together.
“Yep. Mirror image,” Logan told her.
“And what about your brother’s twins?” She made a note on the pad in front of her.
“They’re fraternal.”
She didn’t look surprised. Logan suspected Alice knew exactly who his brother was, even if she wasn’t saying anything. He appreciated her discretion, especially in a small town like this. “Believe it or not, there’s no link between the two sets in your family. Just pure luck.” She shrugged. “And being an identical twin doesn’t increase the odds of Courtney being pregnant with twins. It’s just a quirk of nature. Though there’s only one way to find out for sure, and that’s by having a sonogram.” Her eyes flickered over to Courtney. “We can do that today. The technician is here. I can see if she can fit you in if you’d like.”
Courtney turned to Logan with a question on her face. He nodded, and she smiled.
“Yes, please,” she told Alice.
Half an hour later, she was laying on an exam table, her top pulled up and her jeans unbuttoned at the waist. The tech was squeezing gel on her stomach, the cold making Courtney wince.
Logan shifted in the chair he’d been directed to, trying not to stare at her stomach. Was there a hint of a swell there? It was hard to tell. There would be one day, though. Sooner rather than later. And beneath that swell would be his child.
His throat tightened again, as the technician started to move the wand over Courtney’s lower abdomen, her eyes on the screen in front of her. “Well the good news is there’s only one.”
Courtney’s eyes met his. He grinned in relief.
“And the baby’s the perfect size for ten weeks. Measuring about as big as a strawberry.”
That was so damn tiny, it almost didn’t feel real. But then the technician turned the monitor around and pointed at the image on the screen and his whole world shrunk to the size of a pin.
There was a baby, no doubt about it. Tiny limbs moved around as the technician tried to point out the head, the body, the pumping heart. But her words were just noise, a buzzing in his ear, because his baby was there.
His breath caught in his throat. Slowly he managed to tear his gaze away, lifting it to Courtney. She was staring right back at him, her eyes wide and shiny. And damn if his weren’t feeling wet, too.
“You okay?” he managed to get out, his voice tight.
She nodded.
“Everything is perfect,” the technician told them. “I’ll print out a couple of photographs for you to keep and leave them at the front desk.” She passed a wad of tissues to Courtney so she could wipe her stomach. “And I’ll be seeing you again in a few months for your next ultrasound.”
Courtney sat up on the bed, fastening her jeans as the technician left the room. “We’re only having one,” she said softly.
“I guess that’s good news.”
Her mouth twitched. “Good for me. I only have to push one out.”
He immediately felt guilty, because that was another thing she’d have to do because of him.
And yet there was a warmth in him too, because that baby was his. And he knew for certain that no matter what happened he’d protect them both. Mother and baby. The thought was like a fire scorching over his body, making his muscles tight and his breath shallow.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Courtney asked, slipping her shoes back on. “You feel far away.”
“I’m just…” He shook his head. “It’s our baby, you know?”
She blew out a mouthful of air. “Yeah,” she said. “I know.”
“He or she is perfect. Those little legs and arms.” He smiled at her. “Did you see them?”
“I did.” She grinned back, her shoulders loosening up. “And they weren’t still at all, were they? I guess he or she doesn’t have much of a chance with being calm. Not with two workaholics for parents.”
They went out through the door, stopping at the front desk for Courtney to make her next appointment. The receptionist held out the ultrasound photographs, and Courtney took one. She glanced at Logan. “Would you like the other one?” she asked tentatively.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
He took it, opening his wallet and carefully sliding it inside. Baby Roberts was written in white print at the top, and for a moment he felt dismay at the words.
He wanted it to be Baby Hartson. His. And that fiery feeling of protection washed over him again.
Yeah, well that was a discussion for another day.
“You ready to go?” he asked her. “I need to head to the airport to catch my flight.”
“Will you be okay with two flights in one day?” She looked concerned.
“Yeah.” His brows knitted together. “It was hard to even take a day off. Things are crazy with opening a new restaurant right now.”
“Oh.” She pressed her lips together. “I didn’t know you were opening something new.”
He felt like a dick again, because there was so much she didn’t know about him. And if it wasn’t for the little strawberry sized life growing inside her, she probably never would know those things. “Maybe you can come and see my restaurants some time,” he said, feeling exposed. “Since the baby will spend some of his or her time in Boston with me.”
Courtney swallowed. The smile had disappeared from her lips and he was already missing it. “Of course. That would be good. Maybe once I’m in
