“Why is it taking so long?”
“I’m not the doctor’s only patient,” I remind him.
He huffs and crosses his arms like a child throwing a tantrum. Thankfully, the doctor comes in. Dr. Lydia Jones is a younger doctor, but has a great bedside manner. I like that she tells it how it is and pulls no punches. Luca will like that, too.
“Mr. Zotov,” Dr. Jones holds out her hand. “It’s great to finally meet you. Congratulations on the Cup win.”
Luca stands and shakes her hand. “Thank you.”
“All right, let’s see your baby again.”
Even though I’m not scheduled to have another ultrasound, I requested one for Luca to be here and see our little girl on the screen and not in a text picture.
Before she starts, Dr. Jones asks me several questions. She informs me that I’ve gained twenty pounds. She didn’t need to tell me that. I’m the one who can’t wear anything nice. When she begins to talk about my diet, I try not to look over at Mr. Health-Nut.
“Hadley, you need to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet.” Dr. Jones narrows her eyes at me.
“I think french fries are their own food group.” I try to play it off that all I’m eating is cheeseburgers and fries.
“No, they are not. Please don’t make me send you to a dietitian,” she threatens me.
“I’ll make sure she eats better,” Luca says in his ever-so-serious tone.
Damn it. No more fries for me now.
“Good, now that’s settled. Have you thought anymore about the C-section?”
Shit. I had forgotten about that.
“What’s that?” Luca asks.
“Well, Hadley has a narrow pelvis and since we feel the baby is going to be bigger than she can handle, I suggest she has an elective C-section,” Dr. Jones explains. I squeeze his hand because I can see the worry on his face. “Mr. Zotov, this is something that I’ve done a hundred times before. It will be better for Hadley and your little girl this way,” she reassures him.
“She’ll do that then,” Luca answers for me.
“I think I should get a vote.” I jump in because I think they’ve forgotten I’m here. Luca looks over at me and I know he means business. “C-section sounds great,” I concede.
Dr. Jones laughs and begins to measure me. She says everything looks great and the tech will be in shortly to start the ultrasound. Within a minute of the doctor walking out, the tech comes in and begins prepping me for the ultrasound.
On the screen comes the outline and fuzzy haze of our baby girl. Wow, she’s gotten bigger since the last time. Maybe I can convince Luca it’s because of the french fries.
The tech begins to point out the feet, hands, heart, and I look over at Luca.
“What do you think?”
Luca stares at the screen with a serious but unreadable expression.
“Luca, what do you think?” I shake his hand to get his attention.
He looks over at me and nods, but still doesn’t say anything. Great, now I’m not sure if this was a good idea or not.
When the tech leaves and I’m all cleaned up, I don’t say anything to Luca. He’s either dealing with his emotions of happiness or he’s pissed as hell and he’s never coming back.
“Luca, say something,” I softly beg.
He stands in front of me and stares. I don’t like when Luca is quiet. It worries me. He brushes away a stray of loose hair and tucks it behind my ear. He wraps his large arms around my shoulders and hugs me tightly to his body. “I love you, baby.” His voice is raw with emotion and I know that it’s going to be okay.
Chapter Sixteen
Luca
I’ve been trying to figure out how I felt when I saw the ultrasound, but I’m still unsure. I don’t know how to take in all that’s happening, especially when most of what I feel is overwhelming anxiety. But I’m doing my best to contain it and deal with it.
With an armful of groceries, I open the door to the house. When I walk into the kitchen, Hadley quickly turns around, trying too hard to appear casual.
“What are you doing?” I ask, setting the groceries down on the table.
“Nothing,” she shrugs.
I tilt my head and study her. Then, I smell it, the faint aroma of french fries. I swear, she’s addicted. “Nothing?”
“Just waiting for you. Do you have more in the car?” I begin to walk across the room. “You can go get those while I start putting these away.” She takes a step back as I stop in front of her. “What are you doing, Luca?”
“You were waiting for me?” She nods. “Are you sure?” I grab her hips, gently pulling so she’ll step to the right.
“Of course I’m sure. What kind of question is that?”
“Hadley.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine! I was just having a snack.”
“French fries are no longer on your menu, Hadley. I just bought a bunch of stuff. Go eat an apple or a banana if you’re hungry.”
Hadley makes a face of disgust. “I’ve never been a big fan of fruit and your daughter isn’t either.”
“Well, apparently you and she both need it, so suck it up.” I give her a small smile and kiss her forehead while reaching behind her for the fries. When I step away, I say, “I’ll get rid of these for you.”
I finish unloading the car and help her put away the groceries. Just as we finish, the house phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Luca,” Mama says. “How are you and Hadley today?”
“Good. How are you and Papa?”
“Just fine. Has she been taking it easy like she’s supposed to?”
“She has, but she’s not doing everything she should,” I reply.
“What are you talking about?”
“Her doctor told her to eat better,” I start as Hadley turns to me, shaking her head. “And she has resorted to sneaking french fries into the house while I’m shopping for the fruits and vegetables she’s supposed to be eating instead.” Hadley glares at me. “I had to pry them out of her hands. Maybe you should talk some sense into her.”
“Let me talk to her,” Mama says briskly.
“You’re mean,” Hadley whispers when I hand her the phone. “Don’t listen to him, Mama,” she tells my mother. “He’s exaggerating.”
I walk away chuckling as Hadley tries to soothe my mother.
Painters had come earlier this week to paint the nursery lilac and all that’s left to do now is fill it up with stuff. I look around the mostly empty room. Well, I never expected to have a purple room in my house, but then, I didn’t think I would have a kid either. Maybe people are right and it’ll be different when it’s my own. Who knows?
The crib is still in the box, which is leaning against one of the walls. Papa didn’t want Hadley doing it. I might as well do it today. The room looks weird without stuff in it. I take the pieces out of the box and look over the directions to see if there is are any tools I might need. Hadley is still chatting and reassuring Mama when I gather what I need. She doesn’t even notice me.
The directions make it appear as if this will be a simple process. Guess we’ll find out. After about fifteen minutes, I’m starting to get frustrated. It’s like only half of the directions are here. What’s the point of having instructions if they aren’t helpful?
“You’re the only man I know who even looks at instructions, much less follows them.”
I glance up from studying the papers at the sound of Hadley’s voice. “You should send this back.”
“Why? What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s unassembled. We should see if we can buy one already done right off the floor of the store.”
Hadley laughs. “Let me see them.” Once she walks into the room and is close enough, I hand over the papers. She looks them over and then says, “This doesn’t look that hard, Luca.” I huff. That was my first thought, too. She starts telling me what I’m supposed to do. I guess I was reading them wrong or something because I’m able t
o put the damn thing together.
Once it’s done, we stand back and take a look at our handiwork. She picked a nice, white crib that looks perfect against the color of the walls. I wrap an arm around her waist. In a few months, the quiet of my house will be disrupted. In a few months, there’s going to be a tiny human sleeping in that crib in this room down the hall from our bedroom. It’s a bit of a distance from room to room.
“We should get cameras or monitors or something to install in here,” I tell Hadley. Something so we can keep an eye on the baby from other places in the house, something to ease my nerves and prevent me from the hovering I’m sure I would do to make sure everything is as it should be.
“Okay,” she agrees. After a moment, she looks up at me, so I glance down at her. “What made you decide to put the crib together, Luca?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. I don’t think she really likes that answer, so I add, “The room looked empty and it was there. She’ll need a place to sleep, and now she does.” I’ve been careful not to think of the baby with the name she’ll have. It’s crazy to do since I’ll eventually have to say it, but for the time being, all I see in my head when I think of ‘Valeria’ is my sister.
“Well, thank you.” Hadley drags me out of my thoughts. “C’mon, let’s go fix dinner.” She pulls me out of the room and I’m a bit thankful for it.
~ ~ ~
With Hadley being pregnant, for once, it takes her longer to get ready than me. I’m sitting on the edge of our bed, flipping through one of her books about pregnancy that was on the nightstand while she fusses from the bathroom about not having anything to wear. My eyes stop skimming and start reading the chapter where she has her bookmark.
My heart beats faster with every horrid word. My stomach churns, my eyebrows bunch together, and the panic starts to rise. What the hell kind of book is this? God, I must be an idiot to not think of some of these things and part of me is relieved that I hadn’t.
“Hadley!” I yell, my eyes still glued to the words on the page.
“What?” she asks from the doorway.
“Why the fuck are you reading this shit?” I finally close the book and hold it up to her.
“What are you talking about?” she questions with confusion.
“How is this not scaring the hell out of you? All it’s talking about is every freaking thing that can go wrong! If I keep reading, I’m pretty sure it doesn’t end with you or the baby coming out of this alive. I didn’t even think about any complications. Oh, God. I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about it now and December is so far away.”
“Luca, calm down. That is a what if. Nothing is going to happen. I’m in good health. You heard the doctor.”
“You need to throw this away or burn it one. No one needs to know all of those ‘what if’s. What were these people thinking?” I flip open the book, turn a few pages, and shake my head. “I told you it wouldn’t end well. This one’s talking about how the mom died and the baby came early and…I can’t read this.”
“Then put it down. It’s just a worst-case scenario. That isn’t going to happen to me. I promise. I’m healthy, minus the fries I’ve been sneaking. My doctor says all is good. Please, stop reading these books. Especially, if you can’t handle it. Jeez, where is my tough, rough hockey captain?”
“He wants to hit the people who wrote this.” I toss it on the bed. “Are you ready yet? Tonight is your big night and we shouldn’t be late.”
“How fat do I look? Be honest. Should I skip going?” She fusses over her dress. “I hate that I have to wear flats. My stupid swollen ankles.”
I stand and walk over to her. “You look too beautiful to skip. However,” I trail off as I look her up and down.
“What? I need to change, don’t I?”
“No, you’re just missing something.” I walk over to the nightstand and come back with her ring. “You need this.” I take her hand and slide it on.
“Seriously? I swear, sometimes you are such a strange Russian. You seem to surprise me at every turn. I love you, Luca.”
“I love you, too, baby. Now, let’s go.”
Hadley keeps running her hands over her dress on the drive to the Media Awards. She’s not usually a nervous person and I wonder if it’s because she’s pregnant and ‘fat’. I reach over and grab her hand.
“Stop it. This is going to be a good night, especially when you win, and you don’t need to be nervous.”
“I told you that I’m not going to win. Plus, I’m just nervous about everyone staring at my belly. I’m huge. I should have caution tape around me and a horn, so people know I’m coming through.”
I laugh. “You’re not the first pregnant woman they’ve seen, I’m sure. And you’ll win. I have a good feeling about it. But if you want, we can stop at the store for the caution tape and a horn.”
“No, it’ll clash with my dress.”
She seems to relax a bit after that. When we arrive, there are cars everywhere and tons of people walking into the large building. The valet takes the car after I’ve helped Hadley out of it. We’re stopped a few times on the way inside and to our seats as people stop to say hello to Hadley. I love coming to these things with her. Not just because I get to support her and be here with her, but because I’m basically just arm candy for her. The focus is almost always primarily on her, just the way I want it to be.
“Can you believe some of these people?” she whispers to me once we’re seated. “Where are their manners? You shouldn’t be able to just touch someone’s stomach like that.”
Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of it either. “At least it was women who did it, except for that one old guy.” I lay an arm on the back of her chair, running my fingers in lazily circles on her shoulder. I tuck her into my side a little and whisper into her ear, “How are we going to celebrate after you win? Anything you want.”
“Anything?”
I nod.
“Even letting me eat a greasy burger and fries?” When I narrow my eyes and give her a stern look, she adds, “You’re the one who said anything.”
“I’ll consider it. What else?”
“Ice cream with lots of fudge. If you’re buying, you’ll have to stop being cheap.” She winks and I shake my head at her.
“All you want is food? If you eat those, you’re going to have to eat something healthy for every bite to counteract it.”
Hadley rolls her eyes. “Fine, Mr. Russian-Health-Nut, but I’ll be pouting the whole time.” She crosses her arms over her chest to prove her point.
I rub my thumb over her lower lip. “Pout all you want, baby, I don’t mind.”
Before she can respond, our attention is brought to the front of the room. The last of the people slip into their seats and the ceremony begins. We watch as clips are played, people receive their awards, and the time passes until it’s time to announce the winner of the award Hadley was nominated for. I hold her hand as the presenter says a few things about each nominee.
“And the winner of the Producer of the Year award is,” the guy takes a dramatic pause as he opens the envelope, “Hadley Lincoln!”
A surprised Hadley glances at me. I grin, hug and kiss her briefly. “Told you. Go get your award.”
She smiles before leaving my side to walk onto the stage. She stares at the award in her hands for a moment before glancing around at everyone in the audience. “I’m very shocked and humbled to have won Producer of the Year. This means a lot to me and all those who helped me to get here. Of course, I want to thank the staff at KSPN and even though I’m no longer there, I learned so much and I’m very thankful for my time there.” Hadley pauses and finds me. “I really need to thank my fiancé. I love you, Luca. Thank you for not bothering me when I’m editing or being upset when I’m up late working with no makeup on in flannel pj’s. You mean the world to me and I can’t imagine anyone else by my side. Thank you again.”
My heart surges at her words. When she comes back to her seat, I pull her agains
t me in a hug. “I’m so proud of you. I knew you could do it, Hadley. I love you, too.”
Chapter Seventeen
Hadley
Amy and I are sitting at my kitchen table going over my schedule. August first is coming up fast and I have to go back to work. I’ve enjoyed my time off, even though Luca and I didn’t get to travel the way I wanted, but it’s still been a great and relaxing break.
“You have to go to that dinner meeting tomorrow night. You haven’t forgotten, right?”
“No, I didn’t,” I huff. “I don’t have anything to wear. I swear this little girl is going to come out being twenty pounds.” I rub my belly. I’ve been wearing Luca’s shirts and yoga pants almost every day.
“Well, it’s evening wear, and I don’t think the Bucks t-shirt will work.” She giggles as she point out my attire.
I narrow my eyes at her and she quickly stops. “I’m growing a human being. Society shouldn’t look down on me if I go into a five-star restaurant looking like this.”
“I think you’re right, but do you want that splashed on the front page of every hockey blog? I mean, you are Luca Zotov’s fiancée. He’s a hot commodity right now.”
Shit. She’s right.
“Fine.” I roll my eyes and gnaw on a carrot stick. Luca has thrown away all the good food and I’m dying for french fries right now, but he keeps shoving salads, fruits, and lean meats in my face. Ugh!
We go over a few other things and I send her on her way. I need a nap because I’m exhausted. I curl up on the couch when I hear Luca coming down the stairs.
“Have a good workout?”
“Yeah, baby. Did you eat the salad?”
I nod.
“You okay?”
“Tired,” I yawn.
“Here.” He lifts up my feet, lays them in his lap, and begins to rub them.
I moan as the ache goes away under his strong hands. I yelp and quickly sit up. “Holy shit.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Luca exclaims and his face pales.
“She moved.” I put my hand on my belly. I've felt the flutters before, but this time she kicked.
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