Page 39 of Irreplaceable

I stood and Juliana followed me. “Hey.” I smiled at Sylvia. “This is my best friend, Juliana.”

“Welcome.” Sylvia led us to an exam room.

I peed in a cup then talked through my symptoms with Sylvia before she left. She seemed cautiously optimistic, but I didn’t want to read too much into it. The past few days, I’d been working long hours and sleeping any chance I got.

“Did I tell you what Marie asked for now?” Juliana asked from her seat near the door. I knew she was trying to distract me by talking about her latest Bridezilla client. And while I appreciated it, I was too on edge to think straight.

I shifted on the exam table, the paper rustling beneath me. Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door. Dr. Fulton entered, Sylvia trailing behind her. It had been months since my last appointment, and we hadn’t spoken in all that time.

“Hi, Harper. It’s good to see you.” Dr. Fulton washed her hands and then moved the sheet covering my stomach aside. “Let’s see what we’ve got going on.”

She squirted some gel on my belly and then gently pressed with the sonogram wand. An image appeared on the screen, a small blob indicating there was indeed a baby in my womb.

“Congratulations, Harper.” Dr. Fulton flashed me a radiant smile. “You’re pregnant.”

The room spun, and I gripped the edge of the exam table to steady myself. Still, I wasn’t ready to believe it. “Are you sure?”

She glanced at the screen then back at me with a wide smile. “You can see right here.” She indicated on the screen and launched into some medical terminology that went in one ear and out the other. “Oh, I’m so happy for you.” She wiped my stomach and covered it with my shirt. “It looks like you’re about ten weeks along.”

I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the table, and gaped at her. Ten weeks? If that was correct, my first trimester was almost over and I’d been completely oblivious. More like, in denial.

“This can’t be…” I sucked in a jagged breath, spots dancing before my eyes. “This isn’t…” I started again. “Possible. We used condoms. Every time.”

Dr. Fulton’s smile was sympathetic. “Condoms can be expired. Defective. They can tear.”

Juliana placed her hand on my back, rubbing circles. But the movement only made me even more nauseated.

“I’m going to—” I stood, but it was too late. I emptied the contents of my stomach all over Dr. Fulton’s gorgeous Manolo Blahnik heels. “Oh my god.” I covered my mouth. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Now do you believe us?” Juliana asked.

I nodded, though deep down, I wondered why I hadn’t realized I was pregnant. Wasn’t that a mom thing—sensing your child? Alexis didn’t seem to think so, but I wasn’t sure what I believed. What did it say about me that I hadn’t had a clue? That I was already a terrible mom, or that—yet again—I was getting my hopes up for nothing?

“Let me go get changed,” Dr. Fulton said, seemingly undisturbed by the vomit covering her designer shoes. “And then we can discuss what’s next. Sound good?”

I nodded, still afraid to uncover my mouth.

While she was gone, I rinsed my mouth in the sink but said nothing. Juliana sat quietly at my side, and when Dr. Fulton returned, we discussed how I was feeling. I only heard half of what she said about prenatal care and vitamins, my mind was still spinning. And then she asked if I wanted to hear the baby’s heartbeat.

My own heart was pounding, the word “Yes” lodged in my throat. This was it—the moment of truth.

I couldn’t speak. Even when Juliana squeezed my hand, all I could do was nod. Sylvia handed Dr. Fulton a Doppler after asking me to lie back. Dr. Fulton lifted my shirt and held the device to my stomach. And then…the most wondrous sound filled the room—like a wild horse racing across the desert.

I smiled through my tears as the realization hit me full force. “I’m going to be a mom.”

Juliana squeezed my hand and flashed me a watery smile as Dr. Fulton moved the Doppler around my stomach. Her brow furrowed when the sound stopped.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my pulse racing.

When the galloping resumed, she smiled. My shoulders, every cell in my body, relaxed. The stress and exhaustion of the past few weeks faded into nothing but joy.

“Nothing. Everything sounds very good. Healthy.”

“I-I…” I swallowed, the enormity of the situation crashing down on me. Oh. My. God. I was having a baby. Enzo’s baby.

If Enzo was even his real name.

I frowned as Dr. Fulton switched off the Doppler and asked me to sit up.