Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
She blinked.
What did that mean?
Across the bed, Andino reached for her, his palm sliding up her naked side as he said, “I’m sure it’s nothing, huh?”
But it could be.
Her appointment had been for the insertion of an IUD, nothing more. At her last appointment, a couple of months ago, instead of getting the shot like she normally would, they discussed changing the birth control. To be safe, the doctor told her to stop the shot immediately, allow her cycle to return before they went ahead with the IUD, and in the meantime, she had bloodwork done just to make sure everything was fine.
The bloodwork had been a couple of weeks ago.
“Haven,” Andino murmured, “just call—they said you could.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Babe, call.”
Haven nodded, because he wasn’t wrong, and she was probably overthinking this whole thing. She was healthy, right? She still jogged every day, she ate well, and took care of her body. But she had to think about how her mother battled cancer twice, and she had seemed healthy before that happened, too.
“Call,” Andino said again, letting her go so he could roll out of the bed to stand. “And I will go make us a coffee, hmm?”
“Sure.”
“Unless you want me to stay,” he added quieter.
“No, I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll be right now.”
“All right.” Andino leaned down, using his hands against the sheets to keep him steady before he pressed a quick kiss to the side of Haven’s mouth. “Love you, huh?”
“Love you, too.”
She waited until his footsteps could no longer be heard outside of their bedroom before she called the doctor’s office back. Andino might be the rational one between them a lot of the time, but Haven wondered if sometimes, he only did that to keep her calm.
Like right then.
The receptionist at the clinic picked up first, but was quick to switch Haven over to the doctor’s direct line once she explained that she wouldn’t be able to make that appointment. She promised Andino, after all, and really ... she could have made it, but she didn’t want to wait another five hours before someone would tell her if there was something wrong with her.
She’d rather know now.
“Haven,” her GYNO said when she finally came on the line.
“Hi, sorry to call back, I know you were probably with a patient or—”
“It’s fine. I was finishing up paperwork, actually. You’re calling about the bloodwork, right?”
“Uh, yeah. Something came up, the woman said in her message? It kind of worried me, that’s all.”
“Sorry about that,” the doctor replied, “but she’s only allowed to tell you what I can tell her, and I can’t give patient details out. I figured this was something you would want to know right away, and since your appointment was supposed to be today for the IUD, well ... now would be the time to share.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You can’t have the IUD put in, Haven.”
“I decided this morning not to put it in, anyway.”
“Well, good, but even if you had decided to continue with the procedure, we couldn’t do it.”
“I’m not following.”
“You’re pregnant,” the doctor said quietly. “Congratulations.”
The Grandbaby
“Ah, shit, yeah, we can meet up in like ...” Andino’s words trailed off as he glanced at the watch on his wrist. “A half hour, or so? I need to pull some clothes on and—no, it’s none of your fucking business why I’m not dressed at noon, John, thank you.”
He hung up the phone, and turned only to stop at the sight of Haven standing in the entryway of the kitchen. “I was coming back up.”
“I know,” she said faintly.
Andino’s brow arched high. “What did the doctor say?”
“Nothing bad. Standard things.”
It wasn’t a total lie.
Right?
Haven was still trying to process what she just learned. Hours ago, she had been settled on the choice to have an IUD placed to prevent her from having children for several years, if that’s what she so chose. And then, within minutes, with a mere conversation with Andino, she had decided that no, she would rather attempt to begin their family now. Once again, everything changed in a few short minutes from a simple phone call from her doctor.
There would be no trying.
She was already pregnant.
Haven knew exactly how this happened. Before the IUD could be placed, the doctor had wanted her to go off the shot, and resume her normal cycle. That happened, but in the process, she was supposed to use a backup—condoms. They did ... usually.
Sometimes, they forgot.
Clearly, that’s how this happened.
She just had to process.
Everything was about to change.
“And everything is good?” he pressed.
Haven nodded. “Perfect.”
Because it was.
Really.
Even if everything was changing, and her whole life would be different from this day forward, it truly was perfect. Andino would be excited—Haven was ecstatic. She just needed a few moments to absorb it alone before she could bring his excitement into the equation, too.