Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91363 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
“What are you going to do, Gabby?” Matt asked with a more somber expression. “You have to tell your parents.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But I want to tell Ben first. He deserves to know before anyone, but I can’t exactly call his house and ask his mom to relay the message. And he won’t respond to my letters. I don’t think he’s reading them, so I’m just going to wait.”
“Wait? Wait for what?”
I shrugged. “Wait for him to open them.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“He will. He has to.”
“Just tell him when you go home for spring break.”
I shook my head. “I’m not going home because my dad arranged for me to volunteer at a kids camp here at the church I’ve been attending. And I can’t tell them over the phone.”
“So when are you going to tell them? Or are you planning to go home after the semester nearly … six months pregnant? And then be like surprise!”
“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”
Matt twisted his lips and nodded slowly. I knew he was holding back his judgment.
“Thanks again for the flowers.”
“You’re welcome. When is your next appointment?”
“In two weeks.”
“Want company?”
“You want to go to my OB appointment with me?” I squinted at him.
“I would. It has to suck going alone.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Matthew…”
He grinned. “Gabriella…”
“You’re pretty awesome.”
He lifted his chin and puffed out his chest. “I know.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
PHIL COLLINS & MARILYN MARTIN, “SEPARATE LIVES”
Gabby
Two weeks later, Matt took me to my OB appointment.
“This must be the lucky dad,” the nurse said as Matt followed me from the waiting room to the exam room.
“You bet,” he said.
I shot him a look over my shoulder as the nurse stopped at the scale. He winked.
“Turn around,” I said.
“Huh?” He squinted.
“I don’t want you to see my weight.”
“Gabby—”
“Just do it.”
He turned while giving me a heavy sigh. The nurse eyed me as I stepped onto the scale. It was a silent tsking, as if I had a terrible boyfriend who judged me for my weight. Matt was neither my boyfriend nor overly judgmental. And while I was no longer actively pursuing him or trying to impress him, I didn’t want him to know my weight.
“Okay, follow me,” she said after jotting down my weight. “Your boyfriend can wait in this room,” she pointed to the exam room on the right, “while you pee in this cup for me. The restroom is down the hall on the left.”
I nodded as Matt sat in the chair next to the exam table.
After peeing in the cup, I returned.
“This is weird,” I said, sitting on the exam table, legs dangling off the side. “What would Julianne think of you being here with me?”
He made duck lips for a few seconds. “Good question.”
“Would she be mad?”
He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “Would Ben be mad?”
“No. Well, maybe. Yes. He’d be mad because you’ve been his nemesis.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because he had to endure my talking about you when he liked me. And he was mad when he found out that we almost had sex.”
“Mad? You said his name.”
“Exactly. Thank you. That’s what I said.”
“Good afternoon, Gabriella. How are you?” Dr. Murray came into the room.
“I’m good. This is my friend Matt.”
She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. The father?”
“Yup.”
I rolled my eyes. “No. He’s just a friend.”
She smiled at him. “Well, you’re a good friend.”
Matt ate up her compliment, sitting up straighter in the chair.
“Your weight is good. How has your morning sickness been?”
“Better,” I said.
“That’s great. Can you lie back for me?”
I nodded, lying on the table with one hand propped behind my head while my other hand lifted my shirt.
She folded the waist of my sweatpants to expose more of my lower abdomen. I glanced at Matt to see if he was looking at me, and he was.
“Might feel a little cold,” Dr. Murray said, squirting some lube onto my belly, then spreading it with the wand. The machine made a static noise as she moved it around, stopping occasionally to press a little harder. “There it is.” She smiled when my baby’s heartbeat pumped to a fast rhythm.
My grin doubled, and Matt’s did too.
“Is it okay?” I asked.
She nodded, removing the wand and wiping my belly with a wad of tissues. “It’s perfect.” She proceeded to measure my belly.
“I just look chubby, not pregnant. What are you really measuring?”
Dr. Murray gave me a reassuring smile. “I’m measuring your uterus. And it’s exactly where it should be for twelve weeks. You’ve made it to the end of your first trimester. Congratulations. Your baby is about the size of a lime.”
Matt grabbed my hand and squeezed it. Who would have imagined that he would be with me while I was pregnant with another man’s baby?
After my appointment, he took me to dinner and then back to my dorm.