Chapter 192 *
Scarlett’s POV
He kissed me. Deep and intense. Pouring every emotion he couldn't name into it.
When he pulled back, there were tears in his eyes.
"I never thought I'd have this," he said quietly. "A family. Someone who chose to stay. A child who would know what it feels like to be wanted."
My own eyes were burning. "This baby is going to be so loved. You know that, right? Whatever childhood you had, whatever you went through—this baby won't have to go through any of it."
"I know." His hand moved to my stomach. Still flat. Still unchanged. But different now. "I'm going to give them everything. Everything I never had."
"We're going to give them everything," I corrected. "Together."
He pulled me close. Held me like I might disappear if he let go.
We stayed like that for a long time.
Eventually the pasta boiled over and set off the smoke alarm. Damon dealt with it while I laughed and turned off the stove.
We ordered takeout instead. Ate it sitting on the couch with our legs tangled together.
"When are you due?" he asked.
"I don't know. I need to see a doctor." I did quick math in my head. "Probably sometime in early summer. June, maybe."
"We should schedule an appointment. First thing tomorrow."
"Okay."
"And you need to take it easy. No more skipping meals. Get more sleep. If you're feeling sick—"
"Damon." I cut him off gently. "I'm pregnant, not dying. I can still function like a normal person."
"I know. I just—" He stopped. Started again. "I want to take care of you."
"I know you do." I squeezed his hand. "And I love you for it. But I'm going to be fine. We're both going to be fine."
"What about school?"
"What about it?"
"Are you going to keep going?"
"Of course I'm going to keep going." I looked at him. "I'm not dropping out just because I'm pregnant. Women have babies and finish school all the time."
"I know. I just want to make sure you're not pushing yourself too hard."
"I'll be fine. Columbia has resources for students with kids. And I have you." I leaned against his shoulder. "I can do this."
"We can do this," he corrected.
"Yeah. We can."
We talked for hours. About names. About nurseries. About what kind of parents we wanted to be.
Damon said he wanted the baby to grow up knowing they were safe. That they were protected. That no one would ever hurt them.
I said I wanted them to grow up knowing they were chosen. That they were wanted. That their existence wasn't a mistake or a replacement for someone else.
We both knew what we were really talking about.
The childhoods we'd survived. The families that had failed us. The love we'd never received.
This baby would have better.
We would make sure of it.
Two weeks later, I sat in the waiting room of Dr. Harper's office.
My first prenatal appointment.
Damon was beside me. He'd cleared his entire schedule for the day. Nothing was more important than this.
"Scarlett Wolfe?" A nurse called from the doorway.
We stood up together. Damon's hand found mine automatically.
The exam room was small and sterile. The nurse took my vitals and asked a million questions. When was my last period? Was I taking prenatal vitamins? Any family history of complications?
I answered everything as honestly as I could.
Then Dr. Harper came in. She was middle-aged with kind eyes and a no-nonsense manner.
"Congratulations," she said. "Let's take a look and see how things are progressing."
The ultrasound machine was cold against my stomach. Dr. Harper moved the wand around, her eyes on the screen.
Then she stopped.
"There." She pointed to a small blob on the screen. "That's your baby."
Damon's hand tightened on mine.
I stared at the screen. That tiny blob was a person. A whole human being who would one day have thoughts and feelings and a life of their own.
"Everything looks good," Dr. Harper said. "Measuring right on track. Based on your dates, I'd say you're about seven weeks along. Due date looks like mid-June."
Seven weeks.
I tried to remember what we'd been doing seven weeks ago. Probably just a normal night. Dinner and conversation and falling asleep tangled together.
We'd made a person and we hadn't even known it.
"Can we hear the heartbeat?" Damon asked.
"It's still a bit early for that," Dr. Harper said. "But we should be able to hear it at your next appointment."
She printed out pictures of the ultrasound. Handed them to us like they were precious.
We left the office in a daze.
Damon drove. I sat in the passenger seat with the ultrasound photos in my lap.
"We're really doing this," I said.
"Yeah. We really are."
I looked at the photos again. That tiny blob that would become our child.
"I'm scared," I admitted.
"Me too."
"What if I'm a terrible mother? What if I don't know how to do this?"
"Then we'll figure it out together." He reached over and took my hand. "You're going to be an amazing mother, Scarlett. I already know that."
"How can you know that?"
"Because you're strong. You're smart. You survived things that would have broken most people. And you came out the other side still able to love." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. "Our kid is going to be so lucky to have you."
Tears blurred my vision. "I love you."
"I love you too. Both of you."
He drove us back home. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch with my hand on my stomach.
There was a person in there. Growing. Changing. Becoming.
In six months I'd meet them.
The thought was terrifying and wonderful in equal measure.
Three months later, I walked across campus with my backpack and a visible baby bump.
It was February. Cold and grey. Students hurried past with their heads down against the wind.
I was halfway through my second trimester. The nausea had finally passed. Now I was just tired all the time and constantly hungry.
Lily walked beside me. She'd appointed herself my official pregnancy buddy. Made sure I ate lunch. Carried my heavy textbooks. Threatened anyone who looked at me wrong.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. Just tired."
"You're always tired."
"That's what happens when you're growing a person."
We reached Butler Library. I had a study session with my organic chemistry group in twenty minutes.
"You want me to stay?" Lily asked.
"No. I'll be fine. Go to your economics thing."