I blame finals for this chapter. Hope you enjoy and pardon the errors.
Not mine.
Carlos came back safely to me on Saturday and we spent the rest of the weekend making love.
Time flew by and my halfway OB appointment was here. Carlos, once again, was as excited as a kid in a candy store. I rolled my eyes.
"What?" He said.
"You're nuts."
"I'm excited."
"It's just an appointment."
"But we get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl. That's exciting."
Yeah, not so much for me. I was the one that was going to be pushing said baby out of my body. The only thing I cared about was that he or she was healthy. I was about twenty weeks now and was starting to get big. I cried the first time I tried to put my jeans on and they didn't fit. Carlos was prepared with a carton of ice cream, a box of tissues and the next size up in jeans. He also told me that I was sexier now than I was before I got pregnant. It worked until the hormones calmed down and I was getting angry about the next thing. The only good thing about this is that I could start to feel the baby moving inside of me. If I wasn't already sold on the whole baby thing in the first place, then this would've gotten me. Feeling your child move inside of you for the first time is something I'll never forget.
"Do I look okay?" I asked, feeling self conscious.
"You look better than okay." He wrapped his arms around me. "You look gorgeous."
"Are you just saying that to get in my pants later?"
He smiled at me. "Maybe."
I rolled my eyes. "Men."
He got down in front of me and pushed the blue flowing shirt away from my stomach. "Hi, baby," he said, giving it a little kiss. "Ready to tell mommy and daddy what kind of baby you are?"
I rolled my eyes again. Who knew this man lived behind the badass persona known as Ranger? He kissed my stomach once more, took my hand and led me to the car.
"Hello, Stephanie, Carlos." Dr. Craigs said as she entered the exam room. "How are you feeling?"
"Great," I said.
"No morning sickness?"
I shook my head. "Only nausea."
"That's great."
"It's not abnormal?" Carlos asked, worried.
"It's just a symptom. Not everyone is going to get everything. Like some women don't get the heartburn, but some do." She did a routine ultrasound and pronounced everything okay. "You want to know the sex?"
"Please," I said, looking at Carlos.
She smiled and nodded. After a few moments, she said, "congratulations! It's a boy!"
A boy.
A baby boy.
I smiled up at my husband, who was currently doing a victory dance.
"Thank you, babe." He said, kissing my forehead.
"Why are you thanking me? He needed the chromosome from you."
He smiled widely at me. "We're having a boy."
I nodded, my smile equally as wide. "We are."
When we got back from the doctor, we celebrated the news of the upcoming birth of our son. Carlos couldn't stop smiling.
"I can't believe it." He said, kissing my naked stomach.
"What?"
"It's a boy."
I smiled at him. "You're just glad because you're getting a son."
He looked at me seriously. "I would have loved a little girl. To make up for Julie."
"Julie loves you. Even if you weren't there for her when she was a baby doesn't really matter. You're there now."
"I know, but…" he sighed. "I still feel guilty."
I looked at him for a moment. "Maybe next time." I said.
He looked at me with shock. "Seriously?"
I nodded. "If you want another one, I'm game."
"But we haven't even started taking care of this little guy."
I shrugged. "He's going to need to be a big brother sometime."
He came up on his forearms and looked at me below him. "You are the best wife ever."
I laughed. "I know."
Then he kissed me.
Several satisfied hours later, I woke up alone.
"Carlos?" I asked.
There was no response, but a ringing of a phone.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Stephanie, its Hal." Uh oh. He sounded serious.
"What's up?" I asked, bracing myself for the worst.
"Um…" I swear I could feel him blushing from here. "Morelli's on line one."
"Put him through." I heard the click and then the chuckles of Morelli. "Hello?"
"Missing something?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are you missing a husband?" He chuckled again.
"You think him missing is funny?"
"No, I think your drunken husband is funny."
"God, not again."
"Again? Jeez, Cupcake. The first one cheated now you drove this one to drink. What the hell are you doing to these men?
My heart rate spiked. "Excuse me?" I gritted out.
"Relax and come get Ranger and Tank before they try to drive or pass out."
I grabbed the keys to the Porsche and had Cal and Binkie follow me for their car. When I got to the bar, Carlos lifted his head. "BABE!" He yelled. He stumbled over to me. "Come have a drink with us."
"I can't drink, remember Carlos? That's why you're here?"
Go figure that my husband has gone out to celebrate with Tank that we were having a boy.
"Oh yeah." He shrugged and went back to Tank who hooted.
"I wish I had my camera." Morelli said when he sidled up to me.
I rolled my eyes.
"Congrats by the way. What are you having?"
"A boy." I said, smiling softly at my protruding stomach.
He smiled softly at me. "I knew it."
"Knew what?"
"That you'd be a great mom."
I blushed. "It's crazy. I'm doing things I'd normally never do because I'm so excited to meet him."
"It's an amazing time."
I looked at Joe. "You'll make a great dad."
"You think so?"
"I know so."
I walked over to my husband. "Come on, honey, let's go home."
He leaned his weight on me. "I looooooooooove you babe."
"Love you too, Carlos."
"Mm, good. Otherwise I'd have to cut off Morelli's balls."
Morelli laughed once. "He's kidding right?"
"Uh, I think so?"
Morelli paled and opened the door for us.
