"We did it," Avery whispered in his ear, keeping him pressed head to toe against his body as he kissed the side of his neck.
"Yes, we did," Kane said. His voice broke and Avery pulled him in tighter.
"Hey! I played a part in this," Sophia teased. Kane had to angle his head awkwardly to even see her, because Avery wouldn't let him go.
"A big part. How do you feel?" Avery asked. He finally loosened his hold and let room in between them. Avery kissed his cheek, gave him that deep soul searching look he had become accustomed to, and then kissed him again on the mouth, his warm lips lingering this time. Kane was certain his cheeks were bright red as Avery broke the kiss and anchored him again against the side of his body. Avery Adams had no social filter; how had Kane just realized that in all these years?
"I feel great, not a problem at all! You two are so sweet together. The love you have for each other lights up the room and fills it with such joy. You're both going to be such great parents," Sophia finally answered after she got their full attention. Kane's tears started again. He needed her validation, and he clung to her words.
"We need to keep you feeling great. Thank you so much. This baby will make our lives complete," Avery said, tugging Kane closer to him, if that were even possible. "So what's the next step?"
"We're going to watch her closely. She knows what to look for. For now, we'll have bi-monthly checkups," Dr. Palmer said.
"When's the due date?" Kane asked.
"May tenth is the anticipated date. We'll know more as the time comes," Sophia answered, her mannerism changing as she slowly returned to her professional mode again.
"That's a great day for a birthday," Avery added.
Their baby's birthday. Turning to Avery, Kane gave his brightest and biggest smile as he silently said his prayer of thanks. They exchanged that knowing look, the one that made it clear Avery was right on board with whatever thought was racing through his head. He tucked in closer around Avery, wrapping an arm around his waist and absently listened to Dr. Palmer's exit, and then Sophia's as she went to schedule their next appointment. Kane wrapped his arms tighter around Avery's waist, stepping around to face Avery.
"We need to call Paulie and your mom." Kane laid his palm on Avery's cheek, hoping to convey every emotion running through his body in that moment. "Thank you, Avery," he whispered and leaned up for a light brush of lips to seal the moment.
Chapter 17
December, 1979 ~ Minneapolis, Minnesota
For Kane, the months ticked by slowly in a never-ending stream of doctor's appointments. He and Avery attended every one of them. They happily experienced most parts of Sophia's pregnancy. Her great initial heath didn't hold. She got a severe case of morning sickness about midway through the second month, and so did Kane. The bouts were so bad, she was forced to stay close to the bathroom for much of the first trimester until she was finally admitted to the hospital for fear of dehydration and malnourishment.
Kane, in sympathy, continued this pattern and experienced every symptom Sophia had as if they were on the same cosmic plane. Every time Sophia became ill, so did Kane. Avery became so concerned that he had Kane in their physician's office, trying to find the answers as to what might actually be going on. When that didn't help, Avery finally got on board and worked hard to help relieve Kane of the constant nausea he experienced in her honor.
From the beginning, Kane refused to allow Avery to buy anything for the baby. Kane finally asserted his power over Avery and placed all sorts of new rules on their relationship. Kane had never limited Avery before, but now, all of the sudden, he kept Avery on a short leash where this pregnancy was concerned. Kane left nothing to chance. Even extending his belief system to include every superstition or old wives tale any woman, or man for that matter, told him about.
The doctor's magic number for the pregnancy was twenty weeks. Kane required them to wait until then before he would breathe a sigh of relief and believe this might actually happen.
To celebrate that pivotal point, Avery arranged for their entire family to attend the two-dimensional ultrasound reading. Avery's mom, as well as Paulie, tagged along to discover whether they were going to have a little baby boy or girl. It took every bit of Avery's power of persuasion to convince Kane modern technology had its advantages and it was okay to know the gender of their child before birth. Truth be told, the blow job probably had more to do with the ensuing yes Avery obtained, not his communication skills, but he'd taken the approval and run with it, not letting Kane back out.
When they arrived at the doctor's office a few minutes late, they were escorted inside a standing room only exam room. Every member of the staff stood anxiously waiting the first glimpse of this little baby.
During the last few appointments, Avery had started a betting pool that currently sat at three to one odds that Sophia was having a little boy. Avery bet on the opposite side, so did Kennedy, because they were convinced it would be a baby girl. Avery always made it clear he'd be spending their hard earned money on his little princess when they teased and talked about the bet in the office. For Kane, he never called a gender. He stayed out of the bet. His prayers were for the health and well-being of their baby, nothing else mattered.
As they entered the room, the ultrasound technician was already on one side of the table Sophia lay on. Her husband, Thomas, who now worked for Avery full time, stood at the head of the small exam table. Thomas was an attorney and a tremendous support system for Sophia. It hadn't taken Avery too long to give him a position in his law firm, with an obscene salary to match, all in an effort to make sure they both knew how grateful he and Kane were for everything they were enduring to give them this child. Thomas hadn't let Avery down. Besides his unwavering support of this pregnancy, per Avery, he always proved his worth at the office as well, time and time again. Avery even spoke of offering Thomas a partnership in the next few years.