Doc (The Kings of Mayhem MC Tennessee 2)

I grin up at him. “Do your worst, Doc.”

He squeezes the transmission gel onto my belly and smears it across my skin with the ultrasound transducer. With a press of a few buttons on the machine and a few more glides of the transducer, the rhythmic drum of our baby’s heartbeat suddenly pulses into the room.

I thought I would be okay.

Not for one moment did I think that the sound would hitch my breath in my throat and bring a well of tears to my eyes. But from the very moment I hear her heartbeat, the emotion crashes through me and renders me speechless. Letting out a shaky breath, I look over at Doc to see his face is full of emotion.

“Wow,” is all I can say.

He smiles, and I think it’s the most magical smile I’ve ever seen.

I strain to look at the images on the monitor but can’t see anything from this angle. “Is everything okay?”

He smiles warmly. “Everything is perfect.”

Yes, it is.

“Can you see the sex?”

“You want to know the sex?”

Do I? I think for a moment and then nod. “Yes.”

He moves the transducer around my belly again, pressing deeper, and then stops. Two dimples press into his cheek as he smiles.

“You can see?” I ask.

“Yes.”

I gnaw at my lip. “Well?”

“We’re having a boy.”

I don’t know why, but I start to cry. A lot.

“Hey, are you okay?”

I nod. “I’m so sorry. It’s these damn hormones.”

Doc grins and then leans down and presses his mouth to mine, and I think it’s to stop his own tears. When he pulls away, I suck in a deep breath.

“How far along am I?”

He straightens and moves the transducer over my belly before pushing a few more buttons on the machine. For a moment, his eyes drift away, like he’s working something out in his head, and then his shoulders relax, and a small tremor moves through him.

“Doc?”

He turns his face to me. “You’re seventeen weeks. Just like you thought.”

I swallow the cold lump in my throat. “Can you tell exactly?”

“No, not down to the day.” He looks regretful. “How many days between…” His words fall away, but I know what he’s asking.

There were only two days separating being with him and what Otto did to me.

It could still be Otto’s baby.

But neither of us says it.

Sitting up, I replace my shirt.

“About the paternity test,” I say, swinging my legs over the side of the examination table.

“You want to do one?”

I shake my head. “No.”

Doc steps between my legs and reaches up to push a stray curl from my face. “If you want to do a test, we’ll do one. I’m not afraid of the results, Lily. Like I said, either way, he is my baby. My son.”

“I don’t want to do the test. You’re right. It doesn’t matter.” I take his hands in mine and rub my thumbs over his calluses, so grateful for this beautiful man. “How did I get so damn lucky?”

A gleam enters his eyes, and mischief plays on his lips. “Your daddy kidnapped me, remember?”

I fake a gasp at him and narrow my eyes.

“Too soon?” he asks.

“Yeah, too soon.” I wrap my arms around his neck and lean up to kiss him. “Just as well, I love you.”

His smile softens. “You know I’ll never get tired of hearing that, right?”

“Good because I’m going to need you to remember it when I’m in labor and squeezing your fingers so tight your hand will fall off.”

I’m sitting outside on one of the outdoor tables while Doc grabs a word with Jack when the gates to the compound open and a delivery van drives in.

Following it, Bronte drives in with little Rhett in the back seat. She waves to me through the open window and then pulls up beside the van.

I can’t wait to tell her about the baby. I want her to be the very first person to know because since I’ve been here, she’s embraced me like a new best friend. While some of the old ladies have been wary, Bronte is too much of a wild, free spirit to worry about what other people think.

I watch her walk toward me, looking extra sexy in her tight jeans, black boots, and a white off-the-shoulder peasant top that shows off her tanned shoulders. She’s holding Rhett in her arms, and he’s wearing a Kings of Mayhem T-shirt that says, ‘Let’s Ride’ on the front.

I wolf whistle at her. “Someone looks extra delicious today. Special occasion?”

“It’s Jack and my first wedding anniversary tonight,” she says, joining me at the outdoor table.

“Congratulations. Do you have any special plans?”

A wicked gleam shines in her big brown eyes. “While Dolly and Earl babysit Rhett, Jack is taking me to Boomtown for a little boom boom.”

I laugh. Boomtown is an hour’s drive away and is a well-known picturesque getaway. It’s also full of quaint bed and breakfast places and romantic hideaways.