Down Fall (Fallen Duet 2)

Brody stepped forward and enveloped my hand in his as he stood next to me. “I am.”

She nodded. “I’m Joy Grey.” She sat down on her little stool, clicking away at the keyboard, and then pulled a weirdly shaped device off the side. “It’s external this time.” She squirted some gel onto it and moved closer to me, lifting up the gown and pressing it against my stomach. I was already in desperate need to pee, and when she pressed harder, I nearly groaned. The cold gel had goose bumps spreading over my skin, and I gripped Brody’s hand.

“This is baby’s head,” she said, clicking the buttons on her keyboard and taking measurements. “Two arms, two legs.” She paused, zoomed in, and looked over at us. “Are we finding out the sex today?”

“Yes,” we both answered at the same time.

My heart was racing in my chest as she zoomed in closer, a smile spreading on her face. “Looks like you’ll be buying lots of pink things.”

“It’s a girl?” I breathed out. “Bell pepper is a girl?”

She laughed and clicked more buttons, pressing harder on my stomach as she did. “She is.” She clicked another button, and then the echo of the heartbeat surrounded us.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and stared up at Brody. His gaze was focused intently on the screen, a sheen of tears misting his eyes. “Brody.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he flicked his gaze down to me. “We’re having a baby.”

“We are,” I replied, smiling wide and not caring that tears were falling from my eyes like a river. “Little Bell.”

“Like the princess,” he replied. “Belle Easton.”

I choked on a sob, knowing this was right. Her name, me and Brody, everything. Everything was right, and unlike before, I wasn’t waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was basking in the happiness that surrounded us.

“Belle Easton,” I repeated.

The sonographer pulled the device off my stomach and printed out a few pictures, handing them to Brody as I wiped the gel off my stomach. “The doctor will be in shortly,” she said. “You have a healthy baby girl growing just the way she should.” She stood and patted my arm. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” I croaked out, staring at her as she walked out of the room.

“She’s perfect,” Brody said, handing me the images. “Just like her mama.”

Mama. I was going to be a mom, and it was the single greatest achievement I would do in my entire life.

* * *

BRODY

“Well?” Jord asked as I walked into my office. “Are we gonna have a football player or a cheerleader?”

I grinned, looking at each of them in turn. Jord was standing next to the sofa against the office wall, Kyle was sprawled out on it, and Ryan stood by the window. They were waiting like it was the last few minutes in the playoffs, the excitement oozing off them.

“A princess,” I answered instead because the images I had of cheerleaders when I

was in high school wasn’t what I envisioned when I thought about my baby girl.

“Shit,” Kyle cursed, standing up. “We need a game plan.”

“Yep,” Ryan answered, stepping forward.

“I got one already,” Jord told them, pressing his hand against his gun. “Three uncles and a dad who can lock away any boy that tries to touch her. We’re sorted.”

I shook my head but didn’t disagree with them as I walked over to my desk, placing the picture next to the one of Cade. “And a big brother,” I reminded them. “She’ll have her big brother too.”

“I can see we’re all gonna be real busy for the next twenty years,” Jord gritted out. “What did Cade say?”

“Haven’t told him yet.” I couldn’t stop staring at the ultrasound picture. She was the single most perfect grainy black-and-white image known to man. “We’re gonna tell him tonight.”

“Baby shower?” Kyle asked. “Baby showers are the next best thing to hooking up at weddings.”