They fit perfectly over my pregnant belly.
I turned from side to side, staring at my reflection. The day before, Maddie had cut my hair. It now lay in the middle of my back, the same length before I was taken away.
I purposely left it down, knowing Alessio loved it that way. My cheeks were rounder and flushed from my bath. My lips were pink from hours of kissing Alessio.
It had been four days since I got my memories back. Four days and every day felt like a fairy tale.
From the mirror, I saw Alessio walking out of the bathroom. He wore a black dress shirt, the top buttons left undone and black pants.
“Ready?” he asked, coming to stand behind me. I nodded at our reflection.
We were going to see Ivy. For an ultrasound. To see our baby for the first time.
I swallowed nervously and leaned against Alessio’s chest. He rubbed the baby bump, and I saw him smile when the baby moved.
Placing a kiss on the side of my neck, he pulled me out of the room. “Let’s go.”
We walked downstairs toward Sam’s office. The door was already open, so we walked inside. Ivy was sitting behind the desk.
She sent us a warm smile and stood up. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I replied. She gestured for me to get on the table. Alessio helped me recline back. The room was filled with machines I didn’t recognize.
“How are you feeling this morning?” she asked. Ivy measured my bump and wrote something down on the notepad.
“I’m okay. Just a little nervous.”
She chuckled. “Of course.”
“Do you feel nauseous in the morning or when you eat?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I’m just really tired most of the time.”
“Ah, you should be happy. It’s an excuse to sleep all the time,” she teased. “Can you pull your dress up? I need your stomach bare.”
Before I could move, Alessio walked around the table and pulled my dress up over my stomach. It bunched across my breasts, hiding most of my view.
Ivy applied cool gel to my stomach, and I flinched at the coldness. “What are you doing?”
“Preparing you for the ultrasound. I’ll do a quick sonogram for dates and measurement to make sure everything is okay.”
I nodded, and Ivy began moving the wand over the roundness of my stomach. She typed something in her computer. “Everything looks good. The baby looks healthy. There’s the little one,” Ivy said, pointing at the screen. “That’s the head.”
Alessio crowded in, almost pushing his head into the screen. “Why is he so small?”
“The baby measures fine. You have nothing to worry about.”
From my position and Alessio in front of the screen, I couldn’t see anything. I craned my head up, and Alessio’s eyes snapped toward me. He hastily moved to my side and helped me up in a half-sitting position. Alessio supported my neck so I could see the screen.
“These are the hands.”
“They’re so small,” I murmured. His tiny little fingers. It was so cute.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I sniffled as Ivy continued to show us our baby. “He’s so beautiful,” I whispered.
When Alessio didn’t say anything, I turned my face toward his. I saw his eyes filled with tears. He was completely mesmerized. His gaze was transfixed on the screen as he stared at our baby.
I saw the love in his eyes. He already adored the little one. I also saw the possessiveness there. I knew he would protect our baby with his life.
“Is he okay?” Alessio asked huskily. Tears streamed down my face at the emotional tone in his voice.
“He is. There’s nothing to worry,” Ivy assured us.
She continued to move the wand over my stomach. Just then, the baby moved. I smiled, feeling content.
“You keep saying he. Do you want to know what you’re having?” Ivy asked, looking at us expectantly.
Alessio and I stared at each other. I bit on my lips and nodded. Alessio turned back to Ivy. “Yeah.”
Ivy moved the wand for a few seconds. “The baby is a shy one.”
And then she smiled.
“It’s a girl.”
My lips parted, and a gasp escaped. Alessio froze beside me. I stared at the screen, watching my baby.
A girl. We were having a baby girl.
“A girl,” I whispered.
Alessio was still silent, his eyes glue to the screen. He held a fist to his mouth and closed his eyes. My heart sank when he didn’t say anything.
Did he want a son? I noticed that Alessio kept saying he. Even I had started to address the baby as a boy.
When Alessio opened his eyes again, he bent his head, kissing me softly on the lips.
“A princess.”
His words were a mere whisper, but my heart soared.
“We’re having a princess, Angel.”
I heard the love in his voice. And I knew, he was just as happy as me, if not more.
Ivy smiled at us and turned off the screen. She pulled a paper out and cut it in two pieces. She handed one to Alessio. “Here’s a picture.”