Dare Me Tonight (The Knight Brothers 3)

“We’re going to monitor your heart and your vital organs extra carefully, but it’s been so many years since your treatments that I’m not overly concerned. I just want you to be aware of anything unusual that you feel and don’t feel funny calling me to ask.” Dr. Finley smiled at them, and for the first time since finding out she was pregnant, Sienna found herself truly at ease.

“You have no idea how grateful I am that you started out with that,” she told the doctor. “Now I can focus on the baby.”

“And that is what we’re going to do. My nurse will draw blood after I examine you. Normally we’d only do a sonogram if there was a question on your due date? As in, do you know when you conceived?”

Blushing, Sienna nodded.

“Oh, we’re sure,” Ethan said in a gruff voice. “Three weeks ago.” He had risen again and stood by her side, a solid, calming presence.

The doctor chuckled. “Okay. Normally we wait until eight weeks for a sonogram, but given the circumstances, I’m going to do one now and calm everyone’s nerves.”

“Okay,” Sienna said, her excitement building, at last.

The nurse rolled the machine into the room and the doctor readied everything including pulling up Sienna’s gown and prepping her for a vaginal ultrasound, the only type they could do this early in the pregnancy. She glanced at Ethan.

His gaze was on hers, his eyes warm. She couldn’t help it. Her mind went back to last night and his confession about his past. She’d spent the night tossing and turning, going over what he’d said, all he’d endured, and how it had impacted the man he was today. And her heart went out to him, it really did.

But in the end, she kept thinking about one sentence in particular. What I felt for you, I’ve never experienced anything like it. She told herself not to read too much into those words but how could she not?

She was torn between the conflicting facts she knew. He hadn’t wanted a real relationship until finding out about the baby. But he said his feelings for her were unique. And he claimed to desire more than co-parenting with her now. Her head spinning, she didn’t know what to think or feel.

But when she looked at his handsome face, strong jaw, full lips, eyes that sometimes hid his feelings but too often now seemed to reveal more and more, she couldn’t deny she wanted more too.

* * *

Ethan was dizzy with anticipation. He held Sienna’s hand, his heart beating hard as his gaze settled on the black-and-white screen where he hoped to catch a glimpse of their child.

The doctor palpated Sienna’s belly, then said, “It’s too early to hear the heartbeat, so we’ll have you back in a couple of weeks for a Doppler and another sonogram.” Dr. Finley’s hand moved the wand around. “You won’t see much today, but we’ll know he or she is in there. Week three is when fertilization really begins.”

A few minutes later, the doctor paused the wand. “There!” She hit a few buttons and captured the image on the screen. “The beginning of your baby.”

“Oh my God! Ethan, look. Our baby.” Sienna breathed out the words, her cheeks flushed, her face glowing.

As much as she was pushing him away, she wanted his child. That gave him something to work with, he thought, because he had every intention of keeping them both.

The doctor hit a key and a printer sent out two small photographs. “Proof positive,” she said, waving the papers in the air before handing them to him.

With her easy grin, Ethan relaxed even more than he had after she’d reassured them about the cancer risk. He hadn’t let his mind go there, but now that the doctor had negated the chances, he found himself able to breathe.

And with the pictures in his hand, although he couldn’t decipher a damned thing on them, reality hit him hard.

He was going to be a father. Sienna was going to be a mother. And he was going to do everything he could not just to bring them together as a couple because of the baby, but to convince her they had a future. Because he wanted a future with this vivacious, gorgeous woman who had brought him back to life.

After wiping down the wand and replacing it in its holder, Dr. Finley stood. “I’ll give you some time alone. The nurse will be in soon to draw blood, and I’ll give you a call only if there’s something to be concerned about, but from what I’ve seen so far, I’m not worried. Make an appointment for eight weeks and I’ll see you then.

Left alone, Ethan did what he’d been wanting to do. He leaned over and pressed his lips against Sienna’s, sliding his mouth over hers, licking at the seam, and when she parted her lips, he slid his tongue inside.