Chapter <b>574 </b>


    My phone buzzes against the dresser as I’m fastening the small sp on my bracelet.


    “Are you at the hospital yet?” Mom’s voice is bright, brimming with that warm excitement that always


    gives her away.


    “Not yet,” I say, slipping my bag over my shoulder. “I’m just getting ready to leave.”


    I can almost hear her smile through the line. “Alright. Drive safe. And make sure you take pictures if they


    give you the chance. I want to see my grandbaby.”


    Her enthusiasm is infectious, and though I try to y it cool, I know I’m just as giddy. My chest is tight, but in that good way. The kind of anticipation that tingles in your fingertips. Today, I’ll hear my baby’s


    heartbeat for the first time.


    I didn’t sleepst night. My whole body was bubbling with excitement as I thought about the moment I would see my baby. I kept imagining feeling her move inside me and holding her for the first time. I finally slept after hours of tossing and my imagination ying wild, and when I did, it was with a smile


    on my face.


    When I woke up, my excitement was still there. I went through my whole routine with a little bounce in my steps and I’ve been like that since.


    “Si.” Once again I had spaced out, and her voice pulls me back to the present.


    “I will, mom… and you’ll be the first to get the ultrasound pictures.”


    We hang up, and I grab my keys, heading out into the crisp morning air.


    The drive to the clinic is smooth, though my mind is a constant swirl. I couldn’t turn it off no matter how I tried. shes of what my baby might look like, how small they must still be and the hope that everything is fine were a constant in my head.


    When I arrive, I park close <i>to </i>the entrance and take a moment in the car to steady myself. My reflection in the rearview shows wide, alert eyes and a smile that keeps trying to peek through.


    When I finally feel ready, I get out of my car and head for the clinic. Inside, the faint scent of disinfectant and something floral greets me.


    At the front desk, a neatly dressed secretary looks up with a polite smile. “Good morning. Name?”


    “Sierra Meyers”


    She checks herputer screen, typing away until she looks at me. “Please fill these forms for me.”


    She hands me some papers and I fill them out as required.


    “You can take a seat; we’ll call your name shortly,” she says and takes the forms from me once I’m done.


    I choose a seat near theer, letting my gaze drift over the waiting room. A small pang catches in my chest when I see two women resting their hands on rounded bellies, their partners beside them, heads bent together in quiet conversation. A kind of intimacy that’s hard not to miss.


    I’m happy to be here. I really am. But there’s a longing in seeing those shared moments, the kind that remind me I’m doing this alone. That the father of my child didn’t want anything to do with them.


    I honestly never imagined this. I always thought that I’d have my husband with me. That he’ll be there through every milestone, showering me with love, support and strength.


    I never thought that things would turn out different and that for a moment makes my heart constrict as if


    being squeezed.


    The feeling threatens to ruin my good mood, so I remind myself that I’m not alone. I have my baby, my mom, my aunts and Lilly… but even after that, the absence still stings. It still lingers like a phantom ghost.


    I force my gaze away before I can sink deeper.


    A few seats over, I notice a woman sitting by herself, tapping her fingers nervously against her knee. Given her bump, it’s obvious she’s a bit further along than me. For a moment, our eyes meet. She offers a soft, knowing smile, and I return it. It’s like for that brief moment we found kindred spirits in each other. That makes me feel less alone and my heart less heavy.


    My phone buzzes again. I check and find messages from my aunts and from Lilly.


    You’ve got this, love!


    Can’t wait to hear all about it.


    Our little peanut!


    Their words wrap around me like a soft nket, calming the nervousness in my chest and chasing away the sting. Once again, my heart settles and my joyes back as if it never left.


    “Sierra Meyers?”


    I stand, tucking my phone away and smoothing my shirt as I follow her down a quiet hallway.


    A man in a white coat greets me with an easy smile as I step into the examination room.


    “I’m Dr. Adrian Cole,” he says, offering his hand.


    His grip is firm but warm, his voice smooth with a slight husk that makes it oddlyforting. He’s tall, with dark hair that falls neatly but still looks like it would be soft to the touch, and his hazel eyes are the kind you notice. They don’t just look at you, they see you. The kind of eyes that you feel states deep into your soul


    <i>2/2 </i>