Blue Lines
Page 61
She didn’t realize she was bouncing her knee until Erik’s hand rested on it.
“Your leg is doing crazy things.”
A smile pulled at her lips as she said, “What if there is something wrong?”
“That won’t happen.”
“We don’t know that!” she squealed, then quickly covered her mouth.
“For the love of God, Piper, you are making me nervous,” Erik said, shaking his head and picking up a parenting magazine. “Everything will be fine.”
Piper nodded slowly. He was right—she was freaking out for no damn reason. The doctor already said the baby was healthy; the only reason they were there was to find out if the baby was a boy or girl, and to see its little baby face. Everything was going to be okay.
Piper looked over and saw a flyer for Lamaze classes. Picking it up, she said, “Oh, I gotta sign up for this; remind me to do that before we leave.”
Erik looked over and calmly took the flyer from her.
“Lamaze? What is that?”
“Breathing classes, so that you don’t have a heart attack during the birth.”
Erik nodded. “Okay, cool.”
She wanted to ask if he would go with her but she was afraid that would scare him or he would say no, so she tucked the flyer in her purse. She would ask Reese to go. Looking down at her phone, she let out a long breath as she decided if she wanted to text Reese or not. Maybe she should try to get Erik to go with her.
“Make sure to do the Wednesday class. I don’t have training camp on Wednesdays, so I can go.”
Piper looked up quickly to find him looking through a magazine as if he hadn’t just made her the happiest pregnant girl in the world. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched his beautiful profile. She wanted to kiss him and tell him she was going to love him forever, but instead she said, “Really?”
“Yeah, I want to be there. I might need to know that stuff,” he said, glancing over at her. When he locked eyes with hers, he said, “What? Did you think I would miss it?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to go.”
“Oh, well, I’m going. That’s intense stuff. I don’t want you to die. Listen, Piper, I know you won’t believe me but I had every intention to be at the first ultrasound appointment. I just totally forgot until me and Phillip got talking—seriously, you’ve got to know I wanted to be part of this since then.”
She was going to devour him in the middle of the clinic. He gave her a weird look and was about to say something but she interrupted him by leaning toward him, placing her lips to the side of his mouth. He took in a sharp breath as she closed her eyes tight, her lips lingering against his hot lips. Piper opened her eyes slowly when she felt his hand on her cheek. She pulled away to see that his face was full of confusion and tenderness as his eyes searched hers.
Moving his thumb along her cheek, he caught some of her tears as he asked, “Why are you crying?”
“Because you are making me very happy right now,” she said without thinking.
“Piper,” he said slowly, but she shook her head.
“No, you are, thank you. I wouldn’t want anyone there but you.”
“It’s just a Lamaze class.”
She shook her head. “It’s really more than that.”
They shared another long, heated look until Erik looked away, taking in a deep breath. She felt like he was about to say something but before he could they were being called in for the test. Erik dropped his hand from her face before standing up. Piper did the same and they followed the nurse into the imaging room.
“Go ahead and lie down; get comfy. Rachel, your tech, will be in soon.”
“Thank you,” Piper said, climbing up on the table.
Erik sat in the chair beside her and crossed his leg over his knee. Piper leaned back and took in a deep breath as she tapped her fingers against her belly.
“Calm down,” Erik said. “You are making me nervous.”
Piper glanced over at him and smiled. “I’m so ready for this; thank you again for thinking of this—I didn’t even think of it. Well, even if I did I probably wouldn’t have considered it because of the expense.”
“You’re welcome but I wanted this, too,” he said with a nod as he looked down at where her hands rested on her belly, fiddling with her wedding band. “You move your ring around a lot. I see you doing it when you draw.”
Piper nodded. “Yeah, it’s become a habit.”
“Do you like that ring?”
Piper held her hand up, looking at the little diamond-encrusted wedding ring as she nodded. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s simple.”
She nodded. “I love that it is simple. I don’t need flashy things.”
“Maybe you could give it to the baby when it grows up. That would be nice, don’t you think?” he asked, causing the grin that sat on Piper’s face to falter.
“What?”
“So they have something from our marriage. I think they would like that. It’s been a good marriage. We’ll leave on good terms.”
Fucking ass**le!
Piper sat up on her elbows, giving him a dirty look. “Why are you doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Putting up f**king walls. I say you make me happy and all of sudden you need to remind me of your leaving? Do you think I don’t know that and think of it every day? Just stop; it’s annoying.”
“Your leg is doing crazy things.”
A smile pulled at her lips as she said, “What if there is something wrong?”
“That won’t happen.”
“We don’t know that!” she squealed, then quickly covered her mouth.
“For the love of God, Piper, you are making me nervous,” Erik said, shaking his head and picking up a parenting magazine. “Everything will be fine.”
Piper nodded slowly. He was right—she was freaking out for no damn reason. The doctor already said the baby was healthy; the only reason they were there was to find out if the baby was a boy or girl, and to see its little baby face. Everything was going to be okay.
Piper looked over and saw a flyer for Lamaze classes. Picking it up, she said, “Oh, I gotta sign up for this; remind me to do that before we leave.”
Erik looked over and calmly took the flyer from her.
“Lamaze? What is that?”
“Breathing classes, so that you don’t have a heart attack during the birth.”
Erik nodded. “Okay, cool.”
She wanted to ask if he would go with her but she was afraid that would scare him or he would say no, so she tucked the flyer in her purse. She would ask Reese to go. Looking down at her phone, she let out a long breath as she decided if she wanted to text Reese or not. Maybe she should try to get Erik to go with her.
“Make sure to do the Wednesday class. I don’t have training camp on Wednesdays, so I can go.”
Piper looked up quickly to find him looking through a magazine as if he hadn’t just made her the happiest pregnant girl in the world. Tears sprang to her eyes as she watched his beautiful profile. She wanted to kiss him and tell him she was going to love him forever, but instead she said, “Really?”
“Yeah, I want to be there. I might need to know that stuff,” he said, glancing over at her. When he locked eyes with hers, he said, “What? Did you think I would miss it?”
“I didn’t think you’d want to go.”
“Oh, well, I’m going. That’s intense stuff. I don’t want you to die. Listen, Piper, I know you won’t believe me but I had every intention to be at the first ultrasound appointment. I just totally forgot until me and Phillip got talking—seriously, you’ve got to know I wanted to be part of this since then.”
She was going to devour him in the middle of the clinic. He gave her a weird look and was about to say something but she interrupted him by leaning toward him, placing her lips to the side of his mouth. He took in a sharp breath as she closed her eyes tight, her lips lingering against his hot lips. Piper opened her eyes slowly when she felt his hand on her cheek. She pulled away to see that his face was full of confusion and tenderness as his eyes searched hers.
Moving his thumb along her cheek, he caught some of her tears as he asked, “Why are you crying?”
“Because you are making me very happy right now,” she said without thinking.
“Piper,” he said slowly, but she shook her head.
“No, you are, thank you. I wouldn’t want anyone there but you.”
“It’s just a Lamaze class.”
She shook her head. “It’s really more than that.”
They shared another long, heated look until Erik looked away, taking in a deep breath. She felt like he was about to say something but before he could they were being called in for the test. Erik dropped his hand from her face before standing up. Piper did the same and they followed the nurse into the imaging room.
“Go ahead and lie down; get comfy. Rachel, your tech, will be in soon.”
“Thank you,” Piper said, climbing up on the table.
Erik sat in the chair beside her and crossed his leg over his knee. Piper leaned back and took in a deep breath as she tapped her fingers against her belly.
“Calm down,” Erik said. “You are making me nervous.”
Piper glanced over at him and smiled. “I’m so ready for this; thank you again for thinking of this—I didn’t even think of it. Well, even if I did I probably wouldn’t have considered it because of the expense.”
“You’re welcome but I wanted this, too,” he said with a nod as he looked down at where her hands rested on her belly, fiddling with her wedding band. “You move your ring around a lot. I see you doing it when you draw.”
Piper nodded. “Yeah, it’s become a habit.”
“Do you like that ring?”
Piper held her hand up, looking at the little diamond-encrusted wedding ring as she nodded. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s simple.”
She nodded. “I love that it is simple. I don’t need flashy things.”
“Maybe you could give it to the baby when it grows up. That would be nice, don’t you think?” he asked, causing the grin that sat on Piper’s face to falter.
“What?”
“So they have something from our marriage. I think they would like that. It’s been a good marriage. We’ll leave on good terms.”
Fucking ass**le!
Piper sat up on her elbows, giving him a dirty look. “Why are you doing that?”
“Doing what?”
“Putting up f**king walls. I say you make me happy and all of sudden you need to remind me of your leaving? Do you think I don’t know that and think of it every day? Just stop; it’s annoying.”
