Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
The appointment lasted an hour. Verity took Callie’s measurements, measured her blood pressure, took some blood and urine, and explained exactly why she was doing all that. I tried not to let myself get anxious about all the bloody things that could go wrong with this pregnancy, even as Verity assured Callie that she was young and healthy.
We discussed how the baby would develop over the coming months, what kind of diet would be best and what foods to avoid, antenatal classes, breastfeeding, if she intended to have the baby at the hospital or at home, the tests and scans that needed to be scheduled. I hung on to every word because I wanted Callie to know that other than actually physically having the baby, she was not alone in any of this.
“Do you regularly exercise, Callie?”
“Pilates and tae kwon do.”
“She’s a black belt,” I offered proudly.
Callie smirked. “We both are.”
Verity nodded. “How long have you been training in tae kwon do?”
“Fifteen years.”
“Okay. Well, Pilates is perfectly safe to continue while you’re comfortable to do it, though you may have to avoid certain positions the further along you get. I encourage you to keep that up. However, I do think you should tell your martial arts instructor you’re pregnant.”
“He knows, and I’m already excluded from sparring and breaking.” It was part of the rules that Fyfe had to enforce as an instructor.
“That’s good. I think since you’ve been training for years, it’s safe to continue classes as long as you’re avoiding physical combat with your peers.”
We’d talked about tae kwon do after Fyfe agreed to let Callie back into his class. He was nervous of her being there while pregnant, and Callie was frustrated by the limitations set on her but willing to oblige. Though I knew she already missed sparring. I’d reminded her it was only for the next six and a half months, and then she could try to kick my arse any time she pleased after that.
Not long later, Callie and I were walking back to the car.
“Verity was really lovely,” she said with relief.
“She was. How are you feeling?”
“Like reality is kicking in a bit. You?”
“Same.” I held open the car door for her and hurried around to the other side. It had been a few days since I’d been out on the Harley and while I missed it, I had more hope than ever that once the baby was here, I’d have Callie back on my bike.
“Did you take everything in that she said?”
“I did,” I promised. Then as we started driving out of the car park, I forced myself to say, “I’ve been checked. I know she’s running tests for STIs, but I want you to know that I had a health check after Roisin. And you were the last person I slept with.”
“I know. You don’t have to worry about that. I had a health check after Gabriel. So I’m pretty certain all is good there.”
Gabriel.
I’d avoided bringing him up since seeing him in the village that day because I didn’t want to ruin anything between me and Callie. In fact, both of us seemed to be avoiding discussing the seven years we’d been apart, which I wasn’t sure was healthy and knew we’d need to broach soon. There hadn’t been an opportunity to approach the subject of Gabriel. Until now. “So … what was he doing in Ardnoch?”
“Gabriel?”
“Aye.” I tried to keep my hands loose around the steering wheel. The truth was I despised how jealous that bloke made me feel. I was the one in a car with Callie, being called her boyfriend while she was pregnant with my child. That’s all that mattered. At least I wanted it to be all that mattered.
Callie released a slow breath. “He was honestly just stopping by on his travels. And he wanted to apologize.”
“For what?” I frowned. “Shit. You don’t need to tell me. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s fine. He … look, I told you before, what he and I had wasn’t serious. We never shared anything too personal with each other. Especially Gabriel. In fact, he could be downright evasive. But the last few weeks we were together, he was really distant, and I ended things weeks before I left Paris because of it. He acted like he didn’t care. So he was apologizing for being a bit shitty in the final weeks of our relationship.”
I nodded, trying to stop myself … but I couldn’t. “So, the kiss at the bus stop?”
“You saw that?”
“How else do you think I knew he was in town?”
“I’m sorry.” Callie reached over to caress my knee in apology. “Really. It was only a goodbye kiss.”
I nodded again.
She patted my knee and sat back. “You want the truth?”
My stomach churned. “Always.”
“It was awkward. Gabriel being in Ardnoch. Selfishly, I didn’t want him there. I wanted him to remain in Paris as a memory. He was only a distraction, Lewis. Everything that came after you … it was all just a distraction. Life … life feels real again. And I don’t know if that’s particularly healthy for either of us.” She let out a huff. “But I can’t help but feel that way. It’s like … like we really are two halves of one whole.”