Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
*
She’s turning the pages of her magazine at an epic rate, telling me they’re not being read, just skimmed. It’s something to keep her occupied while we wait to be called. Something to busy her fidgety hands. The moment we sat down, any semblance of her calmness fled. It’s got me all nervous. I place a hand on her magazine, blocking the next page turn. She looks up at me.
‘What’s up?’ I ask. She tosses the magazine on the table in front of us, closes her eyes, and starts to breathe in long, carefully controlled breaths. ‘Ava, baby, what’s the matter?’
‘Look around, Jesse,’ she practically whispers, making a quick scope of the waiting room herself. ‘All these couples.’
We’re one of six couples here. You’d think given the condition of these women, they’d give them something a little more comfortable than these plastic chairs to sit on. With that thought, I collect Ava from the hard chair beside me and put her on my far comfier lap. ‘I don’t follow,’ I admit, ignoring the interested looks of the other men in the waiting room. They should take a leaf out of my book. Their wives’ arses must be numb. Mine’s not far from it.
‘They’re all so young.’
Well, ouch. She may as well have just kicked me in the gut. I glance around, noting she’s not far off the mark. With the realisation comes another bout of doubt. Doubt. It’s a bastard thing, can worm its way into the most confident of men and eat him alive from the inside out. Well, I won’t let it. My chest swells and my chin rises. And I glare at all the twenty- and thirty-something fathers-to-be, unable to stop myself. I might be fifty, but I’m more man than any of them.
‘They might be younger, baby, but we have experience.’ I nod decisively.
‘You do, perhaps.’ Her counter is quiet, unsure, and I realise my error in a heartbeat. Fuck. Shut the fuck up, Ward. ‘I can’t remember a thing.’
My face softens. ‘Stop that now,’ I order harshly, hating the sound of this sudden doubt in her, too. ‘When Kate went into labour, you knew just what to do. Like everything, it’s all still inside you.’ I reach for her nose and circle the end with the tip of my finger. ‘Pack it in.’
Softening on my lap, she nods, grabbing all of my reassurance with everything she has. I give myself a swift mental slap, telling myself to never let her see my uncertainty again. It’s full steam ahead.
‘Ava Ward.’
We both look across the doctor’s waiting room to see a white-coated lady with wild purple hair and a few too many piercings in her ears. Her look is harsh, though her smile is friendly. ‘Up you get.’ I put Ava on her feet, patting down my pocket when my phone rings. ‘It’s the school.’ I doubt there is a parent in the land whose heart doesn’t miss a beat or ten when they take a call from their kid’s school. Mine just missed a hundred. I connect the call, working hard to keep my voice stable and my stress level out of heart attack territory. ‘Hello?’
‘Mr Ward, it’s Mrs Chilton.’
‘Is everything okay? The kids?’
‘Everything is fine, Mr Ward. No need to worry.’ Those words are fucking golden, and I nod to Ava’s worried face, silently telling her not to stress.
I’m aware of the sonographer waiting for us and hold up a finger in indication that I’ll be just a moment. ‘Then why the call?’
‘Maddie seems to have developed a bit of a headache.’
I still, staring down the line, my eyes narrowing to suspicious slits. Ava cocks her head in question, so I quickly cover the mouthpiece of my phone to enlighten her. ‘Maddie has a headache.’
‘But she was fine this morning.’
‘Yes, she was. She was also rather put out that she couldn’t come to the scan.’ I raise my eyebrows, telling my lovely wife to catch up.
‘Oh, the little minx.’
She’s got that right. ‘Mrs Chilton, can you put her on the line?’
‘Of course. One second.’ There’s a few crackles down the line, and while I wait for my fraudulent baby to prep herself to speak to her father, I give Ava a little nod. ‘You go. I’ll be there in two secs when I’ve sorted out our girl.’
Ava shakes her head, dismayed, but with a fond smile as she disappears into the room. ‘H . . . ell . . . o,’ Maddie says, sounding like she’s swallowed acid and a pile of rusty nails.
My girl needs to remember there’s not much that gets past me. ‘Hey, baby,’ I coo.
‘H-hey Daddy.’
Daddy? Oh, she’s working it better than any Oscar winner I’ve known. I move to the side of the room, leaning a shoulder against the wall. ‘What’s up, baby girl?’ I play along with her, smiling as I do. ‘Tell Daddy.’