Stay With Me: A Best Friend’s Brother Small Town Romance (Sugarland Creek Book 2)
Stay With Me (Sugarland Creek Book 2): Chapter 34

10 WEEKS PREGNANT

I’ve never peed so much in my damn life. Just when I get comfortable in bed, I have to get up and go again. Since I’m avoiding caffeine and coffee overall, I’ve been sucking down water nonstop. It’s not a major issue when I’m at home, but while I’m at work, it’s the biggest inconvenience not having a nearby bathroom. With it being the Christmas holiday season, downtown is packed with shoppers who need their caffeine fix. I have to put up my “Be Back in 10” sign every thirty minutes to run to the bookstore across the street, and if I don’t purchase a book soon, Mrs. Weis is going to ban me.

Hell, I’m about to bring a bucket to squat over because it’s getting ridiculous at this point. Apparently, it’s because my uterus is starting to push on my bladder, but it’s only going to get worse as the baby grows, too.

TRIPP

I’m leaving in 5. Need me to bring anything before I pick you up?

I’m closing early today since I have my first ultrasound appointment to officially confirm my pregnancy and due date. Of course, as soon as I made the appointment, Tripp was adamant about going with me so I wasn’t alone. Noah offered to join me, but she decided to put on a holiday festival at the ranch with a few weeks to spare, so I didn’t want to take away any of her valuable time. Plus, it’s not like Tripp wouldn’t have tagged along anyway. If I didn’t know any better, he’s more excited about the baby than I am. Since we’ve become roommates, he tells me each week what fruit size the baby is.

At ten weeks, the baby is the size of a kumquat, which is one inch in diameter.

Yeah, I had to look that one up too because what the hell is a kumquat?

MAGNOLIA

No, I think I’m good. But I’m gonna stop at the store quickly for a bag of Goldfish crackers so you can pick me up from there.

TRIPP

I just bought four bags when I went shopping this morning so I’ll bring one with me.

MAGNOLIA

You did? The Flavor Blast kind?

TRIPP

Yep. I saw your cheese fingerprints on the cupboards and then saw you were getting low so I grabbed more.

My cheeks heat at how he notices such small things but still takes the time to buy more for me. He knows they’re my go-to snack because I can keep them down easily and although it’s not the healthiest, it satisfies my cravings in the middle of the night when I need something cheesy and crunchy.

MAGNOLIA

Well, thank you. I’ll wait at the coffee trailer, then.

This isn’t the first time he’s restocked my snacks for me either. After I moved in, we went to the grocery store, and I stocked up on my favorite Greek yogurts. Sadly for me, certain yogurt flavors made me sick, so I’ve been sticking to the one that agrees with me. When he noticed I was out of the banana cream, he went out of his way to get more, but the store was out of stock. So instead of skipping it, he drove fifty miles to another store and bought me three cases so I wouldn’t run out.

Unfortunately, now banana cream makes me nauseous, probably because I ate it three times a day for three weeks. I felt horrible telling him, but he just shrugged and said no biggie, he’d eat some and share the rest with his brothers. They were more than happy to take them off our hands.

As I sit and wait on the curb, I admire the town’s holiday decorations flooding Main Street. All the small businesses are covered in red, green, and white. I added some garland outside the coffee trailer, and once I launched my new holiday drinks, it finally felt like Christmas. It’s been a weird month, but I’m excited to spend Christmas Eve with my parents tomorrow and go to the Hollises on Christmas Day.

“Hey, why aren’t you inside the trailer where it’s warm?” Tripp asks, jumping out of his truck after he parks.

“Because I already locked it up and you were on your way,” I argue, taking his hand when he offers to help me up.

“You’re gonna get sick out here,” he scolds, wrapping his palms around my cold fingers and blowing warm air on them. “C’mon, let’s go. Truck is toasty warm for ya.”

The weather has cooled down to the fifties, but he’s acting like we’re in negative temps. I’m already bundled up as much as I can tolerate, but I don’t fight him on it.

“Are you nervous?” he asks as he pulls back onto the street.

“A little, I guess. This’ll make everything feel more real, but it’ll be interesting to see how it looks on the screen, ya know?”

“It’ll be cool to see. Like a little minnow swimmin’ in your belly.”

My mouth falls open and he laughs at my reaction. “Don’t call my baby a fish!”

“I looked it up on YouTube for ten to twelve-week ultrasounds, and that’s legit what it looks like!” He squishes his lips together and makes a fish face. “It can be their nickname: Baby Fishy.”

I glare at him, and he smirks. “Not onboard?”

“Well, it’s better than your Baby Kumquatty idea.”

“Only until next week when it’s the size of a peapod. Then we’ll call it Petey. Get it?”

Tilting my head, I study him. “Did you memorize the baby size chart or somethin’?”

“I have a pregnancy app on my phone so I can keep track.”

“You do? Why?”

“It’s cool to watch, and I like reading the updates. At ten weeks, the baby has all of its organs. Oh, and it officially graduated from an embryo to a fetus this week.” He leans over and fist-bumps my belly, which is no longer flat and instead looks like I’m bloated. “Congrats on the achievements, Fishy.”

I stare at him in shock and awe that he’s not only keeping track but reading about it.

“Oh, and it says you may start to get more constipated so maybe add more fiber into your diet.”

“Okay, no more reading for you,” I deadpan.

Talking about my bowel movements is where I draw the line. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around how a baby the size of a watermelon is going to launch out of my vagina without tearing me in half. I’ll probably never have sex again.

“It’s common in the first trimester!” He waves out a hand as if this is general knowledge to everyone. “It also mentioned mood swings, so…” He side-eyes me as if he’s waiting for me to snap at him any minute. “You might be crankier or weepier than usual, which is totally normal for the first trimester. Resting, eating healthy, and avoiding stress are key to help balance your hormones.”

“Are you seriously mansplaining hormonal changes to me?”

“Nope. Just sharin’ the data. But there was an informative section about vaginal discharge too if you wanna⁠—”

“Please shut up.”

He clamps his mouth and stays quiet for the rest of the drive.

It’s bad enough I have to go through these changes. I don’t need the man I was sleeping with to know about them, too.

Although he’s respected my wishes to return to friends, he continues doing sweet things for me and making it hard to resist falling back into old habits. Even though he’s not crossed any lines, he’s still acting like a caring boyfriend, and that messes with my head. I have to remind myself that this is for the best.

We arrive at the hospital, and after he helps me out of his truck, he takes my bag and holds it as we walk side by side. The receptionist smiles when she sees us approach, and I know it’s only a matter of time before someone asks if he’s the dad. I haven’t quite figured out how to answer that question without it making things awkward.

No, he’s my ex who I broke up with after I found out I was pregnant with another man’s baby and although we aren’t dating, we live together.

Totally normal.

“You can take a seat, and the tech will be out shortly to grab you and your boyfriend.”

Welp, there it is.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Tripp grins, then grabs my hand and intertwines our fingers. “C’mon, love.”

There’s a faint smirk on his face, and I know he enjoyed that way too much.

I follow him to the waiting room and sit next to him in a separate chair.

“Ya know, it’s only a matter of time before people replace out I’m pregnant.”

“Okay, and? Are you plannin’ to deny it and say you’re just puttin’ on weight?”

I smack his thigh at his smart-ass comment. “And if you let people think you’re my boyfriend, they’re gonna assume the baby’s yours. So you might wanna correct ‘em before rumors spread.”

“And say what? That I’m your gay best friend here for moral support?”

I roll my eyes at his dramatics. “That we’re friends. Or even roommates.”

He leans in closer. “Hmm…doesn’t feel appropriate for someone who’s had their whole face in your pussy.”

“Tripp!” I whisper-hiss, glancing around to make sure no one else heard him.

He shoots me a grin, then places his hand on my shaky leg. “Relax. Who cares what they think?”

I swallow hard, lowering my gaze. “Well, I figured you would. Not gonna help ya out in the whole dating department if chicks think you have a baby on the way.”

“No? Because I’ve heard lots of women dig single dads.” He waggles his brows, and I know he’s messing with me.

“I swear to God, you’re intolerable. You’re gettin’ worse than Landen.”

His bemused expression drops. “Hey, no need to insult me now.”

“Magnolia Sutherland?”

I pop out of my chair and turn toward the ultrasound tech. She greets me with a smile and Tripp follows me toward her.

“Hi,” I say nervously.

“Hi! I’m Ginny, and I’ll be doing your ultrasound today.” She points down the hall. “The room’s down here.”

We walk behind her and my nerves start to get the best of me. Although I’m excited, I’ve been reading horror stories of pregnancies gone wrong and miscarriages.

“Is this y’all’s first baby?” she asks as we enter the room.

“Uh…yeah. First one.”

“Well, congratulations! Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through everythin’.” She’s cheerful and sweet, which I appreciate, but inside, my stomach is doing somersaults.

“That wand is going where now?” I blink as she explains a transvaginal ultrasound.

She reiterates what she told me about not being far enough along for a regular ultrasound so they do a vaginal one to get a better look, but there’s no way that mammoth is going to fit up there.

“It’s scarier than it looks,” she says.

“I told her the same thing when she had a similar reaction to me the first time,” Tripp blurts.

Oh my God. I’m going to murder this man.

Before I can, Ginny bursts out laughing. “That’s funny. Already comin’ in with the dad jokes.”

“Oh, he’s not⁠—”

“I have the next seven months to come up with more,” Tripp cuts me off, and I shoot him a death glare.

“I’ll let ya change into your gown and be back in a few to get started. Don’t use the bathroom until after because a full bladder helps us see inside the uterus better.”

“Wait, so you’re gonna shove that between my legs while I have to pee?”

Speaking of, I’m already fighting gravity to keep it in there.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I know it’s uncomfortable, but as soon as I get the baby’s measurements, if you really need to go, you can let a little out before I grab some photos.”

A little? Once I start, there’s no stopping it.

“Okay, thank you.”

“Be back in a few.”

Once the door closes, I let out a breath.

“Sunny, are you okay?”

“I have to pee,” I say urgently, rushing to the bathroom.

“No! You can’t.” He quickly blocks the door. “You have to hold it.”

“I can’t! It’s gonna leak down my legs soon.”

“Yes, you can. You’re stronger than you realize. Just don’t think about it.”

“Easy for you to say.” I cross my legs.

“Remember the time you and Noah snuck out to go to some field party?”

I nod but what a random thing to bring up.

“You guys drank for like three hours straight before Noah finally called and asked me for a ride. I was fuckin’ pissed, but y’all knew I couldn’t say no. By the time I came out, you were clenching your legs together because you had to go so badly.”

“Yes, and you told me to go squat by a tree.” I make a disgusted face because hell no was I about to expose my whole ass and vagina where bugs live.

“And since you’re stubborn as shit, you wouldn’t, and I warned you that you’d have to hold it until we got home.”

“Which was over thirty minutes away.”

“And you begged me to distract you so you wouldn’t think about it.”

“Oh yeah.” I smile at the memory of him giving me his undivided attention for a solid half an hour. “You talked about Twilight with me the entire ride home and by the time we got back, I didn’t even have to pee anymore.”

He shakes his head as he chuckles. “Fuckin’ vampires, but yes. So you already know you have the self-control to do this. I’ll be right next to you to keep you distracted. Okay?”

I nod. “Okay.”

He holds up the gown and opens it for me. “Pants and underwear off.”

Twirling my finger, I motion for him not to look. Instead, he closes his eyes and stays put. Once I slide my arms into the gown, I spin around, holding it closed the best I can so he doesn’t see my bare ass, and then he ties it for me.

I situate myself on the table, and when Ginny returns a few minutes later, she turns off the lights and explains more of the process and what she’ll be looking for on the screen.

She lubes up the mammoth wand and slowly slides it between my legs. It’s not as bad as I anticipated since she’s not shoving the whole thing up there. Just a little discomfort.

“Alright, you see this here?” She points to an avocado-shaped bubble. “That’s the amniotic sac and right inside there is the baby. You can see their two little legs and arms.”

“And a big head,” Tripp teases, gripping my hand with both of his.

“Yep. And it’s movin’ a lot. Very active. That’s a good sign,” she reassures me.

My heart’s ready to beat out of my chest as I stare at the screen and take in everything she’s telling me. I can’t believe that’s inside me.

“Told you it’s a little minnow.” Tripp chuckles, and I grin.

“See that little flutter in the center? That’s the heart beating.”

A quick, loud squishing noise fills the room, and my eyes gloss over because for the first time since taking those pregnancy tests, it feels more real than before. Being able to see and hear it makes a huge difference in understanding all the changes my body’s going through.

It hits me that I’m going to be a mom in seven months. A wave of panic hits me alongside excitement. I thought I’d be much older when I’d have kids, but now that it’s happening when I’m twenty-three, I can’t say I’m mad about it. Despite how it happened and being scared for what the future holds, I already love this baby more than anything in the world.

“The heartbeat is 155 beats per minute, which is perfect,” Ginny says. “I’m gonna measure from the top of the head to the feet and do a few more to see how far along you are and get your estimated due date.”

I nod and Tripp squeezes my hand.

Ginny looks between us. “Dad, if you wanna record the screen, feel free. I’ll print out photos at the end for y’all.”

Tripp looks at me, either waiting for me to correct her assumption or give him approval to take a video. I’m not sure. But I tell him to go ahead and start recording.

“The baby is measuring exactly ten weeks.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I track my cycles and knew exactly when my last period was.”

“Perfect. That means your EDD is mid-July,” she says.

“My app says July fourteenth. My best friend is two weeks behind me, so our babies will hopefully be born in the same month,” I tell her.

“Oh my gosh, how excitin’! Was that planned?” she teases.

“Um, no!” I laugh. “Neither of us was tryin’.”

“Well, then it was meant to me. Built-in best friends for life.”

I smile warmly at that thought. “I hope so.”

Tripp continues recording while never taking his hand off mine.

“Alright, I got some great pics.”

Once they’re printed, she hands them to me, and I can’t contain the smile on my face.

Baby’s first ultrasound photo.

If I were any good at scrapbooking like Noah, I’d make one for all the pictures and milestones, but framing it for my bedroom will have to do for now.

“Good to go?” Tripp asks once I’m dressed and have used the bathroom.

“Yep. At least until I have to pee again in fifteen minutes.”

He takes my hand, lacing our fingers, and leads me toward his truck. “We should celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” I ask when he opens the passenger door for me.

“First ultrasound. First photos. First time seeing him or her. It’s a big moment!” He beams, handing me the roll of pictures. “Since we’re here, let’s go shoppin’ at a baby store.”

“You wanna look at baby stuff?” I confirm, jumping inside the truck.

He licks his lips as if he’s holding back. “I’d fuckin’ love to, Sunny.”

Then he winks and goes around to the driver’s side.

“And we can grab some food while we’re out.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

I might not be able to eat a lot since everything either makes me sick or doesn’t look appetizing, but I still enjoy hanging out with Tripp regardless of our situation. He’s been nothing but supportive, and we have fun hanging out, so why not?

It can’t hurt.

Well…it might hurt.