Chapter 7: The Ultrasound

The next morning, Cole got up feeling...happy? Yes, happy. How could he not be happy when he had a child on the way? He wasn’t going to let the complications of that dampen his mood either. “Did you get laid or something last night?” Chase asked with a raised eyebrow. Cole chuckled, “No.” “Then why are you so happy?” “Can’t a man be happy?” “Well yes but this is you we’re talking about. The only time you look happy is when you’ve been laid.” Cole rolled his eyes, “Please. I’ve been happy plenty of other times.” “So you’re not going to tell me why you’re happy now.” It was a statement, not a question. Cole shook his head, “You’ll find out soon enough.” Chase eyed him warily.
 
At 9:45 he arrived at the place the ultrasound would be taken. He and Harper were going to arrive separately. She didn’t want him to pick her up because her brother might see and then the secret would be out. He pulled out his phone and texted her:
Cole: i’m here
Harper: i’ll b there in 5 min
Cole: k
He listened to some music for a few minutes before she pulled up. He got out of the car and they went in together. The lady at the front desk smiled at them, probably assuming they were a young couple. Why did that thought not scare him? He vowed never to get involved after what his ex did, but with Harper, he could see himself committing again. At ten, they were taken to a room and Harper lawed on the bed. The woman, Wendy, pulled up her shirt, revealing her beautiful round belly. He smiled at Harper as Wendy applied some gel. She then “scanned” Harper’s belly and pointed out different features. Cole’s eyes misted over as he looked at the form of his unborn child. “Congratulations you two; you’re having a girl,” Wendy said. Cole leaned down and kissed Harper, who eagerly responded. “We’re having a daughter,” she whispered. He nodded, too choked up to speak. He wiped her tears off her cheeks then looked at Wendy who was looking at them with a smile, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.”
 
Once the appointment was over, Cole insisted on taking her to lunch. It wasn’t that he was hungry, he just wanted to be with her a little longer. He wasn’t going to deny it any longer: he was starting to like her, and if he wasn’t careful, he could easily fall in love with her. They got lunch at Islands at her insistence. She was craving fries. “So, do you have any name ideas?” he asked. “I like Sky,” she said simply. While he liked the name Sky, he also liked Emma. “What about Emma?” “Emma Sky? Sky Emma?” “Martinson.”
 
She stared into his eyes for a moment, feeling tears prick the back of her own. Damn pregnancy hormones. He wanted their daughter to be a Martinson. She smiled and nodded, “Martinson. Emma Sky Martinson.” He smiled, “I like it.” “Me too.” While they were eating, she got a text from Caden.
Caden: Harp, do u want to come over?
Harper looked at Cole, at a loss of what to do. In all honesty, she wanted to stay here with Cole, but Caden would suspect something was up since she never declined an invitation. Cole seemed to notice her hesitation because he pulled the phone out of her hand and read the text. “We’re almost done here,” he said and handed her the phone back. “Are you sure? I’d hate to eat and run.” “I’ll be heading home too.” “Oh! Of course.”
Harper: B there in 20
Caden: Ok, c u then
She and Cole finished up their fries then he drove her back to the place she left her car. It would not be a good idea to show up in the same car, nor for her to leave her car there for an extended period of time unnecessarily.
 
Cole got back home first; he suspected it was because she was taking her time driving while pregnant. “You want to play some basketball?” Conner asked. “Do you really want me to whoop your ass?” “Very funny.” Cole picked up the controller just as Caden came in, a worried look on his face. “What’s wrong?” Cole asked. “Harper said she’d be here in 20 minutes 30 minutes ago.” “And? She’s 10 minutes late: so what? Women hate clingy men as much as men hate clingy women after a fling.” Caden blinked then sighed, “You’re probably right.” “I know I’m right. What’s the rush?” “...I’m going to ask her out.” Oh hell no. “A date?” “Yeah, maybe dinner.” “I see.” “What’s wrong with that?” Cole noticed that all his brothers were looking at him. He sighed, “You realize she’s pregnant, and not with your kid, correct?” “Well yeah, but what’s that got to do with anything?” “Say that father shows up, what then?” “It was some dude at one of our raves. How would he find out if he hasn’t already?” Cole shrugged, “Just be careful.” Ding dong. Caden gave him a puzzled look before opening the front door. Cole immediately locked eyes with Harper. She gave him a small smile before turning to Caden who gave her a hug. Cole clenched his fist; he hated his brother for touching what was his. Woah, woah, woah, where did that come from? Harper was not his. Cole watched as Caden drug her into the kitchen to talk. It was the one time Conner beat him in a game of basketball because he couldn’t focus.
 
Harper sat on a stool facing Caden. He looked nervous. “Caden, what’s wrong?” she asked. He sighed, “Nothing. I was just wondering if you’d go out with me...on a date?” She froze. This wasn’t happening. Caden seemed to see her uncertainty and continued, “That is if you want. No pressure.” She sighed; she owed at least one date to him before she told him she didn’t feel anything for him. “I’ll go on a date with you.” His face lit up, “Really?!” “Really. We’ll see how it goes and go from there, okay?” He nodded, “Sounds good. Are you free tomorrow night?” She nodded, “Yeah.” “I’ll pick you up at 7.” “Okay.”
 
When Caden and Harper emerged from the kitchen, Caden was all smiles. Cole immediately knew that Harper had accepted his date. He got up, “I’m a bit tired from running errands today. I’ll see you all tomorrow.” Before anyone could respond he stalked out of the room. He knew he was being irrational; he and Harper weren’t dating. But how could she kiss him then agree to go on a date with his brother? He went into his room and flopped on his bed. He wanted to drink. He called Harvey and they agreed to meet up for a drink in a few hours.
 
Harper looked at Caden. He looked just as confused as she was. “What’s his deal?” Chase said. “I don’t know. He was fine until just a minute ago.” Conner said, “Maybe it was because I beat his ass in basketball.” Harper knew Cole wasn’t that petty: he was in the military for God’s sake. Then the thought struck her: had he overheard Caden asking her out. Oh God, of course he had. And how did that look? One minute she was with him and the next going out with his brother. Of course he’d be mad. She had to tell him but she couldn’t with all of his brothers around. Before she got the chance, he came back downstairs a couple of hours later. She was watching a movie with Caden and Conner when he came into the living room. She confirmed her suspicions when he glared at her, got his keys, and stalked out of the house.
 
Cole met Harvey at their favorite bar. “What’s got you in a pissy mood?” Harvey asked. Cole glared at him, “I invited you to drink with me, not chat me up.” Harvey raised his hands in surrender, “Fine by me.” He waved the bartender over and ordered beer and told him to keep it coming. Within an hour, Cole had a nice buzz going. In his alcohol-induced state, he came to the “reasonable” conclusion that since Harper could agree to go out with his brother, he could have a one-night stand with this chick who was hitting on him. He told Harvey he was leaving then took the girl to a hotel room. He hadn’t had sex since Harper, so this would be interesting.
 
Harper got home later than usual. Caden had wanted her to stick around for as long as possible, obviously reveling in the promise of tomorrow night. When she got home, Harvey was just getting back and he was a little drunk. “Were you out drinking?” she asked. “Yeah. Me and Cole. He was pissed about something.” Harper knew what. “If he’s as drunk as you, he shouldn’t be driving.” Harvey chuckled, “He isn’t driving, he’s fucking some chick who was hitting on him.” Harper’s heart bottomed out; how could he?! Did those kisses mean nothing to him? She turned and went to her room before Harvey saw the tears fall. Then she’d have to explain everything: something she was in no mood to do. She threw her phone across the room; she’d just been about to text him and tell him how she was only going on a date with Caden to be nice but planned on telling him she didn’t have feelings for him afterward. Good thing she didn’t or she’d look like an idiot. She cried herself to sleep that night.