The Ex-Husband of Alice Langley

15

ALICE LANGLEY
I groan as I lay back once again in the exam room, exhausted and frustrated. "Thirty-seven weeks pregnant, and I swear I just want this baby out," I mutter, glaring at my belly as another sharp kick lands right in my ribs. I flinch, rubbing the area.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," I groan.

Hunter, sitting nearby, chuckles. "Even I saw that through your shirt."

"Oh, shut up," I snap, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I didn't mean to—"

"Why does every word out of your mouth sound like nails on a chalkboard?" I interrupt, glaring at him. "It's just one stupid excuse after another. Oh, I'm Hunter, I'm this super cool guy, super hot, so I can do whatever I want. I can stick my dick up my wife and get her pregnant because I feel like it," I grumble.

"Okay, I'll be quiet," he sighs, raising his hands in surrender.

"She yelled at me yesterday for breathing the wrong way. Don't take it personal," Taylor pipes up from the other side of the room.

I roll my eyes and point at her. "Who breathes like that though?! You sounded like Darth Vader in his last moments!"

Hunter tries to stifle his laugh but fails. "She's not wrong," he mutters under his breath.

Taylor shrugs. "I'm still standing."

I can't help but laugh at their banter, even though every movement reminds me of how uncomfortable I am. "Ugh, why does pregnancy have to be this hard?"

"You're almost there," Taylor reassures me.

"Yeah, easy for you to say. Your baby days are long behind you," I grumble, rubbing my swollen belly, feeling both love and frustration. "If this kid doesn't come soon, I'm going to lose it."

"You'll be fine. If I can do it three times, you can do it again," Taylor reassures, her voice calm but firm. She leans back slightly, one arm draped over the back of her chair, her eyes filled with the kind of quiet confidence that only comes from experience.

Another sharp jab cuts through my stomach, and I instinctively wince, clutching at my belly. The pressure is relentless, my breath hitching as I brace for the next wave.

"Maybe he just needs his dad," Hunter says, placing a warm hand on my bump, his touch gentle but steady, as if he could somehow calm the storm raging inside me.

"It could be a girl too!" I exclaim, trying to inject some levity into the moment, though the uncertainty gnaws at me.

"No, this is a boy," Hunter declares with absolute certainty, his voice leaving no room for doubt.

I glance toward Taylor, hoping for her input. "Taylor, what do you think?"

She freezes, her gaze flickering away from mine, as though the very question is too much to handle. "Uh...." Her voice falters. "The-uh-aphasia..." she mutters, making a weak excuse.

My heart quickens, confusion knotting in my chest. "Hey, what do you know?" I ask, my tone sharpening, sensing there's more beneath her hesitation.

Taylor sighs, her shoulders sagging as if a great weight is about to lift off them. "Paris is a technically a doctor and saw the pictures..." she says, her voice quieter now, almost reluctant. "I've known the sex for months."

I stare at Taylor, processing what she just said. "Months? You've known for months?" My voice pitches higher with every word, and I can feel my heart racing as frustration bubbles up inside me. "Jeez, I might as well know if you and Paris know."