The Legend of the Eight: The Hunted (Book 5)

10: The New Romantics

TEN: THE NEW ROMANTICS
FEBRUARY 13
CHLOE LAWSON

SHE WAS SITTING IN A waiting room with her legs crossed, rubbing circles on her belly which had recently begun to sport the most subtle of bumps. According to her mom, Lawson women carried small—a relief to Chloe who was trying to hide her pregnancy at school for as long as she could.

In the seat across from hers was a woman in her thirties with pearls in her ears and a husband to match. They had their hands full of pamphlets on infant CPR, how to select the perfect car seat, and a whole other slew of information that Chloe hadn't yet begun to look into. The woman noticed Chloe's staring and she smiled, gesturing to the round bump which pulled her sweater a bit tighter than usual.

"How far along are you?" she asked and Chloe cleared her throat.

"Twenty-four weeks, ma'am," she answered only to instantly regret her use of the word ma'am. She tried to quickly recover by asking, "And you?"

"Eight weeks," the woman beamed, squeezing her husband's hand. "Is this your first?"

"I'm only eighteen," Chloe blurted and her face flushed red. Her dark brown eyes widened and she looked around the waiting room for something—anything—to rescue her from her own humiliation. Luckily, the door to the bathroom opened and walking out (drying his hands on his t-shirt) was Levi. He took the seat beside Chloe and pecked the side of her head before noting the look on her face. His brows pinched and he probably would've asked what the hell was wrong with her had the woman not gasped and said,

"You're the Beast Tamer!"

Chloe forgot how famous Levi was around the World of Magic sometimes.

"I didn't know you were expecting!"

"Oh no, he's not—" Chloe tried to say but Levi put his hand over her knee and smiled graciously.

"Thank you, but this one's doing all the real work. Honestly, I don't know how you women do it."

The woman pursed her lips like she was impressed, having forgotten about Chloe's rudeness only moments before. "Handsome and a feminist. Can't say I expected that."

Levi chuckled humbly and Chloe felt her palms sweating and her head spinning. Levi seemed so genuine when he thanked the woman for the congratulations. So natural. It was like there wasn't a doubt in his mind. Like he was as much a part of that baby's life as Chloe.

Minutes later, the nurse walked into the waiting room and called for "Lawson, Chloe". Quickly, Chloe gathered her things and hurried back to the exam rooms with Levi trailing not far behind.

In the room, Chloe took a seat on the exam table and Levi stood beside her, holding her hand in both of his.

"How are we doing today?" Dr. Paul asked, rolling Chloe's sweater up just enough to reveal her belly. He took the blue jelly and squirted a generous amount on her bump before asking, "Who's ready to take a look at this baby?"

He took the ultrasound wand and moved it around Chloe's belly. It was her third one since discovering she was pregnant and she was still getting used to the feeling. The gel was always cool against her skin and the probe felt foreign—like it wasn't supposed to be touching her. When the images popped up on the screen, Chloe turned to look but she had about as much luck telling the difference between a finger and an ear as she did oregano and marjoram in her Potions class.

Dr. Paul used his free hand to point as he spoke. "Here we go... Ten fingers, ten toes. And..." He used the measuring tool. "Measuring right on schedule. Everything looks great. You two have a healthy baby girl, congratulations!"