The Quiet One

Epilogue

Their wedding was everything Regal could hope for and more. They'd chosen to wait on their honeymoon until the spring, when the flights out of Black Wood Falls would be more reliable. Harper had chosen to go to Orlando again, this time they would stay two weeks. Today was the day he would see his baby on an ultrasound for the first time and get the blood results back about the gender. Secretly he hoped for a baby girl who looked exactly like Harper with light blond hair and blue-gray eyes.

"What time is our appointment?" he asked over breakfast. She'd made breakfast sandwiches and home fries.

"Ten-thirty. We will have to leave at ten to make it on time. I picked a place a little further out. But they had the best reviews in the area for natural births."

"Did you want to get a midwife?" He'd done a little research once she'd told him she was pregnant, on the different ways women went through childbirth.

"I want a doctor, but I don't want an epidural. I want to do this naturally." Regal nodded his head. This was her choice. She would be the one doing all the heavy lifting. His job was to prepare the nursery to her satisfaction and dote on her.

"My sisters are already talking about a baby shower. I am only twelve weeks along. I won't need a baby shower until I'm seven months." Regal chuckled and cleared his plate.

"That is how your sisters are. I bet Julie is in the middle of all that planning. How are she and Michael?"

"He proposed the other day. They mated not too long ago if I remember correctly," she answered getting up with her own plate. Regal took it from her and went to clean the dishes.

"Tell her congratulations next time you see her. I'll get the dishes I want you to decide on baby furniture. The sooner we have it set up the better I will feel." Regal nudged her over to where his laptop sat on the living room coffee table. Harper laughed and left to search for baby things on his computer. Regal took a minute to admire his curvy mate. They'd been through a lot since meeting in December. Now he had her as his wife, and a baby on the way due in September. He loved her and thanked George silently in his head for connecting the two of them on a regular basis. Now all he needed to do was get his friends on board with their own mates. He wanted playmates for his child.

After finishing the dishes he slipped into his office to work for an hour before taking Harper to her appointment. He was in the middle of helping Hainsley fix her website after she'd seen his work on Harper's.

"Regal we need to go," Harper called what felt like minutes later. Closing down his computer he did his best to contain his excitement. Taking care he helped Harper into the car and drove them the thirty-minute drive to her doctor's office. When they walked in he was overwhelmed by the number of pregnant women in the room. He'd thought the place would be a little quieter, but to his disappointment, many of the seats were full and had women talking on their phones. His sensitive shifter hearing hurt, it was hard not to listen in and some of their conversations made him uncomfortable.

"I didn't realize they would be this popular," Harper murmured after she checked in and took a seat in the far corner.

"Didn't you come here earlier?"

"I did, but they only had two other women in the waiting room. Maybe I just need to find a different time of the day to go?" she answered, tucking her purse in her lap. Regal stood nearby as if to guard her. He noticed a distinct lack of fathers in the room and wondered if this place made them uncomfortable too. Ten minutes later they were called back by the ultrasound technician. Holding Harper's hand Regal followed the tech into the back, where thankfully, it was much quieter.

"Ready to see that baby of yours?"

"I am anxious. I want to hear the heartbeat."

"Well you are far enough along we can use the exterior wand. Sit up on the table and lift your shirt, we can go from there." Harper did as the tech said and Regal settled in the chair on the opposite side of the machine. He watched as the tech moved around the room to give Harper a cover for privacy and dimmed the lights.

"The first baby?" she asked once settled and the machine had Harper's information up.

"Yes. Due September nineteenth."

"Congratulations. I have the results of your lab tests. I will give them to you after we look at this baby." She pulled out her wand and went to work. Regal sat back and watched in fascination as the tech moved around to show them the blob she insisted was their baby.

"They will become more baby-like as you get further along. You are in your second trimester, so at twenty weeks or so we will do an anatomy scan and that will look like a normal baby," the tech explained as they moved through everything. It took about an hour for the tech to get the pictures, measurements, and estimations done.

"Everything looks good, I only see one baby. Congratulations on becoming parents." She gave them a bright smile and handed them the envelope with their ultrasound pictures.

"This is the sex of your baby." She handed them a second white envelope, it was sealed.

"Thank you." Harper climbed off the table and handed Regal the information. His hands itched to open the envelope that second, but he knew Harper would want to wait until they were in a private space.

"Thank you," Regal replied and walked out with Harper, impatient to get home. The entire drive he tried not to speed but needed to know if they were having a boy or a girl.

"I can hardly wait," Harper gushed, clutching the envelope to her chest.

"We will be home soon and then we can look," Regal promised, turning onto the street. Hurrying down their road he parked the car quickly shutting off the engine. Before he could turn to Harper she was hopping out of his car and headed inside. Regal scurried to keep up, he unlocked the door and hurried Harper inside. She hung up her coat and bag before heading to the living room. Regal followed his body and panther wound tight in anticipation.

"Ready?" she asked, he nodded and watched her rip open the envelope.

"It's a girl." Harper looked up at him with tears shining in her eyes. They would be having a girl! Regal took a minute to process the news before scooping Harper up in a hug and kissing her fiercely on the mouth.

"This is wonderful! Now we can start thinking up a name," he announced after putting her down. She laughed and kissed him once more and snuggled into his arms. Regal pulled her down onto the couch and held her close. This was what he'd always wanted, a mate and a child on the way.

"Thank you," he murmured into her hair.

"For what?"

"Going out with me. I know you wanted to say no and you gave me a chance. Now we are to become parents." She gave him a soft smile and kissed him.

"Thank you for making me go out with you. I couldn't have dreamed this would be my future, but I am proud and happy to be yours." Regal smiled at her and pulled her in for a kiss that wasn't satisfying enough. Getting up from the couch he scooped her in his arms and carried her to their bedroom to show her how much he loved and appreciated her.

And with that Regal and Harper's adventure is over. I don't know if I will write books for her sisters. I will have to take a break and think about where I want to take the characters next. Please let me know what you think and don't forget to vote!