Chapter 299

Hannah

Mornings had gotten louder since Melody learned to walk. And she wasn’t just walking—she was trying to run, arms flapping and her chubby legs barely holding her up as she went. This morning, she seemed to be hell bent on dashing down the hallway as Noah tried to brush his teeth and I hunted for my shoes, which, of course, had somehow vanished into thin air.

“Melody, slow down! You’re going to run into a wall,” I called, trying and failing to catch her as she went barreling past. “Holy hell, how is she so fast? She’s only had the ability to walk for, like, five minutes now.”

“She’s determined, I’ll give her that,” Noah laughed from the bathroom doorway, wiping his face with a towel. “Ready to go?”

“Almost—if I can find those shoes.” I shook my head, peeking under the dresser for the third time, convinced that Melody had hidden them somewhere. We had just about ten minutes to get out of the house, but with the way Melody was scooting around, I wondered if we’d ever make it on time.

Finally, Noah, ever the hero, grabbed my lost shoes from under the crib, holding them out with a triumphant grin.

“Now, let’s get this show on the road,” he said, catching the little devil with one arm and lifting her in the air. She let out a little squeal, clapping her hands as she settled onto his hip.

We barely managed to make it to the appointment on time, but once we arrived, the rush of the morning seemed to fade, replaced by anticipation. Today was the day. Today, we would finally find out whether Melody would have a little brother or sister.

It had been five months since the night I had announced my second pregnancy to Noah. Five months of nonstop change, a constant flurry of excitement. Amber’s goodbye party came and went. Pack matters were handled day in and day out. Melody was growing like a weed, as was my belly.

And it wasn’t just the gender reveal that we were excited for.

Tomorrow was the day of our wedding.

Our friends said we were insane for having the wedding five months into a second pregnancy—that we’d be better off waiting until the baby was born, that it would be nice to have both kids there at the ceremony. But realistically, we couldn’t wait.

How could we? We had waited long enough.

After what felt like an eternity, the nurse called us back into the exam room, leading us to the room where the ultrasound awaited. I felt my heart pound as we followed her, my hands trembling at my sides.

Noah reached for my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as the doctor came into the room.

Our new doctor had a gentle way about him, a calming presence that I appreciated as I settled onto the exam table. And Melody loved him, too; in fact, her eyes went wide when he entered, and she immediately squirmed, reaching for him.

“Why, hello there, little one,” the doctor said with a warm smile, bending down to meet her gaze. Melody, always the little charmer, beamed up at him, giggling as she grabbed at his fingers. He chuckled, scooping her up and settling her in his lap as he sat down.

“She’s growing fast,” he remarked, bouncing her gently. Melody squealed, her little fists clutching his stethoscope like it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. “How’s she been? Adjusting well to all this excitement?”

“More than well,” Noah said, shaking his head with a grin. “We can barely keep up with her. She’s taken over the house. She’s practically running things now.”

The doctor laughed, nodding knowingly. “That’s the way it goes with the first one, doesn’t it?” He looked down at Melody, who was now babbling away, her chubby fingers having abandoned the stethoscope and now reaching toward the ultrasound machine. “Seems like she’s excited to be here, too.”

“She’s excited for everything,” I laughed. “Especially things she can’t touch.”

He chuckled, setting Melody back in Noah’s lap, then turned to me. “Alright, Hannah. You know the drill. Ready to see who’s in there?”

I took a breath and nodded, feeling a flutter of nerves in my chest. Noah took my hand, and as the doctor applied the cool gel to my stomach, I glanced over at him, finding reassurance in the familiar steadiness of his gaze.

The room grew quiet as the doctor moved the probe over my belly, his eyes focused on the screen. Melody leaned forward in Noah’s lap, wide-eyed as she watched the screen light up with black-and-white images.

The doctor chuckled, glancing over at her. “Looks like we have another fan of the ultrasound here. Don’t worry, sweetheart, you’ll see soon enough.”

I felt Noah squeeze my hand a little tighter, and I looked over at him, seeing the same excitement I felt reflected in his eyes. This was it.

Finally, the doctor turned the screen toward us with a smile spreading across his face. He pointed to the tiny figure in my belly, curled up inside of me.

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that Melody is getting a little brother.”

My breath caught, and for a second, I couldn’t say anything. I could hardly even believe it.

A boy. We were having a boy.

Noah let out a quiet laugh. We really didn’t care what gender the baby was and were just happy that it would be healthy and happy, but deep down, we’d both been hoping for a boy. I’d always wanted a boy and a girl; one of each.

Melody, of course, had no idea what was going on, but she seemed to pick up on the joy in the room. She clapped her hands together, giggling in delight, as if she somehow understood that something wonderful had just happened.

I reached out, my trembling fingers brushing across the screen as I took it all in. A boy. Another little miracle, just like Melody, and yet so entirely his own person already. My heart enlarged in my chest, and I thought I might burst out into tears of happiness.

Damn those pregnancy hormones.

Noah looked over at me, his gaze soft as he took my hand again and lifted it to his lips. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, my throat tight. “More than okay. This… It’s perfect. I didn’t think…” My words trailed off, and I just smiled up at him, hoping he could see everything I couldn’t say.

The doctor printed out a few ultrasound pictures, handing them to us with a knowing smile. “Congratulations, both of you. He’s looking strong and healthy.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, clutching the pictures like they were the most precious thing in the world.

Noah and I lingered in the room for a few minutes longer than we needed to, just allowing ourselves to soak in the moment of peace before we had to return to the bustling world of wedding preparations.

Finally, Noah leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. And then, with that same quiet intensity, his lips trailed down to mine, warm and soft against my mouth. Neither of us said a word—just gathered our things and our daughter and walked out to the car, hand in hand, smiling like giddy school kids.

There was nothing else to say. We were happy, and that was all that mattered.