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“That’s exactly what that is,” Dr. Emerson says. “Would you like to record it on your phone?”
“Do people do that?” I ask, not because I’m making fun of someone who would, but because I totally want to. I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life.
In the chaos of everything that is happening, we have this. We have this one perfect moment.
11
NICK
When we get back to the car, I switch on the ignition, waiting for the Bluetooth to connect before I hit play on the recording, the sound of our baby’s heartbeat now filling the space. When I turn to Lis, she’s watching me, a huge smile on her face.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, leaning over, my hand on her cheek. “This is so fucking cool.”
“I can’t believe we’re having a baby,” she murmurs, covering my hand with hers as she shakes her head a little, as though this has all become much more real now. I guess in a way it has, the undeniable proof filling the car.
Grinning, I close the distance, my lips against hers. “I love you so much, Lis. Thank you for taking another chance on me.” I pause, kissing her softly. “I promise it will be the first and only time you ever have to,” I add, kissing her again, slowly, deeply, as I try to show her how much I love her, how much I mean what I’m saying. How much I promise that this time will be different.
She rests her forehead against mine, the sound of our baby’s heartbeat still surrounding us. “That was easy,” she whispers. “It’s always been you and me, Nick. Always.”
“You, me and this one,” I say, dropping my hand to her stomach.
“Just the three of us,” she whispers.
“Always.”
I blow out a breath, knowing that with everything we’ve been through and everything we have going on, all I feel now is even more certain about the fact I should stay. And while once upon a time, I could never envisage a life where I wasn’t skiing competitively or where I wasn’t trying to achieve that Olympic dream I’ve been chasing for as long as I can remember, now, none of that seems important.
Now, all I want is to be with Lis. To stay here and build a life with her.
“I spoke to Max today, about finding a lawyer to look at my contract,” I tell her. “He said I should swing by and drop off my contract. He’ll get his dad and their lawyer to look over it. They sponsor me, but well, it’s different with them. I trust them.”
“Absolutely,” Lis says, smiling. “The Holdens would never do anything to hurt you.”
“Come with me?” I ask, knowing I want to keep her as informed as possible this time around. No more miscommunication or misunderstandings, everything is out in the open between us. “When I speak to them?”
“Of course,” she replies.
“And I want to come to as many of your appointments as possible, too,” I say.
“I mean I have to go every four weeks, so that might be hard if you do have to go back, but maybe we can do the ultrasound before New Year’s. In case you do have to go.”
“Yes, definitely. I’m hoping I don’t have to, but I don’t want to miss anything, babe.”
“I know,” she says. “Are you going to talk to your coach?”
I blow out a breath. “I guess I need to say something, yeah,” I tell her. “But not now. Let’s speak to Jeff tomorrow and then I’ll talk to him. Maybe I’ll have more info on where I stand with the contract and paying shit back. Maybe I won’t have to leave at all.”
“Okay,” she replies, squeezing my hand. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Now, you’re taking the rest of the afternoon off, right?” I ask.
Lis smiles, settling back into her seat. “I mean I have dinner with the girls tonight, but yeah, I think I could be persuaded.”
The next morning,I wake early, still not sleeping great as my brain refuses to switch off, trying to sort out all the shit with my contract. It doesn’t make sense for the coach or the team doctor to push me before I’m ready, but it also doesn’t make sense that two doctors treating me can have such different opinions on my recovery. I mean, I get medicine isn’t always cut and dry, but shit, they literally have completely opposite points of view, and I just don’t know who to believe.
Plus, I’m still fucking pissed at the fact my coach went and spoke to Elissa, especially with everything else we have going on. It was a dick move and with her being pregnant, Lis doesn’t need that kind of stress or pressure. It makes me wonder what kind of motives this guy has, going behind my back like that.
Blowing out a breath, I roll over to find Lis asleep beside me and just like every morning I wake up beside her, all that worry and shit fades into the background and I feel a sense of calm wash over me. Having her back, knowing we are both in this together now, grounds me in a way I’ve never felt before. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel settled, truly believing that whatever happens moving forward, we can do this.
