Twin Babies for my Pucking Defenders (Chicago Icebreakers #2)

30. Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Nate

We’re parked outside the doctor’s office. Jade looks like she’s ready to jump out of her skin. Her hand’s shaking, tapping against the door like she’s keeping time with some invisible beat only she can hear.

“Thanks,” she whispers, breaking the silence. “I really needed that... distraction. You’re the first person to make me laugh since I found out.”

“My pleasure.” I grin and kiss the back of her hand. It’s soft and it’s trembling slightly. I try to hold on to that brief moment where things aren’t descending into chaos. We sit there for a beat, just her staring at the door to the clinic like it’s gonna swallow her whole.

“Come on,” I say, “let’s get this over with.”

We walk into the small lobby, the sterile smell hitting us instantly. Jade clutches my arm, her grip tightening as we approach the front desk. She looks ready to bolt at any second, her eyes darting around like a cornered animal.

“Hi, how can I help you?” the receptionist asks in a way-too-chipper voice, like she hasn’t seen a million panicked faces walk through here already today.

I glance at Jade, who’s biting her lip like it’s her only lifeline. “We have an appointment, uh…” I glance at Jade again. “She needs some tests done.”

The receptionist nods and hands me some forms for Jade to fill out. Jade starts working on them, her hand still trembling as she scribbles her name and details on the pages. I grab the clipboard from her halfway through, taking over.

“Thanks,” she mutters, her voice barely audible.

“Don’t mention it,” I say, my tone softer than I expected.

We’re called back not long after Jade is done with her documents. The gynecologist, a woman in her mid-fifties, looks professional and kind. She gestures for us to follow her into a small room, the kind with a cold, hard examination bed and way too many instruments. Jade freezes in the doorway.

“Will he be joining us?” the doctor asks, eyes shifting between us.

Jade glances at me, her eyes wide and pleading. “Please.”

I nod and follow them in. I don’t know why she wants me there, but I’m not leaving her side now. Not when she’s about to hear something that could change her entire fucking life.

The test doesn’t take long, but the silence in the room feels like it’s stretching out forever. Jade’s gripping my hand so tightly it’s cutting off the blood flow. I don’t say anything, though. I just let her cling to me.

“We’ll have the results soon,” the doctor says, stepping out, leaving us in the chilly space.

The room’s too quiet. Jade’s breathing is shallow, almost like she’s forgotten how to breathe properly. My own mind’s racing, and for a second, I’m not even here. I’m back in this same kind of room, twelve years ago. My late wife, scared and nervous, holding my hand just like Jade is now. That same feeling of not knowing what’s coming, the weight of everything pressing down on us.

Fuck, this is too much like back then.

Jade shifts beside me, squeezing my hand harder, yanking me out of the past and back into this moment. She’s watching me, her brows drawn together in concern.

“You all right?” Her voice is soft, hesitant.

I shake it off, forcing a smile. “Yeah. Just…memories.”

She doesn’t push, just keeps holding my hand like it’s the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

The doctor walks back in with the results, her expression unreadable. “Well, it’s confirmed. You’re about three weeks pregnant.”

Jade stiffens next to me. Three weeks. Fuck. It could be anyone’s.

The doctor glances between us again, like she’s piecing together a puzzle she doesn’t really wanna touch. “Are you the father?” she asks, her eyes locking on me.

“Maybe,” I whisper, my voice sounding more tense than I intended. Jade looks at me, her expression unreadable, but there’s a storm behind her eyes. The doctor doesn’t push any further, just nods and leaves us alone in the room.

Jade’s silent, her eyes staring at the floor. Tears start streaking down her cheeks. She’s silent, like she’s too tired to sob. I can’t fucking stand it.

“You can’t cry anymore,” I say, my voice firm, but there’s a softness beneath it. “That’s the new rule. No more crying.”

She lets out a weak laugh, but it quickly dies off. She’s still panicked, I can see it written all over her. Because three weeks? That means…it could be me. It could be anyone.

“I know you’re freaking out,” I continue, my voice softer now. “If it’s this early, then yeah…any of us could be the father.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, just wipes at her cheeks, smearing the tears across her skin. “I don’t know how I’m gonna tell them,” she whispers, her voice barely holding together. “How do I even start that conversation?”

I step closer, gently cupping her face, making her look at me. “We can figure that shit out later, okay? Right now, I just need you to breathe. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy thinking about all that right now. We’ll handle it, I promise. But first, what do you want? What do you want to do?”

Her eyes search mine, like she’s looking for the right answer buried somewhere inside me. But I can’t give her that. It has to come from her.

“I think…” she pauses, her hand shaking as she brushes her hair behind her ear, “I think I want to have the baby.”

My heart skips a fucking beat. There’s this overwhelming rush of excitement and happiness that I wasn’t expecting. It hits me like a freight train, and I try to keep my face steady, not to show just how much those words affect me.

“You sure?” I ask, my voice low. I’m almost afraid to hear her say something different now.

She nods, biting her lip again, her eyes welling up with fresh tears. “Yeah. I want to have this baby.”

I exhale, this massive weight lifting off my chest. I pull her into my arms, holding her tight, like she might disappear if I let go.

“Okay,” I whisper into her hair. “Okay, we’ll figure it all out. Whatever happens, we’ll handle it.”

She pulls back, looking up at me with those big, tear-filled eyes. “You think we can?”

“Yeah,” I say firmly. “We’re gonna be fine. You’re not alone in this, all right? We’ll figure this shit out together.”

Her lips quirk up in a weak smile, but it’s something. “Thanks, Nate.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” I smirk. “I might be a total asshole about this later.”

She laughs, and it’s the first real laugh I’ve heard from her since we walked into this place last night. It’s a fucking relief.

I kiss the top of her head, my hands still holding onto her like she’s the only thing keeping me grounded right now. “We’ve got this, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispers back, her voice a little stronger now.

But in the back of my mind, I can’t shake the thought that this could still blow up in our faces. Any of us could be the father. But for now? Right now, it’s just her and I. And I’ll be damned if I let her face this shit alone.