Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I leaned against the kitchen sink and wiped my mouth lightly with a paper towel, not taking my eyes off a very still Rio. He was still breathing, so we were good there. He let out a sigh and sat at the dining table. He put his hands in front of him and looked down. I was waiting for the explosion. I half expected him to pound on the table like he normally did when he was frustrated, but it never came. I slowly walked over to the dining table and slid into the chair that was perpendicular to his. I wasn't scared of him. I just didn't know what he was thinking, which made me even more anxious. I decided to break the thick ice that was filling the air.

"Say something," I said, smiling slightly. He gave me that ungodly sexy smirk of his, and my heart skipped.

"How long have you known?" He asked.

"Not too long. I have an appointment next week at the OB, just to be sure. I had three positives, though so. Not to mention I have been puking my brains out." I said, brushing my hair out of my face with my hand. He bit his bottom lip and nodded. "I want this baby, Rio. I've thought about it, and I honestly never thought I would be a mother. I know our lives are complicated and dangerous. But I know we could protect this baby. What do you think?" I asked. Rio smiled and got out of his chair. I turned to my right, and he kneeled in front of me. He took my hands into his and kissed them. I couldn't get over the fact that I was trying to put this man in a maximum-security prison a year ago. Now, I was having his kid. Rio looked at me with those dark, gorgeous eyes of his, and I instantly felt okay.

"I'm down, Mama." He said as he gave my hands a squeeze.

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Since I had told Rio, I was pregnant. He had lost his damn mind. I wasn't allowed to go to any meetings. I wasn't allowed to make pick-ups or drops. I argued that going over to Beth's for a routine pick up and the drop was not dangerous at all, and he clapped back that Beth couldn't be trusted. I guess I understood, but I don't think Beth would ever hurt me. Especially since she knew I was pregnant.

Rio and I sat in the modern-looking obstetrician exam room. The nurse had come in and taken my blood to check for hCG already, so we were sitting there, waiting. I sat on the examination table, my medical gown wrapped around me. My short legs dangled in front of the table as Rio stood, leaning against the back counter. He had his phone in front of him and was quickly typing a text. Just then, a woman came in wearing a white lab coat.

"Afternoon, I'm Doctor Stinmyer. You must be Andy." She said as she extended her hand. I shook it and smiled as I gave a quick nod. "How have you been, Leo? Marcus doing good?" She asked. It was strange hearing her say Rio's legit name.

"Yeah, he's good. Got honor roll this year." He said, smiling, his hands in his pockets. She smiled and put her latex gloves on. My heart started to race.

"Oh good, he's a sweet kid." She said. Rio agreed and chuckled. "Okay, so your hCG level came out to a little over eighteen thousand, so you are very much pregnant. But I want to do a vaginal ultrasound to determine weeks of gestation. Sound like a plan?" She asked. I nodded and looked over to see Rio smiling, ear to ear. I smiled at her sweetly and laid back on the table. Rio came up beside me and held my left hand. I felt some pressure and heard the whooshing sound coming through the machine. I looked into the black and grey screen, searching for the little black sac. I didn't know much about this, but I was pretty sure that's what I was looking for. "There we go, about eight weeks, I would say. Strong heartbeat too. Any symptoms like nausea or breast pain?" She asked.

"Major nausea. Boobs are fine. Other than throwing up non-stop and no period, I am doing good." I said, not looking away from the sonogram machine.

"Able to keep anything down?" She asked.

"Not really."

"I suggest ginger root tea and crackers. If you lose anything more than a few pounds before your next appointment, let me know. Head up to the front before you leave, and they will get you set up with your next OB appointment. Okay?" The doctor said. She printed out the sonogram picture and handed it to me. "Congratulations, you two. I'll bet Marcus will be excited." She said sweetly.

"He will be for sure," Rio said, being his normal calm self but clearly excited. "Thanks, doc," Rio said as I sat up.

"Yes, thank you!" I said, trying to hold back my tears. I forgot being emotional was a side effect of pregnancy, great. She left the room and left Rio and me there to look at our little creation in the photo. "Holy shit, she's so little," I said. He looked at me sideways.

"She, huh?" He said sarcastically.

"Pretty sure," I said, smiling.

"How? You're only eight weeks." He teased.

"I don't know. I just know." I said as I pulled on my jeans.

We left the room, and Rio gave me his credit card before he left to start the car. I made my first prenatal appointment for two weeks from then, and the receptionist gave me all kinds of pamphlets on what not to do. Holy shit, it was long. I laughed to myself as I thought about the fact that there was nowhere in these things that said "no dangerous criminal activity."

*Sorry it's so short, you guys. Crazyness over here! I will be updating in the next few days. Much love!