Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Positive

Positive.

The pregnancy test was positive.

I stare at the stick in shock. Why I'm shocked, I don't know. I shouldn't be shocked because I know that sex can equal a baby.

My heart pounds against my ribs in both anxiousness and excitement. I feel....happy at this unexpected surprise. I hope Ace feels the same way. Ace had been shooed out of the room for privacy reasons.

I'm going to be a mother.

I let that thought absorb into my mind before I walk back into the room with Doctor Kaylee. She smiles hopefully at me when she sees that it's positive.

"I can run a blood test just to make sure. Sometimes those pregnancy tests can be faulty." She says. I agree, and she withdraws some of my blood and sends it off to the lab.

I won't tell Ace until I know for sure, even though I really wanted to tell him what was going on. The news was just too exciting to keep it locked away.

"Are you happy?" Doctor Kaylee asks.

I nod my head. "Yes, it's just that what if Ace is not? What if he thinks it's too soon?"

"I'm sure he'll be happy, too. You two have made it this far, so I'm sure he will support you and perhaps even be excited."

I smile. Doctor Kaylee is right, yet I'm still a bit nervous. "Thank you."

I close the door gently behind me when I leave the room and turn around to find Ace looking at me with eyes full of worry and curiosity.

"What was wrong?" He asks.

"Oh, she said I just had a little bit of the flu, that's all." I hate lying.

Ace raises an eyebrow, and I know he's an expert at detecting lies. He has to be to be in this sort of business.

Ace clears his throat. "Well, I've been doing research on your symptoms-"

Mission abort! Mission abort!! He knows! "You did....research?" I ask, becoming nervous.

Doctor Ace on the case....

That rhymed lol.

Did I seriously just say "lol?" Get a hold of yourself.

Ace nods his head. "Indeed."

"And?"

"My research concluded that you do in fact, have the flu." Ace says, smiling like an idiot because he thinks he's so smart for thinking he had figured it out.

"Oh, well you were right." I say, laughing awkwardly.

Ace nods in agreement.

So, a couple days pass and Ace still believes I'm sick with the flu. I "recover" in bed until the results get back, and sure enough, the blood test came back positive.

I smile, happy at the news.

And I know just the way to break the news to Ace.

I pull out markers and construction paper from my art supplies drawer, and get to work. I wrote the surprise on the construction paper, hole punched the ends of it, and attached it to string.

Now, I just have to go get Duma before Ace comes home. Ace is currently checking on the shipments with some of his men. It always worries me when he does so, because the truth is, when he walks through that front door in the morning, he may never come back.

And that thought terrifies me because it's the truth.

But this is his job and no matter how much I hate to admit, danger is inevitable.

Walking outside to Duma's pen, I call for him, and sure enough, his ears perk up and he comes running to greet me. He licks my hands in excitement and wags his tail. I laugh. "Come one, Duma, let's go deliver some exciting news to your daddy!"

He tugs me along on his leash and sniffs everything.

And then he sticks his nose in my roses and lifts his leg.

"Those are my roses!" I cry, "And you're peeing all over them!"

Duma doesn't seem to mind, though, and I roll my eyes and decide to let him finish. I don't want to yell at him for going to the bathroom outside, it might confuse him.

Once Duma is done, then I head inside with him and make him wait by the front door. I hang the sign around his neck and he tilts his head and stares at me.

The sign says, "If you think I am trouble now, wait until you meet my partner in crime." I drew baby feet and a baby bottle next to it, too.

Everything is all set.

"Are you ready for a new little brother or sister, Duma?" I ask, my voice sounding like as if I am talking to a child.

He barks.

"I'll take that as a yes."

I hear Ace pull into the driveway and I stand next to Duma with a smile on my face. This was it, the moment of truth.

He walks through the front door. "Hey babe, I'm home-"

My cheeks burn from smiling as I watch realization dawn on his face when he reads the sign.

"Oh my fuck!" He exclaims.

I burst out laughing, I can sense the humor and happiness in his voice.

"This better not be some kind of cruel joke because I swear-"

"I'm not kidding, I'm actually pregnant." I say, grinning from ear to ear.

He hugs me tightly and kisses me all over my face. "I love you. I'm more than happy at this surprise." He says, his voice muffled as it's buried against my neck. I smile and kiss him and Ace happily returns the kiss.

"What's going on in here?" Katelin asks as she walks in.

Her eyes widen when she sees what's attached to Duma's neck.

Then she screams.

Loudly.

"I'm so happy!" She says, starting to cry.

She hugs me too. "How far are you along?"

"I'm twelve weeks." I say. My baby was conceived during our honeymoon.

"I'm so happy for you, I cannot believe this!" She exclaims squeezing me tightly in a bone crushing hug once more.

"Alright, alright. Don't crush my wife and child, please." Ace says, sounding thrilled when he said child.

"Sorry. I just....I've got to start buying diapers and toys and....the nursery! When can you find out if it's a boy or girl?"

"Well we can look within another four to eight weeks." I tell her.

"This is so exciting. I cannot believe this. I'm going to be an Aunt!"

And so word spread around the gang quickly that I was expecting a baby. Everyone was thrilled and vowed to protect me and my child with their lives, and I was honored.

Jordan was thrilled, and Drew screamed and jumped up and down like a wild monkey going bananas. He did this all in front of the entire gang, in which Jordan scolded him for his display of embarrassment.

Drew didn't care, though, because that's just how Drew is.

And so, a month flew by and my belly had started to grow a bit. In fact, it grew a lot, and the doctor said because I have a small torso, it will look even bigger throughout the pregnancy.

We stalked up on diapers, clothing, and baby food. We worked on the nursery, but we didn't paint anything yet until we find out the gender.

So, our next appointment rolls around, and Ace and I are excited. We might be able to tell if we are having a boy or girl today. Ace and I have agreed that we don't care what it is, as long as it is healthy, we will be happy.

Doctor Kaylee sets her ultrasound machine up and I lay back in the chair. "This may feel a little cold." She says before she squirts gel on my belly.

It was a little cold, but nothing too bad. Ace stands next to me and we both peer up at the screen. The little black and white outline of our baby shows up, and we can see our baby's head, fingers, and even toes.

My eyes water and Ace lays a hand on my shoulder. "That's our baby." I whisper.

"Yes, that's our baby." Ace replies, his voice emotional.

"You are around six months along now. And look, your baby appears to be sucking its thumb." Doctor Kaylee says.

And sure enough, I could see its little thumb in its mouth. Ace's eyes light up at the sight. We cold also see the baby's heart beating. It was strong and healthy, and doctor Kaylee said it was one of the strongest heart beats she had seen.

Our baby would grow up strong.

"Okay, I can see the gender, would you like to know?" Doctor Kaylee asks.

Ace and I nod our heads vigorously. I don't understand how people can wait to find out, it would be too torturous for both Ace and I.

"You are having a boy. Congratulations. I will leave you two alone now, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me."

And with that, she leaves us alone with the exciting news.

I squeal and hug Ace. "It's a boy! We're having a little boy!"

Ace hugs me back tightly. "Our little boy....I can't believe it."

At that moment, the baby kicked. "He just kicked!" I exclaim. He seems to be excited just as we were. "Feel." I tell Ace as I guide is hand over my belly.

We wait a couple minutes, and sure enough, the baby kicks again. Ace's eyes light up and he looks at me with joy. "Little Ace is in there." I whisper.

Ace smiles and nods. "Our future is in there."

And what he said couldn't be any truer.

A new life, a new start was in there. A new life, a new future full of all kinds of possibilities - joy, success, and yes, even pain. A whole new future for a whole new being.

And that is amazing.

We share the news with everyone, and of course, baby gifts in the color blue soon arrived, which we didn't mind. It was great to have so much support from everyone, and I'm thankful for the family in which I have and that I will receive.

That night, Ace and I lie in bed, just talking. "Ace, do you think our baby will look more like you or more like me?"

"Oh definitely like me." Ace replies.

I roll my eyes. "Don't blow your ego up too much little man."

Ace scoffs. "Little man? You should know by now nothing of me is little."

"Oh shut up." I say, throwing a pillow at his face and laughing.

He laughs and pulls the pillow away from his face. "In all seriousness, though, if the baby looks like me or you, or a combination of both, he is going to be one hot kid. I mean, just look at us Dakota. He is going to be blessed and the ladies will die for him."

I laugh, Ace's ego always gets the best of him. "Yeah, well I don't want any gold diggers to come find him and break his heart, otherwise I will have to beat them up with the fighting skills you are certainly going to teach me."

Ace raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes."

"I will teach you, babe. It would be wise for you to learn proper training when you're living in this kind of life. It's good to be prepared." Ace says.

"Thank you, I agree."

"Hey, I think I know what to name our baby." I say.

"Really? What do you have in mind?"

I hesitate for a moment. "Cole. I was thinking Cole after your older brother that you had."

Ace doesn't say anything for a moment. Silence passes between us, and for a second, I think that maybe I crossed the line. I know that is a sensitive topic.

"I understand if you don't like it, I mean-"

"I'd love to name him after my brother, it would be a way I could remember him by. That would mean so much to me." Ace says, his voice full of emotion.

He hugs me and wraps his arms protectively around Cole and I. "I love you." He murmurs in my ear before we drift off to sleep together wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

Ring ring ring!

I groan, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Ring ring ring!

I open my eyes, glancing at the clock.

2:30 in the morning and the phone is ringing? Something's not right.

Ring ring ring!

"Ace, the phone is ringing." I say, nudging him awake.

Ace gets up and answers the phone. "Hello?"

Nobody wants to wake up to the sound of a phone ringing this late, or, more like this early.

"Shit! I will be right there." Ace says, hanging up the phone and pulling a shirt on.

"What's happening?"

"Some rival gang attacked the shipments. I've got to go, my men need me." He says sternly as he continues to get dressed.

"Please be safe. Promise me you'll come back." I say, looking into Ace's eyes and grabbing his hands.

He shakes his head. "You know I can't promise that. But, I will do anything and everything in my power to come back." He says, kissing me on the forehead before kneeling down on his knees.

"Mini me, keep your momma safe, you hear me? You're already such a strong boy, I believe you can do it. I love you both." Ace says, rubbing my belly.

Ace gets up. "I love you both." He says as he dashes out the door and into the danger that surely awaits him.