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her father in every sense of the word. But you’re right, I keeping slipping back to thinking like I’m still alone. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t think about you every day and realize that I’m the luckiest woman to be married to you. So, yes, let’s go shopping and I won’t try to rein you in from spoiling our girl.”
    She couldn’t have made him happier than when she spoke those words. Our girl . The words I love you hadn’t been spoken yet, but he would wait until she was ready. God knew that from the first time he set eyes on her he loved her. Zack never took anything for granted; his life and his military career taught him that. He loved her with every fiber of his being and he’d love Marianne too. He took her hand and kissed it gently before resting his head on her belly and feeling the soft kick in response.
    “Hey, little girl, Daddy’s gonna buy you a mockingbird,” he crooned. “And diamonds and a BMW. Then, when you grow up, a taser for stupid boys with cooties.”
    Jordyn laughed. “Hey, how about we let her believe in prince charming for a long time, a man like you?”
    Zack looked up and grinned. “Okay, then the taser is for me when they come calling at our door.”
    “Come here, goofball.”
    Jordyn opened her arms and this time it was him who snuggled against her happily. The baby nestled snuggly in her womb, pushing against her stomach until they both laughed while they watched. He loved being her husband, having this feeling of family so near to him. This felt perfect and he was going to cherish the feeling forever.
     
    * * * *
     
    “Let’s get you checked out, Jordyn.”
    The days ran quickly by and before she knew it, it was her usual prenatal appointment. Dr. Patel was the nicest obstetrician she’d ever met. Heck, the nicest doctor in the world as far as she was concerned. Her first appointment in New York was with a family health clinic that was understaffed and overbooked. The nurses were snippy and the doctors were indifferent and acted like their office was just a conveyor belt of women coming and going. They didn’t answer questions fully and acted impatient when she told them the prenatal vitamins they had given her made her ill. Basically, they said if she wanted a sick, underweight baby she’d stop taking them and if she wanted a healthy baby she’d suck it up.
    It was a complete surprise when she met Dr. Patel for the first time. He made sure his office worked out a payment plan with her. They helped her fill out the paperwork for the hospital so she could have her bill reduced. Each question was answered and they made her feel at ease. Even now, lying down with her feet spread apart in sterile stirrups while he checked her cervix, she felt at ease.
    “You’re not dilated and there is no thinning of your cervix yet,” Dr. Patel said.
    “It feels like she’s ready to just slip out of there.” Jordyn sighed as Dr. Patel snapped off his gloves and then helped her to sit up.
    “At this stage, you could thin out and efface in days,” Dr. Patel said with humor in his voice. “January fifth will be here in no time. Do you want to bring that strapping soldier in here to see the baby?”
    “He’s not the father,” she said and bit her lip. “I don’t know why I just said that. Maybe I feel like everyone is looking at me for marrying a man while carrying another man’s child. Geez, I’m sorry, Dr. Patel, you are probably wondering what the heck is this girl talking about.”
    He chuckled. “Pregnancy is an emotional time and who else can you talk to if not your doctor? But I’ll tell you this, Jordyn, I’m from a county where poverty is more prevalent than any other part of the world and children are orphans in the blink of an eye. They raise each other in the slums and claw their way to survival. Let me tell you that if you have a man who is going to be a good father to this little one, then it doesn’t matter who was there at her conception, only who