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table. She handed him the sonogram pictures. “I present to you our bun in the oven, aka peanut.”
    He looked at the pictures one at a time and his smile got bigger. “She does look like a peanut, doesn’t she?”
    “She?”
    He nodded. “Yep, she. I’m thinking girl.”
    “Want to put your money where your mouth is?” India dared him.
    Mikael put his hand out. “Twenty on girl.”
    She shook his hand. “Spa day on boy.”
    “How do you get a spa day?” Mikael asked. “I want to change my winnings.”
    She shook her head. “Nope, you already picked what you wanted and we shook on it. Besides, you’re so sure and I have to carry her for nine months. I need the spa day.”
    “Good argument.”
    India laughed. “I know.”
    “Can I keep some of these?” he asked.
    “Yes, we have more than enough and later I have a fetal Doppler so you can hear the baby’s heart.” India said. “But after dinner, not before. The doctor said that babies get more active after mom eats.”
    “That’s so very cool, I can’t wait,” Mikael leaned over and kissed her. “Hey Honey, I’m home, will you stay the night?”
    India felt her heart race from his kiss and his words. “You betcha, now feed me sir.”
    He gave her a salute and went to his small kitchen to plate them up some dinner. She watched him as he took the jacket off from his uniform and left only his army green T-shirt on as he worked. He was so sexy and so delicious, and India wondered how she had pushed her feelings of attraction back for so long when it came to him. Now she didn’t have to because they were sharing something special and building a relationship, too. It felt right and she was willing to see where it went even though apprehension at ruining what they had filled her sometimes. She pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and smiled as he came back with two plates. They’d make it work, she was sure of it. Much later when she sat in his bed she let him know about the unexpected visit.
    “Celeste was outside your door when I got here,” India said calmly.
    “Are you serious, did she touch you?”  Mikael stopped drying his hair. He’d just come out of the shower and was wearing loose plaid sleep pants.
    “Mikael, you’ve met me. If she had touched me they’d still be picking up bits of her and her fake eyelashes from the hedges out front,” India said calmly.
    He grinned. “You are a scrappy little thing. I remember you destroyed your umbrella beating Tommy Beyer in the playground of PS Twenty-three.”
    “She wanted to woo you back to her fakeness. I told her to hit the bricks, you’re mine,” India said.
    He got in the bed beside her. She was wearing one of his T–shirts that was too big for her and the back fell off one of her shoulders. “Oh really,” he said and kissed the bare skin.
    “Yes really, and don’t you forget it.” India placed his hand on the small round mound of her lower belly. “We both put a claim to you… unless you don’t want that then you need to let me know right now and I can go home.”
    “One, you are not going anywhere and I am very happy to be claimed,” Mikael said. “I hope those hormone spikes don’t get worse.”
    “You can ply me with rocky road ice cream and it should tame the beast,” she replied. “Want to hear the heartbeat?”
    “Definitely yes,” he answered.
    She picked up the fetal Doppler that was next to her and followed the directions that Dr. Highland had given her.  Soon she found the heartbeat and watched as Mikael sucked in a breath of pure awe. He looked at her quickly and then his gaze went back to her tummy as if he expected to see her tummy move.
    “It’s so strong and fast, is it meant to be so fast?” he asked.
    “Yes, baby’s heartbeats in the womb are like that. Dr. Highland said it’s normal,” she answered.  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
    “Yes it is, that’s our baby in there.” He kissed her belly. “Hey little girl, how are you