"Wait...what the hell is a Glucose Challenge Test?"

Ryan reached for my hand and squeezed it a little more than gently. It was more like a "behave, Dani" warning.

"Forgive her, Dr. Ross. There was a...pie incident earlier today and she's a little grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy!" Okay, maybe I was grumpy, but right now I didn't care. I looked back at the OB. "I'm sorry, Dr. Ross. I didn't mean to ask like that. It's just that when you mention running a test for the baby, I get a little panicky."

Dr. Ross was one of the foremost OB-GYNs on the east coast. People came from all over to see her. When Ryan and I first found out we were pregnant, he was dead-set on finding only the best for me and our baby. I didn't blame him. Even though the situation was completely different for Lanie and Ayden, I saw how scared they were when they almost lost little Nate. I never wanted to go through anything like that with our baby. I couldn't.

Ryan mentioned once or twice that my overwhelming fear could cripple me if I wasn't careful. I made him buy me all the books he could find on pregnancy and what to expect-and what could go wrong.

It was only fuel for the fire of my paranoia.

"It's really okay," Dr. Ross said with a smile. "It's all apart of pregnancy. And believe me, I've seen it all."

At about five-foot-five, Dr. Ross was a slender brunette with dark drown eyes. She had an oval face with high cheek bones that made her absolutely gorgeous. Good thing I trusted Ryan and knew how committed to me he was.

I was never really the jealous type before him. And even though I trusted him, I didn't miss how some women looked at him.

"Now," she started to explain, "the Glucose Challenge Screening Test is to see if there is a risk of gestational diabetes. Basically we want to see how your body processes sugar. There is no cause for alarm. We do it with all pregnant mothers."

I squeezed Ryan's hand so tight I was surprised I didn't break any bones. "What is the test? How-how does it work?"

Dr. Ross rolled over the small chair and took a seat. "We will give you a sugary drink, similar to Gatorade, and you will drink it. You wait one hour. Then we will take a little blood sample and run the test. Nothing scary."

"Says you," I mumbled under my breath.

Lately, everything was scaring me. I was scared for the baby. I was scared for Ryan and the new friendship with his parents. I was scared for my body. Everything.

"And after the test," she continued, "we can do an ultrasound and find out the sex!"

Now that made me smile. I nodded, exhaling a deep breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Okay, Dr. Ross. I'm ready."

She excused herself before getting whatever she needed to run the test. I looked over to Ryan who had a comforting smile on his face.

"That smile isn't going to fool me, Ry. You're just as scared as I am. I can see it in your eyes."

He reached over and brushed his fingers through my hair. God. I loved when he did that. I loved when he touched me-even something as simple as a brush of his skin against mine. The feel of his fingers on my skin always seemed to soothe me. It leveled me.

It was strange, actually. I've never realized just how opposite he and I were until I got pregnant. Whenever I got stressed or worried, he seemed to always be able to calm me down. When I would freak out over something, he remained cool and collected. I don't think I've ever seen him lose it.

Besides when Everly died.

The door to our exam room opened and Dr. Ross stepped inside holding a cup in her hand.

"Alright. Are we ready?"

I scoffed and sat up further on the exam table. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Dr. Ross smiled and handed me the cup. "Drink this, Danielle. Then we'll wait one hour and do the blood test and go from there."

I took the cup from her and stared at the reddish liquid inside it. I knew this needed to be done for the sake of the baby, but what if the results weren't good news?

"It's okay, baby," Ryan whispered from beside me.

Even his voice soothes me. It was like a gentle caress down my back when he talked in that tone. It gave me the strength to put the cup to my lips, tilt my head backward, and drink all its contents.

I handed the cup back to Dr. Ross.

"Great." She smiled when she took the cup. "I'll be back in one hour. Just try to relax until then."

Easier said then done.

As soon as the doctor left us alone, my mind started racing with 'what if' scenarios if this went badly. I tried to focus on other things. I tried to stay excited about finding out the gender. But I couldn't turn off my brain.

My mom tried to explain to me what it was like to be a mom. She tried to describe how the fear and worry for your child would never go away. I knew that. Was expecting it. But I wasn't expecting it to start before my baby was born. At least, not like this.

I gasped when I felt a fluttering sensation in my stomach. I let go of Ryan's hand and pulled my shirt up.

"What? What is it? Should I go get-"

I cut him off as I stared at my stomach. "Ryan! Feel!"

I grabbed his hand and brought it to my belly. I looked over at him with the widest smile.

"Do you feel that?"

Ryan's lips parted, shock and wonder on his face. "It's kicking." He looked up at me with a smile that matched my own. "Our baby is kicking."

"Yes it is," I laughed. "Wow. It's amazing, isn't it."

When he spoke next, his voice was rough with emotion. "Yeah, it is. I can't believe..."

Neither could I. Lanie told me a week or so ago that I should start feeling the baby kick soon. I've been waiting and waiting, each day feeling my stomach, hoping to feel something. Finally.

We stayed like that for the rest of the hour. Both of our hands on my bare stomach. We could have stayed like that all day long, I think.

But when the door opened and Dr. Ross came back in, it was like someone walking by and popping our balloon. Moment ruined.

Ryan leaned back in his chair. "Dr. Ross? What did the tests show?"

"Everything is normal," she answered. "Perfectly normal. Just like I said, nothing to worry about."

I almost cried with how relieved I felt. I knew I didn't have any reason to be worried, but I was. And there was nothing she or I could do about that.

"Are we ready to find out the sex?"

"Yes," Ryan and I both answered simultaneously. Eagerly.

Dr. Ross pulled the portable ultrasound machine a little closer to me before reaching for the cold gel I was all to familiar with. "This will be a little cold, Danielle."

I stared at the blank ultrasound screen. This was it. We were going to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. A part of me still felt guilty that I wasn't following my family's tradition of waiting until the birth. But as I explained to my mom, this was just something I had to do. I needed to-no, wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl.

I faintly heard the sound of Ryan's chair scraping against the floor. One second later he was beside me holding my hand.

Dr. Ross applied the gel to my belly before she pressed the wand against my skin. "Now...let's see what we see."

She moved the wand around, and each time she stilled it, my heart did a little flip. I knew it was only seconds-maybe a minute or two at most-but it felt like hours went by while we waited.

Suddenly I thought back to that day at the beach. The day I brought all this up.

"Dani, what do you want to do? Take your parents and my parents out of the equation. What do you want to do?"

I stared at my rounded belly. "I don't think I can wait until the birth." My eyes shot to my husband. "What about you? Do you want to wait?"

He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Dani, I honestly don't mind either way. If you wanted to wait, I would be okay with that. And if you want to find out as soon as we can, I don't mind that either. If I'm being honest, I think you and I are on the same page."

I looked up at Ryan and his eyes met mine. "I love you," I whispered. "I love you so much."

He brushed his lips against mine. The kiss was soft. Almost like a whisper. "I love you, too, baby."

"Ready?" Dr. Ross asked, drawing our attention back to the monitor. I nodded and she pointed to the screen. "First, I want to say that the baby is in perfect position. Sitting up like a little Buddha, actually. Definitely growing fast. This is the timeframe that her skin, eyelashes, and-"

"Her?" I gasped. "Did you just say her?"

Ryan was just as stunned as I was. "It's...it's a girl?"

Dr. Ross turned to us, her smile bright with excitement. "It's a girl. You're having a girl."

A daughter.

I made a noise that sounded like half a sob and half a laugh. I tried to control my emotions. I tried not to cry as a tidal wave of love and happiness coursed through my body. Knowing it was a girl, that Ryan and I made this little girl, made the fact that we had our own family all the more real.

"We're a family," I whispered, not caring that the tears started falling.

Ryan cupped my face in his hand and I turned towards him. We stared into each other's eyes for several seconds, basking in this euphoria together.

"We did it," he murmured as he stroked my cheek. "We have our family."

Yes, we did. Now all we needed was for her to be here. In our arms. Then everything would be perfect.

Absolutely perfect.