**NEW VERSION - EDITED**

Brock's POV

"What?" Dani blurted in utter disbelief, staring back and forth at the both of us as if we'd just sprouted a second head within the last five seconds.

"Dr. Anderson is a good family friend - she delivered me and all of the rest of my siblings back when she still lived in Charlston. She was a regular at my grandmother's flower shop and my mom's first pregnancy was pretty sudden, so when my grandma mentioned it to her in passing one morning Dr. Anderson worked my mom into her schedule as a favor. She's delivered pretty much every Carmichael child since then. My mom said you'd moved for a better job opportunity and better pay a while back, but she never said where you went. I guess I know now," I grumbled under my breath as she gave me a reprimanding look.

"Mhmm, here I am. Unfortunately, I've heard some not so great things about how you've been choosing to live your life recently, young man. I know your mother raised you better than this. And I'm more than positive your father would have a few choice words for you as well," she scolded with a single raised brow. I threw a sideways glare at Dani before shifting in my seat and refocusing my attention on Dr. Anderson.

"Well, we're here for a doctor's appointment, not an intervention. If we could get this going, that would be great," I grit out, body tensing as my irritation mounted. The only thing reassuring me that Dr. Anderson wasn't going to immediately turn and tattle to my parents about this situation after we left the dinky exam room was her duty to patient confidentiality; she'd be breaking a few major laws by doing so - therefore I knew I was in the clear. For now, at least.

Both women sighed before Dr. Anderson instructed Dani to lay down on the exam table. Dr. Anderson asked her a few more in-depth questions about symptoms and what not than compared to the nurse before leaning back and taking a good look at Dani.

"You look much more relaxed than you did at our appointment last week. You've got a glow about you," she commented with a smile. Dani's cheeks immediately flushed a bright red as her eyes dashed to the periphery where I was seated. I looked away, avoiding her and the doctor's gaze. "Oh, I see," Dr. Anderson chuckled, a knowing undertone to her voice that I didn't like one bit.

"So, the ultrasound?" Dani ushered, her cheeks still flaming with embarrassment at Dr. Anderson's insinuation - her correct insinuation. The older woman nodded before getting up to help her get into the proper position before Dani adjusted her shirt above her stomach. This wasn't the first time I was seeing her bare bump, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't affect me every single time.

"Alright Miss Woodman, let's see how the little girl is looking today," she murmured, squirting a light blue tinted gel onto Dani's stomach. I tapped my foot impatiently as the doctor set everything up. I cricked my neck side to side growing impatient and pulling my phone out of my pocket. I scrolled through my emails, deleting a few unnecessary ones as I went. Moments later I was jolted away from what I was reading as an abrupt whooshing sound filled the small room.

"That's your little girl's heartbeat, Brock," Dr. Anderson softly explained while staring at my face - which I knew was filled with wonder and astonishment. My own heart began to pound in my chest as I watched the screen with extreme attention, not wanting to miss a single thing as my child's heartbeat continued to fill the room with noise.

"That's...that's her?" I whispered, pointing towards Dani's belly while still keeping my eyes trained on the fuzzy black and white image the transducer was broadcasting onto the screen.

"Yes, Brock. You...helped create this life," she mumbled. "Right now I don't see any concerns with the development of her lungs or her growth rate either. That's a really good sign, however, your blood pressure is still pretty high. You need to continue taking it easy. Low-sodium diet, no excess strain on your body. If you notice any sudden changes in your vision, you get a headache that won't go away, or you start experiencing chest pain then you need to seek medical attention immediately. I do want to see you every three weeks now instead of every four like we discussed. Do you have any questions for me before I go print out your ultrasound picture?" she asked. Dani had a worried look on her face but just shook her head no anyway.

"Alright! I'll be right back with that picture," she said, smiling at Dani.

"Wait!" I called just before the door shut, finally snapping out of my trance, "can you print me one off too?" I asked, a slight timid undertone in my voice. Dani looked taken aback while Dr. Anderson had a knowing look on her face before nodding and finally shutting the door behind her.

"What do you want an ultrasound picture for?" Dani demanded, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What, I need an ulterior motive for wanting a picture of my fucking child to carry around with me in my wallet?" I growled out, pissed off at whatever she was trying to insinuate. "Tell me, Dani, when the fuck are you going to let the jealousy go?" I asked, knowing for a fact that's where the question had stemmed from. I mean, for fuck sake I spent this morning between her legs and she was still acting like this. This is exactly why I didn't do commitment. She didn't answer me and I didn't say another word. She just pouted the rest of the time as we waited for Dr. Anderson to come back with our photos. When she did, I carefully tucked the print-out into my wallet before ushering Dani out of the room.

"You know, the rest of our lives are going to be horrible if we can't get along," outside of the bedroom, I mentally added, finally breaking the silence in the car on the way back to my apartment.

"Why would I even want to try getting along with you? You threw me out like yesterday's trash when you thought I was getting too attached and then never answered any of my calls or texts. Not to mention, you've been nothing but a giant dick head ever since I showed up and told you about my baby."

"Our baby." I corrected through a low growl, not wanting to admit that what she said held some truth. 

She rolled her eyes at me and huffed. "Seriously? That's all you got out of that entire rant?" she exasperated before pursing her lips at me and turning her head to look out the window. Fine, if she wants to be that way then I'm done trying to talk, I thought despite knowing I was being a fucking prick.

Entering my apartment, I made a beeline for my office before slamming the door and locking it - making it painfully obvious that I didn't want any interruptions for the rest of the evening. Sitting down at my desk, I finished with the important account and sent my work to my boss before doing a few more random tasks here and there. I was almost done with a third report when my phone began going off non-stop. Swiping it off my desk, I punched the answer button before holding it between my ear and the crook of my shoulder.

"What?" I snapped at whoever was on the other end.

"Hey man! It's Mike! What're you doing tonight?" The familiar voice of one of my close coworkers met my ears.

"Just finishing up some paperwork before settling in for the night, why?" I asked with a heavy sigh. He only ever called me when-

"Me and some of the guys are going out tonight. You should come before you become a full-time daddy," he teased, causing my jaw to clench. Fucking boss can't keep his goddamn mouth shut.

"Not tonight Mike-" I started to reply, but he cut me off.

"I'm not taking no for an answer, old man!" he joked through a laugh. Dumb fucking prick.

"You're a year older than I am, Mike-" I replied as a knock on the door and rattling of the knob had me looking up. Pulling the phone away from my mouth I called out a 'yes?' cautiously.

"I, um," Dani's muffled voice carried through the wooden door before she cleared her throat, "I made dinner. I didn't know if you were hungry or..." she trailed off awkwardly. The peace offering surprised me. I poked my tongue out to wet my bottom lip before pressing my phone back to my ear as I heard Mike dumbly calling out my name, trying to get my attention once again. "I got shit going on tonight. Maybe some other time," I grunted before swiftly hanging up before he could get another word in. I slipped my phone into my pocket and pushed away from my desk.

Glancing at the clock as I made my way to the door, I realized it was already 6:30 and I hadn't eaten since my small breakfast this morning. I whipped the door open, not expecting her to still be standing there, waiting. It resulted in me running into her, almost knocking her over as I started to step out of my office. I caught her last minute, cradling her body so that her stomach remained untouched.

"Shit, are you okay? Did I hit your stomach?" I panicked while frantically scanning her frame. She giggled quietly at my antics before relaxing into my hold.

"No, she and I are both fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she replied sheepishly before righting herself. I realized that I was still holding her in my arms as our eyes met and our gazes locked. The same awkward tension quickly returned as we both clearly thought about the incident from this morning that we'd yet to discuss. I quickly jerked my hands away from her body and avoided eye contact as I took a large step backwards and made my way to the kitchen. I could smell whatever she'd made from down the hall, the aroma making my mouth water.

Grabbing a plate, I dished out a large helping of the pasta dish she'd made, surprised she was able to throw it together with what I had available in my pantry. She did the same and we settled down at my table across from each other. I instantly dug in before moaning in appreciation. It had been a really long time since I'd had a good home-cooked meal that didn't follow my strict diet regimen.

"They're playing one of your favorite movies on HBO tonight. I was thinking, if you wanted to, we could watch it together?" she timidly asked from her spot across from me. I swallowed my bite and sat back, looking at her. She was peering up at me from under her lashes, clearly unsure about even asking me if her insecure posture was something to go by. This was another red flag for me five months ago. She'd started to remember things about me, little by little. No woman had ever done that before. It was always little things like making sure my favorite TV show was recording on my cable box or buying me another container or protein powder if she noticed I was running low so I didn't run out completely, but my mom always said it wasn't the big things that were important; it were all the little things that added up to be big things that showed you someone cared.

"Sure," I mumbled before taking another bite of food. She looked completely taken aback.

"O-okay," she stuttered before looking down at her own plate of food. When I looked back up again she was fighting a big smile behind her glass of water. And didn't that make me feel like a piece of fucking shit? Me accepting her offer to watch a movie - that was it, nothing more, nothing less - made her that happy. Christ, Dr. Anderson was right. My father would be ashamed. My brothers would be ashamed. They treated their wives like the sun set and rose on their fucking heads. Fuckin' dumbasses.

Or maybe I was. And there lies the problem. Fuck, I really am screwed up.

I shook my head, pushing the depressing thought away before swallowing my food. "This is really good," I commented, making an effort at being cordial. If she was going to try, then I could too. Even if it felt like I was wearing someone else's skin. Things between Dani and I had never felt this forced before. I hated it.

I forced her to sit down and find the movie while I cleaned up the dishes from dinner, insisting she take it easy like the doctor told her to. When I finally settled in next to her - a respectable couch-cushion-distance away of course - the movie had already started.

"I'm sorry about telling Dr. Anderson our private business," Dani's soft voice floated to me from across the space between us. I processed her words for a minute, letting them sink in. We'd hadn't really talked about a lot of things concerning this pregnancy, and since she was opening up the opportunity, I was going to take it.

"Is that all you're sorry about?" I pressed, my eyes remaining on the action movie currently playing. I could practically feel her confusion at the question.

"I don't understand," she answered honestly. That grated against my nerves.

"How about the fact that you kept the pregnancy from me for the past four months that you've known about it?" I laughed, but it was humorless. I ran my palms along my thighs before clenching and unclenching them into fists, my knuckles turning white as I did so. 

"I was upset with you. And hurt. What you did to me and how you handled things between us was so fucked up-"

"That doesn't justify keeping my child from me!" I blew up, finally turning to look at her. "Yeah, you were pissed at me, but that's my child!" I hissed, gesturing towards her stomach.

"A child you had no idea even existed because you kicked my ass to the curb before I was able to find out about her! Maybe if you weren't such a...such a fucking-gah! I don't even have the right word to describe what you are! There isn't a word in the english language to accurately describe you, Brock Carmichael!" she yelled, her face going pink with anger.

"You know what? Fuck this," I growled while pulling at my hair. I shot off the couch and ripped my phone from my pocket. I texted Mike for the details of where they were. I needed a fucking strong drink ASAP. My phone buzzed with his replies minutes later as I was changing into something more casual. 

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Dani demanded as I emerged from my bedroom. I shoved my wallet and phone into my pocket, opting to leave my keys here and just use the spare I had expertly hidden.

"Out with some guys from the office," I curtly replied.

"So what you're saying is, I should expect you back at three in the morning drunk off your ass with some skank from the bar?" she sneered with a look of pain in her eyes. I fought back the feeling of guilt that surged in my chest at the sight. Damn it all to hell, why can one look from her do me in like this?

No. No, that's not true. She doesn't affect me. She doesn't.

"I guess we'll just find out, won't we?" I shot back, the words instantly leaving a bad taste in my mouth after I'd said them, but it was too late to take them back. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she jutted her chin up to try and appear unaffected.

I spun on my heels to exit the apartment, but her call of you're such an asshole! stopped me.

Don't do it Brock. You don't mean it. You don't fucking mean it and you don't even need the last goddamn word. "Oh, and by the way, I finally ordered you a full body pillow so you can sleep on your goddamn own again." I yelled back over my shoulder, instantly wanting to off myself after the words were spoken. I heard her sharp inhale of breath just moments before I slammed the door shut behind me. I leaned back against it before resting my palm against my forehead. Why can't I do anything right?

***

I tried, and failed miserably, to remember where I hid the spare apartment key as I stared at my front door. Fuck, this is the right door, right? It took a few more minutes before I eventually stumbled upon the tiny golden item. The next battle was getting the fucking thing into the damn hole through my blurry vision. It took multiple attempts before I got it to fit, turn, and finally push open. The heavy door swung wide, mercilessly hitting the wall as it did so.

"Shh! You'll wake Dani up," I scolded the door, my tone laced with anger at the inanimate object's horribly rude behavior. Stumbling around the kitchen, I rooted around my cupboards for a cup as I suddenly realized how parched I was. Gulping down an entire glass, I released a dramatic 'ahh' before accidentally slamming it down onto the counter, chipping the delicate piece in the process.

I almost fell over twice before catching myself as I attempted to pull my shoes off - which apparently had no intentions of leaving my feet it seemed with how stuck on they were. In my drunken stupor, I hadn't realized how loud I was until the kitchen was flooded with bright light as Dani entered the room.

"Dammit, Brock! It's three forty-eight in the morning! I told you not to do this!" she yelled, her anger plain as day in her voice. I smiled a big, goofy grin that I could see visibly affected her as I staggered towards her. I pulled her small, lithe frame into my own much larger one.

"Sweetheart," I breathed out through a sigh. Her jaw clenched at the teasing nickname I used to call her every once in a while.

"You reek of scotch," she grimaced before turning my face to the side and away from her own so my breath was no longer fanning across her face. I pushed my lower lip out, childishly pouting as I continued to close the space between our bodies.

"Does that mean no kisses?" I mumbled out in my best baby voice. The blatant look of confusion on her face at my behavior caused me to loll my head back and laugh before swooping down to capture her lips with my own. She tried pushing me away, but I wasn't having any of it. I tightened my arms around her and doubled my efforts before she finally gave in and accepted my kiss. I licked the seam of her lips before she opened them, allowing my tongue entry. I groaned at her familiar, unique taste before breaking away to trail kisses down her jaw and neck. She released a soft moan when I found the sensitive spot right underneath her ear.

Gaining some bearings on my body, I began walking her backwards towards my bedroom.

"Brock, I'm exhausted. And you're piss drunk. I don't even think you could get it up if you tried. I just want to go back to bed," she sighed as I continued peppering kisses along her skin.

"Trust me, I could get it up for you any second of any day no matter what condition I'm in," I husked out. And I was telling the damn truth, too. This woman turned me on like no fucking other. Fuck I wanted her bad right now. When we got to my bed and the backs of her thighs hit budded up against my mattress, she pushed against my chest. I pulled back and got a good look at her face, some of my drunken haze clearing.

I could tell her eyes were puffier than when I left earlier, meaning she'd probably spent all night crying after I left. Most likely because of me. Who the fuck was I kidding? Of course it was because of me. I'm a fucking dickhead. I groaned, annoyed that I wasn't getting any tonight, but more annoyed that it was my own fault. I turned and entered my closet to strip from my jeans and shirt. I decided to forgo clothes all together, it was so much more comfortable sleeping naked - I'd been missing it since I'd started sleeping with Dani.

I recklessly pulled an old, stretched out t-shirt off a hanger for Dani since I noticed she'd been wearing one of her own much to my dismay and re-entered my bedroom. I heard her soft gasp before she quickly turned to look away from my body, specifically my nether regions. I smirked before approaching her. I grabbed onto the hem of her shirt and started to pull up, but she made a noise of protest before looking at me like I was crazy.

"I want you in my shirt. Not whatever...this is," I grunted motioning towards the maternity pajama shirt that was I'm assuming was supposed to be funny but missed the mark in my eyes. She stared at me for a long moment before raising her arms above her head. I slipped the stupid shirt off and mine on her before patting her butt and pointing towards the bed.

"I thought you wanted me to start sleeping on my own again?" Dani rasped out, insecurity seeping into her tone as she searched my face intently. I 'psshed' dramatically, my drunk mind unable to think of where she could've possibly come up with that idea.

"Why the hell would I want that? Sometimes she kicks my hand in the middle of the night and wakes me up" I slurred with a goofy grin as my big hands came down to palm her belly between them. "I can't fall back asleep afterwards, I'm always waiting for her to do it again," I snickered. "Okay, bedtim," I ordered, getting serious as I turned her hips and starting pushing her towards the bed once again.

"I need my pillows. I can't sleep without them," she rushed out, eyeing me with worry like I was going to blow up again. Wow, sober me sucks a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. I held my hand up for her to wait and turned to leave. I wandered into the guest bedroom, rounding up all her fuckin' pillows into my arms until I was practically overloaded and clambered back into my bedroom. Entering my bedroom once again, her faint giggle was music to my ears.

I dropped them all onto the bed before beginning to carefully arrange them in the same way I'd seen her do before a few nights in a row. When I was done I finally ushered her into the bed, slipping in behind her and settling down. My boner still hadn't gone away, so I pressed it up against her underwear clothed asscheeks. I snuggled my body around her, cocooning her in my warmth as I intertwined our legs. I wound my arm around her waist to cup her growing belly as I slept, completely content with the position we were in.

"Goodnight my beautiful babies," I whispered before giving her tummy a small, gentle pat and kissing the top of her head.

This hangover tomorrow is going to be killer.