The Billionaire's Bundle of Joy

Chapter 21

JUSTIN

When I heard her called Mrs. Calderon earlier, I secretly smiled. It suited her, and I have no regrets about marrying her. The only thing that would make me regret any of this is if she lied to me about the baby or anything else in general. I hate being lied to.

I held her hand while walking down the hallway. The corridor was short but clean, with several paintings hanging on the walls. There were also portraits of babies I didn’t recognize, but they were cute nonetheless. When the nurse opened the door to Dr. Enriquez’s office, she was sitting at her desk, waiting for us.

“Justin, how are you, son?” She was a friend of my mother’s and was also the OB when my sister was pregnant.

“I’m good, Tita Edith. This is Riz, my wife. Riz, this is Dr. Enriquez, a family friend and one of my mom’s closest friends.”

Riz extended her hand, which the doctor shook. “Your wife is beautiful. No wonder you married her right away. Have a seat, Riz. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. I just feel sleepy a lot and have some weird cravings,” my wife replied. Even now, I still can’t imagine spaghetti and ice cream mixed together. Rowan even said Riz seemed to enjoy it.

“That’s normal. Your body is changing. Do you have any pain?” Riz shook her head. “I’m going to ask you a few questions, and then we’ll do an ultrasound. You will also need bloodwork. Julie will take care of that for you. We have an in-house lab here, so you won’t have to go far.”

“Thank you.”

“It says here you’re twenty-one. When was your last period?”

Riz answered that along with several other questions, and then she was weighed. The calculation was correct: the baby was conceived when we met at Club Pyre.

Another thing that troubled me was why I was there. It’s not my style to go clubbing, but for some reason, I was there that night. What was it about that night?

My thoughts were interrupted when Riz tapped me on the shoulder. “Are you going in with me?” She pointed to a small room inside the office. I could see a bed and some instruments.

“Yes.” I immediately stood up and followed my wife.

The examination room was not as small as I thought it would be. It had ample space to move around, and the equipment was organized.

“Here’s a disposable gown you can use. Leave your underwear on. I’ll give you a few minutes to change. I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.”

Once it was just Riz and me in the room, she struggled with her dress. She couldn’t reach the zipper and didn’t ask for my help, so I stepped closer.

“Let me do it.”

“I can do it,” she insisted.

“If you could, you would have done it already. Besides, this is my expertise.” She immediately frowned and didn’t say anything. It felt like the temperature in the room changed, and I could sense her irritation with me. “What’s wrong now?” I lowered her zipper, and she took off her dress. She neatly folded it and placed it on an empty chair.

“How many women have you undressed that you’re an expert at unzipping?” She opened the disposable gown from its folds and put it on, still with a crease on her forehead.

Dead. She’s mad at me again. If I were to answer her question truthfully, I wouldn’t have enough fingers on my hands and feet.

“Women right away? Don’t I have a zipper on my pants?”

“I don’t know about you. Why don’t you just go outside? You’re not doing anything here.” Using a low stepping stool, she stepped up and sat on the narrow bed. It had a paper covering like the ones used for baking.

I didn’t say anything and let her sulk. If she’s this moody while pregnant, we’ll probably only have one child. I mean, not that I’m planning on having another baby. Time will tell what will happen after she gives birth.

We heard a knock, and Tita Edith peeked in. “Is it okay to come in now?”

Riz smiled. “It’s okay, Doc.”

“Son, sit on the other side so you can also see the screen.” Maybe she noticed my hesitation because she looked back at my wife, who was now quiet. “Is it okay, Riz, or do you want your husband to leave the room? Some pregnant women don’t like having them around. Others, however, don’t want to go for check-ups without their husbands.”

Riz and I exchanged glances, and if I read it right, she wanted me to stay with her. I moved to the chair on the other side of her and let Tita Edith do her job.

“This is a little cold. I’ll put this on your tummy so we can see Baby later. You must be both excited.” She also applied gel to the probe.

I saw Riz smile despite not wanting to look at me. She was avoiding my gaze like she had a stiff neck, all because of the damn zipper. Is she jealous?

“Okay, here we go.” I heard unfamiliar sounds from the monitor as she moved the probe.

The monitor was black and white, and I didn’t know what I was looking at. In fact, I could barely see anything. It felt like I was swimming in the ocean with my eyes closed.

“You’re hearing the baby’s heartbeat. And this little tiny sweetheart is your baby.” She pointed to a small round shape in the middle.

When I looked at Riz, her eyes were glued to the monitor. When she looked at me, she smiled and then a tear fell. Is it that emotional? What’s happening? Is it still about the zipper? Damn it. If our child is a boy, I’ll tell her that only one girl will be undressing for her so she doesn’t have to go through what I’m experiencing now.

I took her hand and placed it on my cheek. “What’s the matter? Is something hurting?”

She shook her head while smiling and crying. “No. I’m just happy. Thank you for being here with me.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. I swear to God, if we’re like this for seven months, I might lose my mind. How long does a woman carry a baby?