"What are you saying? I should have been able to stop it because I should have been ready for it to happen?" My knuckles are turning white as I grip the steering wheel, imagining it's Liam's neck for putting me in this situation.

"No, but Cat, you know he's not over you. You're spending all kinds of time with him. You had to expect, or should have, that he'd give it the ol' college try before hanging up his cleats forever."

"Sports analogies, really?" I reply. I see him grin as he shrugs at me.

"I'm just saying I'm not surprised is all," Alex admits.

I sigh. "I thought, no... I hoped, we were past all of this, but I'm done. I'm not going over there anymore. He's on his own. And why aren't you mad?"

"Oh, I'm mad," Alex assures me, "just not at you."

"Why? I let it happen. You just got done saying that I should have expected it."

"Cat, I've been around you long enough to know your facial cues, and you were definitely not on board with what was happening when I walked in that door. My only concern is whether you'd have told me about it if I didn't show up when I did?"

"About the kiss?"

"Yes, the kiss. I understand it wasn't wanted or enjoyed, but I can't help but wonder, if I hadn't walked in on the two of you, would you have told me about it at all?"

"Is this one of those psych-analogy boyfriend/girlfriend tests to see how strong our relationship is?"

"More of a... simple curiosity," Alex remarks.

After taking a moment to give it some thought, I give him what I believe to be the most honest answer, "I don't know."

I feel his stare.

"Guess I failed the test."

"Why don't you know?" Alex inquires.

"Well, if you hadn't seen the kiss for yourself, you wouldn't have the visual proof it wasn't voluntary, so telling you would only hurt you. Why should I do that to you when the result is the same? I'm never going to see him again."

"So, you'd just come home and announce that you're no longer going to hang out with Liam and not expect me to ask why?"

"No, I'd expect you to ask why, but I'd just say we're done. There's no reason for me to see him anymore."

"But you're friends, right?"

"Not anymore!" I mutter, glowering.

"That doesn't make sense. You've spent all this time helping him. Why would you just end your friendship?"

"Because he kissed me!"

"He kissed you?!" Alex gasps, pretending to be shocked, and I narrow my eyes at him.

"I see what you're doing here." I want to wipe that smug smirk right off of his face. "Nice role-playing reversal."

"Thank you," he says. "And what have we learned?" he asks in that patronizing teacher voice.

"That it would have been stupid to not tell you because the truth would have come out anyway, and when it did I'd look as if I'm deliberately hiding things from you."

"Hmm, I didn't even think of that last part, but that's also true," he adds, folding his arms over his chest. "Now I am mad at you."

I only give him the benefit of a side glance. "You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know that right?"

He laughs. "Yeah, but you still love me."

I sigh. "I do. I do love you."

"That's all I ever need to hear."

I pull into a parking spot, turn off the car and lean over, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"A kiss on the cheek? Really? Even Liam gets kissed on the lips."

In two heartbeats, I unbuckle my seatbelt and attack him on his side of the vehicle. He's laughing hysterically as I'm trying to kiss him, but when our eyes meet, things turn from playful to sensual pretty quickly. It isn't until a pregnant mom heading to a parked car near us catches my peripheral vision I pull away and try to fix my disheveled clothes and hair.

"Yeah... Liam's got nothing on me." Alex laughs.

"Jerk," I retort, getting out of the car. He quickly gets out and meets me on the other side.

"We better get a move on or we're going to be late."

I glance at my watch. You're right! We both take off at a jog, hand in hand, to the office.

Dr. Devereaux's office is pretty busy. I look around, noting there are moms at every stage of pregnancy. I sign in, then take my seat next to Alex while I wait for them to call me for my vitals and weight check.

"Cat Fischer!"

They don't call Alex in until I've made it to a room. Alex is a huge hit with the nurses on staff. There is usually a giggling or blushing nurse opening the door to let him into my examination room and today is no different.

"So how we doing, Mama?" Alex asks as he takes a seat in the room.

"Weight is right on target, but my blood pressure is a little high," I tell him, and he grins at me.

"Really? You think it could be residual from the kiss Liam planted on you?" Alex teases.

"You know perfectly well it has nothing to do with Liam," I huff, trying to look offended but failing miserably.

"I do. Just like I know, it has everything to do with me," he jokes, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"You're going to get me in trouble with Dr. Devereaux!" I complain.

"Hey now!" Alex says, feigning innocence. "Who attacked whom in the car?"

"Cat, my love! How are we doing?" Dr. Devereaux asks, coming into the room, saving me from having to answer Alex's question.

"Good. My energy has really picked up in the last week." I tell him, to which Alex mumbles, "I'll say."

If I had something to throw at him, I swear I would. Instead, I settle for taking my two fingers and pointing at my eyes and back at him, prompting Alex to laugh.

"Mr. Bragin," Dr. Devereaux declares, "always a pleasure seeing you here." My doctor extends his hand and Alex shakes it.

"If Cat ever comes to her senses, I have it on good authority that several of my single nurses on staff would be happy to give you a go, and perhaps even a few of the married ones," Dr. Devereaux jests.

Alex blushes.

"Ahem!" I say, bringing both of their attention back to me.

"Quite right." Dr. Devereaux laughs. He cracks open my file and takes a seat. "Let's see... weight is right on point, blood pressure is a little high in comparison with the last time you were here, but still well within the proper parameters."

Alex is just grinning at me mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows behind Dr. Devereaux's back, and I try not to laugh.

"Your energy picking up is to be expected by this point in your pregnancy. Nausea?"

"No, no more morning sickness. I do still have some food aversions, but I just steer clear of those."

"Good. You feel any movement from the baby?"

"No. Should I?" I ask, suddenly worried. 

"It's rare at this point, although the baby is moving around like crazy. You may feel some flutters, but since this is your first pregnancy, its more likely that you will recognize those flutters as movement after a few more weeks," he instructs.

"Okay, let's see that belly," Dr. Devereaux requests, and I lift my shirt so he can examine me. "Looking good, still not showing, but keep in mind that's likely to change by the end of this trimester." When he's done with his examination, he pulls the Doppler out of his white coat pocket.

"We ready, Mr. Bragin?" Dr. Devereaux asks with a grin, knowing by now that Alex likes to record the baby's heartbeat at every appointment with an app on his phone.

"Prepped and ready, Doc," Alex replies, holding the phone close.

"Let's hope I shook him or her up enough to find them today." It takes Dr. Devereaux a few tries to find the heartbeat, but when he does, I sigh. It's my most favorite sound in the entire world.

"Good?" he asks Alex, and Alex nods to him. "Okay, we're done here, but I want to see you both in my office before you leave. We have a few things to discuss," he states before leaving the room.

I pull down my shirt as Alex shoots me a look of concern. "What do you think he wants to talk to us about?"

"Well, according to the pregnancy book, I'm getting close to the time that they do the tests for birth defects and Down Syndrome."

"Have you decided about the amniocentesis?" Alex asks.

"Yeah, I don't want to take the risk."

Alex sighs as we have a seat in Dr. Devereaux's office. "I hoped that's what you would say."

My heart swells with love for him. I know, as things progress, Alex is getting almost as attached to this baby as I am, but he never voices his opinion. Instead, he lets me make up my mind as to what I think is right, offering rather well-informed facts to help me decide when needed.

Dr. Devereaux comes in, sitting down across from us.

"Okay, from here on out I'll be seeing you every 4 weeks unless there's a problem resulting in me needing to see you more often. So keep up the excellent work on that blood pressure."

"Alex and I have joined a prenatal yoga class. The techniques I have learned, especially with breathing, help me a lot."

"Good to hear. I'll be giving you a script for an ultrasound, but this is a special ultrasound called a nuchal translucency screening and they'll do some blood work for the multiple marker screening then, as well."

"The blood test measures 3 or 4 markers that will let us know how at risk is the baby for Down Syndrome and other birth defects like Spina Bifida. Along with the ultrasound, it will provide us a better assessment of the risk of abnormalities than just the blood test alone. Have you given any thought to amniocentesis?"

"Yes, and I'm opting out. I know the risk of miscarriage is minimal, but I don't want to take that risk, no matter how small."

"Well, you have no history in your family of birth defects and you said there isn't any that you're aware of in Liam's, so I think that skipping it should be fine, but Cat if we find something when we do the other 2 screenings..."

I'm already shaking my head. "Even if, Dr. Devereaux. I'm keeping this baby no matter what. So there really is no point of putting the baby at risk."

"Fair enough," he declares, handing me the paperwork for the ultrasound and blood work. "Now," he adds, moving forward in his chair just a little and folding his hands on his desk. "There's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you both before you leave here."

Both Alex and I perk up and are all ears.

"Your energy is picking up, Cat, and usually around this time, it's normal to see an increase in your libido as well. Now, are you two sexually active?"

I shoot a quick glance at Alex, not needing to see him without his shirt, to know his entire body is blushing. I feel so awkward. "No," I mumble.

Dr. Devereaux is very professional, but I can't help but wonder what he thinks of these two twenty-somethings sitting before him, who must look like we have sat just down for our first birds and the bees talk by a parent.

"Well," he continues, "should things change, I just want you to know it's perfectly safe for you and the baby. There's no reason to worry that it may cause any problem. If you orgasm, you may feel some slight cramping, but that's totally normal. Now your breasts are going to be tender to the touch, so it's really up to you to vocalize what feels good and what doesn't."

I'm sitting on the edge of my seat with hands folded in my lap, praying he'll just stop talking, but he doesn't.

"As your baby bump grows more prominent, you may have to try different positions, but the most important thing to remember is to pick positions that don't put any significant weight on your stomach. As it gets closer to the time that you're to deliver, you may wish to refrain, because by that point orgasm could potentially bring on labor, but rest assured, having sex now will not trigger premature labor."

Dr. Devereaux turns to Alex before resuming with, "The idea of having sex during pregnancy can freak out some men. They fear that having full intercourse may hurt the baby. It's important that you know that's not true. At no time during intercourse does a man's penis come in contact with the baby. The fetus completely protected inside the fluid-filled amniotic sac, and the mucous plug seals off the cervix, to protect against infection. And, just in case you're wondering, the answer is no. There is absolutely no way the baby knows what you are doing."

Alex just sits there mutely as Dr. Devereaux addresses him, although he does nod periodically.

"So, if you two decide at some point to change your relationship status, keep in mind it's perfectly safe. It's also a good way to stay connected, and there are even some health benefits to be had, both mentally and physically. So, enjoy!"

Dr. Devereaux leans back in his chair with a smile. "Okay, we're all done here. Questions?"

Alex and I both slowly shake our heads no.

"Alright then, make sure you make an appointment with the scheduler for your next visit, and make that appointment for the ultrasound and blood test when you get home, okay Cat? I'll see you both in 4 weeks."

"Thank you!" I say, standing up. Alex looks a little dazed as he stands up too and I think if we both could, without looking too foolish, we'd sprint from the room. I turn Alex towards the door and we leave the office, but not before I make my next appointment.

We get into the car and buckle up, but both of us are sitting there silently for a second or two, totally flabbergasted, until Alex pipes up with, "Well, that was... interesting."