His Nasty Virgin

JESSE

I paced around the room, looking at the informative diagram posters on the wall without really taking them in. The doctor was running late. The only reason I wasn’t kicking up a stink about it was because Vivian said she was comfortable and rather liked this OBGYN. I’d taken her to meet several doctors in the last couple of months, determined to find her the best care available for her and the babies and this was the one she’d landed on.

“Would you please sit, babe?” she asked me sweetly. “You’re making me a little anxious.”

“But you said you weren’t feeling well this morning. I want the doctor to check you out as soon as possible.”

“Jesse, relax. I was probably just bloated.” Vivian rubbed her stomach, which was now large and swollen. The babies were getting big. I had no idea how Vivian managed to get around the way she did, still surprisingly nimble and quick on her feet. “I shouldn’t have eaten all those cookies.”

“I did tell you to pace yourself.”

“I know, I know. You were right.” She said this with a pout, but I knew her well enough to know she was only pretending to be upset.

I checked my watch. “What’s taking her so long?”

“She probably has other patients.”

“Yes, but we have an appointment.”

“Babe,” Vivian said firmly. “As much as I appreciate the protective Papa Bear in you, I need you to reign it in a little. Everything’s fine.”

I took a seat next to her and held her hand, kissing the back of her knuckles. “I just want to make sure you have everything you need, angel. And I’m excited.”

Vivian grinned. “I’m excited, too. Ava has money on the twins being girls.”

“Funny. Theo bets it’s boys.”

“Which do you want?” she asks jokingly.

“Doesn’t matter. As long as they’re happy and healthy.”

Vivian leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You’re so cute.”

“I am.”

She stuck her tongue out. “When did we get so gross?”

“I don’t know, but you probably started it.”

There was a knock at the door. The OBGYN walked in, examining a chart in her hands. “Miss Jones,” she greeted with a smile, “and Mr. White. Good to see you two again. Apologies for keeping you waiting.”

“Oh, no problem,” I said coolly, earning a pointed stare from Vivian.

The doctor sat down on a rolling stool and scooched over to Vivian’s bedside, still reading her chart. “It says here you’re five months along?”

Vivian nodded. “That’s right.”

“Any discomfort? How’s your appetite?”

“Appetite’s fine,” she answered. “But I feel full fast. I hope I’m getting enough nutrients.”

“Yes, that tends to happen when you’ve got two buns in the oven. There isn’t a whole lot of space for food. But your bloodwork’s just come in. It looks like you’re getting what you need, though I always strongly recommend a calcium supplement.”

I whipped out my phone and wrote everything down in my note app. “Any particular brand?”

“Any of them will do. What matters is the consistency in which you take them. At least one a day to make sure your bones stay strong.”

Vivian placed a hand on my wrist. “I’m sure he’ll get on that straight away.”

“Already ordered off Amazon.”

The doctor grabbed a pair of blue plastic gloves and pulled them on before retrieving a bottle of lubricant. She rolled Vivian’s shirt up over her baby bump and flicked on the large ultrasound machine beside her. “Alright, let’s take a look.”

“It’s cold,” Vivian said with a giggle as the doctor squirted the gel onto her skin.

I leaned against the edge of the table carefully, eyes transfixed on the screen across from us. It was hard to make out the shapes at first. Nothing but black and white curving lines with a few splotches in between as the doctor moved the wand around. She eventually settled on the image of two very distinct baby shapes.

“There they are,” she announced happily.

“How are they doing?” I asked, holding my breath.

“Everything appears fine. Both are very healthy. A little on the small side, but that’s perfectly normal when it comes to twins.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Vivian breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”

The doctor looked at us both. “Are you interested in learning the genders?”

I nodded, holding onto Vivian’s hand. “Yes.”

“Well, this one here-” The doctor pointed to the baby on the left side of the screen, “-is a girl. And this one’s a boy.”

If my mouth could drop any wider, it would have touched the floor. “You mean-”

“We’re having one of each?” Vivian asked, bewildered. “Yes, congratulations.”

I kissed Vivian, elated and practically floating from the high. “We’re naming them Luke and Leia.”

Vivian threw her head back and laughed. “Not.”

“Hansel and Gretel.”

“Jesse, please know that I love you when I say this, but fuck no.”

The doctor chuckled. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”

“Tate and Kate?” I suggested as I adjusted my cufflinks.

We were back home at the penthouse, getting dressed before our big dinner date. It had been a hot minute since I took Vivian out to a fancy restaurant because her cravings were normally so specific that we usually just ordered in.

Banana peppers and pineapples on pizza. Vanilla ice cream with bacon bits on top. Pickles and hard-boiled eggs.

But tonight was special. It took some convincing, but Vivian finally agreed to let me treat her to La Cordova, an upscale restaurant in downtown Chicago.

“We’re not naming them Tate and Kate,” Vivian said, exasperated. She exited the bedroom, smoothing her hands over the fabric of her dress. She grimaced. “Are you sure I don’t look fat in this?”

“Angel, you’re pregnant, not fat.”

“If this place is as fancy as you say it is-”

“You’re the most beautiful woman on the whole planet, Vivian. You could show up in a tube top and jean shorts and they’d still let you in.”

She walked over with the tiniest trace of a waddle – which I found adorable- to place a kiss on my lips. “We better get going then. Isn’t our reservation in twenty minutes? What if they give our table away?” “They won’t.”

“Let me guess. The restaurant owner is a former client of yours?”

“Am I so predictable?”

Vivian hummed. “Why would a restaurant owner need bodyguard protection?”

“Let’s just say the restaurant business is far more cutthroat than I first gave Wally credit for.”

“Have you called him yet?”

“I did earlier when you were in the bathroom.”

“And?”

“He’s excited for us. He thinks we should name the twins Sam and Pam.”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “I guess poor naming skills must run in the family.”

By the time we got through traffic, we were officially ten minutes late for our reservation, but I was pleased to see that the owner had followed through with the favor I called.

The hostess showed us to our private table in the back near the water feature. It was a quiet corner, nothing but the low rumble of conversation from the front of the restaurant with occasional ruckus from the kitchen. The table itself was covered in a white linen cloth, a single-cut rose stood at the center in a tall crystal vase.

“Delilah and Julius?” she suggested over appetizers. I made sure not to comment about how she dipped her calamari into a side of mustard. My angel could eat whatever the hell she wanted, even if it was an affront to good taste everywhere.

I considered the combination. “Not bad, but they don’t strike me as a Delilah or Julius.”

“Amelia and Jude?” she asked over entrees. Vivian ordered an entire rib-eye steak and a lobster tail. It was impressive how she cleaned the entire plate, not a morsel to be found.

“Getting warmer,” I said. “I like Amelia. Jude needs workshopping.”

“Okay,” she said definitively over dessert. She ordered the chocolate mousse with extra whipped cream on top. “How about Amelia and Adam?”

At this point, I was no longer listening. I would have agreed to whatever names she wanted because right now, at that very moment, I had far more pressing matters. My heart was thumping steadily but loudly in my chest. So much so that I was worried she’d be able to hear it.

I patted my suit jacket, reassured by the solid mass hidden inside my pocket.

“Jesse?” Vivian called. “Are you okay?”

“Amelia and Adam,” I echoed. “Sounds great. A winning combo.”

She giggled. “What’s going on, babe? You look either sick or excited. I can’t tell in this lighting.”

“Don’t worry, angel. I’m not sick.”

I shifted out of my seat and got down on one knee, producing the ring box from inside my pocket. I opened it, revealing the diamond ring inside.

My first instinct upon walking into the jewelry store was to buy the biggest diamond I could find, but I stopped myself before the pushy saleswoman could hook me in for the sale. It wasn’t the right one, and I knew it deep within my gut.

Vivian wasn’t about the flash. She was humble kind and caring. I wanted to give her something she could wear with pride, and show off to the world without feeling like she was bragging. Because I knew her. I knew she’d appreciate the elegance and simplicity.

The ring was a thin band of white gold with three diamonds sandwiched together, the center one being the largest with the two outer ones slightly smaller. It caught the light beautifully, glistening in my palm.

“Jesse,” she breathed. “Oh my God, is this happening?”

“You are the light of my life,” I said, peering deep into her eyes. “You make me so unbelievably happy that I can’t put it into words. You keep me grounded. You’re my reason for waking up in the morning. You’ve renewed a sense of purpose in me that I didn’t even realize was gone until I met you. You’re smart beautiful and ambitious. You’re headstrong and loyal and the funniest person I’ve ever met. I know that I’m lucky just to know you. And I’d be luckier still if you’d do me the honor of being my wife. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she said, so soft I almost didn’t hear her. Her smile was a loud enough response.

I slipped the ring onto her finger and rose to kiss her. Nearby tables applauded politely, but I didn’t pay them any

mind. All that I cared about was Vivian. My future wife. My angel.