Free LOST AND FOUND HUSBAND by Sheri Whitefeather

procedure,” Candy said, teasing her.
    They grinned foolishly at each other. Clearly, the last thing she needed was to put the sound of the fountain in her head.
    After the nurse called Dana’s name and she was settled onto the examination table with her abdomen exposed, she glanced over at Candy. Her friend sat in a chair on the other side of the table.
    The technician stood beside the computer, preparing to get underway. Soon Dana’s stomach was covered in a cool gel, and while the technician slid the transducer back and forth, Dana watched the monitor.
    Then there it was. Her baby.
    She covered her mouth and stifled a laugh. It looked more like a kidney bean than a peapod. But she would be darned if she was going to start calling it Sweet Bean.
    “Look at that,” Candy said.
    “I know. Sweet Pea is having its picture taken.”
    The technician smiled. She was young, probably about Dana’s age.
    “Do you have kids?” Dana asked her.
    “Not yet.”
    “This is my first, and my friend Candy is going to be its godmother.”
    “I am?” Candy asked.
    Dana turned away from the monitor to look at her. “Yes, you are. I couldn’t be doing this without you.” The drug store test, the doctor visits, the conversations they’d had. “You earned your godmother status.”
    “Then I’m honored to accept it. But don’t downplay your strengths. You’re doing just fine, mama, and you’ll continue to do just fine. I’ll bet Sweet Pea thinks so, too.”
    They both returned their attention to the screen and marveled at the baby.
    When the ultrasound ended, Dana was given two black and white photos of her little angel. She and Candy chatted about the baby on the way home. They talked about Eric’s proposal, too, even though they’d already discussed it at length earlier. Candy wasn’t much help in that regard, other than telling Dana “to do whatever feels right.”
    After Candy left for work, Dana spent the remainder of the day milling around, then got a brainstorm. She drove to the pharmacy—the same one where she’d bought the pregnancy test—and purchased two pictures frames.
    Once she was back home, she framed Sweet Pea’s photos and placed one of them on her dresser. The other one was for Eric. She had no idea how he would feel about a receiving a framed image of a fetus, but she suspected that Kaley would appreciate it. She was grateful that his daughter was excited about the baby.
    Dana still wasn’t sure what to do about Eric’s proposal.
    She honestly didn’t know what felt right. If she called her family for their advice, they would tell her to marry the father of her child. For them it would be a no-brainer.
    Shouldn’t it be a no-brainer for her, too? She’d promised her mom and grandma that she would never give birth to an illegitimate child. She’d made that same promise to herself.
    So why was she dragging her feet? Was it because the proposal had been Kaley’s initial idea and not Eric’s? Or was it because there was no love involved?
    Really, though, why should that matter? Dana wasn’t expecting Eric to fall in love with her nor was she planning to fall in love with him. The idea was to give their baby a name and do the best they could to raise it together, for however long their union lasted.
    So do it, she told herself. Go to his house, give him the picture and accept his proposal.
    Having made her decision, she sat on the edge of the bed and laughed at the craziness of her situation. Go to his house? She didn’t have his address. She didn’t even know where Sweet Pea’s daddy lived.
    Dana glanced at the clock. It was after four. Was Eric home from work by now?
    Instead of calling, she texted him: Can I stop by tonight to talk?
    Soon her phone bleeped, signaling a reply: Yes. When?

    You pick the time.

    He came back with: 6 or so?

    Ok. Need ur address.

    The next reply took a little longer because he included directions, with a side note that said: So you and Sweet Pea don’t get