Page 37 of Never Yours

Tears begin to fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. “Cass… What if it’s not Cay’s?”

Cassidy wraps me in a tight hug. “It has to be. The universe wouldn’t be that cruel. You said the asshole used a condom, who did you sleep with before him?”

“No one for months,” I whisper.

“See!” She pulls back. “But it doesn’t matter who the father is. What do you want to do? I support you unless you want me to throw you down the stairs. Mostly because I don’t know anyone who has a house with stairs.”

“Damn, Cass. Brutal,” I laugh and wipe a stray tear that fell. “No, I don’t need to be thrown down the stairs. But… I can’t tell Caleb.”

“Why not?” She frowns, and I pin her a knowing glare. “Oh, right, he’s off doing Navy shit.”

“Yes, but no. It might not be his. I can’t tell him until I know for sure.”

“Statistically unlikely that it’s not Caleb’s.”

“Cass,” I warn.

“I mean, I get that you want to be sure, but can we just pretend it’s his so I can be happy for you? Wait, should I be happy for you? I’m happy if you’re happy, but I’m getting the feeling you’re not. In which case… what do you want to do? Stairs aren’t an option. Best I’ve got is a coat hanger, but it’ll probably accidentally murder you, and I am not going to jail for that.” She pauses for a moment while I stifle a laugh. “Seriously, though, if you need me to go back to New York with you for anything. Just say the word.”

“No.” I shake my head. “If these tests are right, I’m financially stable enough to raise a child on my own.”

Cass pulls back as if I slapped her. “Um, excuse me. That little lima bean—or whatever weird vegetable or fruit they associate with it this early—is my niece or nephew. Doesn’t matter if it’s Caleb’s or not, I’m Auntie Cass.”

“I’m not dragging your brother into this,” I insist. I’m overcome with a flood of emotions. I don’t want Caleb to be eternally tied to me because of a child. I don’t want a child to grow up without a father. I don’t want anyone resenting me for keeping a child I didn’t plan for…

“Ingrid.” Cass’ stern tone pulls me from my spiral. “You don’t need to decide anything right now. But, we both know if you do those other six tests, they’ll be positive. We’ll talk to an OBGYN and see what they think, do a proper test, and when you get the results, you can make the big decisions.”

A short moment of understanding passes between us, but it is rudely disrupted by my adorable but mischievous Dalmatian, stealing two of the pregnancy tests off the bathroom counter and spilling the plastic cup of pee all over her.

“Smitten,” I call, reaching for her collar, but she’s too quick for me. Cass is able to tackle her, tugging on her collar and bringing her back to the bathroom. “Damn it, Smit!” I snatch the tests out of her mouth.

“I’ll give her a quick bath.” She smells herself. “And me. Go take a long shower and overthink everything.”

“I love you,” I sigh.

“Love you, more,” she sings.

caleb

. . .

Daniels has been blasting Disturbed and Godsmack for the past two weeks, to the point where I’m confident I know both bands’ entire catalog. After helping a stranded submarine safely come to the surface, we’ve spent the last four days at sea, essentially twiddling our thumbs to ensure everything is going according to plan.

The one thing I hate about missions like these is no one knows about them unless someone leaks it. Being in the middle of fucking nowhere, no one can contact the media to tell them. Mostly, I want to discreetly get the message back to Ingrid, Pop, and Cass. Pop would put two and two together that I’m here.

One more week. In one week, I’ll be fully debriefed, and hopefully have a chance to talk to one of them. As soon as our reports are filed, I’ll be able to start my two-year training program and get back to my girl.

“Can you turn that down?” I groan, prepping dinner in the galley kitchen. He can’t hear me through the music, so I turn it off.

“It was just getting to the good part!”

With a roll of my eyes, I turn it back on. While Daniels is a fucking genius, and there are no words to describe how I am grateful for his help with the sub, we’re stuck here for at least another week before I can contact my family. I know he misses his girl back home, so the least I can do is let him listen to his favorite bands on repeat.

“Are you being a sad fuck again?” He exaggerates a pout.

Before I can answer, the entire ship shakes, and both of us brace ourselves. “What the fuck was that? Were we hit?”

We rush out of the galley and up to our stations as lights flash above us. Just in case, Daniels and I start suiting up for ‘abandon ship.’ No one has answers until the intercom confirms, “Abandon Ship,” bringing the nightmare to reality.

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