Page 47 of Island Whispers

But if she was carrying his baby, she didn’t want to look at their child years from now and have a sad, woeful tale to tell. If she was indeed about to become a mother, she wanted joy for that baby from the start.

She took a deep breath of the sweet air and gave Boone’s hand a squeeze. He was here for her now, in this moment, and that was a beautiful thing. “Thanks for doing this with me,” she said. “But why park in the garage?”

It would’ve been simpler to park at the drugstore a couple blocks over.

“Because we are going to see the band,” he explained patiently.

“Why?”

He shot her a weird look. “I don’t want to lie to your mom.”

She would’ve sworn he was blushing. “Thanks.”

“Plus, you like the group. Why not get a dose of happiness while we can?”

It was such a close echo to her own thoughts that she leaned in before she could stop herself. Her heart seemed to bound with a new “what-if” rhythm as they walked. What if Boone stayed? What if they could be a family? What if love took root and grew into a lifetime of happiness?

Odds were low that any of those what-ifs worked out.

And yet, she might be pregnant. Which was kind of proof that low odds weren’t the same as no odds.

She peeked at him through her lashes as they waited for a crosswalk. Could she love Boone? They obviously had off-the-charts chemistry. From their short acquaintance they seemed to share similar values. It was a huge plus that he didn’t want to lie to her family.

Would just knowing he’d fathered her child be enough of a foundation to build on?

“Let’s swing into the drugstore first,” he suggested as they turned the corner.

The store’s logo was lit up over the door and the interior seemed inordinately bright in the fading daylight, with special deals marked on big signs in the windows. This was it. They would walk in, get a pregnancy test or ten, and be on their way. Completely anonymous.

“As long as you’re aware that I will not be taking the test in a drugstore bathroom.”

He grinned down at her. “That reeks too much of teenage angst for me.”

“Same.” She felt herself smiling back. “We’re adults.”

“Damn right.” He kept a hand on the small of her back as the automatic door opened and they walked into the store. She felt his breath on her cheek as he murmured, “Does that mean you want to take the test in the bar?”

“Not a chance.”

He was close enough that she felt the brief rumble of amusement roll through him. Within moments they were in the family planning aisle, faced with too many options. The labels blurred, along with the advertised promises of accuracy.

“Want me to ask someone?” he queried after a minute.

Boone had way more patience with her than she had for herself. “No. I-I’ll figure it out. I just need a minute.” She rubbed at her eyes, trying to remember she was a capable adult.

She’d told her family Boone was her bodyguard. Together they’d convinced her parents that he was a professional. That they weren’t a couple and wouldn’t be.

But a positive test would change all of that. Would prove her a liar.

She wanted to run away. From this stupid drugstore, from Boone, from herself. “I don’t know.”

“Want me to choose?”

“Please?” She folded her arms around her midsection. “Yes, please.” There, that sounded decisive and more like herself. “Did your sister have a preference? Can we get more than one test?”

“Not sure and yes,” he said. “Whatever the result, we’ll figure it out, Nina.”

She couldn’t look at him, nerves had her by the throat.

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