Page 128 of Oathbreaker

My heart tumbles. It’s only been a day since I last saw Hunter, and I miss him terribly. Like having dreams about us being together, him cuddling me until the sun comes up.

I miss you too.

“Ooh, we have to stop!” Ella exclaims, pointing out the window. Rio slams on the brakes, causing us to narrowly avoid getting creamed by the rest of the detail.

“Ella!” I yell out, clutching Kitty to my side, and Veronica grabs her milk-heavy boobs.

“Sorry,” she says in a small voice. “I um....”

“What, Ella?” I rub the side of my neck where the seat belt cut into me.

“Could we stop at the convenience store for some, um, candy?” All of us blink at each other until Veronica bursts out laughing. I follow, and even Rio suppresses a chuckle. A knock on the window from Jared startles us out of our amusement.

Rio talks to him, telling him we’re stopping at the convenience store just ahead.

Maybe I can get a test here.

My heart is currently in my asshole, and I swallow at the enormity of this moment.

When I reach for the door handle, Rio quickly says, “One moment, Mrs.Brigham.” I roll my eyes at the title.

“Rio, please. It’s Winter. If you’re hellbent on using a full name, it’s Ms.Vaughan. I am not Mrs.Brigham.” His eyes widen a fraction in the rearview mirror before he heads around the back of the SUV to confer with my three guards.

Is life always going to be like this?

“I think it’s cute that H makes everyone call you his wife,” Veronica says, her grin wide.

“It’s inappropriate,” I say back.

“How so?” Ella tilts her head to the side, regarding me after flicking her eyes down to the rock on my hand. The one he shoved on my finger sometime during my blackout in the solarium. I still wear it.

I hear Rio talking animatedly to one of the guards from a different car.

“Well, one. I’m not his wife. He hasn’t even asked me to marry him.”

“Would you say yes if he did?” Ella asks, skipping over the point. I pause. If Hunter asked, would I say yes?

If there were a baby? Yes.

If there weren’t a baby...?

Girl, you know it’s a yes too.

I resist putting a hand over my stomach.

When the door opens, Ella bounces out of the seat and into the mini-mart. That girl must be on a perpetual sugar high.

“Yo, get me a water, will you?” Veronica asks, yawning. “I’m just gonna close my eyes for a few minutes.” In three breaths, she’s unconscious, something I’ve learned she’s been able to do on demand as a mother. She can fall asleep anywhere, in almost any position.

I pick Kitty up, placing him on her lap. Veronica lets out a long sigh, her eyes still screwed shut. Kitty settles into her.

I try to be as innocuous as possible when I'm inside the store. If I am pregnant, everyone will know it soon. But if I’m not, I want to have privacy about it.

I want to have privacy about all of this.

When Ella heads to the candy aisle, I make quick work of finding the cheap pregnancy tests. I grab one, then decide to grab two more.

Fuck, are these things even fucking accurate?

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