Page 27 of JoJo

He shrugged at me. “Maybe they didn’t think a girl, who doesn’t really hunt, would understand.”

“Well, I would have. I just didn’t realize that’s why my dad always had the long weekends on the schedule.”

“Now you know. You can bust their balls for not telling you once you’re better.”

“I guess,” I muttered. “Man, I am so hungry,” I commented.

“After puking your guts up like that?” Steel asked incredulously.

I just shrugged. “I can’t help it. Actually, now that I think about it, I just feel really thirsty. Do we still have any Ginger Ale downstairs?” I’d purchased some the week before to take to work, thinking it would help the guys’ stomachs when they came back to work after being sick. They’d all just laughed and mumbled their thanks. Now, I understood why, but boy was I glad I brought it back home with me now.

“Of course. No one actually drinks that stuff.”

“Well, I do when I’m sick. My mom used to say it was the best thing for an upset tummy.” I stood to head downstairs.

“Where are you going, babe?”

“Couch. I’ll be more comfortable down there.”

“Yeah, but the bathroom is up here. Is it wise to tempt fate like that?”

“I can keep an emergency bucket by my side. Actually, I’m already feeling a bit better. Maybe it was just something bad I ate last night.”

“We ate the same things,” Steel pointed out.

“It’s not nice to brag about your constitution being better than mine.” He chuckled again, but helped me to my feet. “Thanks for helping me in there this morning.”

“Sickness and health, remember?”

Holy hell! My damn eyes were swimming with tears at that. He was quoting our marriage vows? On our anniversary? I smiled at him, even though I had giant watery drops trying hard to cling to my eyeballs and failing. “Babe, what the hell?” He asked cautiously.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I just... I don’t remember the last time someone took care of me and it's our one-month wedding anniversary and you just brought up those vows and…” My voice cracked and my long string of too-quickly spoken words dissolved into a quick sob. When I glanced up at him through my still overly wet eyes he was doing a fantastic impression of a deer in the headlights. “Um, I guess I get a little whiny when I’m sick.” That was my excuse, although I’d never been a whiny sick person. I had no clue what was going on with me today.

“I was about to ask if maybe it was finally your time of the month.” I thought he was teasing until I noticed he was giving me a very thorough looking over.

“My time of the month?” Finally? This was our one month anniversary, and I had not had a period. Oh God! No! It couldn’t be. I couldn’t be. Panic washed through me and I suddenly had the urge to hurl again. I’d been so happy to have my period two weeks before the Vegas trip, because I didn’t have to worry about packing tampons and whatnot like Keys had done. No! No! No!

“You okay? Feeling sick again?” Steel guided me over to the sofa and put an empty bathroom wastebasket beside me. “Just in case,” he mentioned as he moved back into the kitchen. “Do you want ice with the Ginger Ale or what?”

“No,” I managed to choke out. I had thankfully snatched my phone up before coming downstairs.

JoJo – I need a huge favor and to swear you to secrecy.

Keys – Anything, you know that.

JoJo – Could you, maybe, bring me a couple of pregnancy tests this evening? Discreetly, as in, I don’t want anyone to see them when you get here.

Keys – OMG! Seriously, JoJo?

JoJo – I don’t know, Keys. That’s what the tests are for.

Keys – I’ll be by around five. Gonna have to go a couple towns over to avoid the gossip. LOL

“Who you texting with, babe? Guys at work giving you shit for a sick day?” Steel set down the ginger ale in front of me.

“No, Keys is coming over to hang with me this evening. You mentioned that thing at the club, inducting a new prospect or something? What was his name? Walter? Walker?” He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. Then he grabbed the throw off the back of the couch, sat with me, and started surfing through Netflix for a movie to watch.

“It’s Walker, and he’s not a prospect. He’s moving up from the Tallahassee Chapter, but he’s still young enough he damn sure seems more like a prospect than a member.” He stopped explaining about the new kid, and grinned at me. “You know, they can do that shit without me, right?”

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