Page 67 of Mister Stark

So, I filled her in. “That night when I slept with Daxon, I caught Dylan in bed with another man. He made me swear I wouldn’t tell his father because it could ruin everything but now I’m going to be in a loveless marriage for the rest of my life.”

The look of shock came back to life on Paisley’s face. Her freckles even glowed along with it and made her entire appearance light up like a Christmas tree. She couldn’t believe it as much as I couldn’t when I caught him in the act. I could still remember the embarrassment and anger that took over me. I didn’t know if I could ever get over it, but I had to move on.

“Do one thing for me?” I asked with certainty. “Swear to me, you won’t tell a soul. You can’t speak a word about my pregnancy, Dylan, or that I slept with my fiancé’s father.”

Paisley exhaled and looked me in the eye. “I respect your decision and our friendship. I won’t tell a soul.”

“Oh, thank god...” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I don’t like this. I have a bad feeling about it.” Paisley admitted with the look of worry on her face and shook her head.

But the damage was done.

Everything needed to be kept secret, and that was the way it’d stay. This pregnancy would remain hidden for as long as possible and I need to figure out what to do. Even though I had a terrible feeling about it, too.

TWENTY-FOUR

Anniversary

Iwalked into the plainwhite painted waiting room and patients waited to be seen. Some were on their cell phones killing time and others had their noses stuck in a magazine. But I didn’t want to be here.

I wanted to be anywhere other than here as I made myself head up towards the secretary to register. I half smiled at her and she asked me to pee in a cup. She handed me the hard plastic with my name on the label and an orange lid. I took it and followed the directions to the bathroom behind me.

The door opened with a loud squeak and others peered my way. They looked at the cup in my hands and I felt caught. The truth was exposed, and my cheeks burned bright red as I quickly closed the door behind me.

My embarrassment faded away as I exhaled. I had a more pressing issue to deal with today. I opened the tiny cup, but the seal broke and I was relieved knowing this was a sterile test. No reason to second guess the result and the answer would be clear.

I peed into the cup that sealed my fate and was lucky not to pee on my hand. This task was harder than I thought and the skill to get my pee directly into it took effort. But I did it and the sample was ready.

I washed my hands and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes had bags underneath them from the lack of sleep, and my makeup was a quick fix. I ran my fingers through my hair and straightened my back. I was ready to get this over with.

I left the bathroom, and to my surprise, heard my name. “The doctor will see you now.”

I nodded my head and handed the secretary my fate. She took it and dropped it off in the lab as we walked by on the way to the room. The thin hallway wasn’t comforting and the single room had a chair I sat down in while I waited for the doctor’s arrival. But my nerves went into overdrive.

Those two pink lines had sent me tossing and turning since they showed up. I slept in bed alone while Dylan slept on the couch. We hadn’t been in the same bed since I found him with his lover. We’d barely spoken to each other except for wedding plans or business. Everything else was completely off the table, and I was grateful for the distance. Especially with this latest development.

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