Page 33 of An Heir For Her Enemy

Weeks ago.Delaney counted back to the night she and Logan had slept together. It had been about a month, and she’d had her period about two weeks before that… so, she hadn’t had her period in six weeks. She’d slept with Logan right around the middle of her cycle, and, although they’d used protection, accidents did happen.

Delaney had never been one of those women who could set their watches by their periods, but the coincidence seemed too great to forget about. What was she supposed to do now? She needed to go meet Logan for breakfast soon and go to the authentication appointment. Even if she had time, she wasn’t sure where to look for a pregnancy test in Rome.

But she needed to know. Now that the possibility was on the table, she couldn’t wait another minute.

Delaney took a deep breath, then reached for the hotel’s phone with shaking fingers. She dialed reception and, to her immense relief, a woman answered. “Buongiorno.”

“Um, English, please?” Delaney asked, wishing she could say somethingin Italian.

“Of course. How may I help you this morning?”

“It’s a… sensitive matter.” Delaney winced.

“That is no problem. We have a very good confidentiality policy here.”

“Right. Um, I need a pregnancy test, please. Room five-one-two.”

“I’ll bring it to you in a few moments.” The woman still sounded pleasant and professional, which was reassuring. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you.”

“No problem.” The woman hung up, and Delaney put the phone down. She didn’t know how long she had to wait — would the pleasant receptionist go buy a test somewhere, or did they have a selection on stock for cases like this? Delaney had no idea. Either way, the wait would be too long. She wasn’t sure how she’d get through the next minutes.

Delaney tapped her fingers against the edge of the bed, a swirl of questions bombarding her. If she really was pregnant, she couldn’t imagine how her life would change. She had always wanted to be a mother, but she’d never imagined becoming one like this. She was on the brink of finally achieving her dream of opening a gallery, but it would be so much more difficult to do so as a single mother.

Because, if the test came back positive, Delaney would surely be a single mother. Logan had been pleasant and even expressed an interest in some kind of connection with her, albeit it more friendship than romance, but he would never want to be involved with a baby. That much was clear. Babies sidetrackedcareers and complicated relationships. That was the opposite of what Logan wanted.

“Calm down,” Delaney told herself out loud. She hadn’t even gotten the test yet. There was no point in speculating about something that might not even be happening. Maybe the test would be negative, and she would slip easily back into her life in New York with nothing but a fridge magnet and a book of Roman pictures purchased the day before to remind her of Logan and this trip.

A knock at the door startled Delaney so much that she nearly fell out of bed. She got up and hurried to the door, where a young Italian woman in black slacks and a white button-up stood. She was holding a brown paper bag.

“Good morning,” she said pleasantly. “We spoke on the phone. I have your delivery.”

“Thank you very much.” Delaney pressed a twenty-euro note into the woman’s hand as a tip. She had no idea if it was a fair price, but she was so grateful that she would happily have paid triple.

“Have a nice day.” The woman turned and walked away. Delaney quickly went back into her room and shut the door behind her. Then she locked the door and slid the safety chain into place, feeling more than a little like a femme fatale planning an elaborate mission.

Quickly, she crossed to the bathroom. Inside, she laid the paper bag on the counter and slowly drew out a small pink box. Unfamiliar Italian words were written on the front, but even Delaney would have known it was a pregnancy test from the picture of a round-bellied woman on the front. Delaney glanceddown at her own flat stomach and gently rested a hand there. She didn’t look pregnant. At least not yet.

Taking another deep breath, she fished a plastic stick and a set of instructions out of the box. It seemed fairly self-explanatory, but she still used her phone to translate the Italian instructions. She wasn’t going to take any chances here.

Once Delaney was sure she knew what to do, she sat down to take the test. Yet despite all the water she’d drunk, she couldn’t seem to pee. It was probably nerves. She got up, drank another full glass, and tried again. Success.

According to the instructions, she needed to wait two minutes before checking the test. She laid the plastic stick on the bathroom counter and turned away, not wanting to catch a glimpse before time was up. Then she set a timer on her phone.

Two minutes.

What if she was going to be a mother?

One minute, fifty seconds.

What would Logan say?

One minute, forty seconds.

What would her parents say?

One minute, thirty seconds.

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