Page 44 of Don't Look Away

Another moan and she shifts again.

“Lux,” I say again, more firmly this time, continuing to shake her shoulder.

Blinking open her eyes, her brows are knit together in confusion as she lifts her head slightly and looks up at me. “What? What’s wrong?”

I hold the receipt up. “What is this?” My voice is firm, but not angry, because, who knows, there might be a reasonable explanation for this. I pray to God there is.

Frowning, she grabs the receipt from my hand and looks down at it. Her expression shifts from annoyance to confusion to sheer terror. When she looks back up at me, her green eyes are wide, and I can practically see her mind working a mile a minute, trying to think up a reasonable response.

“Um…” Her throat moves as she swallows, and her gaze drops back down to the receipt in her hand… “This is…for Wyn. She needed me to buy tests for her.”

She’s a terrible liar.

“Lux,” I say evenly, crossing my arms over my chest. Maybe I should be more gentle about this, but I’m pissed she tried to keep something this serious from me. “What happened at the doctor’s office this morning? Did they tell you something that you should share with me?”

She scoots to the edge of the bed and tosses the receipt onto the nightstand, then begins rubbing her temples like she wasn’t prepared to have this conversation with me. “Yeah, um. Okay, so the doctor couldn’t put me on birth control, because she gave me a pregnancy test—I guess that’s routine—and it came back inconclusive.”

Inconclusive.

Okay.

I don’t know how to feel about that. “So that’s it, she doesn’t know? I thought these things were pretty straightforward.”

“Apparently blood tests are more accurate, so they took some blood, and we should have the results in two days,” she says in a rush, like she’s trying to rip the bandage off by telling me off quickly.

Two days?Fuck.That might as well be twolifetimes.

God, my heart is beating so fast, I’m starting to feel lightheaded. “And the pregnancy tests…?” I ask.

She stands up, and folds her arms over her chest, then glances down at her feet. She can’t even look me in the eye, which isn’t a good sign. “Um, yeah, I went over to Wyn’s place and took them. Two were negative…and one…” She pulls in a stuttering breath. “...had a very faint line.”

I don’t even know what any of this means. Aren’t pregnancy tests these days pretty simple? It’s a yes or a no, right? I reach over and grab her chin, forcing her to look at me. Unspent tears fill her eyes, and every ounce of anger inside me melts away instantly.

Damn,the hold this girl has on me.

Pulling her into my arms, I rest my chin on the top of her head. “Lux, you should have told me.” She buries her face in my chest, and I hold her a little tighter. “I’m here. You’re not doing any of this alone.”

She nods against my chest as she starts to cry, her entire body trembling. “I thought you would be angry at me.”

I might be a fucking asshole, but that statement surprises me. Pulling her back, so I can look into her eyes, I ask her, “We did this together. Why would I be angry atyou?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs as tears stream down her face, and again, she glances away, avoiding my gaze. “Because I wasn’t on birth control?”

Again, I grab her chin and force her to look at me. “Lux, you don’t need to hide anything from me. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together.”

She nods. “So…how are you feeling about all this?”

I blow out a breath. It’s hard to know how to feel when I have no clue what we’reactuallyfacing. I’m more worried about Lux right now, and the stress this—and everything else—is causing her.

“I feel like we need a second opinion,” I say. “And a faster blood test…”

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

Lux

I’m relieved.Relieved that Roman isn’t angry about the possibly-maybe-not-sure pregnancy, but more relieved that he’s willing to figure it out with me. It’s a huge weight lifted, knowing I don’t have to navigate this all alone…

Roman pulls back and places a kiss on my forehead. “I have some society business to tend to, so I won’t be back until tonight. But I’ll see if I can get you in to see another doctor later today.”

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