Page 296 of The Christmas Wife

I hail a passing waiter and grab a glass of apple juice from him.

"You’re not having champagne?" she asks, surprised.

"My stomach’s been a little funny with alcohol, of late. With coffee, too, come to think of it. I might have overdone it over Christmas."

"Christmas was nearly three weeks ago," she points out.

"Guess it’s taking a while for my system to stabilize." I raise a shoulder.

"And how long have you had this upset stomach?"

I bite the inside of my cheek. "About a week?"

Silence.

I glance up to find Isla staring at me.

I swallow down the morsel in my mouth and frown. "What?"

"Your stomach seems to tolerate the food okay, though."

"Huh." I glance down at the almost empty plate in front of me. "You should have seen me after I tried to eat breakfast this morning. I couldn’t keep anything down. Actually," —I place the now empty glass down on the table— "it’s been that way this entire week."

"You’ve been sick in the mornings?"

I nod.

"And you haven’t been able to tolerate coffee or alcohol?"

I shake my head slowly.

"Hmm."

I grip the edge of the table with clammy fingers. "Oh, no, no, no. It’s not what you think it is."

"I never said anything," she murmurs.

My heart seems to stop beating for a second, before starting up again. "It can’t be. It can’t be." I glance about the quickly filling room, then back at her. "Can it?"

"You tell me, honey. I assume you’ve been careful with all the horizontal action you’ve indulged in with?—"

"Don’t say his name," I rasp.

She raises her hands. "Okay."

"I’m on birth control." I grip the table tighter. "I can’t be, I really can’t be…" I can’t say the P word. If I do, it will all seem very real. Besides, I don’t need to say it aloud. "I’m not…you know." I tilt up my chin.

"Didn’t say you were. But maybe it’s worth testing?"

"Testing?" I feel the blood drain from my face.

"A—that word that I should not speak right now— test?" she says gently.

"Right." My head feels like it’s dissociated from my body. I’m having an out-of-body experience. That’s the only explanation for this strange conversation I’m having.

"Zara, babe. It’s going to be okay." She wraps her arm about my shoulder. "You’re going to be okay."

"There you are." Liam materializes next to Isla, then glances between us. "Everything okay?"

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