Page 12 of Maybe My Baby

When she turned her head and let her gaze meet his, she was struck by the worry in his thick-lashed brown eyes and the way his whole body was tensed as if braced for bad news.

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m pregnant, Donovan.”

He blinked, turned white, and squeezed her hand hard. “Oh, thank God.”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought you were dying.”

FOUR

GINNY DIDN’T KNOWwhether to laugh or cry. “I’m pregnant. Did you get that? A baby, Donovan.”

“But we used protection every—”

She held up her hand. “I know we did. It’s those pesky percentages on the back of the box.”

His expression was hard to read now as he ran his eyes from her head to her toes. “Are you sure?”

She reached into the drawer of her bedside table and retrieved the collection of plastic sticks she had accumulated, then scattered them on the comforter beside her. “Five out of five experts agree. It’s positive.”

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“I had an appointment today. But I was too sick to go. Had to reschedule for Friday.”

Donovan winced. “Ah, hell, baby. I’m so sorry. I should have been here to take you.” He sat against the headboard and pulled her into his arms, cuddling her against his broad chest. “How long have you known?”

“Since Friday when I brought barbecue to your house.” Ginny paused and circled back to his earlier statement. “Why would you think I’m dying?”

He kissed the top of her head. “For one, your face is the color of skim milk. And your skinny jeans are hanging off your hip bones. Plus, you have this scary-as-hell habit of passing out like a rag doll.”

“Sorry,” she muttered. “It hasn’t been a walk in the park for me either.”

“What did you do about the ice cream shop?”

“Myrna and her husband are taking over in the short-term.”

She felt a slight tension in Donovan’s body even now. As if he wasn’t quite sure of himself or the situation.Join the club, she thought bleakly.

He stroked her hair. “Have you been throwing upeverymorning? How many times?”

“I’ve lost count. And it’s not just morning. Pretty much all day until right about now. Though if you try cooking something like collard greens or liver and onions, all bets are off.”

“My poor sweetheart.”

She let herself be comforted. It made her feel less alone amid this storm of uncertainty that had swallowed up her life.

Donovan sighed. “I’m taking you home with me tonight, so don’t argue. You don’t even have to pack a bag. I’ll do it.”

Maybe on another day Ginny would have protested his high-handed pronouncement. But she was so grateful not to face another night alone, she didn’t even make a token protest.

Her lover was very efficient. And he took direction well. After he found her suitcase in the closet, he lifted an eyebrow. “Tell me what you want.”

“Undies and bras in top drawer. T-shirt and shorts in the next one. I have a pair of black pants and a turquoise top in the closet. My toiletry bag is hanging on the back of the bathroom door. All you need to add is my toothpaste and toothbrush.”

Her makeup, what there was of it, stayed in her purse.

Donovan moved around her small apartment quietly. Ginny pulled the quilt over her legs and dozed in a state of semiconsciousness. Multiple trips to the bathroom in the early morning hours had disrupted her sleep.

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