Page 114 of Stay Toxic

I’d managed not to lose any teeth, which I was considering a win.

My face was very black and blue. My everything was sore.

I had a broken collarbone as well.

And I also had another six weeks of paid leave.

I’d gotten hundreds of visitors at the hospital from students to staff.

And throughout it all, Shasha hadn’t left me once.

Which had me questioning how he’d moved me in without me noticing and hidden his coordination efforts.

I looked around the room that had my bedspread on his king-size bed, then went to the curtains that once hung in my living room and shook my head.

Pain, though not near as severe, assaulted me.

“How?” I croaked.

“Your brothers and sisters,” I said. “Mine helped, but yours were way more helpful than mine.”

I snickered. “Dima is a spaz.”

I’d gotten to know his family really well over the last week, and I loved them all.

Oh, and I was now engaged to their brother, which they were very excited about.

Another unsurprising thing happened, too. I found out that I was pregnant.

In the hospital when they’d run blood tests two days ago.

I was, of course, ecstatic.

But even more, Shasha was ecstatic, too.

It all felt so right that nothing could feel wrong.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist, and Shasha’s voice rumbled against my ear.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.” I sighed. “Are you really okay with how fast this is moving?”

I mean, it really was a lot.

“I’m perfectly fine,” he said. “How about you?”

I thought about it long and hard for a few seconds before saying, “I feel like this was exactly how everything was supposed to happen.”

“Could’ve gone without the you getting hit in the face with a chair thing and then choking on a piece of celery after,” he pointed out.

I snickered and gingerly laid my head on his chest before saying, “What’s next?”

“Next, you plan a wedding,” he said. “We get married before you get too big to fit into a wedding dress, and we have a very happy ever after.”

I leaned my head back so I could see his face before saying, “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

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