His eyes were alight with happiness, and the expression in them made my toes curl, despite all my muscles being seemingly out of function. There was so much affection in his gaze it took my breath away. When he bent his head to kiss me, I wrapped my trembling arms around his neck and closed my eyes, certain I’d finally found what I’d been looking for my entire life.
Twenty
Mira
Blaine was gone when I woke up the next morning.
I frowned at the empty side of the bed, where the pillow was still molded where Blaine’s head had lain. I touched the sheets experimentally, but they were stone cold. He’d been gone for a while.
My musings came to a quick stop when my stomach lurched, sending me running to the bathroom.
God dammit! Hopefully Rob had gotten me that appointment with a doctor, because I was getting really tired of starting every morning bent over the toilet bowl like this.
When I was finally done, I felt too queasy to worry over why Blaine had left. Probably some sort of business, I thought miserably as I pattered back into my bedroom to get dressed. The world of crime doesn’t stop, just because we’d had a heart-to-heart followed by earth shattering sex. I paused mid-way pulling a sleeve over my arm as warmth not related to my upset stomach spread through my chest.
Last night had been… I’d never thought I would be able to open up like that to another person. And I certainly never thought that person could be Blaine.
But he’d not only listened to me, he’d understood—and then he had given me so much in return. He had bared his soul to me.
I was still raw from what the onslaught of emotions yesterday’s events had put me through, but it was a good kind of raw in the same way the soreness between my legs felt good. Both were a reminder of Blaine and what we’d shared.
Despite my queasiness, a warm smile spread on my lips. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out okay. Against all odds and everything we’d thought and everything we’d been through, we might be able to find our happy ever after. Together.
Just as I was about to leave my room, feeling more elated than I had ever been, I caught a glimpse of movement through the window. Moving closer, I peered into the back garden and saw Blaine’s tousled, black mane and signature leather coat disappear into the shed.
Huh. Well, at least he was around. Maybe he’d be in for lunch.
I wondered what it’d be like to interact with him now while I headed downstairs to dig into my trusty crackers-and-ginger ale breakfast. Hopefully he wouldn’t regret how open he’d been with me. I couldn’t face going back to how we used to be. Not now, after what we’d shared last night.
The week’s groceries were on the kitchen counter in their usual brown paper bags. Rob might be a crime syndicate’s hired muscle, but at least he was eco-conscious.
I plopped down on the bar stool with my box of crackers to sort through the groceries, making sure everything I’d ordered was there. But when my fingers closed around a small, rectangular box, my mind froze in its list-checking tracks with a near-audible screeching.
A pregnancy test.
There was a pregnancy test mixed in with my groceries.
My first thought was that he must have accidentally grabbed it instead of the box of tampons I’d requested. Men and feminine hygiene products, and all that.
I rummaged through the rest of the bags, my fingers frantic enough to rip the paper in the process. It didn’t take me long to find the tampons.
Then why…?
Even as I asked myself the possibly quite stupid question, my mind was busy tracking the days since my last period. It was all a bit of a blur, and I’d thought I was due soon—hence the tampon request—but as I went over the calendar days again, I realized I was late. Very late.
My stomach lurched again, this time from absolute terror.
The sickness. Themorningsickness. My erratic mood swings. The goddamnpickles.
With distant amusement I realized Rob had probably witnessed similar behavior in his own wife the two times she’d been pregnant, and had put two and two together. Most of me was busy freaking out, though.
Surely, I couldn’t be pregnant. The only man I’d slept with was Blaine, and we… My heart dropped when I remembered last night. We hadn’t used any form of protection then, and as far as my fuzzy memory reached, we probably hadn’t that night at the hotel either.
Oh,God.
Gingerly, I fingered the box. Maybe it was all just coincidental. I mean, Ihadbeen through an awful lot of stress this past month. It wasn’t unreasonable to assume my body was out of whack purely because of that.
At least, there was no reason to freak out until I’d peed on the damn stick.