Page 27 of Single Chance

Chapter Nine

Rowan

The pregnancy test was wrong.

It had to be.

I sat down hard on the closed toilet in Chloe’s bathroom, my mouth gaping.

There was a second line on the little wand, and there was nothing faint about it.

I couldn’t process it.

A light knock sounded on the door.

“Rowan?” Presley said in a gentle voice. “You okay, hon?”

I took a breath to respond but realized I didn’t have an answer.

“Ro?”

I stood, stepped to the door, opened it.

Presley looked me in the eyes, assessing. “I can’t tell if that’s a yes or a no.”

Chloe approached from Sutton’s bedroom, where she’d been putting her daughter to bed. “You don’t look okay.”

“I’m…” I shook my head. “I don’t know what I am. How often do these things screw up?”

I picked up the test and held it out for them to see.

Presley gasped, and Chloe let out a controlled squeal. Then they continued to stare at me, as if waiting for me to confirm either reaction.

“It can’t be right,” I told them. “My doctor said… I made peace…” I stopped trying to get a coherent thought out and merely shook my head.

“I’m pretty sure false positives are really rare,” Presley said.

“Less than one percent of the time,” Chloe confirmed. “I’ve looked it up. You could take the second test.”

“I don’t think I can pee again,” I said.

“Take it with you if you want,” Chloe said. “Just for peace of mind.”

“I will. Thanks.”

“I think you’re pregnant, hon,” Presley said, watching me closely as she clasped my hand.

A mix of dread and hope trickled through me.

Chloe pulled out her phone, typed something in, and started reading causes of false positives. After each one, she looked at me. After each one, I shook my head. I wasn’t on medications. I didn’t have cysts as far as I knew. I hadn’t been pregnant recently.

I looked down at the test again. There was still an unmistakable second line staring back at me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, grasping the countertop when a wave of dizziness swept through me.

Presley’s grip tightened. “Are you okay?”

I swallowed and nodded. “I think so. Can we sit down?”

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