Page 44 of The Wrangler Takes a Wife

“Yeah, for sure. Before we administer it, we'll need to take a pregnancy test.”

Chase’s pen clattered from his hand. A sense of panic gripped Chase as he contemplated the possibility of Amara being pregnant. The idea of being a parent made him feel unworthy as he worried that he might not be able to provide the love and guidance a child would need. His self-doubt was rooted in his dark history. This fear of inadequacy weighed heavily on his heart, making the discussion they needed to have even more daunting.

“It’s just a formality, isn’t it?” Amara inquired.

“Yeah. It usually takes more than a few months for the drug to work out of your system, but we have to take precautions.”

Fizz’s explanation gave him a sense of relief. It was short-lived. He and Amara needed to have a talk. They had never discussed how they felt about having children.

While he was deep in thought, Amara and Fizz concluded their call. Amara resumed cooking.

“Did you get your appointment booked?”

“I did. Fizz fit me in tomorrow. Here’s the thing. It means you should probably put something on for like two weeks.”

Despite not wanting children, Chase baulked at the idea of not sliding into her pussy raw.

“Aww, you’ll be alright.” Amara assured him.

“What?”Why did she tell him that?

“You should have seen how horrified your face looked.” She laughed at him. “It won’t be so bad. Time will fly by.”

On this topic, Amara had no idea what she was talking about. She hadn’t been the first woman he had gone gloveless with. There was one person aside from her. But hell, the feeling of sliding into Amara was pure bliss. Nothing compared to it. How was he expected to go without that high for the next two weeks?

Amara walked around the counter, and he pulled her into his arms.

“We can come up with creative ways to get through the next couple of weeks.”

“Oh, really?”

“I mean, we could always explore pages 47-52.”

Well, fuck!Family planning discussions were forgotten. Dinner was delayed as well. Their meal ended up being cold pot pie, but it was the best he had ever tasted.

The following morning, Amara insisted it wasn’t necessary for Chase to accompany her to the doctor’s office. “No, it’s okay. It’s the last appointment of the day. I’ll leave the diner early, go get my shot. Then I’ll head home and read until you get back.”

Chase’s day was much longer than expected. He was drained. They lost two bison to pneumonia. Tomorrow, he would consider how the loss would affect the herd. All he wanted to do was spend time with Amara, have a nice warm meal, and lay in his warm bed.

“Hey, Sweet Darling,” he called out. Silence greeted him. Most likely, she was absorbed in her book. So, he didn’t call out again. While he enjoyed teasing her, he didn’t dare bother her when she was reading. Disruptions to her reading caused her to become feral.

Chase found her on the couch. Her face wasn’t in a book, though. Almost as if she was in a trance, she stared straight ahead.He touched her shoulder, and she turned slowly towards him. A flurry of blinks preceded her sigh. “Hey.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Her behaviour had him concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I think so. How are you?”

Chase took a seat beside her. “I’m good, Baby.” He started thinking about her day. “Did the shot make you feel bad?”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t able to get the shot.”

It took a moment for the pieces to fall together. There were many reasons why she couldn’t take the shot, but only one stood out. He needed to know. He questioned cautiously, “why weren’t you able to get the shot?”

“The routine pregnancy test wasn’t so routine.”

He needed her to spell it out for him. “Meaning?”

“It was positive. Surprise, I’m pregnant.” She threw her hands up in the air like she was showering confetti. Her expression didn’t reflect the joy of her gesture.

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