Page 118 of Lyrical

I tapped a pencil on my chin. I could go back this past year with some accuracy, tying in things Chase and I had done with whether or not we’d used a condom. Since we had sex a whole fucking lot, I couldn’t recall every time, but enough to fill in gaps. My cycles always varied in length, but my body had so many different tells that I could easily figure it out. Why had it failed me now?

Fuck. It looked like thirty-one days was the longest. I was on day thirty-two. But that wasn’t what freaked me out the most. I never got my sign the previous week telling me when I was due for my period, and then bam! It showed up like a rude, uninvited guest the day before. Then wreaked havoc and left after only a few hours.

I had periods for days, not hours.

I stood up and jogged around the room to dispense some nervous energy. I had no idea what was going on with me. Perimenopause? That could fuck up cycles. No, dammit, I didn’t want that either. I wanted a baby, and I wanted one soon. Just not too soon. Not before we had our serious discussion and before I got a checkup to make sure I could have one. But if I was already pregnant, wasn’t that question at least partly answered for me?

Fuuuuck. I don’t have time for this. I should be in the car already.I had to be at the rehearsal early to help set up. I’d already showered, did my hair and makeup. I just had to get dressed. It was near eighty outside, and it’d be warmer up towards the farm. Perry’d gone through a long, nasty flu that made her irritable as hell, and she’d never given me a pink rehearsal outfit to wear. But I wasn’t complaining. I pulled my lavender dress off the hanger. Perfect. If there was ever a day I needed superpowers, this was it.

I slipped it on and did a little twirl in the mirror. Magical. I was already feeling stronger. I wished so badly that Chase was coming with me, but he was meeting me later. He needed to help his parents with something at the house, and he wouldn’t be coming for several hours yet.

I slipped on my sandals, grabbed my purse, and hopped in the car. I wished I could’ve just ridden with Perry and Stephen, but they had the truck so piled with shit there wasn’t enough room. I’d just have to distract myself with music the whole way. Normally not a problem whatsoever. But today?A fucking problem.

My mind was on crack, and I was thinking a hundred miles an hour. I. Could. Not. Slow. It. Down. Arggggh. All I had to do was make it there, and then I’d keep myself busy with the thousand little tasks that needed to be completed before morning. Chase would get there, and then we’d discuss it later after everything else was finished. Easy peasy.

Fuuuuck. I banged my fingers on the steering wheel. Okay. Maybe I was looking at this wrong. I didn’t need to go back through old cycles; I just had to analyze this one. Each one was different, so the length didn’t matter. This one could be forty days and still be normal. And my sign? I could’ve missed it somehow. I was so incredibly busy this past week, being the best damn maid of honor ever and making sure everything possible was taken care of. I didn’t really start to freak out until that morning.

Chase came home twelve days ago. A week before that, I ovulated in bed with Perry. Or at least I was supposed to. I never actually felt it because I must’ve been sleeping when it popped out. If that was the case, my period was still somewhat on schedule, but since it only lasted a short time….

Fuuuuck. I’d felt the twinge that night with Chase. My nerves had jacked high at first, but then I blew it off as a muscle cramp. I’d been lying in bed for almost two days barely using them, so they’d probably just locked up.

But if on the off-off chance that had been egg time, that little fertilized sucker would’ve booked on down and attached to its new home around day—

Holy fuck. I swerved over to the side and pulled out my phone. It took a whole thirty seconds of googling to bring me into full-fledged panic mode.

My body hadn’t failed me. It had communicated flawlessly. My stubborn ass had just refused to listen.

“Looking good, love.”

“Me or the lights?” I was standing on a chair, hanging mason jars stuffed with tea lights on tree branches and doing a damn fine job at it. Despite my shaky hands.

Chase slid his palms up my legs. “Definitely you.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with the lights? I worked hard on them.”

He laughed, knocking me off balance and into his arms. “Nothing’s wrong with them. They just don’t shine as bright as you.”

I made a face. “Hmm… sounds too much like a pickup line.”

“Since you’re coming home with me tonight, I’d say it worked.” He gave me a kiss before I wiggled out of his hold.

“Stop distracting me. So much to do yet, and I need to start on the paper lanterns.” If I didn’t keep up with the busy work, my mind would explode. “How’s it been going with you?”

“Moving along. The chairs are set up, and we still need an extra generator for the band, but—”

“Chase, do you mind going to help my wonderful fiancé and that fuckwad over there? They’re trying to get the air hooked up in the tent. I can’t deal with him anymore.”

“Sure, no problem.” He gave me a quick glance, then headed over.

“Fuckwad?” I raised an eyebrow.

“That dickhead we hired to set up the main tent. He’s fucking incompetent. The guys do a better job, and they don’t even know what they’re doing. Where the fuck’s Alex, by the way?”

“Stephen sent him to pick up more stakes.” I held up one of the pale pink lanterns, and she nodded her approval. I secured it down to the table. “You know, I was wondering when you’d start getting crabby,” I said. “Took long enough for the nerves to kick in.” She’d been abnormally calm all these months and then poof! Crazytown.

“Yeah, I am feeling pretty pissy lately. But it doesn’t help being around assholes.” She jumped back, wrinkling her nose. “What the hell’s that stench?”

“The citronella candles. You picked them out, remember?”

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