Page 515 of The Sinner: James

“What happened, baby?”

“Nothing.”

He waits for a few moments before nudging me to my back to see my face.

“What’s going on?” he asks, concerned, his eyebrows pinched into a frown.

Splaying my hand over his cheek, I take in his handsome face.

“What’s bothering you?” he asks.

“What if I can’t get pregnant?” I say quietly.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve been off the pill for more than a month. What if I can’t get pregnant?”

He reads my eyes.

“It’s only been a month. It’s too early to think about it.”

“It’s a possibility.”

“We’ll deal with it if and when it becomes a certainty,” he says.

I open my mouth to say something else.

He presses his index finger against my lips, prompting me to listen.

“You have to stop doing this. I’m not the kind of man who likes to waste his time with ifs and buts. I know it’s important to us, but we have to let it take care of itself. Just because Ed hit the jackpot with twins doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant,” he says, smiling and making me grin.

But only for a moment.

I stay quiet before I speak.

“I’ll make an appointment with my doctor when I go back… I want to get it checked,” I say.

He ponders.

“Okay.”

“You might also need to make one when you come home.”

“Or we can do this... We’ll see my private doctor here in Monte Carlo on Monday morning before going to a specialist. And we'll both have an answer by the time you fly back home with Lex next week. Would that work for you?”

A soft smile tugs at my lips.

“Yes,” I say, winding my arms around his neck. “Yes, it would,” I add before kissing him.

15

JAMES

Lisbon,Portugal

A week later

“Happy Birthday, James,”Theresa says, setting the dessert plates and chocolate cake on the table.

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