Page 73 of Desert Thorns
Letting out a moan, she doubled over, pressing a hand to her stomach.
“Are you okay?” I stepped up to her, rubbing her back.
“Just period”—she groaned—“cramps.”
Right, she had them pretty bad.
“You should lie down.” I guided her to the bed, and she instantly curled up on it.
“Do you need painkillers?” Rome asked. Concern wasn’t something I’d ever seen him display, yet here it was, written all over his face.
“In . . . my . . . handbag.”
I headed over to the desk where Bella had placed it and found ibuprofen. I popped a pill, then handed it to Bella with her Hydro Flask. Her whole body shook violently as I helped her get the pill down.
“Rome, do you have a heating pad or something?” I asked. When he didn’t answer, I turned to him.
He was staring at Bella as if she was dying or something.
“Romeo Marino!”
His gaze snapped to me, clarity returning to his eyes. “What?”
“Heating pad. Hot-water bag. Anything. Now.”
He gave me a curt nod, and after one more tortured glance at Bella, disappeared out the door.
“Curse you, Eve, for . . . eating that stupid fruit,” Bella gritted out. Her face had turned ashen, sweat beading on her forehead.
“When I see you like this, I’m right there with you.” My cramps had never been as bad as hers, which I was beyond grateful for. “You know what we should do? We should get oneof those period cramp simulators and put it on Rome, then send him shopping or something. We’ll see how tough he is then.”
The grimace Bella gave me was probably supposed to be a grin. It was working. I was distracting her. “I’d like that. But he also has to . . . take laxative because . . . I always get really bad diarrhea. It’ll . . . probably come in a few minutes.”
I chuckled. “Me, too. The poor guy won’t know what hit him.”
Speaking of periods, when had I gotten my last—
I gasped. Six weeks ago. I was overdue!
Wait, no. I couldn’t be pregnant. I’d been on birth control, and the past couple weeks had been very stressful and emotional. Wouldn’t be the first time my period decided to show up late.
Bella gripped my hand. “I think I’m gonna throw up.”
Yeah, me, too. I stumbled to the desk and grabbed the plastic trash can from under it. I made it back to Bella just as she started to gag. Nothing came though.
But what if Iwaspregnant? Birth control wasn’t one hundred percent safe. I needed to get a pregnancy test.
Rome came back with a heating pad. He handed it to Bella. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
She slowly took it. Even managed a smile. “No . . . Thank you.”
“I need something,” I blurted. “A pregnancy test. I’m overdue and need to know if I’m pregnant.”
Both stared at me as if I’d grown a second head. Nope, no second head, but maybe I was growingsomething.
Shoot, shoot, shoot. If I was pregnant, did I have to tell Kingsley? Make the scandal even worse?
And what if he didn’t want the baby? Or couldn’t be a dad because he stayed a monk or priest?
