Page 56 of Santa Baby Maybe
“No matter what,” I repeated.
“W.B….”
“Don’t tell me we don’t fit. Don’t tell me we can’t make this work. Because, flat-out, we’re better together. And I don’t mean just sex. Together we helped save Kane Co. Together we figured it out when you sprained your ankle. Together we…might have made a baby.”
I heard the intake of breath but I also watched her face closely.
“You’re not scared,” I said with some awe in my voice. Because how could she not be? But her expression was as serene as I’d ever seen it.
She shook her head and smiled. “No,” she said, and I could tell she’d surprised herself with the admission. “It’s crazy, but right now, no. I’m not scared.”
“Then let’s do this.”
The doors opened and we left the Kane Co. building and all the Christmas cheer that was happening on the top floor. We left behind the crowd and a lot of the praise for the work we’d done together.
I’d driven to the party, so we took my car to the nearest pharmacy, which was only a couple of blocks away from the building. It was already closing early for Christmas Eve, and the conditions outside, as the snow continued to fall, only sped that up. The manager was just about to lock down for the night when we showed up. I promised him we would only be a few minutes.
Two pregnancy tests and a box of condoms. You know, in case she wasn’t pregnant.
The manager, who looked to be no older than a teenager, snickered as he rang us up but made no other comment.
I didn’t even ask Joy where she wanted to go. While my place was closer, this felt like something she would want to do in her home. I navigated the now mostly empty streets as the snow continued to fall. Silence accompanied us, which seemed fitting as the snow served to make the world a little quieter.
It was slippery, but the Audi had snow tires and was built to handle this kind of weather. Beyond that, I was careful. Ridiculously careful given the passengers I might be carrying. Eventually we reached Joy’s home and I pulled into her driveway.
“Stay put. We didn’t get our coats before we left and I’m not letting you trudge your way through the snow in those shoes.”
“W.B. I can handle snow. I live in Denver, remember?”
I gave her a stern look.
“Yes, sir,” she mumbled.
I made my way out of the car and opened the trunk where I kept practical snow boots. Always at the ready for a Denver storm in winter. Quickly, I got out of my leather loafers and shoved my feet into the unlaced boots.
Then I walked over the passenger door and opened it. I took off my suit coat and gave it to her.
“Put that on,” I said.
Then I brushed away enough snow around the car door that she could get out. As soon as she did, I swept her up into my arms.
“W.B., you’re being ridiculous. And why are you always carrying me?”
“I like it.” I smiled. “I think I’ll carry you everywhere we go.”
“Who knew you had latent caveman tendencies?” she muttered. But she did it with her arms wrapped around my neck.
Carefully, I navigated her walkway. I had to put her down for her to open the door, but a portico protected us from most of the snow.
Once we were inside, the warmth embraced us and it was like we both had realized how cold it was.
“I’ll start a fire,” I said, heading over to her fireplace where she had a bin of wood and a basket filled with old newspapers for kindling. “You go…do your thing.”
I didn’t look up at her. Just focused on picking a log or two. Then stuffing the paper under each. She had a box of long matches next to the bin of wood and I took one to strike a flame. A few minutes later the logs were burning hot enough to give off some real heat.
I’d been so focused on my task, I didn’t realize that Joy hadn’t moved beyond kicking off her shoes. She had one of the pregnancy tests in her hands and was reading what I imagined were the directions.
Having seen enough TV and movies, I understood the gist of what needed to happen. She needed to pee on the stick, then we waited a few minutes and we would know. Whether or not our lives would be irrevocably changed forever.
