Page 79 of Cop Daddy Next Door

Rather than answer, I pushed the bag at his chest. I couldn’t hide this from him. We’d come so far, or at least it had seemed so before this conversation.

Logically, I knew he had his fears too. But right now, I needed his support. His freaking fears could just get in line.

He opened the bag and audibly gulped. “Whoa.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you been having symptoms?”

Silently, I nodded, hoping I wouldn’t break down and cry. Or throw up. Or punch him.

Any of the three was possible in my current state.

“Like what?”

“I threw up a bunch this morning. Had nausea on and off all day.” I swallowed hard. “My breasts are sore. I’ve gone up a fourth of a size.”

“A fourth of a size?”

“Just guesstimating there. My pants are tighter. I don’t know how much. Maybe it’s bloating.”

“Or maybe it’s baby.”

“Or maybe it’s baby,” I echoed. “Either way, I couldn’t just go to the bachelorette party not knowing. It may be too soon to test, but it should show by now or pretty soon.”

He reached down and took my hand, squeezing it firmly. “We’ll take it now and find out rather than wonder.”

“You only sound so calm and rational because you aren’t the baby vessel.”

“I can admit that does lend a certain steadiness.” He lifted our joined hands to his lips. “But I’m here. I promised I’d be here.”

“Because you’re trying to be as good as Brady.”

“And if I am? Trying to be good isn’t a bad thing, is it? But even without Brady’s example, I’d still be here.” He stopped me at the base of the steps to his front porch and gripped my waist. The pumpkins and bright gold mums we’d picked up at the market last weekend sat on either side of the door. “We’re both here. The difference is I’m always wondering how long until you go.”

EIGHTEEN

I was aboutto lose my damn mind.

How could five minutes seem like five hours?

“Is it time yet?” I called through the door while simultaneously texting my brother I’d had a slight delay and would meet him and the others at The Pleasure Palace.

Though the group of others was dwindling by the minute. Bunch of chickens. At the rate we were going, Brady and I would be the only lucky victims…err, candidates.

That this whole scenario was actually my fault was not lost on me. Nope, no siree. And I didn’t just didn’t mean the one with Brady at The Pleasure Palace.

Vanessa came out of the master suite bathroom, looking far too waxy and pale. Had she looked like that this morning, and I just hadn’t noticed in the morning rush?

I brushed her hair away from her forehead and frowned at how warm she felt. “You want to lay down?”

“I could lay down.” She pressed her face into my chest. “I’m so tired.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, baby?” I stroked her hair and waited for her mental punch for daring to call her baby—or physical punch depending how much energy she had left.

“I don’t want things to change,” she whispered. “We barely know each other. How can we have a baby?”

“We know each other plenty. Time doesn’t dictate everything. As for the things we don’t know, we’ll learn as we go.” I cupped her face in my hands and waited until her gaze lifted warily to mine. “Plenty of people have figured this out. They aren’t any smarter than us.”

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