Page 88 of Stepson

I swallow hard, knowing he'll do exactly that and knowing I’ll love it. Spending the rest of my life with this man is a dream come true, but I didn’t expect our lives to be intertwined so quickly. I’m terrified, and feel like I’m stuck in a corner. What if Gabe doesn’t want this kid? What if he freaks out and leaves? I can’t do this without him.

“I’ll be back before you know I’m even gone,” I state before I lightly kiss his lips.

He grins at me until I disappear down the garage stairs. My heart is pounding as I make my way to the Jeep in the driveway, keys jingling in my hand. The pharmacy is right down the street, and in just a few minutes, I’ll have a pregnancy test in my hands. Will I have the courage to take it? God, I sure hope so.

Once I arrive at the pharmacy, I grab the few things we need for our new garage apartment before I make it over to the aisle that holds the pregnancy tests. I stare at the surprisingly large selection for what feels like forever. How did I know which one to buy? They all look the same to me. Grabbing a name brand one, I walk to the counter as fast as I can before I chicken out and don’t buy one at all.

After paying for our things, I grab the bag and make my way to the bathrooms in the back. I’m completely terrified to do this when I haven’t ever had to in the past. I’ve always been so careful about protection, but with Gabe, I just couldn’t help myself. He never wears a condom, and since all of this went down, I kept forgetting to take my birth control and have completely forgotten it at Marcus’s when I left for good. I put myself in this situation and there is only one way to figure out what I’ll do next.

I pull the stick out of its packaging, pee on the end, and sit here with my leg shaking until the results are ready. I chew on my bottom lip until it’s almost raw as anxiety grips my chest. Breathing normally is out of the question for now. My thoughts are all over the place.

Gabe has been amazing to me since he came back into my life, but with everything else going on, this pregnancy scare might be what pushes him over the edge. What if he doesn't want to be with me anymore? What if he demands I get rid of the baby? The baby is his, and I'll never be able to do that.

My eyes move over to the counter and see that the stick is ready. With shaking hands, I grab the stick and look at it just as a sob tears out of my throat. I cover my mouth and stare at the two solid pink lines. There is no denying the result.

I’m pregnant.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Is anyone in there?" A female's voice echoes from the other side.

I toss the pregnancy test into my purse and scurry out of there as quickly as I can, bursting past the woman waiting her turn.

The world looks differently now, and my head is foggy. I’m pregnant. Gabe's child is growing inside of me, and I’m terrified. Terrified to lose him, and terrified of what the future holds for us.

I get back in the Jeep and drive the short distance back to Maggie's, parking near the garage before I grab the bag and head up. Gabe is just finishing up with the last sheet of sheetrock as I come upstairs. My gaze moves around the space, instantly wondering where we’re going to put a crib and if this place will be big enough for a new addition.

He turns around and smirks at me. "Hey baby, there you are. I was beginning to think you weren't coming back." He laughs as he approaches me, wrapping his arms around me.

My body tenses, but I try to remain calm. I don't want to give anything away, knowing I want to tell him the news after we receive the outcome of Marcus's future. Besides, if the judge or Marcus's attorney finds out I’m pregnant, that could destroy my fight against him.

He kisses the end of my nose before he leans back and looks down at me.

“You okay?” He asks softly.

I love how he’s so attentive to my emotions, but right now, I wish he wasn’t.

“I’m fine,” I reply as a small smile lifts my lips. “Looks like you’re almost finished up.” I have to change the subject away from me and fast.

He laughs. “Yeah, for now anyway. Maggie said there was some old paint in her basement that we could use if we wanted to, but we can do that tomorrow.” He lets go of me and leans against a stack of wooden crates before he runs a hand through his hair. “I got a call while you were gone.”

My ears perk up at his words. “Was it from Kurt?” I’m hopeful the judge won’t take long to convict Marcus, and pray this will all be over sooner rather than later.

“Nah, not yet, but I assume that phone call is coming too. No, my old boss at the Kitten’s Lair called and offered me my old job back.”

“Your old job at the sex club?” I ask as my eyes squint at him. “Why?”

“I haven’t made a decision about it yet, but we’re going to start needing some money soon, babe. Just until I can find something better. It was actually nice that she offered me my job back after what went down before I was arrested.”

I snort. “It was pretty obvious from what that bouncer said the night we were there. The boss wants you, Gabe, that’s the only reason she wants you back now.”

My jealousy is coming out in waves, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Gabe is mine and no woman is going to destroy that for me.

He shrugs. “Maybe so, but she can’t have me. Last time I checked, I was very much taken and happy.”

His words might be the right ones to say at the moment, but they don’t make me feel any better. I don’t like the idea of him working for that woman again after the history he’d told me about. Nope, no way.

“As I said, I haven’t made a decision about it yet.”

---