Page 76 of Forbidden Bond

I kiss her hard, trying to convey just how much she has come to mean to me and how grateful I am to have her. I stare at her for a long moment after that, her beautiful blue eyes, the smile on her face.

I’ve never been in love. But a part of me realizes that what I feel for Katherine might be exactly that.

CHAPTER 23

Katherine

With a shaky breath, I pull into the parking lot. I just recently got my car back from Topher’s repair shop. It’s good as new—he even got it repainted and added some custom seats I know must have cost a fortune. He made a lot more upgrades, and I’ve been worrying myself sick thinking about how I’m going to pay him back. That’s the furthest thing from my mind as I step out of the car, though.

A bell dings above my head as I enter the drugstore, and my hands tremble as I find the aisle containing pregnancy tests. My period is late.

As soon as I realized it this morning, my heart climbed into my throat. I’m grateful I had spent the night at Jameson’s place instead of Topher’s. If Topher had seen the expression on my face, he would have known immediately that something was wrong. But it seems I’m out of luck because as soon as my hand connects with a pregnancy test, my phone starts to ring. A soft sigh escapes me.

I consider ignoring the call but if I don’t pick up, he’ll just get worried.

“Hey, babe,” I greet.

“Hey. Where are you?” His voice sounds far-off and hollow, like he’s lying upside down.

“I came to get something at the store. You?”

“At home. Waiting for you.”

I laugh softly. “Anyone ever tell you that you’ve got attachment issues?”

“Can’t help it, baby. It runs in the family. What store are you at? You need me to come get you?”

“No, it’s fine. I have my car back, remember? I’ll see you soon.”

He grows quiet for a couple of seconds. “Katherine… tell me what’s wrong.”

Fuck.

“Nothing’s wrong. What makes you think there’s anything wrong?”

“Because you sound like you’re hiding something. There was a slight hitch in your voice, and you only get that when you’re lying.”

I roll my eyes and lean against a wall in the store. I hate that he knows me so well.

“Where are you?” he says insistently.

“Topher,” I start, then falter. If I really am pregnant, it would be life-changing for the both of us. I’m not sure how he would take it.

“You can tell me anything, princess.”

I take a deep breath. We officially started dating two weeks ago. While it’s not the ideal amount of time to even be discussing a pregnancy, if there’s any possibility of it, he deserves to know.

“I came to buy a pregnancy test.”

Topher doesn’t say anything for several seconds. I have to pull the phone from my ear to confirm he hasn’t hung up. When he speaks, his voice is quieter.

“I thought you said you were on birth control.”

“I was,” I tell him. “I got on the pill the day after we had sex that first time. We didn’t use a condom then.”

“Yeah, we didn’t.”

I’m starting to feel a little uneasy. “Talk to me, Toph. Are you mad?”

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