Page 106 of Doctor I Do

Inside the bathroom, she steps back from the counter, and it reveals the test stick. Immediately, I see the two pink lines.

I’m pregnant.

There’re no tears. No nothing. I’m stunned. I’m waiting for it to hit me. I wander back to the sofa on trembling legs.

“I can’t believe you’re pregnant,” Maddison says with a disbelieving voice from the other end of the sofa.

“Same. This was not in my plan.” I rub my eyes, feeling the exhaustion hitting, but I can’t lie here all day.

She twists on the sofa to grab the remote and play the next episode of Friends. “Nothing ever goes to plan. You should know that by now.”

I sigh. “I know, but I feel like a burden to Alex.”

I’m grateful for how he makes me feel and how he loves me, but I don’t want him to think I’m taking advantage. He’s had a lot of change already. Playboy to marriage and now baby. It’s too much to ask. It’s a lot for me, let alone him.

“He wouldn’t. Have you seen him with baby Ethan? My ovaries flutter,” she says, resting a hand on her heart.

I giggle at her dramatics. But she’s right.

“Yeah, he loves him. How do I tell him?” I ask, trying to think of a special way.

Those pink lines on the stick are confirmation. Whether or not the timing is right, this is our baby, and I’ll love it so much.

“Give him the stick,” Maddison suggests.

“I don’t know,” I say, lost in thoughts. My brain already feels like it’s not working. “I need to see him. He deserves to know.” Standing up, I walk to grab my car keys.

“Are you sure? You could wait and gift it to him as his wedding gift?”

“I know, and that would’ve been a nice gesture, but my gut says to tell him now. I’ll be back, but, Maddy, please, not a word to anyone,” I plead.

“You got it. It’s your news to share,” she says with an understanding smile.

“I’ll be back soon. Wish me luck,” I say, spinning around and striding out the door.

“You don’t need luck, silly,” she calls out, and I leave, making the nervous drive over to his house.

At his door, I’m basically shaking like a leaf. The door opens before I can unlock it, and I see him wearing navy pants, no tie and an open white shirt. He was in the middle of getting undressed from work.

“Tahlia,” he says, with his irresistibly devastating grin.

I drop my chin and swallow the lump in my throat as I look to the ground, trying to gain the strength to tell him the news. “I—"

He lifts my chin up with his hand, so I’m looking at him. He stares back longingly, and it cuts me up. “What’s wrong?” he breathes.

My first attempt at talking just has my mouth opening and closing. I swallow the fear knotting inside me and speak the words in a whisper. “I’m pregnant.”

His eyebrows draw up in surprise as his mouth slackens. I watch the wheels turning in his head as he tries to process the information. “What?” he replies coolly. He drops his hand from my chin and dives it into his hair, and he leans back, staring at the ceiling, mumbling under his breath, “Fuck.”

Not the reaction I wanted. Any hope of happiness has been removed by him in one second. Why did I think he’d be happy? It was a lot for him to commit and love me, and now I’m pregnant. I’ve pushed him. But it wasn’t on purpose.

Long silence looms between us, making me more uncomfortable.

“How…What…When?” Now he can’t even form a sentence.

“What do you mean?” I ask shakily, looking up at him, disorientated. Hearing the fear in his voice is adding to my anxiety.

His eyes are wild. It’s like the news has shaken him, and the next words cut deep. “I'm not ready to be a father.”

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