Page 27 of Room 810

“Sorry,” I began, but it hadn’t escaped my notice that he’d avoided answering the question. “So, have you? Been sick, I mean?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, a little, but I’m doing okay.” I noticed he wasn’t wearing his standard wraparound shirt. Was that a sweater? Was he cold? Did he have a fever? “Don’t worry about me. It’s nothing serious, just a little case of morning si—” The video froze, the audio cutting out.

“Toby?” I got up off the bed and held my phone up, as if it might improve the signal in the Caribbean. “Toby, are you there?” I tried again over by the window.

The screen went black for a second, then he was back. He was looking at me expectantly, like he was waiting for an answer to a question. “Sorry, you cut out. Can you say that again?”

He seemed to take a bracing breath. “Sure, right, of course. I said I’ve had morning sickness… I’m pregn—"

The video froze again, and so did my heart.

16

Toby

“Hello?Gabe?IsaidI’m pregnant. Gabe, did you hear me? Are you still there?” The video froze on his face for a moment, before promptly going dark, a little orange exclamation point popping up, cheerfully telling me there was no signal.Shit.

Just when I finally found the courage to tell him I was pregnant, and the godsdamn call got dropped! I had no idea whether he heard the news or not. This was the first time in my years on this island that I had truly regretted the lack of reliable internet. I tried reconnecting the call, but no such luck.

“Grrr!” I gripped my phone in my hand, knuckles white, then before I knew what I was doing, I threw it.

That phone was my lifeline right now, my only connection with Gabriel—no matter how tenuous—and I regretted launching it as soon as it left my fingertips. “No!” I gasped, reaching helplessly as it sailed through the air…

And bounced off Miguel’s chest. “Oof!” he grunted, startled, and then he caught my phone midair as it headed for the floor. “Why are you throwing your phone at me?” he asked.

“It wasn’t at you in particular,” I clarified with a relieved sigh, dropping back into my chair, the wood creaking. “I told Gabriel the news. Maybe.”

“How do youmaybetell someone they’re having a baby?”

“By having shitty internet, apparently,” I said, accepting my phone back, which I promptly tucked into the drawer in case I was tempted to throw it again. These mood swings were legit.

My secret had been out even before I peed on the stick, but the best part about the gossip train was that it never stopped. There was always fresher, juicier gossip to be found, and an unmated omega’s pregnancy wasn’t nearly the scandal it would’ve been back home amongst my old colleagues. Nobody cared if I had a baby. In fact, they wereexcitedfor it.

I’d never really understood the expression about it taking a village to raise a child, because back home in the States, it seemed like it was always an omega at home doing all the work. Even when they were juggling a career, they were still working their ass off to manage all the roles. It seemed exhausting, but now that I was essentially living in a village, I totally got it. This was how it was supposed to be. Everywhere I turned, I had support. Anything I needed, there was someone willing to provide it, and it never felt like a burden because they were all pitching in.

“Maybe you should go see Luna and get a massage. You’re obviously feeling a little stressed. You’re not acting like yourself.” And before I could say I was fine, he added, “It’s not good for the baby.”

I laughed despite myself. He knew what I needed better than I did. “You’re right. A back rub would be nice.”

When my eyes drifted to where the phone was hidden in the drawer, Miguel came around the desk and pulled my chair out, nudging me up. “Don’t worry. I’ll answer it if he calls.”

“Yeah? Okay,” I agreed, reluctantly shuffling toward the door.

I knew logically that there wasn’t anything I could do to reach Gabriel right now. It would only raise my blood pressure to think about it, but it nagged at me all the same. Was this what he’d felt like when I told him there was no wi-fi? I used to think living on the island with no access to the outside world was a way to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones, but… what if your loved ones weren’t here? How did you connect then? The ocean surrounding us was as effective as a prison’s walls at keeping us apart.

The spa was right on the beach, its windows open to the sound of the surf washing over the sand. It was light and airy, with crisp white sheets and gauzy curtains, bamboo mats on the floor, and the scent of gardenia carried in on the breeze. In short, it was like a little slice of heaven, and I felt my body begin to relax.

“Ah, there you are at last,” Luna said in greeting. She had a way about her. Her long dark hair was twisted up in a bun, but tendrils had escaped and were framing her round face, her brown eyes twinkling. “I was wondering when you would finally give in to the stress and come see me.”

“It’s nothing personal, Luna. I guess I just figured…” My words trailed off, and I shrugged helplessly.

“You could do it on your own?” she supplied for me.

She hit the nail on the head. “Yeah.”

I pulled off my sweater and tossed it on a chair as Luna patted the bed. I hopped up, lying on my stomach, and put my face through the hole, staring at the floor below. “I guess I won’t be able to do this soon,” I pointed out.

“Don’t worry. Even when you get too big to lie on your stomach, there are other positions. I highly recommend massage all the way through your pregnancy. It will help with lower-back pain, sore hips as your tendons loosen, your aching feet and ankles as you gain weight.”

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