Page 72 of Size Doesn't Matter

“Of course I do.”

He stared at his lover, returned her fierce expression, the shock of her words momentarily clouding his brain from the truth of them. She was anxious, scared. Terrified he only wanted her for the baby, that he would now reject her and send her away as he had with Lisa.

But Sophie was not Lisa.

She wasn’t vindictive and cruel.

She wasn’t selfish and entitled.

Sophie Bennett had a beautiful soul with a kind heart, a wicked sense of humour and an arse that just wouldn’t quit. He’d been half in love with her before they’d even met, and meeting her had been the best moment of his life.

“I sent you gifts without knowing you were pregnant,” he said, gripping her chin and making her look at him. “I came looking for you at your uncle’s wedding without knowing you were pregnant. It’syouI want, Sophie. I fell head over heels in love with you the night we met, and baby or not, I will continue loving you until my dying breath.”

Rich brown eyes blinked up at him, less wild than they were before, and her voice softened, lost its troubled edge. “Jack.”

“You’re mine, Sophie, and you mean so much more to me than whether or not you can give me kids. I love all of you, every part of you.” He placed his hand over her belly. “Not just this. Understand?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but a nurse pulled back the curtain. And older woman this time, kindly looking with laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. “Knock, knock,” she said. “I have some pain relief for you, Sophie, and then we’re taking a walk to the bathroom, okay?”

Sophie nodded and Jack moved out of the way to let the nurse do her thing. “Do you want me to come with you, baby?”

She shook her head and got to her feet. “I’m fine.”

She didn’t sound fine, but he said, “Okay,” and let her do what she had to.

When they returned fifteen minutes later, Sophie was visibly upset. Her eyes were red again, like she’d just had a good cry, and she was sniffing. “We can go home,” she said, picking up her handbag. “I’m not pregnant.” Her voice caught on the words. “I never was. The test was negative.”

Jack looked to the nurse and frowned. “If this test was negative, then how did she get three positive tests a week ago?”

The nurse stuffed her hands in her pockets and frowned. “I’m assuming they were they all out of the same box?”

Sophie nodded. “Yes.”

“Do you remember the brand name?”

“No. Why?”

“There was a product recall recently for two different types of tests, made by the same manufacturer. Several batches were contaminated, causing the tests to show a positive result even when it was negative.”

“What?” Jack couldn’t hide his anger. “You’d think something like that would be in the news.”

The nurse lifted her shoulder in a half shrug, her expression one of pity, of apology. “It probably was, tucked away somewhere in one tiny corner of the internet.” When Sophie started crying again, the older woman wrapped her arm around her shoulder and gave her a reassuring hug. “Oh, honey, these things happen sometimes. Personally, I’d be thankful it was just a faulty test and not a miscarriage. Not every woman is as lucky.” She looked to Jack, and added quietly, “But if you know which brand it was, maybe check online to see if any batches have been recently recalled. You might be eligible for compensation.”

Jack shook his had, even more confused. “If the tests were faulty, why did she have all the symptoms of pregnancy? She’s had constant nausea, headaches, food sensitivity, she’s fatigued.”

“And my boobs hurt,” Sophie added, sniffing back tears. “And I need to pee twenty times a day. What else could it have been?”

“Have you been under any stress recently?”

“No,” she said, at the same time Jack said, “Yes.”

Sophie glared at him, but he stared her down, one brow raised until she dropped her gaze, until she submitted. “She’s sold her house, moved interstate, and started both a new job and a new relationship all in the span of a few weeks.” Not to mention still being harassed in the media by his ex-wife, even though he’d warned her not to.

“Well, that sounds pretty stressful to me,” the nurse said. “And stress often presents with similar symptoms to pregnancy, including disrupting your menstrual cycle.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Sophie muttered, her anger momentarily overriding her grief. “So all of this basically boils down to faulty pee sticks and stress? I got my hopes up,wegot our hopes up, for nothing.”

His girl looked up at him, her lovely face red and blotchy from crying, her lips pale and her hair limp, and still as beautiful to him as the night they met. “Not for nothing, angel,” Jack said, cupping her cheeks in his hands, refusing to let her look away. He needed her to see the sincerity in his eyes, hear it in his voice. “We’re together now, that’s all that matters.”

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