Page 117 of Burning Skies
Until it hits me.
“I… What?” I get out my phone and look at my period tracker. “I’m late.”
Paige sits next to me. “How late?”
“Three weeks. Which is really late, but this happened to me in college once when I wasn’t even dating anyone. My body goes crazy when I’m stressed out.”
Baylee points to the bathroom. “Paige and I are always thinking we’re pregnant, so we bought a mega-pack ofpregnancy tests. You’re welcome to go take one if you think it’s a possibility.”
My stomach has been upset the last week. “Would you mind?”
Paige shakes her head. “Not at all. Let me get you one.”
Once I’m alone and I’ve peed on the stick, I wash my hands and stare at my pale reflection. Am I ready to be a mom? Is Beau ready to be a dad? Would he be excited?
A bubble of happiness fills my chest, and I have my answer.
Yes, I’d love to have a baby with Beau.
Is it early? Sure, but he’s a solid man, and I love him to pieces. Although he hasn’t said those three little words, he wouldn’t put up with my family’s crap if he didn’t care, right? And he already told me he wants a family.
Paige knocks. “Any news?”
I open the door. “It’s still doing its thing.”
Reaching out, she grabs my hand. “Are we hoping for a positive or a negative?”
Positive. I want it to be positive. I smile at her as it beeps, and the three of us run to the counter.
As we stare at the little screen, the bubble bursts. Because it’s negative.
Paige hugs me. “I’m sorry.”
Baylee wraps her arms around me from the other side. “I have two silver linings here. One, your father won’t have a reason to track down Beau with a shotgun, and two, practice makes perfect.”
Nodding, I let go of my friends and wipe my eyes. “I didn’t even know I wanted a baby until you mentioned a pregnancy test.”
A deep voice comes from the other room. “Did my wife move the party to the bathroom?”
My eyes widen when I realize Rhett is a few feet away. Iquickly toss the pregnancy test in the trash and wash my hands again before I join my friends in the bedroom. Paige is hugging Rhett. “We were talking about holiday gifts. Top-secret stuff.”
He chuckles. “So basically, it’s none of my business.”
I force myself to laugh with my friends before I scurry out of the room and down the hall to the kitchen. Paige calls us all over to the table, and Beau pulls out my chair and then sits next to me.
As we sit side by side, he grabs my hand under the table and laces our fingers together. Leaning over, he whispers, “Glad you could make it today, princess.”
I try to shake off the sadness from that negative test. We just need time. Like Baylee said, practice makes perfect. We’ll get our ducks in a row first and be practical. Nodding to myself, I squeeze his rough hand in mine. “Thanks for inviting me. I love your family.”
He kisses my forehead. “Sorry we couldn’t hang out this week. I added that shift before you and I were a thing.”
“Is that what we are? A thing?”
A crooked grin spreads on his handsome face. “I’d call you the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Oh, my heart.
Closing my eyes, I lean against him as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
