Page 96 of Savior
Ethan and I are unpacking a new order of crystal clusters when Laura comes back downstairs after her tarot reading. I still haven’t told either of them that I’m pregnant, but with my hormones turning me into a weeping disaster at the drop of a hat, and the fact that pregnancy generally isn’t a secret one can hide forever, anyway, I should probably say something.
While Ethan and I continue to carefully unwrap the crystal clusters and display them on the shelves, Laura tinkers around on her laptop. I decide now is as good a time as any.
“Laura, since you’re the crystal expert, which would you recommend for a healthy pregnancy?”
“Quite a few would be helpful.” She answers, though whatever she’s typing away at on her laptop has more of her attention than I do. I glance over at Ethan, who’s staring at me, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“I knew it!” he declares loudly, pulling her attention in our direction now. Ethen drops a half-unwrapped cluster back in the box and rushes up to me, throwing his arms around me in a warm embrace.
“What’s gotten into you two?” Laura asks, and we both laugh at her.
“Come back from space, Aquarius! Did you not hear what Vanna asked you?”
She looks at me, perplexed for a moment, before realization hits her. Her eyes widen behind her green rimmed Vera Wang glasses, as a restrained smile pulls at her mouth. “No… Are you kidding me?” she asks, standing up from her desk.
I shake my head, smiling back at her.
“Oh my God!” she squeals in that raspy smoker’s voice of hers that I’ve come to love. She rushes across the room to hug me as well, Ethan joining in and wrapping his arms around us both again. “How?”
“You know how!” Ethan jokes.
“You know what I mean!” Laura looks at me as we release each other.
I shrug. “The doctor said stranger things have happened.”
“I’ve read it takes a while for a vasectomy to be effective.” Ethan says with a laugh. “I guess you and Dean couldn’t wait.”
I’ll let them think that. “I guess so.” I say, awkwardly now.
“How did Dean take the news? I mean, he gets snipped to avoid this and it happens anyway.” Ethan presses.
I glance at Laura. She’s looking at me in a way that tells me she knows this isn’t what happened. Mercifully, she helps me out of the corner I’ve backed myself into.
“How far along are you?” she asks, excitement still in her tone.
“About thirteen weeks.”
“Thirteen weeks… so that means…” Laura begins to say, squinting up at the ceiling, clearly trying to calculate a due date.
“November!” Ethan beats her to it.
“A Scorpio!” she smiles.
“Yes!”
Ethan rolls his eyes, though I know he’s only joking. “Well, now we know for sure what you and Dean did on Valentine’s Day.” He teases, “Like we need more Scorpios! Thanks, Vanna!”
Laura shoves him anyway. “At least it isn’t another bitchy Sagittarius!”
“Hey, I resemble that remark.” He jokes.
“We know!” Laura laughs. “Do you want to know if it’s a boy or a girl?” she asks, her attention back on me now.
“I haven’t asked Dean about that yet. But I think it’s a boy. He seems to think so, too.”
“Let’s test a few Old Wives’ Tales!” Ethan grins, glancing down at my ring finger. “The Ring on a String. Or we could ask a pendulum.”
“Oh, you have to let me do a reading too!” Laura excitedly insists. “My cards were right about your Knight, weren’t they? They described your charming Dean, perfectly!”
