I turned back over to face him when I heard the sincere fear in his voice. “It was delivered here this morning, according to Laura. I don’t know anything beyond that.”
He clutched onto his hair. “Fuck.” He stayed still for a moment before looking at me again. I hardly had time to react before I was wrapped in his arms once again.
“I’m really sorry, baby. I know you were scared and even I was an asshole and didn’t take your calls. “He began peppering kisses over my face before settling on my lips.
It was difficult to be angry with him when he was being sweet. And it was possible that I reacted too aggressively.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and reveled in the affection.
He muttered, “I’ll fix it. There is nothing to worry about.”
Again, my stomach churned. Not in a nice way, either.
“Do you have any guesses as to who it could be? What do they want by doing this?”
“Not right now, but I’ll investigate and get to the bottom of it.”
Somehow, I had faith in him.
By the time Saturday arrived, we still lacked any explanations for the enigmatic letter I had received. At least he hadn’t told me anything even if he did know something or the other.
I had shooed him off to go do guy things with Francis and Geoffrey so that I could enjoy my day at the spa.
I made the most of the opportunity. The full works: massages, facials, manicures, pedicures. I would do anything to attempt to get out of the weird state I was in.
“What’s going on with you?” Courtney questioned with her blue face mask still on. Because she was seated next to me, she only needed to turn for me to see her face properly.
I finally understood why men were scared of feminine beauty routines. At times, we did resemble aliens.
“I’m not sure. Recently, I’ve been feeling strange. Although I didn’t think it was anything at first, now I am sort of worried that I am really sick.” I could hear a faint murmur in the back of my head, but I was too scared to really pay attention to it.
Lory was not shy, though. She slumped down beside me with a smug smile on her face. “I am willing to bet my right hand that you are pregnant.”
And there it was. She had thrown the possibility out into the open.
Courtney smiled, her eyes glowing. “God. Nicholas will lose it.”
“Let’s not discuss it, guys. It’s not likely that I am pregnant. I believe it’s just my body adjusting to everything that has happened in the last few months.”
That seemed logical. Right?
It wasn’t that I hoped to avoid getting pregnant. I did. Simply put, I didn’t want to feel let down when I learned I wasn’t pregnant again. Furthermore, I really, truly didn’t want to raise Nicholas’ expectations only to dash them once more.
“Don’t discount the possibility so quickly,” Lory said. “You’ve felt drained, irritable, and queasy. All of it adds up.”
“When did you last have your period?” Courtney questioned.
I looked around to make sure no one was listening in on our somewhat private conversation. “Keep your voices down. Geez!”
I swallowed, taking the time to think hard about when I had my period. “I am late. A few weeks late, okay?”
I shook my head as they both squealed.
“However, that is meaningless. I’ve never been entirely on time, and there was the stress of traveling, starting school, and other things.”
Courtney grinned sarcastically. “Yes, I wish I could experience the strain of a romantic vacation. That must have been torture.”
My eyes started to water and I bit my lip to compose myself. “I’m not ready to hope just yet.”
I slouched against Lory as she wrapped her arms around me. I was definitely the mood swing queen.
“Allow us to help you. We will go back to your place. You can take the test knowing that we will support you no matter what happens.”
I eventually consented, and we made a stop at the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test on the way home.
Lory stepped out of the car and said, “You two wait here, I’ll go get it.”
We waited anxiously, hoping Nicholas wouldn’t be home by the time we got there.
Thankfully, he wasn’t.
The three of us rushed up the stairs and closed the bathroom door behind us. Lory set three sets of tests on the counter.
After tearing them open, Courtney gave me a cup. “Pee on it.”
I gave her a scowl and seized the cup. They remained motionless there as they observed me.
“Could you two leave the bathroom or at the very least turn around to give me some privacy? I’m stressing out over here with performance anxiety.”
My hand was already trembling so much that I was worried I could urinate on my hand than in the cup.
I closed my eyes and took a deep, soothing breath.
‘I can do it!’
When my body finally complied, Courtney seized control and started preparing the three tests using my sample.
“I can’t believe you are handling my pee right now,” I sighed.
Too anxious to stay inside and watch them count down the seconds, I pushed them out of the restroom. While I paced the room, they sat on the bed close to each other.
What if I was expecting?
The prospect made my heart pound. A baby. A baby with Nicholas.
Nicholas.
He would be ecstatic. I wouldn’t be surprised if he started dancing and making arrangements for a nursery right away.
What if I wasn’t, though?
The notion of the other result had already started to make me cry. I would have to hide my disappointment so that Nicholas wasn’t more upset than he needed to be.
I stopped pacing when Lory’s phone’s timer beeped.
“Willow, no matter what the test says, everything will be fine,” Courtney said.
I just gave a quick nod before picking up the sticks.