“I know. I—”
“No, you don’t, baby,” I assured her. Reaching the couch, I held her close as I dropped down onto the cushion, effectively seating her on my lap. “I have some things I need to tell you.”
“Me too. I had to—”
“Madison,” I sighed. “You’ve got to let me get a word in, baby.” I was trying to formulate the right words to tell her what I wanted without sounding like a complete Neanderthal. I wasn’t taking no for an answer, but I wanted her to think she had a choice.
She frowned, and her eyes narrowed, flashing with annoyance. “Ethan Cole, shut the hell up!” she shouted, and my eyes snapped to hers in surprise. Madison reached into the bag and pulled out a small, rectangular box and held it in front of my face. “I’m late.”
Chapter Ten
Madison
Yup, I had blurted it out just like that. No warning. No lead-up. No easing my way into it so Ethan wouldn’t be taken completely by surprise. Just a frantic “I’m late.”
But it’s not like I had any choice with the way he kept interrupting me. Whatever news Ethan wanted to share with me couldn’t possibly be more important than the fact that my period was late—not when the small, lightweight pregnancy test in the bag I was clutching in my hand felt like it weighed about a million pounds.
Now wasn’t the time for his commanding ways; not when I was oddly in panic mode, even though being pregnant was everything I’d ever wanted. But that was before Ethan. I still desperately wanted to be a mom, only I also found myself craving...more. Like the husband, white picket fence, and happily ever after to go along with the baby we might have already made.
Instead of freaking out like I was doing, Ethan took my hands in his and calmly asked, “How late are you?”
I wiggled a few fingers at him. “Three days.”
“How consistent is your cycle normally?”
“Like clockwork.” I felt the heat fill my cheeks as I blushed. Ethan had gone into doctor mode, but I couldn’t forget that he wasn’t professionally acquainted with my body—he was intimately acquainted with it. Very, very much so.
“A menstrual cycle that's off schedule doesn't always mean you're pregnant. There are other factors that could be causing your late period,” he warned, reaching for the test I’d bought. He nodded when he saw the brand I’d picked. “Taking the test in the morning is best because that’s when the hCG level in your urine is the most concentrated.”
I yanked the box out of his grip. “There’s no way in hell I can wait all night to take this. I’m too anxious for the results. I wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.”
“Although I can think of plenty of very satisfying ways for us to pass all the hours between now and the morning, I don’t like the idea of you being worried.” His dark eyes held a mixture of desire and concern as they searched my face. “Lucky for us, you went with an early detection test. They’re more sensitive, which reduces the odds of a false positive if you take it tonight.”
That was all the encouragement I needed, and I jumped to my feet. I hurried to the bathroom attached to the master bedroom. Since the guest bath was directly off the living room, I figured it would be more private while I peed. But, Ethan followed right behind me.
“Um, no way.” I twirled around and pushed against his chest until he backed up all the way out of the bathroom. “You’re not staying in here with me while I pee on a stick.”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed. I’m a doctor,” he tried arguing, but I wasn’t having any of it.
“But you’re not my doctor,” I reminded him. Then I thought of something and lightly smacked his chest with the pregnancy test box. “In fact, you refused to take me on as a patient, remember?”
“Fine.” A muscle in his jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth. “But I’ve seen, touched, and tasted every inch of your body. There’s no reason I can’t stay in the room with you while you take a pregnancy test to find out if you’re carrying my baby.”
I briefly considered letting him stay, as long as he kept his back turned to me. But the only person I’d ever peed in front of as an adult was my best friend. It was the opposite of sexy, and I refused to do it in front of Ethan. If he didn’t like it, that was just too bad. “The idea of peeing in front of you makes me uncomfortable. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“Shit,” he groaned. “Of course it is.” His head dropped low and he sighed before taking another step back. “Go ahead, but please don’t leave me out here the entire time. As soon as you’re done, I’d like to wait for the results with you.”
My heart warmed at how quickly he caved and how vulnerable he seemed when he asked so nicely to wait with me. I moved close, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck as I rose up on my toes to press my lips against his. Neither of us closed our eyes. With our gazes locked, the gentle kiss was brief but meaningful. It gave me hope that the results of the test wouldn’t change things between Ethan and me—in a good way.
I took a deep breath and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. It didn’t take long for me to rip open the box, read the instructions, and do my business. As soon as I flushed the toilet and turned on the faucet to wash my hands, Ethan rapped his knuckles against the door. I laughed softly before calling out, “It’s okay. You can come in now.”
He pushed into the room and wrapped his arms around me, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Thank fuck. That felt like forever.”
“It took me two or three minutes, tops.”
“You know what they say about a watched pot never boiling.”
I nodded and offered him a soft smile. “Which is why I couldn’t wait until the morning to take the test. If those three minutes felt like forever, imagine how long the entire night would’ve taken.” I glanced down at the test where I’d placed it on the counter. “It’s bad enough that we aren’t supposed to look at the results for three minutes after I peed on it.”
“I totally understand.” His arms tightened around me. “But I don’t want you to be unnecessarily disappointed if you get a negative on the test. It could be a false negative. If it doesn’t come up positive and your period doesn’t come before the morning, I want to take you into the office with me so I can run a blood test. They’re the most accurate method, and I can get the results in a few hours since we have our own in-house laboratory.”
“Thank you,” I breathed out, feeling some of my nerves settle.
He nuzzled into the crook of my neck and brushed his lips against the sensitive skin there. “I’d do anything for you, Madison. Don’t you know that?”
“You already are. You’re giving me a baby.” As I thought about telling him I wanted more, my eyes darted towards the test again and I saw a flash of pink on the display screen. Blinking a few times, I reached out with a trembling hand to pick it up. I brought it closer to my face, and the pink became more distinct.
“Two lines,” I gasped, tears filling my eyes and making it hard to see the results. But I knew what I’d seen. “Oh my God, it’s two lines!”
Ethan plucked the test from my fingers, looked down at it, and whispered, “You’re right. There are definitely two lines. They’re impossible to miss.”
“My period’s late. The test is positive, even though I took it at night. That means I’m pregnant, right?”
He dropped the test back on the counter and
lifted me up in his arms. Then he cradled me close to his chest while he carried me into the bedroom and gently set me down on the edge of the mattress. Dropping down to his knees, he pressed a kiss to my still-flat belly and looked up at me with dark eyes filled with joy. “Yes, Madison. That’s exactly what it means. We did it. You’re pregnant.”
I was going to have a baby. Now the only thing left to find out was if I was going to get the husband, white picket fence, and happily ever after with it.
Chapter Eleven
Ethan
I stared at Madison’s glowing face and a surge of love washed over me. Everything I wanted was within my grasp, sitting right there in front of me. I cradled her cheeks in my hands and brushed a soft kiss over her smiling mouth.
“We did, lips,” I whispered again. “We’re having a baby.”
When I pulled back, Madison’s expression had dimmed. It was so subtle, most people would have missed it, but I wasn’t just anyone—I’d dedicated my time to getting to know this woman.
“What’s on your mind, baby?”
She forced her smile to brighten and shook her head. “Nothing, of course. I just can’t believe it. I’m finally having a baby.”
I frowned and slipped one hand to the back of her neck, while the other gripped her chin. “We are having a baby, Madison,” I emphasized. “Together. It’s alright to be scared, but you won’t be doing this alone.”
She bit her lip and blinked away the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. “It’s not the same.”
“The same as what, baby?” I released her chin and used my thumb to wipe away the remaining wetness from under her eyes.
“I’ll still be a single mom.” Her lips turned up into a tremulous smile, her attempt at confidence failing miserably. “It’s not like I’m not prepared for it since it’s what I planned, after all. I’m just a little overwhelmed.”