being a Google doctor and talking to somebody who'd actually experienced it firsthand. Which was why I'd called her in the first place – not to give her gossip fodder.
Still, the checklist of symptoms continued rattling around in my head. Morning sickness? Check. Of course, I was sick more than just the morning, so maybe it was a stomach flu. Late period? Check. A week late. I kept assuming it was just stress, but now? I wasn't so sure. Each day I checked, and each day I came back with nothing left to show.
A knock at the door pulled me from my mental checklist and sent a bolt of adrenaline through my veins.
I opened the bathroom door and called out, “Yes?” to Cason in the hallway.
“Would you like some breakfast? Made some biscuits and gravy,” he said.
My stomach turned. “Not right now, thanks,” I said. “I'm not feeling all that well right now.”
“If you need anything, Hailey, just let me know,” Cason said through the door.
I was wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt and panties, or else I'd have opened the door and talked to him. Still, I felt bad for at least not saying good morning. I opened the door just a sliver and peeked out, giving him a smile.
“Thank you, Cason. You and your brothers are so generous and amazing. I'm thankful to you guys.”
He smiled, a deep smile that went all the way to his honey brown eyes, and showed off the dimple in his cheek. He ran a hand through his short, brown hair and looked like he might blush. His chin had a hint of stubble, which I had to admit, looked incredibly sexy. I mentally scolded myself for having such a thought. After all, I'd slept with his brothers, and I was dealing with a possible pregnancy scare at the moment. The last thing I needed was to put one more McCormick notch in my belt.
“Anything for you, beautiful,” he said. “I'll be around if you need me.”
He turned to walk away, but I stopped him. “Oh Cason? Jenn is coming by, I hope that's okay?”
“Of course,” he said. “Want me to just send her in when she gets here?”
“Yes, please,” I said, biting my lip.
He winked at me, making my knees go weak. Damn, why must these men all be so sexy?
I closed the door and put on some pants as quickly as possible. I knew Jenn lived nearby, and when she said five minutes, usually she meant three. But this time, it surprisingly took her a whole ten minutes. I was already dressed completely by the time she got there.
“Hailey?” she called in to me. “You in there?”
I pulled open the door and hugged my best friend, so grateful to have someone I could confide in. Shutting the door behind us, she handed me a pregnancy test.
“Take it. Now. The earlier you test, the better,” she said. “I'll wait.”
“But –” I stared to argue.
“If you think you're pregnant, take it. At least that way it can ease your mind if you're not, right?”
“I guess so,” I mumbled, staring down at the packaging.
For some reason, even thinking of taking a pregnancy test sent me into panic mode and I stood there staring at it a moment longer.
“Go,” Jenn said, nudging me toward the bathroom. She followed me in and shut the door behind us. “I'll turn around, and while we wait for the results, you're going to fill me in on everything. Got it?”
“Yes, m'am,” I said.
I followed the directions on the test and placed it on the sink. It said to give it a few minutes for the results – and I knew it was going to be the longest two minutes of my life. Jenn paced the bathroom, and I had to tell her to stop.
“You're making me nervous,” I said and laughed.
“You're not already nervous?” she asked me.
“Of course I am,” I said, putting my head in my hands. “But you're making it worse.”
“Alright then, tell me why you're here,” she said, stopping in front of me.