Grabbing the test, I sit on the loo and do as instructed, peeing on the stick then popping the lid back on. I set it to one side, washing my hands and untucking my dress as I wait.
And wait.
And fucking wait.
Jesus! How long do these things take?!
My breath catches as the screen finally changes.
Pregnant.
Fine tremors wrack my body and I suddenly feel ice-cold. Yet at the same time, a strange surge of blissful elation fills me at the thought of carrying a child. Loki’s child. I wonder for a brief second if this is how Mum felt when she found out she was pregnant with me. This bizarre mix of happiness and sheer terror.
Oh god, Loki.
I have to tell him. I look up at my reflection in the mirror, noticing my wide eyes and flushed cheeks.
“You can do this, Lilly Darling,” I tell myself, my voice much more confident than I feel.
Grabbing hold of the test, I walk to the door, pausing briefly with my hand on the handle and taking one final deep breath before opening it.
The guys are all sitting on the sofas, the fire roaring as they swirl various liquids in glasses. They’ve taken their jackets off, loosened their ties, and Loki, Jax, and Kai all have their shirt sleeves rolled up. I smile at the fact that Ash hasn’t, although he has undone the first couple of buttons.
“Everything okay, Pretty Girl?” Loki asks, and my head snaps to him. Immediately, he gets up, setting his glass down and coming towards me as if he knows. “What’s happened?”
I see the others stiffen behind him, standing up, but my focus is on the auburn-haired angel in front of me.
“I’m pregnant,” I whisper, holding out the test for him to see.
His brows dip for a second, looking down at the screen which still shows that one word. I watch him intently, seeing the flush rise on his cheeks as his eyes widen. His gaze comes back up to me, and suddenly I’m so worried about how he’ll react.
“Christmas Day,” he says, not as a question but as a statement. I nod, my throat tight, waiting.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ash demands, striding towards us.
“Lilly’s pregnant,” Loki tells him, not looking in his direction, but keeping his wide eyes on me.
Ash stops like he’s just been sucker punched. “What?”
I can see the others come up next to him, shocked expressions on their faces, but I stare at Loki, waiting for his reaction.
"It's not the end of the world, is it, Loki?" I whisper, pleading with him to anchor me, to tell me that it’ll all be okay, regardless of how crazy having a child now is.
"No," he answers, and my shoulders sag, my breath whooshing out of me at his answer. "It's really not the end of the world, Pretty Girl."
He cups my face in his palms, his emerald eyes full of such tender emotion that my own fill with tears.
"I couldn't imagine anyone else I'd rather be in this mess with," he tells me, his own eyes wet as he places a soft kiss on my lips. “Me and you are in real trouble now, Pretty Girl,” Then he drops to his knees, his hands framing my middle as he kisses over my flat stomach. "Hello, little one."
My eyes close, the tears falling freely as I feel a sudden lightness wash over me. Fingers wipe the tears away, and I open my lids, turning my head to the side to see Jax looking at me, his eyes full of fierce protectiveness and love.
“We’ll look after you both,” he tells me simply, cupping my face and making more tears fall, and my throat ache.
“Nothing will happen to you, either of you. I swear,” Kai vows from my other side, and an uncomfortable shiver runs through me at his promise. I shake the uneasy feeling off, giving him a watery smile.
Loki stands back up, wiping his eyes, and my heart aches with love for him, for them all.
“Fuck, I’m gonna be a dad,” he says, running his hand through his hair.