I nodded.
“Do you think you could be pregnant?”
My head jerked back, and I sucked in a breath, mentally calculating when I should have gotten my period.Three days ago. “I-I don’t know. I don’t think so?”
“Don’t stress about it.” Emiliana wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “One of us will leave early and pick up a test. You’ll know tomorrow morning at the latest. It’s probably nothing”—she glared at Lil—“but this way, you won’t worry.”
“Okay. Thanks.” But I knew that for the rest of the evening, all I would be able to think about was what the hell I would do if I was pregnant.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SUMMER
The club had been a lot of fun. I’d met Nicole’s son, Tony, who looked so much like his mom. I’d learned from the others that he ran three of the family’s clubs and excelled at it. There had been some trouble with him before, but that had centered around his father’s expectations, and his father was dead and no longer causing problems.
I had no idea what that all meant. And didn’t care. I had fun, aside from the looming question in my mind about whether or not I was freakingpregnant. It made for a difficult night of sleep. I’d tossed and turned, the covers twisting around my legs, resulting in more than one panic attack.
The sun shone through the windows. It was finally morning, and I couldn’t be happier to get out of bed. The girls said they would be over this morning and cook breakfast together. I rolled over and picked up my phone, surprised to see a text from Lil:I snuck into your room last night. The test is under the sink in your bathroom.
How did I miss that?
Me:Thanks! Just saw this. *bites nails*
Lil:Hang in there. I’m downstairs. Want me to come up?
Me:No. But thanks.
This is something I need to do on my own.
Lil:Come down after. The girls are just arriving. We’re going to cook breakfast—well, Emiliana is. ;)
Me:*thumbs up emoji*
I set my phone on the nightstand then worked to untangle myself from the sheets. Once I was free, I stood on shaky legs, swaying until I got control of my anxiety.
The floor was icy under my bare feet, and I shivered. I didn’t think I would ever get used to Chicago weather. At least it hadn’t snowed yet. It would be cool to experience it once, even though the thought of months of cold was difficult to comprehend.
I shut and locked the door behind me. No one would come in, but I felt better with the barrier. I found the pregnancy test Lil had left under my sink. I read the back, checked how long I had to time it, then opened the box. I sat on the toilet, holding the stick between my legs as I peed on it. I capped off the end when I was done then put it on the counter. I washed my hands then set a timer on my phone and paced the length of the overly large bathroom, gazing at the huge standing tub and walk-in shower with its rainfall showerhead. I loved every inch of the room and focused on that instead of the ticking time bomb waiting to go off on the counter.
Longest couple of minutes of my life.
When the timer went off, scaring the hell out of me even though I expected it, I peered at the test. I almost puked—two pink lines.
I’m pregnant.
Big, fat tears rolled down my face, and I slid onto the floor, burying my face in my hands. I was twenty years old, and I would have to raise a baby by myself.
My shaky hand rested on my stomach.We’ll be okay.
Luc would pay me five hundred thousand dollars at the end of four weeks. That would give us a good start somewhere. I just had to hold on for two more weeks.
I sucked in a breath as realization dawned.I’m keeping it. My hand rested over my flat stomach. The thought of the life growing inside me, of the possibilities, outweighed all the other factors.I can do this.
With one decision made, I pushed aside all the others I would need to make, such as telling Luc or where I would live after leaving. Instead of dwelling on any major decisions, I showered and got ready to head downstairs for breakfast with the girls. I threw on a pair of dark jeans and a soft red cashmere sweater that hugged my body. I felt good in the clothes Sofia had helped me pick out. I hoped I would be able to keep them. Wherever I went, though, would be someplace warm. I wasn’t sure how much use I would get out of some of them.
Noises from the kitchen drew me, and I entered with a big smile on my face. Four sets of eyes must have read my expression as relieved, which translated to not pregnant. They wouldn’t ask because Stefano leaned against the counter, Enzo, Marco, and Max were at the table, and Luc had just arrived. I wasn’t ready to tell them. Besides—my gaze caught and held Luc’s observant one—he needed to find out first.
* * *