Taking On The Billionaire (Redhawk Reunion #1) - Robin Covington Page 0,50

Mia’s footsteps on the floorboards gave away that she was running at a clip.

Tess couldn’t help herself. “Mia, I’ve told you a million times not to run in the house.”

Her sister’s face was ruddy with excitement and concern as she skidded to a stop in the doorway of the bathroom. “Tess, if you call me and tell me to pick up a pregnancy test or two on my way home and you expect me not to run? You are out of your mind.”

“Fine. Fine.” Tess waved off her arguing and held her hand out for the test. “Just give it to me, please.”

Mia paused a moment, eyes locked on hers, and Tess had to look away to avoid the pain and confusion swimming in them. She didn’t see disappointment there, not yet; she wasn’t sure she could handle that right now.

The drug store bag rustled, the box was placed in her hand, and the door shut behind Mia with a gentle click. With shaking hands, Tess opened the package and followed the directions. When she was done, she opened the door and went to find Mia, taking the stick with her.

Her sister was on the couch, huddled with her knees pulled up to her chest. She glanced down at the stick, eyebrows raised in question.

“I have to wait a couple of minutes,” Tess replied, slipping down on the sofa and easing down to lean on Mia’s shoulder. “I don’t want to wait alone.”

The moments slid into each other, feeling both forever long and speeding by at the same time. Tess refused to look at the stick, refused to stare it down in a feeble attempt to get it to reveal its secret sooner rather than right on time. Mia fidgeted beside her, her distress advertised with every crossing of her legs and deeply troubled sigh.

“Do you want a baby?” Mia asked, her fingers plowing through Tess’s curls.

What a question. What a question she didn’t have an answer for.

“I’ve never thought about a baby.” She spoke with conviction but that was a lie. She’d thought about children but only in the context of something she’d never have—along with a marriage. She’d raised Mia and she had an all-consuming purpose to see her father done right, and none of that left room for fantasies about commitments and children she was never going to have. “This wasn’t planned. Antibiotics and unprotected sex.” She cut a stern glance at her sister. “I knew better. I should have done better.”

The next question came in a small voice, a tentative inquiry mumbled into her shoulder. “Would you keep it?”

“Yes.” She answered before she thought about it but the answer felt right, was right. It would be a complete rocking of her world and she doubted that she would be very good at it but the answer would be yes. “I didn’t screw up too badly with you. I think I could do it.”

“What would Adam do? Does he want a family?”

Now that was the question. And she had no idea of the answer. He was a natural family man, a loving and caring brother, even though he thought he was a failure.

And he had quickly become the one person she would take a chance with, the person she trusted to take a risk.

She glanced at her watch and it was past the time for the stick to tell her future, like the psychic woman at the carnival. But instead of getting a bunch of cryptic premonitions about meeting a dark-haired man, this wouldn’t be hocus-pocus. It would be the definitive end result, the end game, the final score. No wiggle room. No multiple interpretations.

And if the result of the test told her that she was carrying Adam’s child could she still use the information sitting in her office to take down his adoptive father?

Adam would be thrilled, vindicated, and relieved to be told about the mole. But she had no idea if he’d be as thrilled to be a father. For a woman who had spent so much of her life avoiding unnecessary complications, she’d created a Rubik’s Cube mess of her life. Making up for lost time, she supposed.

Tess reached out, pausing to squeeze the shakes out of her fingers, finally grasping the long white plastic stick and looking at the answer.

“Well,” she said, swallowing hard and reaching out to take Mia’s hand. “Isn’t that something?”

Fifteen

“I was right.”

Adam leaned in close to whisper into Tess’s ear, brushing a soft kiss against the sweetest spot