taking a more active role in that side of things. He’d jumped at the chance.
“So, when was the last time you actually drank coffee?”
“I don’t know. A while. What does it matter? You’re always saying I need to lay off the caffeine.”
“People don’t just go off smells for no reason, Harper. There was a time when I couldn’t pry you away from a jar of coffee while you were inhaling all that roasted goodness.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not the coffee. It’s the milk—it’s turned.”
Zac glared at him in challenge. “Prove it.”
Grumbling, Harper hoisted himself to his feet and stomped into Zac’s kitchen. He got the milk from the fridge.
“This one?”
Zac nodded as he retrieved the jar of coffee.
Harper opened the milk and sniffed it, fully expecting to gag. But… nothing. It smelled normal. Confused, he set it down and took the coffee jar from Zac’s hands. He’d barely cracked it open when the smell hit him. He all but threw the jar onto the counter as he bent over the sink and retched. It took a few seconds to get himself under control.
Zac hovered around him, handing him napkins, and fetching a glass of water.
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s a stomach bug?” A horrifying idea hit him, and he turned to Zac with wide eyes. “Oh, no. I’m not allergic to coffee, am I?”
Zac looked like he didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. He pulled Harper into a hug.
“No, silly goose. I don’t think you’re allergic to coffee. How safe were you and William during your heat?”
“Very safe. I took pills, he wore condoms. I mean… things got a bit messy like they always do during the peak, but we were as careful as we needed to be. Besides, he’s clean. He showed me his results and everything. I didn’t catch anything from him.”
Zac pulled away, catching his chin. “Are you being this obtuse on purpose, or are you really this clueless?”
“Clueless about what?”
“You’re six weeks post-heat, and you can’t stand the smell of coffee to the point that it has you throwing up. Any chance you might be pregnant?”
Harper pulled his chin from Zac’s fingers. “Don’t be ridiculous. I did exactly what I was supposed to do. This body is a baby-free zone.”
“If that’s true, then there’s no harm in taking a test just to be sure.”
Harper shook his head, glaring at Zac accusingly. “This is just projection. You’ve got baby on the brain. I’m telling you, I’m not pregnant.”
“Then prove it. Take the test.”
Zac tugged him by the arm, leading him to the bathroom and rooting in the drawer next to the sink. Seconds later, he handed Harper a pregnancy test.
“Know what to do with it?”
“I’m not an idiot, Zac. I know how to pee on a stick. I just think you’re overreacting.”
“Then take the test to shut me up.”
Harper groaned, realizing Zac wasn’t going to let up until he’d been proven wrong. “Fine, fine. Get out and give a guy some privacy, would you?”
Shaking his head, he shut the door after Zac and pulled the test out of its packaging. He glanced at the instructions, but he wasn’t a stranger to pregnancy tests. It had been a few years, but he was pretty sure he remembered how this went.
Test done, he set it on the counter and washed his hands. He opened the door to find Zac loitering out in the hallway.
“Ready to be proven wrong?”
Zac just laughed. “I’ll be very happy to be. Maybe it’s just the baby fever talking.”
“No pitter-patter of little feet just yet?”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Zac promised, pushing away from the wall. “Well, second, after Beckett.”
“Think it’s been three minutes?” Harper glanced back into the bathroom, the first tendril of trepidation curling around inside him.
“Almost.” Zac rested a hand on his shoulder. “No matter the result, everything’s going to be okay. You know that, right?”
Harper made a face.
“I’m not pregnant—I feel it in my bones. I don’t need a test to tell me that.”
Zac sighed and shook his head. “Well, then. There’s nothing to be worried about, is there?”
“Who’s worried, duck? Not me.”
He spun around and stepped back into the bathroom, halting just inside the door.
“Harper?”
“I’m not pregnant.”
“Um, okay… but you can’t see the test from all the way back here. Do you want me to check it?”
Harper desperately wanted someone else to take responsibility for this. But it was his body, his test, and he was the one who’d have to deal with the result, whatever it said.