Close to You - Kristen Proby Page 0,65
I’m here.”
“Are you wearing flip-flops?”
“Will you please focus?” I demand, and pace into his living room.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m late.”
“For what?” He frowns. “And if you’re late, why are you here?”
“We are having a serious communication issue today,” I mutter, and scrub my fingers over my forehead. “I’m late.”
His jaw drops for a moment, but he recovers quickly, swallows, and says, “Okay, we need to go to the pharmacy.”
“For what?”
He smiles gently, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation.
“We need to get a test, baby. I don’t have any rabbits handy and I’m not psychic.”
“Oh! Right.” I nod. “Why are you so calm?”
He smiles and takes my hand, kissing my knuckles, and leads me out to his car. “Because there’s no need to be anything but calm.”
Except, there could be. And then what?
“WE’VE BEEN STANDING in this aisle for ten minutes,” I say as Landon reads the back of a purple box. He’s read every single brand there is. “They’re all pretty much the same, Landon.”
“How many have you taken in the past?” he asks, not looking up from the box.
“None.”
“Right, so you’re an expert.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m a woman.”
“I’ve noticed.”
Okay, now he’s just being difficult.
Finally, he drops one of each brand into the basket and guides me to the check out.
“You’re getting all of them?”
“Yes.”
I keep my mouth shut as we make our way to the register.
“That’s a lot of pregnancy tests,” the older woman says with a laugh as she begins ringing them up and tossing them in bags. “You know, they’re all basically the same.”
“That’s what I said!”
Landon just smiles and shakes his head at the lady. “We’re fine.”
“It’s your money,” she says with a shrug. “That’ll be ninety-six sixteen.”
Almost a hundred dollars for pregnancy tests!
That’s ridiculous. I roll my eyes again, but Landon pays without a word. When we’re in the car, he turns to me and drags his knuckles down my cheek, immediately calming me. “Would you feel more comfortable at my place or yours?”
“My car is at your house.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
I chew my lip for a moment. “I’d rather go to mine. That’s where we’ve spent most of our time together.”
He smiles gently. “Your place it is, sweetheart.”
He’s quiet on the ride to my place, but he keeps my hand tightly in his, our fingers linked. His composure has calmed me and I’m finally able to take a deep breath.
“That’s better,” he murmurs, and kisses my hand. “Just breathe.”
I nod and hold my breath for the length of a block before he laughs.
“You’re not breathing.”
“Oops.”
He finally pulls into my driveway, grabs the two bags of tests, and once we’re inside, I take them from him. “You can stay down here.”
“I’m coming up.”
“Okay, but you can’t come in the bathroom with me.”
He cocks a brow. “Why not.”
“I’m not going to pee in front of you!”
He simply chuckles and gestures for me to lead the way upstairs.
When we get to the bathroom, I turn around and hug him hard around the middle. “Before I go in, I just want you to know that I love you.”
“Cami,” he says, and kisses my head. “You’re coming out alive, I promise.”
“I know I’m being dramatic.” I sigh and pull back. “But this is kind of freaking me out.”
“I see that.” He smiles reassuringly and kisses my forehead. “We got this, babe.”
I nod, not reassured in the least. “Right. We totally got this.”
I walk into the bathroom, close and lock the door, and turn to the mirror. I step out of my flip-flops and frown when I realize that my feet aren’t just wet, they’re muddy.
Because it’s March in Portland, Einstein.
“You don’t have to lock it!” Landon calls out. “I’m not going to burst in on you while you pee!”
“Go far enough away so you can’t hear me pee either!”
I hear him mutter something about women, but I can’t make anything else out when I turn the faucet on, just in case.
Peeing when you know someone is waiting for you is harder than it sounds.
I take a deep breath and lean on the counter, looking at myself in the mirror.
“This could be a mess,” I whisper, “and I’m not just talking about the pee mess. I’m talking about everything, but you are a big girl. It’s going to be okay.”
Do I actually want to be pregnant? I really don’t have to ponder that question. I don’t. Well, I do, eventually, but not yet. Things with Landon are still relatively new, and I want to