two more days to get up the courage to say something to River and another day to muster enough to take a test.
“Same?” River asks.
I nod. “All the same.”
“Oh, thank god.” She straightens. “I mean, this is a good thing, right?”
“It’s definitely a good thing.”
It’s only been six months. Nolan and I haven’t been dating near long enough for me to be pregnant with his child. Hell, we’re not even living together yet.
Not to mention I’m not sure how Nolan feels about having kids with me. I know he’s not a big fan of them, but he loves Sam so much. Maybe his feelings have changed?
“You know you have to tell Nolan about this, right?” River chews on her lip, apprehensive.
I sigh, not looking forward to it one bit. “I know. I’ll tell him tonight.”
I pull my phone out of my purse, which is sitting on the bathroom counter.
Me: Still on for dinner tonight?
There. Simple enough.
No reason to get him freaked out while I’m still freaking out.
Romeo: Pizza?
Romeo: I’ll bring the meats.
Me: *rolls eyes*
Me: But deal.
Romeo: Be home in a bit.
Smiling, I tuck my phone back into my purse and push up from my spot on the closed toilet lid.
I wrap my arms around River. She stumbles, not expecting the affection, but squeezes me tightly anyway.
I’m not sure how long we stand there hugging, but it’s just what I need.
“Thank you.” The words aren’t much, but they’re important ones, and she knows how much I mean them.
“Always.” She gives me another squeeze before releasing me and wiping at her eyes. “Fuck. That shit got me emotional. I was having flashbacks to being sixteen.”
“You too, huh?” I laugh, brushing away my own tears. “At least this time I would have been a little more prepared for it.”
“You’d definitely need a bigger apartment.”
“And car,” I add, stepping in front of the mirror.
I’m a mess. My hair is all over the place from me running my hands through it, and my makeup is a wreck from rubbing at my eyes so many times.
Despite my appearance, I feel a million times better than I did when I first entered the bathroom.
I love Nolan, but I’m not ready for a baby. I want it to be just us—and obviously Sam—for a while.
“River! I’m home!” Dean’s voice echoes through the apartment. “Where are you?” He moves closer to the bathroom, his voice growing louder. “So, listen, I was thinking we could try that thing you mentioned the other night in the bedroom. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s dirty as hell, but the more I think about it, the more turned on I am.”
I lift my brow at River, whose face is burning a bright red.
“Shut up,” she hisses to me, and I laugh. She yanks open the bathroom door, running smack-dab into Dean. She slaps her hand over his mouth. “Stop talking!”
His brows crease together, confused. Then he slides his eyes my way, and they widen to twice their size.
Slowly, River removes her hand.
Dean swallows thickly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his khakis, nodding at me. “Maya.”
I smirk at his discomfort. It’s not often Dean is knocked down a peg or two, so I’m going to enjoy the moment while I can. “Dean.”
“What, uh, what are you doing here?”
“You know, just…stuff.” I shrug. “What’s the dirty bedroom thing?”
“You know, just…stuff,” he mutters.
I laugh. “Well, this has been a mildly enlightening experience, but I’m going to get upstairs. Nolan should be home before too long.”
Dean steps out of the way, and River leads me to the door.
“I expect a full report later,” I tell her.
“Likewise.”
I give River another hug, thanking her again, and head for the elevators. I step inside when one arrives and press the button for Nolan’s floor, settling in for the slow ride.
This slow-ass elevator is about the only thing I don’t miss about this building. The rest? I miss it so much. Especially waking up next to Nolan every morning.
At the time, living separately sounded like a good idea. We wanted to take things slow. Wanted to ease into everything.
But now? I miss him like crazy.
We still have dinner together every night—either at my place or his—but it’s getting harder to walk away from him each night.
I want more with him. But I’m scared he’s not ready yet.
The elevator finally reaches his floor, and I make my way down the hall to Nolan’s door, passing by the apartment that’s been raising a lot of brows lately.