the test shows. We’ll take things one day at a time. I promise not to pressure you. But we don’t know what we’re dealing with until you pee on this stick.” He grinned and then ripped the box open and pulled out the inner package.
Bex wiped her eyes and blew her nose, but she felt too heavy to rise from the bed, and she didn’t really want to find out if she was pregnant or not. Ignorance was bliss.
Bracken stood and tucked both hands under her to lift her into his arms. He carried her to the bathroom and set her on her feet next to the toilet.
Why wasn’t he freaking out? Even though she knew he wanted kids, surely he didn’t want them this week. Not with a woman who hadn’t even committed to staying with him yet. Not in a relationship that was so new that they’d hardly used the L-word.
She watched as he opened the foil package and removed the damn stick she needed to pee on. He read the directions carefully and set them on the vanity before handing her the stick. “Pretty straight forward. All you need to do is pee on the end and then we wait.”
She took it from him with shaky fingers. She suspected the new wave of nausea she felt was from nerves.
“I’ll wait outside the door in case your bladder is feeling shy,” he teased before stepping out of the room without closing the door. He didn’t hover, but he would be able to hear her.
She was out of options, so she pulled her shorts down, sat on the toilet, and peed on the damn stick. After she flushed, he returned, took the stick from her, and set it on the counter.
When she stepped up to the sink to wash her hands, he crowded behind her, reached around her body, and washed both their hands together. It would have been erotic and sensual if the situation weren’t so dire.
He set his chin on her shoulder and met her gaze in the mirror, holding it for several seconds before turning her around and taking her in his arms. He led her from the bathroom and back over to her bed where he sat on the edge and brought her between his legs.
Cupping her face, he met her gaze again. “Rebekah, I love you so much it hurts.”
She nodded, crying again. “I know you do, and the truth is that I love you too, but this is too much. It’s too soon. I’m freaking the fuck out.” A baby? She still couldn’t picture herself being a mom.
He blew out a breath and smiled, pulling her close, his hand going to the back of her head to thread into her hair. “Baby, all that matters is that we love each other. I promise this will be okay. Either way. It changes nothing.”
She nodded against him. He was right, but it didn’t alleviate her panic.
He held her face again, forcing her to look at him. “I already told you how I feel about you. This might alter our timeline a bit, but not by much. If I hadn’t thought it would make you run, I’d have asked you to marry me a week ago. Probably even earlier than that.”
She sucked in a breath. She knew all this. It just seemed so much more real with him articulating it out loud. Marriage. Jesus. Was she ready for marriage and babies?
He stroked her cheeks. “No matter what, I promise I will still slow the fuck down and give you all the time you want. If you’re not ready to marry me, I won’t even ask until you are. But baby, at the very least, please move in with me. No matter what that test shows, I want you in my home. Our home. No more of this back and forth. I want to wake up with you next to me every day. Can you do that?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She’d already known she could at least take that step before he arrived with this unexpected bomb. “I hated sleeping without you.”
He smiled. “Good. Then that’s settled. Now, deep breaths. No matter what the test shows, you’re coming home with me either way. If you have the flu, I’ll take care of you. If you’re pregnant, I’ll still take care of you. It just might take a little longer for you to feel better.” He grinned, making light of this incredibly crazy situation.
Somehow he was making her feel