baby scent that she enjoyed so much, and instead, he smelled like Goldfish crackers and Play-Doh, but she loved it anyway. “No, I don’t want to take a nap right now. Maybe later.”
“Mel’dy nap.” Lucas headed for the couch, where he pulled down a throw pillow. He put it on the floor and put his hands on her head, slowly guiding her down toward it.
Who was she to interfere when he was trying so hard to take care of her? “That’s very nice. Thank you, Lucas.”
But he wasn’t done. He next pulled down a soft blanket that they kept draped over the back of the couch. It took him a lot of effort to cover her, and her backside was still hanging out by the time he was done, but he looked pleased with himself. “There. Mel’dy nap.”
“A very nice nap, indeed,” Melody replied. “You want to lay down here with me?”
“Okay.” He stretched out on the rug next to her.
Melody covered him with some of the blanket. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV, grateful for a little bit of downtime. Her separation from Roman had been much harder on her than she’d thought possible, and so had Ruby’s absence. She’d considered asking Jude for the Wilsons’ phone number so she could offer to babysit, but she was worried about coming off like a weirdo.
As Christmas cartoons jangled brightly on the television in front of her, she allowed herself a fantasy of what things might’ve been like if the world had been a different place. What if she and Roman could have actually worked things out? What if they’d never fought in the first place? Melody hardly cared whether they lived in Wyoming, California, or Timbuktu, and she imagined them living out their fictional relationship in some nondescript home that could have been anywhere. Maybe they would even have had a child or two. Roman would have gotten the hang of the kid thing. In fact, he already had a better handle on it than he realized, Melody was sure.
“Melody?”
She opened her eyes. The cartoon on the screen had changed completely. Lucas was still curled up with her, fortunately, or she’d have felt even more terrible as she looked up at Emersyn standing over her. “Hey. I guess I fell asleep. Lucas had me very well tucked in.”
“I can see that.”
Melody sat up, and Lucas scooted closer to the television. “I told him I was tired, and he insisted. It was really cute.” She pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling drained even after her little snooze.
“You doing okay? I know the last few days haven’t been easy on you.” Emersyn sat on the edge of the couch and folded her hands between her knees.
“They have, but I’m fine. I just need to catch up on a little sleep, and I’d better do it soon. I’d planned to have all my shopping done early, but that got put on hold by…you know, so I still have a few things to pick up. And then I’ve still got to get everything wrapped. I have a big grocery trip to make, too.” She pushed back the blanket and stood up. Black waves spiraled in toward the center of her vision, and she stumbled backward.
“Whoa. Are you sure you’re all right?” Emersyn reached out to grab her hand and led her toward the sofa.
“It’s just a little holiday stress, that’s all.” Melody looked up at her best friend, and when she saw the compassion in her eyes, it made her want to cry. She’d thought she’d run out of tears a long time ago, yet there they were, threatening to spill over once again. “I think.”
“You think? Tell me everything that’s happening. Don’t skip a bit of it.” Emersyn was back in doctor mode.
Melody knew that was not a force to be reckoned with. “I’m having trouble sleeping. I spend half the day feeling like I want to throw up and the other half feeling like I’m going to cry. I’m just stressed out.”
Emersyn patted her hand and stood up. “Why don’t you step into my office for a minute?”
“But Lucas—”
“He’s entertained, and we’ll be right in the next room. Alessia’s in the kitchen, so she can keep an eye on him, too. Come on.” Emersyn brought her through a doorway and into the exam room. She reached into a cabinet and fetched a small cup with a lid. “Let’s start with a pregnancy test.”
The blood drained from Melody’s