“Sorry if I’m overstepping. Just…you know.”
Heat crawls up my neck. My husband looks bashful.
“I’m not,” I admit softly. “My father…he wouldn’t allow me to take anything like that. No pill. No birth control at all.”
“Oh,fuck, Dove.” His grin vanishes, face paling under the fluorescent glow. “We need a chemist. Wait—no pills at all? Not even Tylenol or aspirin?”
I stare. “What?”
“Do you even know if you had your childhood vaccinations?”
I shrug, cheeks burning hotter.
“Okay,” he mutters, running a hand through his hair, “step one. Get you a doctor. And, uh…you never playeddoctor and nurses, either, right?”
I just watch him, confused.
He squints. “Wait, youdoknow what a doctor is, right?”
I snort and nod.
“Okay, cool. Not a cave girl for a wife or anything…”
He spins toward the workbench, keys in hand. “First thing—morning-after pill. Right now. You’ve got my swimmers in you, and if they’re anything like me…” He glances back, grimacing. “Yeah. Let’s not take any chances.”
A laugh slips out of me, soft and unguarded—part relief, part amusement at the sudden shift in his tone, and part… him. The genuine concern written on his face is almost enough to make my chest ache.
“It’s a shame…I was warming to the idea of carrying your progeny.”
He freezes, completely still, pinned by my words.
Trey pales further. Maybe I shouldn’t have joked.
“I mean…if it’s against your religion…” he says, lips pulled into a contemplative scowl.
My brain sputters. “My father’s,” I state. “Not mine.”
His gaze flicks to my stomach, lingering just enough to make me feel exposed.
“Nice,” he says finally, recovering. “Okay, let’s get my baby girl some good, tasty drugs. Get you rattling like a gumball machine.”
“You do know, Trey,” I say dryly, “I wasn’t planning on tying you down with kids, right?”
“Hey.” His tone softens. “This isn’t about that. I just—” He rakes a hand through his hair again, the cap slipping. “You’ve only just been set free. Even if you’re technically shackled to me, you should feelfree. Make up for lost time. Have fun. Make mistakes. Live.”
Something shifts in my chest, tender and terrifying.
I reach out, brushing my fingers against his arm.
But what if I already have everything I ever wanted?
“I…I know.” I say,
Trey exhales, tension bleeding out with the breath. Then, like flipping a switch, that crooked grin returns, low and teasing.
“Still getting the pill, though. Can’t have my runaway nun getting morning sickness in the studio all over my sensitive equipment.” I laugh, rolling my eyes as he opens the SUV door for me.
“You’re ridiculous.”
