“Maybe. God, I hope I’m not pregnant,” she teased, and it was my turn to feel the heat rush to my face. I actually had to stop and steady myself on the front door as I reached for the handle.
“Pregnant?”
“I’m kidding, Jayce. I’m on birth controlandwe use condoms. I’ll take a test, but I’m almost positive that isn’t it.”
“Can I do anything? Anything at all?”
“Yes. You can go to class and work hard. Just let me catch up on some sleep. I’ll be better in a few hours.”
“Are you sure? Macey, I can skip one of my classes and bring you chicken noodle soup.”
“I much prefer clam chowder over chicken noodle,” she said, and I could almost see her grinning over the phone. “Write that down.”
“Mace.”
“I promise, Jayce, I’m fine. I’ll try to get up for dress shopping with the girls tonight if that makes you feel better. Maybe it’s just one of those twenty-four-hour bugs.”
“Fine, Macey.” I trotted down the stairs to grab some coffee and a bagel before my next class, phone pinned to my ear, wishing she was here with me and not home, by herself, sick. “But if you need me for anything at all, just call. I will come to your aid.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome, milady.”
Chapter 26
Macey
After hanging up thephone with Jayce, I slipped back under the dark cocoon of my covers. I’d already drawn the shades, because even the slightest hint of too much light made my head spin with agony. It was a migraine, a real one, and what I hadn’t told Jayce is that I’d been throwing up all morning on account of it.
For the next eight hours I slept again, in and out of reality and exhaustion. I woke up in a cold sweat more than once, confused and disoriented each brief second before I’d fallen asleep again.
The sound of my bedroom door opening along with the zip of the curtain as someone pulled it aside to let dusk trickle in woke me hours later. I groaned and opened one eye, still hiding under the covers, barely catching sight of the alarm clock through a crack in the blanket. It was after five.
“Rise and shine, sweet pea,” a familiar voice said. Candace. “Someone forgot that they were going dress shopping today, apparently.”
A second voice spoke, another familiar one. “How are you feeling, Mace? I hope it’s okay that I tagged along.”
