I should feel nothing but joy, but there’s a flicker of unease I can’t shake.
I need to talk to her, figure out what’s going on behind that smile.
Because something’s off.
And whatever it is, she’s not carrying it alone.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
CHARLOTTE
My phone buzzes before I’m even out of bed.
Kristy:Did you take it yet?
I stare at the screen, half buried under my comforter. It’s barely seven, and I already feel nauseated.
It’s my day off, and it couldn’t have come any quicker.
The team has a lighter day before the Cup Final—recovery skate and media—while the Eastern Conference finishes their series
I still haven’t taken a pregnancy test yet. I keep telling myself it’s stress, hormones, the crash after weeks of running on caffeineand adrenaline. But then another wave of queasiness hits, and I have to sit up and breathe through it.
I finally text her back:Not yet.
Her reply comes instantly.Want company? My morning is free. I’ll bring coffee and moral support.
A weak laugh slips out.
Fine,I type back.But no lecture.
No promises,she replies, followed by a coffee cup emoji.
I drop the phone onto the bed and press my palms to my eyes.
Kristy shows up twenty minutes later, hair in a messy bun, sunglasses pushed up on her head, holding two coffees like she’s delivering life support.
She eyes me carefully. “You look pale.”
“I keep feeling worse, especially in the morning,” I admit, sinking onto the couch. “My head’s foggy, I can’t stop feeling dizzy, and I’m so tired of waking up nauseous that I might actually cry.”
Kristy lifts an eyebrow. “Pretty sure those symptoms come with a commercial.”
I groan. “Don’t start.”
“Before you say anything,” she says, pulling a bag out of her purse, “I brought one. And no, you don’t get to hide it in a drawer for another week.”
I blink at the bag and exhale. “You really think I’m pregnant.”
“I think you already know, but you’re too scared to find out,” she says gently, sitting beside me. “And that’s fair. But stress doesn’t make you turn green every morning.”
She’s right. Part of me already knows the answer, but saying it out means admitting it could be real.
Maybe that’s why I’ve been avoiding it. Because deep down, I’ve known what a positive test would mean. Not just for me, but for him.
Declan married Vanessa because she got pregnant. I know how much that cost him, how long it took to heal from it. The last thing I ever want is for him to feel trapped again.
Because of me.
