When Luc arrived home, later that evening, I laid in bed reading a book but not taking in a single word. It was hard to focus on anything when my mind was thinking about Xavier and whether or not I might be pregnant, which would only complicate matters further. By the sounds of it, he didn't exactly want me to be a part of Luc's life. I knew too much and that meant I was a liability and not an asset.
"Shall we?" Luc asked me.
Putting the book down, I got off the bed and pulled the tests out of the bag. Luc followed on my heels as I walked towards the bathroom.
"Babe," I said. "I'm not peeing in front of you."
"Why not?"
"Out," I ordered, pointing at the door.
"But I want to know," Luc said to me.
"It'll take time. We'll look together," I assured him.
Luc frowned but left me to pee on the stick alone. When I was done, I placed it on the counter and opened the door. Luc came in and pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my head. We didn't say a word while we waited for the test, but I could hear the way Luc's heart hammered in his chest in a similar fashion to mine.
We spoke vaguely about having children, but I couldn’t help but think being pregnant now would be a mistake. I needed to figure out what to do with the information about Xavier. I didn’t want to marry Luc, let alone start a family with him, if there was a lie sitting between us. He’d never forgive me if he found out that I knew and kept it from him.
"I think we can look now," I told him after a few minutes.
Luc let go of me and I grabbed the stick to see it announced that I was not pregnant. I showed it to Luc, and he nodded slowly.
"Is it sure?" he asked me.
"I can do the other test," I told him.
Luc left me and we repeated the process but once again the test was negative, and I felt guilty at the small swell of relief I felt. There was one less thing to worry about.
When we got into bed, Luc pulled me close to him. "Don't be disappointed, love," he murmured. "We have plenty of time. Maybe it's for the best right now."
I ran my fingers through Luc's hair, and he closed his eyes and let out a quiet hum. I wanted to tell him what I had heard but Xavier made my blood run cold. Not only that, but I had respect for Maria and wanted to speak to her first.
"I'm going to pop in and see your Mom tomorrow," I told him.
Luc tensed under my touch. "Don't you think you should rest? I'd feel much better if you stayed at home."
"I didn't get the chance to see her today," I said to him. "I’m not sure why Xavier was with her."
Luc opened his eyes. "I asked him to speak to Mom for me."
"Oh?"
"They've known each other for years," Luc said with a shrug. "I figured he could try to get her to see if from my side. Try to show her Dad would have done the same for her." Luc braced himself on an arm and leaned over me, free hand stroking my hair.
My stomach twisted at the mention of his Dad. "Let me go and see her tomorrow. Maybe I can help talk her around," I said.
"Break the date to her," Luc told me.
"You still want to get married?" I asked him, surprised. Some part of me, deep inside had wondered if Luc would decide I was a mistake after tearing his family apart.
"Mia," Luc said sternly.
"I meant as soon as we had planned."
"Unless you've changed your mind then I don't see why we can't."
