My throat tightens. “I hear you.”
I end the call and sink onto my old bed.
I press a hand to my stomach. Flat still. But something might be growing in there.
It could be Ash’s. Or Ghost’s. Or Titan’s.
Or Marcus Stone’s.
The nausea returns with a vengeance. I barely make it back to the toilet before I’m retching again, this time bringing up nothing but bile and panic.
Marcus pulled out. I remember that clearly through the haze of alcohol and fear. He spilled on my stomach, not inside me. The chances of pregnancy from that are slim.
But not impossible.
I rinse my mouth and return to my bed. An hour feels like an eternity. I try to distract myself with my phone, scrolling through nothing, seeing nothing, just counting minutes until I can know for sure.
The minutes crawl past. I pace my room. Sit on the bed. Stand again. My mind won’t shut up, running through every possibility, every outcome, every worst-case scenario.
What if it’s Marcus’s? What if I have to carry that monster’s child? What if Ash, Ghost, and Titan can’t stand to look at me once they know?
What if they leave me?
The thought makes my chest tighten. I’ve gotten used to them. Used to Ash’s protective presence, Ghost’s quiet strength, Titan’s playful warmth. Used to feeling wanted and safe and like I matter.
If this baby is Marcus’s, all of that could disappear.
I check my phone. Forty-five minutes have passed. Fifteen more to go.
A text from Snake comes through at 8:03.Louie’s at the gate. The package is wrapped in brown paper and looks like ink supplies. The guard said he’ll bring it to your room.
I slip into the hallway and head for the stairs. The clubhouse is still quiet. Ghost must still be passed out.
Miller waves at me from the couch. “Morning, Bonnie. You look like hell.”
“Thanks. You’re a real charmer.”
He grins. “Everything okay?”
“Fine. Just waiting for a delivery.”
Five minutes later, a prospect appears with a brown paper package. “This came for you. Guy at the gate said it was urgent.”
“Thanks.” I take the package and head back upstairs, walking fast but not running.
Back in my bathroom, I lock the door and tear open the package. Inside are three pregnancy tests and a note in Louie’s neat handwriting.
Got you three different brands just in case. Snake says call if you need anything. We’re here for you. - L
My eyes burn. I blink hard and pull out the first test.
The instructions blur in front of me. Pee on the stick, wait three minutes, check for lines.
My hands shake as I unwrap the first test. The plastic feels foreign in my palm, this tiny thing that’s about to change everything. I follow the instructions mechanically. Pee on the stick. Cap it. Set it on the counter.
Then the second one. Then the third.
Three tests lined up in a row like soldiers waiting to deliver news.
