Then she turns to the men. “Now for the cheek swabs. Who wants to go first?”
“I’ll go.” Ash steps forward without hesitation.
She has him open his mouth, runs the swab along the inside of his cheek for thirty seconds, then seals it in a sterile tube labeled with his name and a number.
Ghost goes next. Then Titan.
Dr. Wise packs the blood vials and swabs carefully into a cooler with ice packs. “I’ll send these to the lab today. You should have results within two weeks at the latest.”
“Thank you,” Ash says, pulling out an envelope from his pocket. Inside is more cash than most people see in a month. “For your discretion.”
She takes the envelope without counting it. “You have my word. This stays between us.”
She leaves the way she came.
The four of us stand in the meeting room after she’s gone, not quite looking at each other.
“That’s it then,” Titan says finally. “Now we wait.”
“Now we wait,” Ash echoes.
Ghost is quiet, his dark eyes fixed on me. I can see the wheels turning in his head.
“I need air,” I say, heading for the door.
“Bonnie—” Ash starts.
“I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
I walk out before any of them can argue. The common room is still full of brothers watching TV, playing pool, and nursing beers even though it’s barely noon. I weave through them toward the kitchen.
Maybe I’ll make tea. Or toast. Something normal to trick my brain into thinking this is a normal day.
The kitchen is empty when I push through the door. Thank God. I fill the kettle and set it on the stove, then lean against the counter and close my eyes.
I’ve got two weeks. Two weeks until I know if this baby belongs to Ash, Ghost, or Titan.
Or Marcus.
My stomach turns. I press my hand against my abdomen, willing the nausea away.
“Congratulations.”
I jump and spin around. Mona stands in the doorway, a smile plastered across her face that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Jesus, Mona. You scared me.”
“Sorry.” She doesn’t sound sorry. She walks into the kitchen and leans against the counter across from me. “Heard the news. A baby. How exciting.” She walks into the kitchen and leans against the counter. “Must’ve been quite the announcement.”
“It was.”
“Everyone’s talking about it. The president’s wife, pregnant already.” Her smile sharpens. “You and Ash just got married, what, three weeks ago?”
“Yeah. So?”
“So the math is interesting.” She tilts her head. “You must’ve gotten pregnant right around the time you were supposed to marry Marcus Stone.”
I pour hot water over my tea bag, keeping my movements calm. “What’s your point, Mona?”
