His eyes widen at me, and he gooses his neck. “Who the fuck is Frau Perchta?”
“The German witch of winter. Some say she is actually a goddess. She can reward or punish you, especially during the twelve days of Christmas, and it’s now winter.”
He shakes his head side to side, and his finger indicates to wrap it up. “We’re going off track, but we will go with the goddess part. And we are both responsible for our birth control fail. Which everything else except procreation I’m good on when it comes to the eighth-grade safe sex talk, that I clearly once ignored as a grown man.”
“Me too.”
“Now let’s talk about this baby. You. Me. A baby, to be exact.”
I’m slightly relieved by his compliment, even if it wasn’t meant to be one. Silence lingers in my bathroom again as my new reality sinks in. Finally, he touches my arm, and we both drag our eyes away from the view of our confirmation.
“We should probably talk.” His sincerity is strong.
Before I can respond, an overpowering lightheadedness sweeps through me, and my body becomes the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Asher is quick to offer me support, and his hand takes a grip on my arm.
“Come on, you should lie down on your side,” he insists and helps guide me to my bed.
“It’s the news. My body is just trying to deal with the shock… Okay, it’s probably a pregnancy symptom, like all the other ones I’ve been in denial about.” My voice is faint, and my eyes feel heavy as Asher aids me to lie on my side.
He tosses the throw blanket on me that I keep on the edge of my bed and leans down. “Just rest.”
Swallowing, I’m not sure what to say or ask. Only the obvious. “What now?”
His sigh is strong and fills the room while our eyes link for a few beats before he stands and begins to pace the floor. Rubbing his temples, he is thinking. “I don’t know.” He seems frustrated. “I have to be on a flight first thing in the morning to Philly. I can’t think right now.”
Attempting to sit up, I fall right back down. “We should take a breather. Discuss this in a few days.”
“We have options.” He stops mid-pace, and his sentence slices through me, and maybe he senses that. “Just… you’re right… take a few days and let the news sink in.”
Is his body language already indicating what he wants? Is his mind already made up? What do I want?
“Okay, we’re on the same page about waiting to discuss. When are you back?”
“Sunday.”
I focus on taking a few breaths, accepting that the next few days won’t be easy. “Then we’ll talk then.”
The sting in the corner of my eye and the strain in my throat begins, indicating tears are about to break out.
“Are you mad?” I wonder.
Asher rubs his face and chuckles bitterly under his breath. “This definitely wasn’t the surprise that I was planning on.”
So, heisangry.
“Neither was I.”
He shakes his head. “My focus should be on one thing: the team. This is my time to make my mark and turn the organization around. Distractions are the last thing I need, but here we are.” He sounds annoyed.
I’m beginning to get pissed off, and I sit up, dizziness be damned. “Yeah, here we are,” I volley back, completely deflated.
“Gracie, we can both admit that neither one of us had this in our future planningright now.”
I bite my lip tucked into my mouth and try to fight the stream of tears that fills me because an overwhelming feeling comes over me not to be disappointed with this news.
He watches me and maybe he realizes that he is being insensitive or lacking tact in his choice of words. “Just… let’s take a breather and give ourselves a few days,” he reaffirms. Rubbing the back of his neck, he blows out another breath. “You’ll be alright now? I mean, you don’t seem to be feeling well.” At least his concern is convincing.
Shrugging, I feel the need to state the obvious that we’ve now figured out. “I’m pregnant, remember? This comes with the territory.”
