By the end of the night, Adeline was exhausted, and he and Joey were supposed to go to a party, but instead they opted to go back to Joey’s and watch a movie.Adeline curled up between them on the sofa.She had fallen asleep midway through the second movie.
“I’m sorry if this isn’t what you had planned,” Joey said.
He looked over to her and saw her biting her lip.“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend Halloween.”
“Seriously?Your Uncle Rick had his party, which we were going to go to.”
He shrugged.“There will be other Halloweens I can take you, and besides, pigging out on candy and sitting in the warmth, all snuggled under a warm blanket.I can’t think of anything better.”
She giggled.“Can you even hear yourself?”
“Yeah, I can hear myself.What about you?”he asked and checked to make sure Adeline was in fact asleep.“Are you happy with not being able to take advantage of me?”He winked at her.
Joey put a hand up to her mouth and shook her head.“I cannot believe you just said that.”
He blew her a kiss and reached across the sofa to stroke his fingers down the curve of her neck.“I’m happy, Joey.Did you want to go to that party?”he asked.
“It would have been nice, but I kind of liked this a little better.”She leaned back, and he stroked the column of her neck.“Actually, consider that I like this a hell of a lot better.”
****
Joey didn’t want todo this, but she didn’t have much of a choice.Adeline was in school, Axel was at a job, and her part-time worker had finally decided to turn up for work.She could drive the hour out of town to go to the second nearest pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.For the past week she had been waking up and had to run to the bathroom to throw up.This was not good.The last time this had happened, she had been pregnant.
Things were going good between her and Axel, and Adeline adored him so much.
She nibbled her lip as she purchased the test, and of course, she had to get the judgy woman from behind the counter, as if she had all the great wisdom locked up inside her.
Joey did have every intention of asking where she could use the bathroom, but the small problem was, she didn’t have the need to go.With a pregnancy test in hand, she made her way back to town and to the shop.All the while the test felt like it was burning in her purse.She felt like all the customers knew.
She had gone and gotten back before lunchtime.Axel had already called to say he hadn’t been able to make it as he needed to wait for a delivery of parts for the ranch he was working on.He was close to finishing, but he said it was these days where it was make-or-break.
She didn’t know how make-or-break it was, and so didn’t ask.He was an amazing craftsman.She had stayed at his place a couple of times over the past few months, and when she asked about certain furniture he redid at his house, he would tell her.She saw how animated he was when it came to his work.
Joey had checked him out online and saw all the reviews he had gotten for the work he did.There was never a bad word about him.
“I’m just going to have a short break,” she said, knowing she was going to fire this girl, who seemed to spend more time filing her nails than working.
She made her way through to the back, grabbing her purse and entering the bathroom.
It had been nine years since she had taken a test, and as she sat on the toilet, she pulled out the pregnancy box and felt her hands start to shake.She had been nervous back then as well.Did women evernotget nervous?Shaking her head, she pressed her lips together and as she was about to open the box, her cell phone rang.Joey checked who the caller was, and of course, it had to be her sister at a time like this.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hey, beautiful, I was just checking in, seeing how you’re doing.What’s going on with you?”
Joey laughed.“You’re calling now?”
“Yeah, do you have a problem with me calling?”
“Nah, I just, I’ve got, well, work, and to keep an eye on the shop.Coffee will not sell itself.”
“I thought you now had a part-time employee.”
“Yeah, I don’t think she is working out.”
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”Ashley asked.
“Nothing is going on.I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
