“No, thanks. I’m gonna grab something to eat on my way to the clinic anyway.” I grab my purse and a couple more Sour Patch Kids for the road. “You good if I head out now?”
“Yup. Rachel will be in at noon. I think I can manage to hold down the fort for an hour.”
“Thanks, Luce. Have an amazing Fourth!” We’re closed tomorrow for the holiday, so I look around my space. The shop is looking better than ever, even if my home isn’t. “I’ll be here by seven on Saturday.”
Lucy nods, knowing as well as I do that it will probably be the busiest day of the year.
“I’ll bring the coffee and pastries,” she says with a smile, but the thought of coffee brings the sick feeling back. I add another candy to my mouth, shaking my head as I make my way to the door.
“If the shot isn’t working for you, we can talk about the pill. It might be easier on your stomach.”
An hour later, I’m wearing a white dressing gown and sitting on the bed in my gynecologist’s office. The room is intimate, the walls a calming sage green.
“It’s only been bad the last two weeks. I googled it and read that it could be from my hormones starting to balance again,” I tell Dr. Allen. “I know I’m late for the next round, but I think I wanna give my body a break for a few months. Though I will definitely consider the pill.”
“It can be your system rebalancing. When was your last period?”
I pause for a beat as I pull out my phone to study my period app. “It’s been weird the last few months, but my last full period was May third.”
“When you say full—how many days?”
“Two, maybe three? It’s usually light.”
Dr. Allen’s brows knot as she writes in my chart. “And since?”
“I had a little spotting that started on May twenty-ninth, but that only lasted about a day. Though I did have cramps for a few days either side.”
“Okay. Our nurse practitioner is checking the urine sample you gave us when you came in. We can make sure you don’t have any sort of UTI that would cause cramps, and then you can decide if you want to give your body a break. It’s not a bad idea if you aren’t sexually active.”
I laugh. “Nope, not active … at all.”
The words haven’t even left my lips before a flash of my back hitting the bathroom wall and the feel of Asher’s lips crashing down on mine fills my mind.
“Okay, Liv.” Dr. Allen smiles at me. “Just sit tight as I check on your sample. I’ll be right back.”
She isn’t gone more than thirty seconds before my phoneon the small table beside me lights up and I see a text from Asher.
A
I was talking to Shane today. Seems they’re going to have the electricians in next week. Have you been back? How’s it looking?
ME
He mentioned about that the other day. It looks good. Empty but good.
ME
Thanks for the update and thanks for your help.
I wince as I hit send on that last message. I am grateful that Asher is still trying to help me with the house, but it’s hard to pretend a spark doesn’t shoot through me when I see his name on my screen. Which means that, no matter how hard I try, I feel like anything I say comes across as awkward and painfully formal. I facepalm and breathe out a sigh as the doctor comes back into the room.
“Well, interesting turn of events.” Dr. Allen sets down my chart as I look up at her quizzically. “You must be alittleactive, Olivia. You’re pregnant.”
CHAPTER 17
Olivia
“E-excuse me?” The room spins as I grip the sides of the bed for stability. “No … I had … I was spotting. I was on the shot.”
