“I think we’ll be good to eat here tonight. I’ve been trying to think of something to make for dinner and couldn’t come upwith what I was in the mood for,” I say as the girls laugh. “My stomach isn’t feeling the best today for some reason.”
Cali and Annistyn look at one another in silent communication and I wonder what that’s about. They’ll share if they want to. I’m not worried about their conversation because I know it’s not meant to hurt me.
“You and Rex are having sex, right?” Cali asks me as I turn to look at her.
“Yeah. We have been for a little while now,” I answer hesitantly while looking between the two of them.
“Are you late?” Annistyn questions me as I try to think back to when I had my last cycle.
“Shit. I think I am,” I respond as the overwhelming urge to be sick fills me and I hand Ridge back to his mom before rushing to the bathroom.
I almost run into Rex as he leaves his room and walks toward the common room. When he tries to stop me, I push past him and dart into the bathroom. I barely make it to the toilet before I lose what little is in my stomach. I don’t know how I’ll get a pregnancy test here since I can’t go out, but I think I might need one.
“I’ve got what you need,” Annistyn says from behind the closed door. “I just found out I’m pregnant again and have a few tests left over.”
I can’t answer her because I get sick again. When I’m finally done, Annistyn hands me the test and I take it while she remains in the bathroom with me. I finish going to the bathroom before I leave the stall and set the test on the paper towel Annistyn already has laid out on the counter for me. She sets a timer on her phone before we stand next to one another in silence.
“I can’t believe this might be happening,” I mumble when I can’t stand the silence any longer. “I mean, we really weren’t doing anything to prevent it, but it’s too soon.”
“Nothing is ever too soon if you really love one another, Taleah. The two of you have known one another for a very long time and this was bound to happen sooner or later. It might be happening sooner than either one of you planned, but I think it’s a good thing. Rex will be a good dad and I know you’ll be a great mom. I’ve seen you with the kids around here,” she says as her timer goes off and I look at her instead of the test.
Annistyn nudges me and we both look down at the same time. Nervousness fills me as I try to figure out if I’m happy or sad with the results. Right now, I’m not sure and I have no clue how Rex will react when we have a few minutes to talk. Annistyn pulls me into a hug and holds me while I shake in her arms. I don’t know how much time passes before I gather myself and we head back out to the common room. Rex is waiting for me and he gives me a worried look as I sit down next to him and offer a weak smile. When he looks at me, I just shake my head and mumble something about talking later when we’re alone. Cali steps in and says it’s time to start dinner as I get up and follow them into the kitchen where I can process this new information.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Master
TALEAH HAS NEVER once rushed past me the way she just did. Even if she’s in the middle of something, she tells me to give her just a minute. I turn and watch her rush into the bathroom and hear her getting sick before the door even closes all the way behind her. Taking a few steps toward the bathroom, I stop because Annistyn rushes around the corner and places her hand on my arm.
“Let me help her, Rex. We don’t know what’s going on and you might be the last person she wants to see right now. Women don’t like their men seeing them when they’re getting sick,” she says as I look down at her.
“What if she needs me?” I question her, already thinking of all the possibilities that could be wrong with her.
“If she needs you, I’ll get you immediately. For now, let me help her and make sure she’s okay. Why don’t you get her some Ginger Ale and crackers?” she says, starting to move toward the bathroom door once again.
“I can do that,” I say to her retreating back as Annistyn disappears in the bathroom and I hear Taleah throwing up again. Heading for the bar, I look at Evan. “I need a Ginger Ale. Keep it in the bottle.”
“Got it, Master,” he responds, turning to grab the drink from the cooler as I head for the kitchen.
I rarely come in the room and have no clue where the hell anything is in here. Moving to the pantry, I open the door andlook at all the food filling the shelves. It takes several minutes, but I finally find a box of crackers and grab the entire thing. If Taleah needs them, I’ll make sure she has as many as she needs. There’s at least two more boxes on the shelf so if I take a whole one, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Walking back in the common room, I grab the soda from Evan and head for the table Cali’s sitting at with Ridge in her arms. I set the crackers and soda down before taking a seat with her. She’s holding Ridge in her arms and I know it’s because Link isn’t here. He’s doing something with Reckless. Link always has his son in his arms if Ridge isn’t nursing or sleeping. He’s definitely a hands-on dad and I hope to be like him one day. Reckless is the same way with his kids. Both men would rather hang out with them over going to any party, bar, or strip club. Some of the guys in the club tease the hell out of them, but their response is always the same. They want their kids to grow up and know both of their parents were there for them every single day. If any of the kids are sick, hurt, upset, or happy, they’ll be with them so the kids don’t feel as if they were only raised by their mom. I don’t want any son or daughter I’m lucky enough to have feeling as if everything came before them and that I wasn’t there for them when they needed me the most.
“I thought you were comin’ right back?” Count asks, walking in the common room.
“Taleah’s sick. Annistyn is in the bathroom with her right now. I need to make sure she’s okay before I get back to work,” I tell him as my eyes drift toward the hallway where Taleah is.
“Fuck. I’ll grab some drinks for us while you wait for her. If you need to take her to the doctor or anythin’, let me know and I’ll keep puttin’ the files together while you’re gone,” he says, walking away and grabbing bottles of water and soda from Evan.
I usually keep drinks and snacks in my office, but I’ve run out. For now, we’ll just grab stuff from the bar until I can get to the store for my favorite drinks. I don’t really do energy drinks, but some of those iced coffees in a bottle are good and I keep a few on hand for when I’m exhausted but still have work to get done. Count keeps a few energy drinks in my office as well. He’s always trying new ones and doesn’t want anyone else to take them when he’s not here. The Feral Girls take whatever they want without caring if it belongs to someone else. He’s caught them with his drinks several times in the past and learned to keep them in a locked room. Since no one enters my office when I’m not there and the door is always locked, it seemed like the best solution to his problem.
As Count disappears back down the hallway, I hear the bathroom door open and it takes a minute before Annistyn and Taleah make their way back out. Taleah’s face is pale and she looks as if she’s ready to collapse where she stands. I want to go pick her up and take her home so she can get in bed and rest. That’s the last thing she’ll want right now. Taleah is miserable when she’s sick and doesn’t let anyone touch her for any reason. It was rare I could get her to let me give her a backrub when we were younger and she was sick.
“Are you okay, Doll?” I ask when she gets up next to me.
“We’ll talk about it later when we’re alone,” she mumbles before Cali stands from the table and looks at the girls.
“It’s time to start making dinner,” she announces as I watch Taleah’s body relax the slightest bit. She turns away from me and heads into the kitchen with the girls.
