Page 92 of Claimed in the Dark

My fingers began to shake as I swiped to the calendar app.

“Oh, my God.” I blinked, questioning whether my eyes were working properly.

Because if they weren’t, and I was reading this correctly, I was late.

Oh.

My.

God.

I thought back on the timeline, knowing it could add up. The absence of my period starting like clockwork, and the fact that we’d been intimate almost daily, made the math look awfully convincing.

I lowered my head and looked at my flat stomach. The baby weight had fallen off quickly due to breastfeeding and not really having a great diet due to the finances at the time following Brady’s birth. Plus, I’d been busy as a new mom, barely resting to even eat full meals with Kaleb not helping much.

I tried to imagine it. My belly swelling. My feet aching. My boobs getting tender.

I gasped and jerked my head up.

“Oh. My. God!”

They already were. I’d noticed the tenderness when Nikolai sucked on them last. When he teased me and turned me on like he was such a master at it. But also with a twinge of discomfort.

Just like last time, when I learned that I was pregnant, a deep, intrinsic joy took over me. It started in my chest, as my heart thudded faster, but it spread through me until I felt like I was vibrating with happiness and excitement and so much joy.

Another baby.

It would be a blessing.

Another adventure.

But before I could get ahead of myself, I had to know. I had to get a test and confirm it one way or another.

I swiped to the texts and found the group with Elena, Carina, Mila and Wren.

Louisa: This thread is just for us, right?

Elena replied with a thumbs-up emoji.