“Well,” Cole pulls me so I’m facing him,our faces inches apart.
I drop my gaze. I don’t want to tell him.He’ll freak out, especially about the baby thing. He pulls my chin up with his fingersas I try to put my head on his shoulder.
“Now, Kate.”
Damn his bossy nature. “It was amisunderstanding, that’s all. We started arguing about the wedding colors andthen about the dresses. Jill said she didn’t want to be a bridesmaid. I madethe mistake of saying she didn’t have to be. Which made my aunt Kathy mad at meand then the entire room blew up.”
Cole looks me over. “That’s it?”
Ugh—how does he know there’s more? I tryto look away, but he holds my chin. “No. My mom and Annie think I’m pregnant.But I’m not, I’m not.” Now I’m trying to convince myself I’m not pregnant. “Igot upset and said that we always used protection and I’m on birth control.That’s when my mom got upset.” Or as Kurt says, she went nuclear. My teethchatter. The water has turned cold.
“Come on, let’s get out.” Cole gets out,wrapping a towel around him. He helps me out and wraps me in a bathrobe. “Here,your hair is a little wet.” He grabs a towel from next to the bathtub and mypregnancy test clatters to the floor.
“No, Cole, don’t,” I stammer as he leansover, picking it up. I turn around, walking up to the vanity, trying to get agrip on my emotions. Through the mirror, I watch as he reads the test, his rosycheeks losing their color. I turn around. “Will you please listen to what I haveto say before you get upset?”
“Is this yours?” He looks worried—almostscared—he has a right to be. The test says I’m pregnant.
I have the sudden urge to lie and say no,but I can’t lie to the man I love. That’s not me. I’ve always been honest. Inod. “Yes.”
Cole sits down on the edge of the tub.“Okay, I’m listening.” He glances up at me for a minute, but his eyes are drawnback to the positive pregnancy test.
I take a deep breath. “It was Laura whothought she was pregnant. She was scared, so I told her I’d hold her hand whileshe took the test. We found this souvenir general store type shop in the outletmall that had a package of tests. The first one said she was pregnant, so shetook the second and it was negative. She freaked out. To help her feel betterand as a joke, I took the test. It turned out the pregnancy tests had anexpiration date. They had expired. We had Luke take us to the drugstore and hertests were all negative.”
“What about yours?” Cole stands up.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you took the test again too,right?”
“Well, no. The tests were bad. It was afalse positive.”
“Kate, you’ve been overly tired, hungry,and then not hungry, dizzy, and nauseous. Plus, you have a positive pregnancytest.”
“No,” I sob. “I’m not pregnant. It was afluke. I’ve been all those things because my family showed up unexpectedly,deciding to throw me a wedding I didn’t want. My husband is the target of abusiness scandal. I have some freaky broad who’s stalking me, and I ended up injail. That’s why I haven’t felt good.”
“Or you’re pregnant.” Cole’s jaw ticks.“Luke said he thought he overheard Laura say you were pregnant.”
“NO!” I scream. “She was joking.” I can’tbe pregnant. I’m not pregnant. It’s all too much to think about with everythingelse that’s going on. My head spins and my legs give out on me.
“Whoa, Kate.” Cole catches me and we easeto the floor together.
“Let’s take the test again or we can callDr. Geist and have him do a blood test. We need to know for sure.”
I put my face in my hands and sob. Thisis the very last thing I needed. “I’m sorry.” I cry.
“Baby.” Cole moves my hands from my face.“Don’t cry.” He holds me in his arms, rocking me gently. I don’t want to bepregnant. It’s not that I don’t want kids, I do. A little girl or boy withCole’s curly hair and my hazel eyes. I want to have a family with him, just notyet.
“Come on, let’s get dressed.”
I put on a clean pair of yoga pants and ahot-pink, long sleeve, stretchy tee with a hood, and pull my hair into a messybun. Cole puts on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and fishes his baseball cap out ofthe closet. I pull on my old loafers while he calls Luke. He takes my hand, andwe walk out of the bedroom together.
Jill, Annie, and Laura are all stretchedout in the living room watching a movie. None of us acknowledge the other, andCole and I leave the villa without a word to anyone. Cole keeps my hand in hisin the elevator, but I can feel the tension radiating from him. We climb into awaiting SUV, Keaton driving and Luke in the front passenger seat. “The closestdrugstore.” Cole tells Keaton, shutting the car door.
I slide to the other side, resting myhead against the cool window. It feels good against my feverish head but Ishiver, feeling cold. Cole’s warm arms wrap around me, and he presses me intothe crook of his arm. I’m scared and nervous, and a bit mad Cole doesn’tbelieve me. I know my body. At the same time, I need his comfort, reassurance,and love. If I’m being honest with myself, there’s that seed of doubt. I don’thave that one hundred percent guarantee I’m not pregnant. I never paid thepregnancy test any mind, thinking it was a freak thing. We pull into a 24-hourdrugstore and I sit up and open the door.
“Wait.” Luke turns around. “I think it’sbetter if I get whatever you need.”
I raise my eyebrows at him, giving him acautious look. I glance back at Cole, who looks miserable, making me feel worseabout this whole thing.
