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I follow the instructions, peeing on the stick and carefully placing the test on the counter. The minutes drag on, each tick of the clock I can't see almost echoing in the small room. The only other sound is the rhythmic beating of my heart, quickened by the unknown.
Xander takes my hand and drags me against his front and I snuggle into him, sinking my head into his shoulders and closing my eyes as we wait.
As the seconds pass, I can't help but steal glances at the test. The control line appears first, a reassuring sign that the test is working. But the second line, the one that will change everything, takes its time to materialize.
The quiet tension in the room amplifies the rustling of the shower curtain and the insistent hum of static. I keep my eyes fixed on the test, unable to tear them away now they're open. Xander's gaze never leaves my face, his presence a grounding force in the uncertain moment.
Finally, the moment of truth arrives. A faint, yet unmistakable, second line emerges on the test. A surge of emotions floods through me – disbelief, joy, fear, and excitement all at once. I look up at Xander, and our eyes lock in a shared realization.
I'm pregnant. I'm carrying his baby. There's a new child nestled in me in this moment. I run my fingers over my stomach and then bite my lip to hold back the surge of emotions.
Ecstasy engulfs me as I fling myself into his arms, the positive test forgotten on the counter. His strong embrace envelops me, locking me in a tight hug. I can feel the warmth of his chest against mine, the steady beat of his heart echoing the newfound rhythm of ours.
Xander sweeps his hand over my bare ass, then drags it up my sides and locks them around me again, pressing a kiss to my wet hair. His words are simple and soft. "Thank you Sole."
26
XANDER
I lift the flowers off the bed where I'd dropped them and hand the bouquet to Mel, who bends her head into the yellow petals and sniffs at them. She lifts her head to meet my gaze, sniffles gently, and then crushes herself to me.
The flowers get squashed between us and I don't fucking care. It's more than worth it to have her in my arms like this. "Do you like it?"
She nods against my chest. "I love it."
"You're my sunshine Melissa Sedric. You always remind me why you are every time I make a pretense of forgetting. Like what you have done for the charities."
She'd made time even with our busy schedules to visit the hospitals the charity was associated with, she'd even made me go with her once, dragging me half the way and sticking by my side the entire time.
She lifts her head off my chest and glares playfully up at me. "You bought that ticket didn't you?"
I plant a small kiss on her lips and she pulled back, laughing when I tuck my hand into her hair and hold her still. "I had to. No one was getting that lunch with you."
She'd suggested auctioning lunch with someone to make more money for the hospital. It had been a bad idea, first because it was unsafe for her to be out there where danger might get to her, second because I didn't want anyone getting lunch with my woman.
She is mine. If she is having lunch, it would be with me.
"It would've made me a lot more money." She quirks her eyes up at me.
I lift my own brows. "Do you need more money?"
She slaps her open palm against my chest. "It's not about the money Xander!" She laughed.
I tip her head up to mine and then press it into my beating chest. "The charities are supposed to be secret. I don't want the rest of the world finding out. I like you running it, I like seeing you with those children, I love how the adults adore you, that you treat it like your baby, that you shine so bright, my sunshine but I'd like to keep it under wraps. It'll help me feel better knowing you're safe."
She drags a deep breath into her lungs and looks away from me, when her eyes meet mine again, there's tears in them. "I understand. But you still overpaid for lunch."
I shrug carelessly. "Whatever's mine is ours. You overpaid."
"She pulls away, a soft smile lingering on her full lips. "Do we tell the family I'm pregnant?"
"Yes. I'll inform my family tonight. I'm guessing you'll want to talk to your family too."
"Do you think we should? It's early days yet." Melissa asks looking up at me, her forehead creased in question.
I plant a small kiss on her lips and pull her into my arms again. "Father's sick. I think we should. The news won't make it out of the family. We can depend on them for that."
She plants a kiss on my lips too. "Father will be so glad. We should tell Lucian, too."
